METHODOLOGICAL PRINCIPLES OF INTEGRATING BIOGRAPHICAL DETAILS INTO LITERARY TEXT ANALYSIS IN UKRAINIAN LITERATURE LESSONS IN GRADES 5–7

Abstract

The article addresses the issue of integrating writers’ biographical details into the Ukrainian literature curriculum at the propaedeutic stage (grades 5–7). Amidst the implementation of the competence-based approach and the conceptual principles of the New Ukrainian School, a contradiction has been identified between modern pedagogical guidelines–aimed at shaping a competent reader capable of profound existential dialogue–and conventional school practices. Empirical data analysis reveals that a significant proportion of teachers traditionally introduce biographies at the beginning of the lesson as a preliminary step to reading the text. The study aims to scientifically substantiate the effectiveness of introducing the writer’s biography directly during the literary text analysis and to model learning situations for integrating biographical facts into this process. The methodological framework is grounded in the principles of the competence-activity approach and the existential-dialogic concept. The research employs theoretical methods (to review academic literature) and empirical methods (to diagnose the current state of the problem and design models). The scientific novelty of the results lies in proving that shifting the timing of the biography within the lesson transforms its methodological function. The proposed methods hold practical value: 1) using the biography to decode the hidden motives of literary characters; 2) applying the author’s professional and social experience to explain the text’s aesthetics and distinct features; 3) leveraging the artist’s personal life story to elicit the reader’s emotional response (catharsis); 4) utilizing the writer’s life credo as a persuasive argument in a reader’s discussion. The modeled situations generate an “effect of presence” of the artist, ensure an organic link between their life and work, and transform the adolescent learner into an active recipient. The study concludes that the contextual analysis of a biography significantly stimulates the cognitive interest of younger adolescents. Developing detailed methodological tools for grades 8–9 and exploring cross-cutting themes are outlined as promising directions for future research