How do high school mathematics texts cover engineering and technology?

The recently developed National Science Education Standards (NSES) and Principles and Standards for School Mathematics (PSSM) promote scientific and mathematical literacy for all students. Further, NSES recommends that an engineering component is an important part of scientific literacy. In previous papers, obstacles to the fulfillment of these goals were considered. One work reviewed science texts, concluding that while most recent science texts make connections to society and use mathematics and science in technological applications, they fall short with regard to the inclusion of engineering principles in questions, problems, and laboratory activities. In this paper, the authors sample some widely used high school mathematics texts and review their coverage of engineering. They identify problems with their coverage and suggest alternative ways of introducing engineering to students. Throughout the paper, they adopt inquiry as the preferred pedagogy for introducing engineering to high school students.

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