Analysing the reasoning required by textbook tasks: how successful are tasks in translating policy into practice?

Textbooks can be viewed as mediators between policymakers' intentions and classroom teachers. We report on a study in which textbook tasks and the opportunities for learning they afford were used as a lens to observe the impact of a curriculum reform in Ireland. A total of 7635 tasks on Differential Calculus and Patterns, Sequences and Series in the three most widely used post-primary textbook series (pre- and post-reform) were examined using Lithner’s reasoning framework. An analysis of the reasoning required to successfully solve these tasks concluded that 92% required imitative reasoning alone, while only 8% required creative reasoning. There was, however, a statistically significant increase in the percentage of creative reasoning tasks between the pre-reform textbooks (4.5%) and those published post-reform (11%). Nevertheless, our results indicate that learners are not being provided with sufficient opportunities to develop reasoning skills and that the textbooks examined failed to mediate the reform envisaged.