The treatment of fraction concepts in primary mathematics textbooks in Saudi Arabia and Japan

Abstract

As a result of identifying the potential reasons between Saudi students' achievement and their Japanese peers (According to TIMSS results), this research sought to identify the causes by examining primary mathematics textbooks in the two countries on fractions. The content analysis findings indicate that the Saudi textbook introduced fractions in the first grade, while the Japanese textbook introduced them in the second grade. In addition, both textbooks introduced fractions through area models. However, the Saudi textbook focused on area models to develop an understanding of fractions as numbers, while the Japanese textbook focused on the length models, specifically the number line. Another result is that the Saudi textbook recognised fractions by identifying the already partitioned parts, while the Japanese textbook relied on partitioning the whole into parts. In addition, the Japanese textbook emphasised that fractions are composed of unit fractions. Moreover, the Japanese textbook emphasised developing students' understanding of proper fractions, improper fractions, and mixed numbers, while the Saudi textbook emphasised developing students' understanding of proper fractions.