Review article
https://doi.org/10.32728/mo.20.1.2025.06
From String of Beads to Double Lines: The Number Line in Mathematics Textbooks (1961 to 2020)
Jasmina Milinković
; Faculty of Education, University of Belgrade, Serbia
Abstract
This study investigates the use of the number line in mathematics education, with particular emphasis on textbook materials. The number line is one of the most widely recommended didactic models across all grade levels. As a key visualization tool, it appears in multiple formats and contexts: representing whole numbers and fractions in early grades, and rational and integer numbers in later elementary education. The primary aim is to examine its presence and pedagogical role in supporting the conceptualization of numbers and arithmetic operations. The study employs qualitative content analysis of selected mathematics textbooks published in Bosnia and Hercegovina, Croatia, Serbia, and Slovenia from 1961 to 2020 and a modern time textbook from the USA, focusing on visual representations and contextual uses of the number line. By comparing formats and contexts, prevailing patterns in the use of the number line were identified. The findings indicate an increased presence of the number line in contemporary textbooks, together with a stronger emphasis on contextualized and conceptually oriented approaches to mathematics learning, including approaches associated with Realistic Mathematics Education (RME). The educational implications point to the need for further research on the impact of number-line representations on students’ mathematical reasoning and computational skills.
Keywords
didactic model; mathematics textbooks; realistic mathematics education (RME); visualization
Hrčak ID:
351917
URI
Publication date:
7.10.2026.
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