Semiotic Representation in Basic Pupils’ Mathematics Textbooks: A Social Semiotic Analysis

Abstract

This study examines semiotic representation in basic pupils' mathematics textbooks in Awka, Nigeria from a social semiotic lens. The aim is to show how language, visuals, signs and symbols, as well as colours and framing, serve as veritable tools for examining mathematical practices and those of teaching and learning Mathematics. A descriptive design was adopted to analyse visual representations in the selected Mathematics textbooks. Data for the study, which comprised sixteen images, were randomly selected from Mathematics Expert Book for Basic Education 1 and Modular Mathematics for Primary 2. Pictures/images and texts sourced from the two textbooks were collected with a phone camera. The study is theoretically framed around Halliday’s (1978) view of social semiotics and Kress and van Leeuwen’s (2020) ideology of multimodality as frameworks for analysing mathematical concepts in basic pupils’ Mathematics textbooks. The study’s results show that visual representations in the textbooks contribute significantly to creating a deeper understanding of Mathematical concepts, solving problems, and providing a means for pupils to communicate their mathematical thinking and gain a better understanding during Mathematics classes. The study is significant in that the frameworks and methodological approaches adopted contribute to the study of social semiotics and mathematics education. It thus provides actionable insights for textbook designers, teachers, educators, and curriculum developers, advancing both theory and practice in multimodal mathematics education.