A comparative study of the probability content in upper secondary school textbooks in Sweden and China

Abstract: The purpose of this study is to examine the textbook contents pertaining to probability content at the upper secondary school in Sweden and China. Four mathematics textbooks are analysed with respect to three research questions: 1) what are the similarities and differences of the probability content, 2) how are the worked examples of the probability content presented with respect to Polya’s problem-solving model, and 3) how do the practice exercises in the selected textbooks differ in relation to mathematical, contextual and performance requirements in the selected textbooks in Sweden and China. Also, three existing frameworks are applied for implementing the comparative content analysis. The results show that the Swedish and Chinese textbooks are similar in structures but differ in visual appearance and mathematical language usage. It is also found that there is a larger number of probability exercises in the Swedish textbooks, a total number of189 practice exercises comparing to a total number of 86 exercises in the Chinese textbooks. The Swedish textbooks are characterized with student-oriented material, covering more problem-solving modelled examples and procedure-focused exercises, while the Chinese textbooks are more subject-related covering exercises that require a more problem-solving process, mathematical reasoning and analytical thinking skills. Future research can focus on areas, such as problem types in the mathematics textbooks, problem-solving process, programming knowledge in upper-secondary school, and exercise problems that require different cognitive levels in the Swedish textbooks.