Adaptation of British Mathematics textbooks for use in the United Arab Emirates

Abstract

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is a cosmopolitan country thriving on diversity but also governed by strict and conservative Islam rules. Education is considered a crucial part of the nation's development and large monetary investments have been made with the intention of raising the standard. Several international schools in the country have introduced international curricula, yet resources for these schools are sparse and ineffective. A qualitative case study was consequently conducted which applied critical discourse analysis (CDA) to explore why and how certain mathematics textbooks need to be adapted for more effective use. Literature gave definition and reference to the importance of mathematics textbooks in the developing classrooms as well as the threefold use of these textbooks: by the teachers for planning lessons, by the learners for study purposes and by the parents who assist them. While English is the primary language of instruction in international schools, more than 94% of the pupils at these schools are English additional language (EAL) learners. The New London Group’s concept of multiliteracies shows that with purposeful adaptations, the efficiency of textbooks for EAL use can be improved and learner attainment substantially enhanced. Accordingly, two relevant textbook samples were chosen from the British curriculum for the study, specifically written for the International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) mathematics examination. A subsequent thematic analysis suggested that the layout, language, examples and visual aids in the textbooks were not adequately adapted to teach the British mathematics curriculum effectively with EAL learners in an international classroom in the UAE. The layout and structure of the textbook were discouraging navigation throughout the textbooks. The vocabulary were not suitable for EAL learners and the lack of definitions were hindering understanding of mathematical concepts. Social, environmental and contextual examples used in the textbooks were irrelevant to the learners’ reality and the visual aid became barriers to learning. My findings concluded that the adaptation of the mathematics textbooks would benefit teacher, parent and learner.