This study examined the relationship between a teachers’ degree of agreement with Standards-based mathematics textbook characteristics (textbook alignment preferences) and influencing factors. Cluster sampling was utilized to obtain a sample of K-6 teachers from Ohio to respond to a 60 item web-based survey. A return rate of 48% was realized with 273 completed surveys suitable for analysis. Responses to the 24 items that constituted teachers’ degree of agreement with Standards-based mathematics textbook characteristics represented the dependent variable, textbook alignment preferences. Beliefs about the teaching and learning of mathematics, emphasis of professional development, hours of professional development, years of teaching experience, and level of attention to the NCTM Standards represented the independent variables. Data were analyzed using descriptive methods, regression methods, and factor analysis.
Eighty-four percent of the teachers did not disagree (mean score was neutral or agreed) with the characteristics of Standards-based textbooks while less than one-fourth agreed. Additionally, teachers’ beliefs about the teaching and learning of mathematics were close to agreement with those espoused by the NCTM Standards. Seventy-three percent of the participants reported teachers in their school had implemented the Standards in their teaching and about half reported being able to explain the Standards and that they had been thoroughly discussed in their school. Participation in professional development activities was found to be relatively low for this sample of teachers.
A significant regression model where textbook alignment preferences were predicted by mathematics beliefs, prior number of years of teaching experience, emphasis of professional development, hours of professional development, and teacher attention to the NCTM Standards was constructed. The statistically significant predictors for this model were mathematics beliefs and prior number of years of teaching experience.
The 24-item scale of textbook alignment preferences, where the items represented differences between traditional and Standards-based mathematics textbooks was factor analyzed. Parallel analysis indicated a four-factor solution. One factor represented characteristics of traditional textbooks and another represented characteristics of Standards-based textbooks. The third factor represented technology characteristics of textbooks. The last factor represented structure of mathematics topics among textbooks. Also, a two-factor solution was explored since the items for this scale represented traditional and Standards-based textbooks. Most characteristics loaded on the appropriate factor (traditional (10 out of 12) and Standards-based (10 out of 12)). For the remaining items, three did not meet the loading criteria and one item loaded on the other type of factor. Overall, the factor analysis indicated that there is evidence of construct validity for this scale.