Content Analysis of Fifth-year Mathematics Textbooks for the Scientific and Literary Branches in Preparatory Schools According to Higher-order Thinking Skills

Abstract

The present research aims at The analysis of the content of (Mathematics book of the scientific branch and a book of mathematics of the literary branch) for the fifth grade of middle school according to higher-order thinking skills.Where the current research was determined by analyzing the content of mathematics books for the fifth grade middle school for the scientific and literary branches(as a sample for research),and to achieve the goal of the research and answer its questions, the researcher followed one of the methods of the descriptive research method represented by (the method of content analysis),and the preparation of a special content analysis card that has indicators acceptable from Validity and reliability(as a research tool)to analyze the content of the selected sample. The prepared analysis card was used to determine the degree of availability of the target axes for analysis, represented by high-ranking thinking skills: (observation, description, organization, critical questioning, open-ended problem solving, data analysis and modeling, formulation of predictions, analysis, synthesis, application, evaluation or indications thereof). Where the content analysis process was carried out according to specific steps and fixed rules. The researcher relied on calculating the sum of frequencies, calculating percentages, and the chi-square value of independence, for the purposes of statistical treatments and access to results. The final results of the content analysis process showed that the higher- order thinking skills adopted in the current research and the indicators indicating them were unbalanced in the content chapters of mathematics books for the fifth-grade middle school and for the two branches (scientific and literary). The indication of it in the content of the mathematics book for the fifth-grade middle school. The scientific branch and between the repetitions of high-ranking thinking skills and the indicators indicating them in the content of the mathematics book for the fifth-grade middle school-the literary branch. Some skills are not others, and this indicates that there is a deficiency in the representation of some high-ranking thinking skills, as they were not sufficiently taken into account when preparing the content of mathematics books for the middle school stage. Therefore, the researcher recommends the need to take into account the inclusion of all high-ranking thinking skills in a balanced manner when preparing curricula Mathematics books for all stages.