Mathematics curricula as devices of prescription and didactic materialization in Mozambique

Abstract

This article examines Mathematics curricula in Mozambican Primary and Secondary Education as devices of curricular prescription and regulation, considering their materialization in didactic materials and the possibilities for interpretation inscribed in the documentary corpus. Using a qualitative, documentary, and analytical-interpretive approach, the study analyses four programmatic sets corresponding to the four educational cycles and twelve textbooks or didactic materials from Grade 1 to Grade 12. The analysis focuses on content sequencing, the degree of pedagogical prescription, task configuration, and the visibility of pedagogical practices, particularly problem solving, games, and investigative practices. The findings reveal a curricular rationality marked by progressive linearity, cumulative hierarchization of knowledge, and structural convergence between programmes and didactic materials, with the recurrent definition, example, and exercise sequence. Problem solving appears as a declared formative aim but does not structure the organization of instructional units. Structured mathematical games and open investigations have a localized presence. Nevertheless, some formulations expand possibilities for pedagogical interpretation and displacement, particularly in the early grades. The study concludes that the curriculum combines organizational stability, strong regulation, and localized discursive openness.