Abstract:

Textbooks for children constitute an expression of social, political and cultural changes. The canon of graphical presentations and verbal descriptions is interlocked with creating in children’s minds peculiar “secondary reality”, which sometimes is completely distant from their experiences. Even today, many authors of textbooks still do not attach importance to mindfulness in shaping the social roles by message sent out from the direct contact of child with the book.

The aim of conducted researches was to determine the family picture which is presented in educational materials applicable in Polish schools. The subject of analysis was texts and commends in textbooks for primary education. The major research question was: how the family picture is created in education materials? The following detailed questions were formulated: how are presented the members of the closest family and distant relatives (which behaviour, duties and entitlements are characteristic for the roles of mother and father, man and woman, siblings and grandparents)? what is the dominant family model? how are included the family problems?

Surveys were conducted with the documents analysis method - the basis for study was early-school education package titled “Nasz elementarz” by M. Lorek, including textbooks and methodological handbooks with exemplary classes scenarios. There was carried out the internal analysis of materials – all together there were categorized 648 topics, issues and problems for reading matters, verbal descriptions and visual presentations of social roles, and additionally 793 commands for pupils. There was also conducted the external analysis of documents – the role of social and cultural as well as temporal circumstances for preparing the materials. The assumed research procedure included the analysis of the type of illustrations, questions and tasks impacting the pupils, activating their way of reality cognition, building up the picture of social roles in relation with themselves and within the context of the surrounding world perception. Obtained results indicate the promotion of traditional family model as well as stereotype roles, functions and expectations from mother, father, man and woman. Within the texts of reading matters very seldom are present those that could trigger reflection or confront the children with ambiguity towards the social roles in contemporary world. Almost absent are topics connected with problems and dilemmas of pathological, single-parent, low-social status and emigrant families or specific to Poland problem of “Euro-orphanthood”. Parents undertake usually traditional tasks, although it happens that professionally they are knowledge depositaries. The basis for external interpretation of results constituted critical, social and cultural analysis of context and contents of verbal and non-verbal messages, re-interpretation of its sense, reaching the “deep structure” of meanings, symbols, archetypes, in compliance with the idea of P. Ricoeur (1989) stating that the real reading of textbooks’ contents may be performed by sense restauration and demystification of their assumptions.

Within the light of conducted analysis it may be concluded that the contemporary Polish textbooks may influence the creation at pupils conservative attitude and preferences, may suppress the openness and tolerance towards the alterity as well as attitude of avoiding and displacement of awareness for difficult situations within the family.

Keywords:

Family, textbook, early-school education.