scholarly journals A rose by any other name…: Exploiting any literary text in the ESL/EFL classroom

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arab World English Journal ◽  
Shahzad Ahmad ◽  
Faiz Sathi Abdullah ◽  
Mohammad Yunus Ibrahim
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Intermediate Stage ◽  
Literary Text ◽  
Literary Texts ◽  
Authentic Materials ◽  
Multimodal Texts ◽  
Related Language ◽  
Critical Issues ◽  
Critical Skills ◽  
Efl Students

The paper argues that literature provides authentic materials for developing reading and related language skills in addition to other real world texts (e.g. advertisements, or multimodal texts downloaded from the Internet). Hence, the paper aims to demonstrate how literary texts can be employed in the English as a Second Language (ESL) or English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classroom to facilitate reading, language acquisition, and related critical skills, particularly at the pre-intermediate stage and above. Text selections from popular novels were analysed using Johns and Davies’ (1983) Text as Vehicle of Information (TAVI), and Text as Linguistic Object (TALO), as well as Clandfield’s (2005) Text as Springboard for Production (TASP) as a framework to design language learning/use activities. Source texts were selected from Ishiguro’s The Remains of the Day, Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, and Martel’s Life of Pi in view of these novels’ current salience in the literary world to address key research questions: 1) What reading skills and sub-skills can the literary texts help develop among ESL/EFL students? 2) What aspects of grammar and vocabulary can be exploited in the texts? 3) How can the texts be used as reflections of social reality to generate discussion of critical issues among students? The fact that these novels have been produced as films, which the learners could also watch in whole or part, is expected to stimulate further critical appreciation. The paper concludes that the value of such informed use of any literary text is that it exploits the literature-language nexus to provide the synergy needed for student learning in the ESL/EFL classroom and beyond.

Common Strategies Among EFL Students Reading Literature

2017 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shirin Shafiei Ebrahimi ◽  
Zaidah Zainal
Keyword(s):  
Data Collection ◽  
Meaning Making ◽  
Literary Text ◽  
Literary Texts ◽  
Significant Tendency ◽  
New Ideas ◽  
Efl Students

This study is to introduce the most common strategies that EFL students use while they read a piece of literature in English. To identify these strategies a questionnaire is employed as the instrument of data collection. The interesting result shows a significant tendency of EFL students to creativity and construction of new ideas in meaning making of the literary text just the same way as any other type of texts; however, the detected strategies help the readers to realize that strategies only help in the functionality of each text in a different way. This conclusion can assist the students to have a deeper understanding of literary texts and the teachers to facilitate the process of reading for the students.

scholarly journals EFL students’ perception of the role of teaching novels in enhancing writing skills

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 224-239
Author(s):  
Mutahar Qassem
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Skills ◽  
Writing Skills ◽  
Authentic Materials ◽  
Positive Role ◽  
Teaching Literature ◽  
Efl Students ◽  
Undergraduate Programs ◽  
The Relationship

Applied linguists have different viewpoints on the relationship between teaching literature and language. Language through a literature approach theoretically corroborates the role of literature in developing language skills because it exposes students to different styles of writing and authentic materials. Language-structure-based syllabuses might not be sufficient for developing students' language skills. By contrast, an authentic-based syllabus such as novels and short stories motivates language learning and fosters the development of thinking and language skills. In this vein, this study attempts to investigate undergraduates' attitude towards the role of teaching novels in enhancing writing skills, using a survey in which students provided their opinions on the areas that teaching novels helped improve their writing skills. The students’ responses were analysed, and a one-sample t-test revealed the students’ agreement of the positive role of teaching novels in developing their writing skills at sentence and paragraph levels. Based on these findings, the author recommended the incorporation of novels in the courses of English undergraduate programs, following adequate methods of teaching and selection of appropriate novels that matches’ students’ linguistic levels.   Keywords: Writing skills, teaching novels, EFL students, perception, enhancement

scholarly journals Literary Texts in Teaching German as a Foreign Language

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 7
Author(s):  
Brunilda Vërçani ◽  
Enkela Bezati
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Foreign Language Learning ◽  
Literary Text ◽  
Foreign Languages ◽  
Literary Texts ◽  
German Language ◽  
Language Abilities ◽  
Text Selection ◽  
Selection Principles

