An Investigation of Primary Mathematics Curricula in Terms of Exercises: A Historical Analysis

Abstract

This study aims to make a comparative analysis of the curricula documentsput into practice during the Turkish Republican period in terms of exercisesas part of instructional arrangements. The data set for the study was themain official curricula documents published during the Republican period.The study employed document analysis method and the documents wereexamined with content analysis technique. The analysis of the data yieldsthree main categories with regard to exercises: objectives, features andteaching arrangements. The comparative analysis pointed out that therewas an increasing emphasis on and importance attached to the exercisesuntil 1990’s. However, after then, there appeared a gradual and steadydecrease in the emphasis placed on exercises. These findings wereconsidered in the light of three main movements, whose effects were all tooapparent in mathematics education: behaviourist learning, meaningfularithmetic and constructivism. We argue that these movements contributedto the interpretation of the relative importance of exercises for teachingmathematics and this, in turn, affected the curricular arrangements throughthe years. The paper concludes that exercises and relevant arrangementsare a greatly neglected area of the curricula developed especially after 2000and that the future program development efforts should pay attention toeliminate this deficiency with the incorporation of carefully designed andplanned practice work.