REPRESENTING PATTERNS OF FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE TEXTBOKS

Abstract

The author deems family as an essential component of sociocultural line in the process of foreign language (FL) learning. In this respect the author analyzes approaches to constructing patterns of family relationships in FL textbooks. The author analyzes a wide range of textbooks used in secondary schools of EU-countries or those constructed by native speakers. The textbooks are conditionally divided into two main groups: 1) FL textbooks for secondary school and 2) FL textbooks for general purpose (whose use is not limited to schools).
According to the obtained results it is clear that both groups portray various patterns of family life: traditional families, migrant families, single-parent households, life with divorced parents and stepparents. In every case family may serve as a background for
representing relevant sociocultural information. While family in FL textbooks for general purpose appears rather fragmentally and often concentrates on conflict situations, school FL textbooks use family environment throughout the textbook where it serves as a basis for representing both cultural and linguistic information. Relations between parents and children illustrate typical situations. Any conflict situation in parent-child relationships finds a constructive resolution. Besides, authors of some school FL textbooks make a successful attempt to represent various families in a single textbook (migrant families, people with disabilities, divorced parents etc.) so that students get a comprehensive idea of possible family models. Such approach is favourable for forming tolerant attitudes to some aspects of human relations. Thus, we may confirm higher educational potential of family representations in school FL textbooks. Results of author’s research are illustrated with samples from the analyzed textbooks and may be used as a guide for other authors on possible strategies to efficiently incorporate family in their textbooks.