P-11 The Use of Short Stories in Intermediate French Textbooks in the USA

The use of short stories in second language education has proven to be beneficial for stimulating the development of students’ written and oral skills. Previous research has shown that students who were exposed to short stories in the Intermediate French classroom got better results in written expression than those who had not been exposed to reading/using short stories. But do Intermediate French textbooks actually include short stories? This research intends to evaluate the inclusion of short stories in ten of the most current Intermediate French higher education textbooks in the United States. The reason is twofold: first because short stories and poems are the only literary genre that can be included in their integrity in a textbook and second because language teachers usually rely on textbooks, either because their institution requests one or for convenience. We will try to answer to answer to the following questions: What texts do French textbooks use? Where are these texts located in the unit/chapter? What is their purpose within the unit? How many exercises derive from the reading and what type of exercises? Do the texts and exercises respond to the textbook theoretical framework? Are these stories compatible with Christian values and therefore be used also to convey moral development