Supervisors info:
Βασίλης Τσάφος, Πρωτοβάθμια Εκπαίδευση, ΤΕΑΠΗ, ΕΚΠΑ
Summary:
The textbooks of the Greek Language and the Anthology of Literary Texts of the Primary school, like all the other textbooks, are the means by which the students comes in contact for the first time with the world around them, shaping their personality. As a textbook for understanding language and writing, it also aims at the socialization of the students, the formation of ideas, views and attitudes towards contemporary social issues, their awareness, shaping characters with perceptions free of racist and stereotypical beliefs and in creating a spirit of respect for the different. Therefore, as education plays an extremely important role in the life of all students, we must be careful and criticize the means we use during the educational process, always having as a basic concern the need to promote an education that will not excludes any student, but instead will fight for the right of all students to learn, regardless of race, class, gender, disability, etc. in order to provide equal opportunities to all of them.
The purpose of this research is to detect and highlight the way of representing the characters with disabilities in the textbooks of Greek Language and Anthology of Primary School. The aim is to draw conclusions about the types of social patterns presented in textbooks for people with disabilities, as well as how they are likely to influence students' attitudes and behaviors. Therefore, it is investigated whether the linguistic texts contained in the textbooks function as carriers of messages and formulate speeches as ideological attitudes, which either emerge in an obvious and clear way, or must be located behind the hidden message of the words through a more careful approach and analysis. Specifically, the present study attempts to answer the following research questions:
1. How is disability and people with disabilities represented in school textbooks?
2. What is the attitude promoted in school textbooks regarding disability?
3. What are the obstacles and barriers that people with disabilities face in their daily life in school textbooks?
4. What is the conceptual approach to disability in school textbooks?
In order to study the above research questions, the qualitative method was considered the most appropriate approach method for collecting information, while for data detection, the research tool that was considered to be the best answer was qualitative content analysis. For the purposes of the research, thirty two (32) books, seventeen (17) issues of student books, twelve (12) issues of a workbook and three (3) volumes of Anthologies of Literary Texts were analysed. In order for the study to take place, the sample had to be coded, with the help of categories and subcategories, which would be able to contribute to the analysis process. The findings of the analysis include the ways in which disability is represented through qualitative characteristics such as the types of disability and gender, the attitude promoted towards disability through the characteristics, emotions, interests and interactions of the characters with disability, their daily obstacles and finally the meaning of disability. From the conclusions it seems that the textbooks of Greek Language and Anthology mainly embrace the theory of the social model of approaching disability, in which disability is a social construction, in which the dominant ideology promotes its own value system, creating therefore conditions of isolation and stigma. However, there is room for improvement and enrichment of textbooks on disability, and there is still a long way to go to get rid of prejudices and stereotypes.
Keywords:
Keywords: textbooks, language texts, disability, ideology, social model, medical model
