The Educational Literary Text and the Construction of National Identity Awareness An Analytical Approach to Selected Texts from the First-Year Middle-School Arabic Language Textbook

Abstract

Since the formation of the learner represents the foremost aspiration of our educational system, pursued through educational curricula as embodied in the school or instructional text, the contents of these literary texts seek to construct awareness of Algerian national identity in its three dimensions: Amazighity, Islam and Arabness, together with the history and culture shaped through them. Through such texts, learners become acquainted with their national identity, which, in turn, fosters a sense of belonging to the homeland. On this basis, this study adopts a descriptive and analytical approach to examine the contents of literary texts, both prose and poetic, through the domains of oral comprehension and production (a listening-based activity) and written comprehension (a reading-based activity). The study draws on the Arabic language teaching materials prescribed for the first year of middle-school education.