THE ROLE OF LITERACY IN LANGUAGE INSTRUCTION

Volume 10, Issue 5, October 2025     |     PP. 214-225      |     PDF (160 K)    |     Pub. Date: September 21, 2025
DOI: 10.54647/education880607    13 Downloads     380 Views  

Author(s)

Kaltsas Evangelos Panagiotis, Department of Primary Education, University of Ioannina, Greece
Plati Panagiota, Department of History and Archaeology, University of Thessaly, Greece

Abstract
The article examines the importance of literacy in primary language education, highlighting the different forms of literacy and their role in the learning process. Literacy is not limited to the ability to read and write but encompasses broader skills such as critical thinking, social participation, and the functional use of language in various contexts. The article analyzes four main types of literacy: school, critical, functional, and social literacy, emphasizing their interaction with social and cultural conditions.
Next, a comparative analysis is presented of two teaching units for third grade, taken from an old and a new language textbook. The new textbook unit promotes a more comprehensive and student-centered teaching model, combining theoretical knowledge with diverse practical exercises that enhance critical and functional literacy. In contrast, the corresponding unit in the old textbook focuses on traditional methods, emphasizing grammar and spelling, without sufficiently highlighting skills in critical reading and social use of language.
Finally, the article stresses the need for teaching approaches that not only teach language skills but also cultivate students’ ability to use language critically, creatively, and socially responsibly.

Keywords
literacy, school literacy, critical literacy, functional literacy, social literacy, primary language education, textbook for third Greek grade

Cite this paper
Kaltsas Evangelos Panagiotis, Plati Panagiota, THE ROLE OF LITERACY IN LANGUAGE INSTRUCTION , SCIREA Journal of Education. Volume 10, Issue 5, October 2025 | PP. 214-225. 10.54647/education880607

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