Using the Biographical Genre in the EFL Classroom in Secondary Education

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate—from a perspective of language learning, by means of discussing a didactic sequence, a teacher’s questionnaire, and a textbook analysis—how the biographical genre can serve to help make students aware of the complexities of genres and their role as readers. The following hypotheses guided the research: (1) That biography is mainly used as a tool to study specific linguistic features; (2) that teaching the biographical genre can be a way to make students aware of the complexity and hybridity of genres in general, (3) that biography may be an integral part of a didactic unit in the genre-based approach in English courses. The theoretical framework combines definitions and theories regarding biography as well as reception theories (Caine 2019, Mandel 2014, Simons 2019, and Jauss 1070). A mixed-methods design was used, including a survey, a textbook analysis, and an experiment with pre-and post-test ratings. The results of the survey indicate that the teachers, for the most part, do not believe that teaching and evaluating the biographical genre is something to be implemented in language learning. The experiment was designed for a 12th grade English class. In general, students were engaged when doing the activities and discussing the different elements of the biographical excerpts, but many did not develop their writing skills. More research would allow us to bring accurate information regarding the possible added value of the biographical genre and genre-teaching in general.