A content analysis study about the usage of history of mathematics in textbooks in Turkey

Abstract

The present study aimed to investigate how history of mathematics was integrated to some mathematics textbooks in Turkey. On this account, four different textbooks with different grade levels were chosen. In total, 42 cases were detected and studied by three researchers. Results indicated that the usage of history of mathematics was materialized in six different manners: giving mathematics a human face, showing how concepts have developed, developing a multicultural approach, explaining the roles of mathematics in society, changing the perceptions of mathematics and providing opportunities for investigation. Among these manners, it is observed that giving mathematics a human face is the most frequent manner, while the least apparent one is providing opportunities for investigation.