Examining Initial Curricular Coverage of Volume Measurement: A Comparative Analysis

Abstract

In this study, we examined and compared volume and volume-related lessons in two common core aligned U.S. textbook series and Korean elementary textbooks. Because of the importance of textbooks in the lesson enactment process, examining what textbooks offer to students and teachers is important. Since different parts of a textbook provide potentially different opportunities to learn (OTL) to students, we examined exposition, worked examples, and exercise problems as these three areas potentially provide OTL to teachers and students. We paid attention to various OTL that textbooks provide to teachers and students, the number of volume and volume-related lessons, students' development, learning challenges in volume measurement and response types. Our results showed that both countries' textbooks only provide limited attention to volume lessons, learning challenges are not well addressed, conceptual items were presented as isolated topics, and students often need to provide just short responses. We also made recommendations to teachers and textbook authors.