Characteristics and Changes in the Mathematics Textbooks for the Secondary School in Argentina Along 67 Years

Abstract

This work analyses the changes in the relationship between arguing and images from the mathematics textbooks for the secondary school in Argentina (students 12-17 years old) along 67 years. The textbooks have been published in the period 1940 thru 2007. The analysis is done by (N=137) textbooks based on three meta-categories in an inductive way. These meta-categories are: characteristics of the arguing, relationship between images and arguing as well as characteristics of the textbooks (the date of publishing, the epistemological conceptions about mathematics and the educational level which the textbook is oriented). A factorial analysis of multiple correspondences was performed to find the main similarities and differences between the textbooks and to make a cluster analysis and one possible classification. The main differences are given by the changes in the epistemological conception of mathematics and in the characteristics of the images, especially in the newest edition books.