Comparing the Value of Control with Characteristic of Prediction Conveyed in Mathematics Textbooks in Malaysia and Australia

Abstract

This study aimed to compare the value of control with characteristics of prediction conveyed in Year 10 secondary school mathematics textbooks from Victoria, Australia and Malaysia. A mathematical textbook was analyzed from each country, namely the TVA Math textbook from Australia and TMA Math textbook from Malaysia. Two chapters were selected for analysis from both textbooks with two equivalent chapters, namely Linear Equation and Trigonometric. Content analysis was used to analyze the data. In general, the TVA Math textbook conveyed the value of control with the characteristics of prediction more significantly, compared to the TMA Math textbook. The analysis of both of the Math textbooks show that, the value of control with characteristics of prediction was conveyed through three situations, namely learning objective, note and problem solving. The recommendation was that both textbooks, especially the Malaysian mathematics textbook, should be given more opportunities to instill more mathematical tasks related to the value of control, specifically the characteristic of prediction. Hence the mathematical textbooks could become a more comprehensive learning resources, if it focused not only on the cognitive aspect, but also on the affective aspects, particularly the value of control.