Słowo jako przedmiot edukacji polonistycznej (przed 1999 rokiem i po nim)

Abstract

The article brings up the problem of developing and improving lexical competence during Polish literature and culture lessons before the school reform in 1998 and after it. The subject of the analysis is: core curriculum valid before 1999, core curriculum of 1999, 2002 and 2008, as well as chosen works in linguistic education methodology. Lexical items are believed to have great importance in Polish literature and culture education as they are a key element of system linguistic skills – lexical competence is a linguistic potential of every language user enabling him/her to create and receive texts. The educational process implements three basic tasks relating to this type of competences: lexicological knowledge about vocabulary is built, students’ knowledge of words (the so-called individual vocabulary) is developed, and the skill of using words in texts is improved – these tasks can be differently hierarchized in the teaching process. An analysis of curriculum documents shows that before the reform word-centric approach was binding – work was traced from word to text. The reform, however, reversed this order – a new conception of linguistic education can be described as text- centric, which changes the course of cognition to text-to-word direction. The article also asks questions about the place and importance of working on system linguistic skills in the reformed school.