Does Algebra Curriculum Develop Cognitively Advanced Critical Minds? Comparative Analysis of Türkiye and the U.S. Mathematics Textbooks

Türkiye and the United States have the largest mathematics score gaps between bottom- and top-performing eighth-grade students compared to other countries in the 2019 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). Yet, the U.S. students, on average, have higher mathematics achievement. To explore this difference, this study aims to assess the alignment of Algebra content, the incorporation of higher cognitive demands and dimensions of algebraic critical thinking (namely, logical thinking, argumentation, deductive reasoning, critique, and critical judgment) in 6th to 8th grade mathematics textbooks in Türkiye and the United States. The analysis was conducted on 219 and 225 solved algebraic examples, respectively. Content analysis method was used to quantify content alignment, cognitive demands; and algebraic critical thinking. The analysis revealed a moderate level of alignment in solved algebraic examples across subtopics in Türkiye and the United States textbooks. Although both sets of textbooks had a high presence of examples with lower-level cognitive demands, the U.S. textbooks had a relatively more balanced distribution of cognitive demands across examples and subtopics. Except for logical thinking and deductive reasoning, critical thinking dimensions are underrepresented in both sets of textbooks. The implications of the surprising findings are discussed.