Three approaches to financial numeracy education in secondary mathematics textbooks

This article examines the integration of financial numeracy in secondary mathematics textbooks. It addresses the gap in literature on how financial concepts are portrayed in textbooks, contributing to the establishment of financial numeracy as a field of research and practice. The study analyzed financial numeracy tasks in three published textbook collections from the Canadian Province of Quebec, using qualitative data software to code tasks by collection, grade, mathematical domain, and financial numeracy approach. The results revealed a higher frequency of financial tasks in early secondary grades compared to late (streamed) grades, with a shift in focus from contextual to conceptual approaches in later grades. Algebra and arithmetic domains contained most financial tasks, with significant differences among textbook collections. The findings suggest a need for textbooks to balance mathematical and financial aspects in tasks, and for teachers to receive support in content and pedagogy related to financial numeracy. The study advocates for a nuanced understanding of financial concepts in mathematics, approaching financial numeracy as sensemaking in financial situations (which goes solving problems with defined variables for decision making).