About

The aim of the project is to determine the characteristics of Croatian textbook discourse intended for the development of early disciplinary literacy (grades 1–6 of primary school). General and disciplinary literacy are the foundations of key competencies for lifelong learning, yet PISA research results show that 20%–30% of Croatian students have not even reached the basic level of disciplinary literacy.

The project is based on the assumption that mastering the language of a specific discipline is essential for the development of disciplinary literacy, as knowledge is inseparable from the language through which it is shaped and transmitted. In this sense, the textbook plays a dual key role: it serves as a source of knowledge and as a linguistic input necessary for the development of disciplinary literacy. Despite its importance, the language of Croatian disciplinary textbooks remains an unexplored topic.

To achieve the project’s objective, a corpus of textbook discourse will be compiled, consisting of 60 textbooks from grades 1 to 6 in three subjects (Science and Social Studies/Natural Science, Mathematics, and History) as a foundation for the development of other disciplinary literacies. Textbook discourse is viewed as a multilayered and dynamic entity comprising both linguistic and non-linguistic (visual) components. Therefore, a mixed research method will be applied, combining discourse analysis and corpus linguistics procedures.

Considering the discipline and the students’ age (grade level), the following aspects will be identified:

  1. morphological, syntactic, and lexical characteristics of textbook discourse;
  2. linguistic structures used in Croatian to express fundamental concepts, categories, and functions of individual disciplines;
  3. ways of establishing the internal structure of the text and the relationship between the author and the recipient (metadiscourse).

In addition to new linguistic insights, the project’s results (a core vocabulary, a glossary model of fundamental concepts and linguistic functions, and a publication including guidelines for teachers and textbook authors) will have broad applications and a significant impact on the education system.