Document Type : Research Paper

Author

• hojjat eftekhari

Assistant Professor, Department of Educational Sciences, Farhangian University, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to examine the dimensions of moral education in the content of mathematics textbooks for the second stage of elementary education in Iran. This descriptive research was conducted using content analysis. The statistical population included the mathematics textbooks for grades four, five, and six in the 2024-2025 academic year, which were all fully reviewed. The data collection tool was a checklist derived from the upstream documents of the Ministry of Education and reputable domestic studies, covering general and basic ethics, social ethics, individual ethics, economic ethics, and political ethics. The data obtained from coding and frequency counting of components were analyzed using Shannon entropy method to calculate not only frequency but also information load and importance coefficient of each component. The findings showed that, in all three textbooks, the greatest quantitative attention was paid to economic and political ethics components; however, in terms of information load and importance coefficient, general and basic ethics and social ethics components ranked higher. Some fundamental components such as honesty, patience and tolerance, loyalty, and chastity were almost neglected. The pattern of moral education distribution across the three grades examined was similar and relatively unbalanced. Overall, attention to moral education in mathematics textbooks was less than expected and mostly unsystematic. Based on the results, it is recommended that curriculum planners and textbook authors, in revising mathematics content, pay special attention to neglected and low-frequency but highly important components, and employ scientific and comparative methods to enhance students’ moral education.

Keywords

• Moral Education
• Mathematics Textbooks
• Content Analysis
• Elementary School