Multimodal Tensions and the Foregrounding of Mathematical Content: A Textbook Analysis of Introductions to Equality and Subtraction

Abstract This study investigates how tensions within and between modes, understood as contrasts or discontinuities in how mathematical content is communicated, are constituted in textbook introductions of equality and subtraction. While multimodal research in mathematics education has emphasized cohesion and coordination between modes, less attention has been given to discontinuities and contrasts, which may create conditions for productive struggle arising in students. Adopting a multimodal perspective grounded in the concept of tension, the study conducts an exploratory analysis of introductory chapters on equality and subtraction in three Swedish grade-one textbook series. Through a bottom-up categorization, five types of multimodal tension were identified. Three occur at a macro level, unfolding across successive parts, for example, between an example and a task, while two occur at a micro level within single parts. The findings show that different types of tension establish qualitatively different relations between modes and mathematical content. Macro-level tensions tend to foreground invariant aspects of equality or subtraction through variation over time, whereas micro-level tensions more often fragment or ambiguously anchor the mathematical content within one part of the textbook. By distinguishing between macro- and micro-level tensions and relating them to specific mathematical content, the study contributes a more fine-grained vocabulary for analysing multimodal textbook design. The results contribute to a more nuanced understanding of multimodal tension by showing that its potential to support productive struggle depends on where and how it is constituted in relation to mathematical ideas.