Poles and Poland in selected textbooks for learning Polish as a foreign language in comparison with the Slovene perception of them
Abstract
The article presents a comparison of the image of Poland and Poles as seen in selected textbooks for learning Polish as a foreign language, with the image of them as seen by the students of Polonistics in Ljubljana. It appears that the presented image of Poland and Poles in textbooks is false, idealized, which may result from the desire to be presented in a positive manner, especially in comparison with other European countries.
It should be emphasized that it complies with programming guidelines of the European Union and is very different from the students' perceptions regarding Poland and Poles, resulting from stereotypes. Therefore, when using such a textbook, the role of a teacher, who can balance the disparities between the material from the textbook and material from other sources, is very important.