This book presents a new and comprehensive framework for the analysis of representations of culture, society and the world in textbooks for foreign and second language learning. The framework is transferable to other kinds of learning materials and to other subjects. The framework distinguishes between five approaches: national studies,…

Language educators argue that foreign language learning in the United States should increase students' intercultural competence (IC), which will allow them to see relationships among different cultures, mediate across cultures, and critically analyze cultures including their own. Qualitative research investigating students experiences with such…

Ninety-three French textbooks were examined to produce this overview of content and methodology; the analysis indicates the books have introduced few innovations and follow traditional modes of presentation. (CK)

Shows, from actual examples, how advanced students can be led to work on authentic texts. A model file includes four phases: motivation, filter, analysis, transfer. Work in each phase is discussed and illustrated. Suggestions are added for publishers for constructing such files. (Text is in German.) (IFS/WGA)

This paper explores the changing attitudes concerning sex-role stereotyping and discusses the part played by textbooks in the formation of sex-role attitudes. It examines in this regard a widely-used textbook for the teaching of French. (Author/CFM)

Debates the suitability of introducing a text containing cliches into a foreign language class. The article emphasizes that before using such a book, it is necessary to decide whether it is possible to teach with such a text and what purpose would be served in doing so. (Author/CK)

This article discusses ways in which photographs can be most beneficially used in the French language classroom. (Author)

This study examined representation of francophone regions other than France in readings and activities in French second-language textbooks published since 1995. The model of representation used shows the richness and variety of the cultures, contains no inaccurate information, and gives a realistic portrayal devoid of colonialistic and…

An inventory of grammatical and lexical units expressing the notion of place in "Le Francais fondamental," Level One. Interrelationships are discussed from the point of view of vocabulary patterns and syntax. There are numerous tables and examples of interrelated verbs, adverbs, nouns, and prepositions. (Text is in French.) (AMH)

Of 21 beginning French textbooks evaluated according to presentation of French culture, only two met the cultural and pedagogical criteria derived from various models. Lacking this cultural content, students cannot fully learn the foreign language. (PMJ)

Discusses the Egyptian government's decision in 1994 to require the learning of a second language at the primary level in the public schools. The article focuses on Egypt's desire to have its citizens achieve an educational status that is competitive on a global level and delves into textbook content and pedagogical ideas that will shape the…

The second in a series of articles evaluating three texts which use the audiovisual method. Level Two is studied in this article with particular emphasis on the role and presentation of grammar in each unit. The treatment of conditional sentences is used as an example. (Text is in French.) (AMH)

Reports on an examination of 50 French school grammars from the last 30 years, to ascertain how thoroughly they clarified the difference between "written code" and "spoken code." Substantive plural marking was investigated. It was found that most texts treated the topic inadequately. (IFS/WGA)