An investigation of nonroutine problem-solving in upper secondary mathematics: content analysis of textbooks, student achievement, and perceptions

This study investigates the content of upper secondary school Mathematics and Additional Mathematics textbooks in Malaysia, focusing on the prevalence of routine versus non-routine problems and how this relates to students’ achievement in solving non-routine mathematical tasks. Using a mixed-methods approach, the study involved three key instruments: content analysis of Form 4 and Form 5 textbooks, a student perception questionnaire, and a Non-Routine Test (NRT). Findings from the content analysis revealed that non-routine problems constituted only 2.18% of the total textbook questions, indicating a limited emphasis on open-ended and cognitively demanding tasks. Students' performance on the Non-Routine Test was low, with a mean score of 11.98 out of 40, suggesting significant challenges in tackling unfamiliar problems. Additionally, the study found a statistically significant but moderate positive correlation between students’ attitudes toward non-routine problem-solving and their NRT scores. These results point to a disconnect between the KSSM curriculum's emphasis on higherorder thinking skills and the actual instructional materials used in classrooms. The study concludes that the underrepresentation of non-routine problems in textbooks may contribute to students limited problem-solving capabilities, and calls for a realignment of textbook content with national curriculum goals to better foster mathematical thinking and critical reasoning.