Texts for home reading as a means of accumulating socio-cultural experience and the principles of their selection

the article raises the urgent problem of selecting educational materials for teaching foreign languages, with an emphasis on texts for independent reading. The main idea of the author is that the correct choice of texts, especially between fiction and non-fiction (popular science), is crucial for the successful assimilation of language, the formation of socio-cultural experience and the development of socio-cultural competence of students. The context of the study includes reviews of existing resources designed for teaching foreign languages, and emphasizes the importance of matching educational materials to the level of training of students. In particular, artistic texts, due to their emotional impact and rich vocabulary, contribute to deep understanding, but can be difficult to perceive without prior knowledge. On the other hand, popular science materials, such as texts with simplified vocabulary and clear structure, are easier to digest and do not require special training. The author identifies several key aspects that should be taken into account when selecting texts for home reading: the level of complexity, subject matter, as well as the correspondence of the selected materials to the general curriculum and vocabulary, which is studied as part of the basic school curriculum. Through surveys among high school students, a systematic study was conducted that confirmed the importance of these criteria for selecting texts for successful learning. The results showed that the authentic popular science texts chosen by the author, despite the presence of certain difficulties, are generally suitable for achieving goals related to the development of reading skills and the formation of socio-cultural experience. The conclusion of the article sums up the fact that popular science texts can become a reliable basis for the formation of necessary reading skills and socio-cultural experience, contributing to the interpretation of modern topics and problems, which is an integral part of teaching foreign languages at a high level.

foreign language, home reading, literary texts, popular science texts, socio-cultural competence, socio-cultural experience, authentic texts