Graphical models for narrative texts: Reflecting and reshaping curriculum demands for Swedish primary school

Abstract

This study explores how graphical models, teaching resources and language arts curricula for primary school in Sweden represent features of narrative genre. Furthermore, it provides a conceptual and methodological approach for studying the recontextualization of genre knowledge in different educational contexts. We selected two particular models (the Story Face and the Obstacle Chart) because they are promoted by the Swedish National Agency of Education. We analyzed the models, curricula, and related teaching resources through Bernstein's concept of recontextualization fields, Martin's genre theory, and Kress and van Leeuwen's visual grammar. The results show that both graphical models use metaphors to evoke students’ everyday experience and break down a narrative text to key story elements. Aligning with Swedish language arts curricula, the models de-emphasize the need to manage tension in narratives. Finally, the results show that the models’ different ways of representing key story elements may be difficult for teachers and students to decode.