Laying the Foundation of Foreign Language Acquisition – The Cases of Educational Policies and English Textbook Design

Abstract

The chapter is an exploratory study which aims at analyzing the application of the European educational policies in terms of language teaching in the Romanian primary education system. In order to fulfill the educational requirements stipulated in the European documents, English language teaching has undergone important changes that have been reflected in curriculum and textbook design. The chapter offers a synthesis of the major European linguistic guidelines and provides an insight into the contents of the Romanian foreign language curricula and textbooks and the way in which they were put into practice. The analysis focuses on the teaching of English in primary education because this level represents the foundation of the future knowledge students need, irrespective of their schooling level: secondary, high school and university. The chapter may provide useful information to practitioners and specialists interested in curriculum and textbook design and development in the field of English language teaching.