Theses and Dissertations

Date of Award

8-1-2024

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Department

Curriculum & Instruction

First Advisor

Laura Jewett

Second Advisor

Jair Aguilar

Third Advisor

Pauli Badenhorst

Abstract

While contemporary mathematics education literature argues that curricular resources, such as textbooks, play a significant role guiding mathematics teachers in what and how they teach, it also shows that these resources often do not do what they say they will do, nor adhere to the standards they claim to further. When it comes to the most utilized mathematics curricular resource in the United States, Eureka Math, there is a lack of scholarly literature investigating these types of claims made by the publisher. This study aimed to explore how the Eureka Math curricular resources are positioned within the context of the Common Core State Standards of Mathematical Practice (CCSS-MP) and mathematics education more broadly and, subsequently, how the content of the resources then positions it in relation to the constructivist-aligned practices of the CCSS-MP. Through a descriptive case study design, I first engaged in a critical discourse analysis of two webpages of the Eureka Math website to provide both a description and an interpretation of the text and images, followed by an explanation of a macro-level context of mathematical crisis that was revealed through the relevant literature. I then conducted a content analysis of tasks provided in a module of the Eureka Math curriculum using an adapted framework focused on three characteristics deemed essential for high-quality context-based tasks: type of context, type of information, and type of cognitive demand. Findings from the critical discourse analysis revealed that Eureka Math’s online platform functions to convince consumers that their products provide a superior level of rigor, real-world problem solving, and conceptual understanding through its implementation. The content analysis showed that overall, few tasks (25%) throughout the module were context-based tasks, with very few (4%) being high-quality in the type of information provided, even fewer (3%) in the type of cognitive demand required, and none (0%) in the type of context featured. While this study focuses on the Eureka Math curriculum specifically, it aims to also inform broader discussions of mathematics curriculum and, more broadly, conversations about curriculum decision-making in all content areas.

Comments

Copyright 2024 Jennifer Goldin-Weeks. https://proquest.com/docview/3100650214

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