Children's reception and uses of fairy tale narratives in a Greek second language learning environment.

Abstract

Children perceive stories in particular ways and they use the rules and the roles depicted in their content to negotiate and formulate their everyday world (Wolf and Heath, 1992). This qualitative research study investigates children's construction of meaning and use of fairy tale narratives in a Greek second language learning environment. Twenty-two participants from the Canadian Greek Heritage Language School participate in the study. The students are asked to reflect on their engagements with specific Greek fairy tales, and then to express the ideas and feelings produced through their interaction with these cultural texts. The study highlights the salient role of texts in processes of identity formation, their influence on the definition of values, and their contribution to the installation of notions regarding the community and the future. Many theorists argue that the analysis of cultural texts from this perspective can lead individuals to challenge social constructs.