An Analysis Of The Russian Elementary Comprehensive Chinese Textbook: "Practical Chinese Course Book"

In the past,education of foreign languages in Russia was aimed at adults;the purpose was to train translators/interpreters or foreign language teachers.Nowadays Chinese is becoming more and more popular language to learn.The new generation of students comprises all age groups and has diverse learning purposes.In this respect,a re-examination of the teaching methods and teaching materials in Russia is in need.Course books play a crucial role in language learning,especially in non-native language environment.While the research around Chinese teaching materials and course books publishing is extensive in China,it is a relatively new field of study in Russia.One of the most popular course books in Russian now is Practical Chinese Course book,was first issued almost 30 years ago.Although a large number of teachers claim that,the book is a valuable Russian-orientated teaching material and cannot be substituted with any books of Chinese origin,many other teachers and students believe that this book is outdated and does not meet modern teaching demands.Under such circumstances,it is essential to reexamine the content of the book and decide whether it is feasible to continue to use it or have it replaced.The first part of the paper refers to the basic introduction of the scope of the research,explains why the overview of the Practical Chinese Course book is needed,describes the current situation of the studies on Chinese language teaching materials in China and Russia,gives a short description of research methods and formulates research problems.The second part presents comparative analysis of the Practical Chinese Book content(texts,lexicons,grammar,exercises and cultural knowledge)with the International Curriculum for Chinese Language Education requirements and Russian teachers’ and students’ questionnaire data,reveals the problem of the book.The third part is an attempt to demonstrate possible ways of eliminating disadvantages of the Practical Chinese Course book,so that it can satisfy the requirements of modern Chinese education and the needs of Chinese language learners in Russia.The fourth part of the paper summarizes the content of the research,demonstrates research achievements.