Potential Fraction Concept Images Afforded in Textbooks: A Comparison of Northern Ireland and Singapore

Fractions are among the most problematic concepts that children encounter in their primary school years because of the many different conceptions of fractions. Textbook analyses have tried to provide insights into how fractions are introduced, focusing on the different concepts and representations of fractions. In this paper, we contribute to these efforts by investigating the way fractions are first introduced using the notion of potential concept images as afforded by the textbooks. Analyses of two textbooks, one from Northern Ireland and the other from Singapore, will be presented to highlight these potential concept images and their implications for practice.