A case study investigation of the use of a textbook in a secondary mathematics classroom : issues of regulation and control

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dc.contributor.advisorEnsor, Paulaen_ZA
dc.contributor.authorMulcahy, Diana Leonieen_ZA
dc.date.accessioned2016-03-04T16:49:50Z
dc.date.available2016-03-04T16:49:50Z
dc.date.issued1995en_ZA
dc.descriptionBibliography: pages 82-84.en_ZA
dc.description.abstractThis dissertation is concerned with aspects of the role of the textbook in school mathematics. An attempt is made to uncover control strategies used by the teacher in textbook use in the classroom, and those implicit in a mathematics textbook. It is argued that these forms of regulation place constraints on the transformative role sometimes attributed to textbooks. The following research question is addressed: how does the teacher recruit the textbook in the classroom, how is he/she 'recruited' by it and how are both recruited by school mathematics? A case study methodology is described, involving a video-recording of a fifty minute mathematics lesson and a follow-up interview with the teacher. Transcriptions are used and a fine-grained analysis of data is attempted. A literature survey examines other research in the areas of content selection, content control and content expression. Content selection refers to choices and omissions, content control refers to sequencing, pacing and authority in the pedagogic relationship, and content expression includes verbal and textual modes of expressing content. Theoretical ideas are drawn from Bernstein (1976, 1991, 1993) and Dowling (1993). Although these works are methodologically different, they both describe aspects of regulation and control. Of particular interest are Bernstein's notions of classification and framing, and Dowling's ideas on discourse and procedure. The hypothesis is put forward here that there is a dialectical relationship involving the positioning of teacher and textbook. The teacher recruits the textbook to regulate pupils and knowledge, but s/he is at the same time constrained by strategies implicit in the textbook. In other words the teacher both positions and is positioned by the textbook. Both in tum are positioned by school mathematics. The data analysis examines the 'how', 'what' and 'who' of control. It considers the regulation of speech, silence, working and listening, as well as the sequencing, pacing, selecting, presenting and authorising of content. It argues that the teacher both recruits and is 'recruited' by the textbook, and that although the framing is strong and the teacher has a high degree of control in the pedagogic relationship, the classification is also strong and the teacher lacks control over what she can teach and the relationship between contents. The research concludes by suggesting that the transformative role sometimes attributed to the textbook is problematic. The strategies of regulation and control operating in the classroom, implicit in the textbook and in school mathematics, limit the possibilities of how textbooks can be used by the teacher and constrain transformation to a significant degree.en_ZA
dc.identifier.apacitationMulcahy, D. L. (1995). <i>A case study investigation of the use of a textbook in a secondary mathematics classroom : issues of regulation and control</i>. (Thesis). University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Humanities ,School of Education. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/11427/17500en_ZA
dc.identifier.chicagocitationMulcahy, Diana Leonie. <i>"A case study investigation of the use of a textbook in a secondary mathematics classroom : issues of regulation and control."</i> Thesis., University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Humanities ,School of Education, 1995. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/17500en_ZA
dc.identifier.citationMulcahy, D. 1995. A case study investigation of the use of a textbook in a secondary mathematics classroom : issues of regulation and control. University of Cape Town.en_ZA
dc.identifier.ris TY - Thesis / Dissertation AU - Mulcahy, Diana Leonie AB - This dissertation is concerned with aspects of the role of the textbook in school mathematics. An attempt is made to uncover control strategies used by the teacher in textbook use in the classroom, and those implicit in a mathematics textbook. It is argued that these forms of regulation place constraints on the transformative role sometimes attributed to textbooks. The following research question is addressed: how does the teacher recruit the textbook in the classroom, how is he/she 'recruited' by it and how are both recruited by school mathematics? A case study methodology is described, involving a video-recording of a fifty minute mathematics lesson and a follow-up interview with the teacher. Transcriptions are used and a fine-grained analysis of data is attempted. A literature survey examines other research in the areas of content selection, content control and content expression. Content selection refers to choices and omissions, content control refers to sequencing, pacing and authority in the pedagogic relationship, and content expression includes verbal and textual modes of expressing content. Theoretical ideas are drawn from Bernstein (1976, 1991, 1993) and Dowling (1993). Although these works are methodologically different, they both describe aspects of regulation and control. Of particular interest are Bernstein's notions of classification and framing, and Dowling's ideas on discourse and procedure. The hypothesis is put forward here that there is a dialectical relationship involving the positioning of teacher and textbook. The teacher recruits the textbook to regulate pupils and knowledge, but s/he is at the same time constrained by strategies implicit in the textbook. In other words the teacher both positions and is positioned by the textbook. Both in tum are positioned by school mathematics. The data analysis examines the 'how', 'what' and 'who' of control. It considers the regulation of speech, silence, working and listening, as well as the sequencing, pacing, selecting, presenting and authorising of content. It argues that the teacher both recruits and is 'recruited' by the textbook, and that although the framing is strong and the teacher has a high degree of control in the pedagogic relationship, the classification is also strong and the teacher lacks control over what she can teach and the relationship between contents. The research concludes by suggesting that the transformative role sometimes attributed to the textbook is problematic. The strategies of regulation and control operating in the classroom, implicit in the textbook and in school mathematics, limit the possibilities of how textbooks can be used by the teacher and constrain transformation to a significant degree. DA - 1995 DB - OpenUCT DP - University of Cape Town LK - https://open.uct.ac.za PB - University of Cape Town PY - 1995 T1 - A case study investigation of the use of a textbook in a secondary mathematics classroom : issues of regulation and control TI - A case study investigation of the use of a textbook in a secondary mathematics classroom : issues of regulation and control UR - http://hdl.handle.net/11427/17500 ER - en_ZA
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11427/17500
dc.identifier.vancouvercitationMulcahy DL. A case study investigation of the use of a textbook in a secondary mathematics classroom : issues of regulation and control. [Thesis]. University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Humanities ,School of Education, 1995 [cited yyyy month dd]. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/11427/17500en_ZA
dc.language.isoengen_ZA
dc.publisher.departmentSchool of Educationen_ZA
dc.publisher.facultyFaculty of Humanitiesen_ZA
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Cape Town
dc.subject.otherMathematics - Textbooks.en_ZA
dc.subject.otherMathematics - Study and teachingen_ZA
dc.subject.otherMathematics - South Africa - Textbooks - Case studiesen_ZA
dc.subject.otherMathematics - Study and teaching - South Africa - Case studiesen_ZA
dc.titleA case study investigation of the use of a textbook in a secondary mathematics classroom : issues of regulation and controlen_ZA
dc.typeMaster Thesis
dc.type.qualificationlevelMasters
dc.type.qualificationnameMEden_ZA
uct.type.filetypeText
uct.type.filetypeImage
uct.type.publicationResearchen_ZA
uct.type.resourceThesisen_ZA
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