For years into the teaching of foreign languages, the main focus has been the communication in real situations with the aim of comprehension and using of language abilities. But the teaching of foreign language, in our case the german language, cannot be understood on only one function: the communication in real situations. Learning foreign languages means that the learner have to know the history, the culture and the spirit of a nation. A way to achive that, is the literary text inclusion on the foreign language learning whose functions are more than mentioned. Literary texts can motivate the learners to arouse their curiousity and interest. This help them to understand the culture of the foreign country and to stimulate their abilities to make comparisons. The use of literary text, into the teaching of foreign languages in based on several steps, that are related to the phase before, during and after textanalysing. An important role play the criteria of the text selection, principles, learning objectives and working methods with literary text into the teaching of foreign languages.

scholarly journals ENGLISH LITERATURE TEACHING: AN INDONESIAN CONTEXT

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nita Novianti
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
English Literature ◽  
Literary Texts ◽  
State University ◽  
Literature Teaching ◽  
Teaching Resources ◽  
Important Place ◽  
Efl Students ◽  
Reading Assignment

<p>Literature has gained an increasingly important place in language learning. Particularly in the EFL context, it has been regarded as beneficial for the improvement of English skills. However, there is not much attention given to the teaching of English literature for the sake of literature, not merely as a tool or technique in language learning, especially in Indonesia. The research therefore aims to investigate the teaching of English literature to EFL students in Indonesian universities. More specifically, it attempts to find how English literature lecturers select literary texts, what problems encountered by lecturers in teaching English literature to EFL students, and how they cope with the problems. A case study to three lecturers teaching three different literature courses in a state university in Indonesia was conducted. The findings show that: <em>First, </em>lengths, levels of language difficulty, canonical status, and the cultural background of the author become the main consideration for selecting the literary texts to teach; <em>Second</em>, the problems encountered are of threefold, namely reading habit, English proficiency, and resources; and <em>Third</em>, some of the strategies to cope with the problems consist of individual reading assignment, reading group, and taking the most advantage of the internet for teaching resources. This research has demonstrated that there are many areas for further studies in the teaching of English literature to EFL students in Indonesia, finding effective teaching models is one of them.</p>

scholarly journals Fostering Language Learning in the University EFL Classroom through Literature: A Task-Based Approach

2019 ◽  
pp. 101-127
Author(s):  
Argemiro Arboleda-Arboleda ◽  
Angela Yiceli Castro-Garcés
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
Language Skills ◽  
Literary Texts ◽  
Sample Population ◽  
Authentic Materials ◽  
Writing Project ◽  
Intercultural Awareness

The role of literature as a teaching and learning tool in English as a Foreign Language has long been acknowledged. Literary texts offer teachers opportunities to provide students with authentic materials to heighten their motivation by involving them in challenging Task-Based activities in which they interact with authors and learn about features of these authors’ society. The purpose of this research study was to   investigate the role of literature as a pedagogical tool in the EFL class and see how this can be advantageous in fostering learners’ language skills and intercultural awareness.  The sample population encompassed 26 sixth-semester students enrolled in a Reading course who are completing their BA in Foreign Languages at a public University in Colombia. A semi-structured questionnaire and a Reading Guide were designed to elicit information from students who were asked to read an unabridged English language fiction novel. The findings show that the participants’ motivation to complete the Task-Based Reading and Writing Project was high as well as their language skills. Keywords. EFL, ESL, Task-Based Approach, Literature, intercultural Communicative Competence

Bleibende Aufgaben einer phänomenologischen Literaturtheorie

2019 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 265-273
Author(s):  
Eckhard Lobsien
Keyword(s):  
Literary Theory ◽  
Literary Text ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Literary Texts ◽  
Radical Theory ◽  
Theory Of Reading ◽  
Phenomenological Point

Abstract What sort of object is a literary text? From a phenomenological point of view - phenomenology considered as both a radical theory of reading and a theory of radical reading - a range of answers arise, many of them tinged with deconstructive momentum. This paper aims at pointing out some basic issues in reading literary texts, offering ten theses on the enduring tasks of phenomenological literary theory.

scholarly journals Literature in efL: Beyond language learning

2014 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 234
Author(s):  
Luis Jesús Rincón
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Private School ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Thinking Skills ◽  
Critical Thinking Skills ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Literary Texts ◽  
Group Discussions ◽  
Value Judgments ◽  
Willingness To Use

This article presents the results of a qualitative research which looks into the field of literature in EFL. Seventh grade students of a private school in Bogota took part in the research. Data was collected by means of audio recordings of small group discussions, teacher´s journal, and responses to literature logs. The results show that the connections that EFL learners make with literary texts enrich their interpretations, analysis and value judgments of experiences and real life events. Furthermore, critical thinking skills are potentiated. In addition to this, literary texts bring up appealing and meaningful topics in the classroomenhancing students´ motivation and willingness to use the target language.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document