Preliminary communication

Text Analysis of Primary School Textbooks

Ladislav Bognar

Abstract

The author’s analysis of primary school textbooks during a substantially long period of time substantiates that, apart from literarily valuable texts, these schoolbooks also include a considerable number of texts that deal with political and ideological
standpoints. Since such books are intended to teach about language and literature, the author’s analysis is proof of the institutionalisation of ideology in school. This particularly comes to the fore in texts dealing with the phenomena of nationality and religion, war and micro-social relations. Current textbooks advocate the idea of nation
characteristic of the 19th century, and the idea that nation and religion are closely linked. In addition, the number of texts favouring war outweighs the number of texts supporting peace. Moreover, they promote patriarchal social values and women’s inferior position in society. Certain political options are explicitly mentioned, the great
majority of which are of the right-wing orientation, whereas the other political orientations are either not mentioned at all or are mentioned within a negative context.

Keywords

Textbook; political standpoint; nation; religion; war and peace; violence and non-violence; micro-social relations; women’s status in society

Hrčak ID:

6099

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/6099

Publication date:

28.7.2004.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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