Consideration of cultural direction in the preparation of textbooks from Ukrainian as a foreign language

Abstract

Background. The recent years have brought significant changes in the didactics of languages, placing a greater emphasis on the cultural context in the learning process. It is a result of the preferred goals of the learning process: not only to learn the language but also to know the cultural and social context in which it operates. The proposed article deals with the relationship between language and culture, especially in the process of learning Ukrainian as a common language in Polish scientific and didactic centres.Purpose. Establishing and describing the role and importance of cultural topics in the process of teaching Ukrainian as a foreign language by analyzing textbooks on the Ukrainian language published in recent years as well as the collection and interpretation of survey results. In the survey, we are primarily interested in the following: whether and how the cultural topic motivates students to continue learning the language or helps to understand cultural differences between nations, whether it plays an educational role, etc.Methods. In addition to analyzing textbooks for learning Ukrainian as a foreign language, in which we emphasize the importance of the cultural aspect, we developed and conducted a survey on the relationship between language learning and interest in cultural content. The respondents were students of the Department of Ukrainian Studies at the University of Warsaw. The survey results with analysis and comments are the second integral part of the article.Results. The authors of the analyzed textbooks took into account the approach that would encourage students to carefully observe, analyze and interpret various socio-cultural phenomena, both historical and contemporary, important due to their characteristics and importance for carriers of a specific culture. Therefore, and as a result of observation of how young people aged 18–25 (i. e. university students) perceive cultural content, the textbooks contain such texts that influence the sensitivity to Ukrainian culture, represent its richness, allow to see the similarities and differences of various aspects of Polish culture.Discussion. The conclusions from the analysis and the results of the survey can help in the preparation of educational materials, their improvement and in changing future textbooks so that they can meet the needs of the recipient. The aim of learning Ukrainian as a foreign language should not only be the ability to use lexical and grammatical means effectively but also to communicate freely and this is possible provided understanding the reality in which the language is rooted and a deep understanding of its history, present, and future.Manuscript received 02.06.2020