This presentation presents the findings of two studies on literature in language education and examines where representations of literature in textbooks and meanings associated with literature by textbook authors and teachers meet, and considers the kinds of norms and values that are transmitted through these meanings and representations.
This presentation reflects on the findings of two studies on literature in language education and examines where representations of literature in textbooks and meanings associated with literature by textbook authors and teachers meet. The studies employ interviews and qualitative content analysis of textbooks. The studies have been conducted in the context of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) education in Finland.
The study is founded on a theoretical framework which combines the conception of literature as a value-laden social construct with language education as an pedagogical paradigm, which emphasizes meaningful learning and personal growth that stem from personal experience, social interaction and reflection. The analysis of textbooks is informed by Kress and van Leeuwen's (2021) social semiotic theory of representation. The study follows the tradition of textbook analysis which views textbooks as ideological artefacts. The research questions which the study answers are: What kinds of meanings do these textbook authors attribute to literature in language education? How is literature represented in the textbooks authored by the interviewees? Where do these representations meet?
The first study is an interview study with three authors who are also practicing upper secondary teachers of EFL. The second study involves the analysis of two textbooks that are based on consecutive revisions of the Finnish National Curriculum for General Upper Secondary Education. One of the books is authored by the interviewees in the first study. In my discussion I consider what kinds of values are present in the meanings attributed to literature in language education by the authors and in the representations of literary texts in textbooks, and how these values compare to the values and principles explicated in the Finnish National Curriculum for General Upper Secondary Education. The findings of the study will be meaningful for language educators, teacher trainers and curriculum developers.
