Can Literature Improve English Proficiency: The Students Perspective

Abstract

Promoting the interest of learning English Language through the teaching of literature is considered to improve the proficiency of the students in the target language too. Therefore, this study aims to investigate whether the teaching of literature promotes students' proficiency in the target language. Thus this study has taken into account the students' feedback on the subject, teaching methodologies employed by teachers and the literary texts used in the school. The survey was conducted at SMK Bukit Besi to elicit information on the students' perception and interest towards literature as part of their English Syllabus. A total of 50 respondents were selected and given a set of questionnaire to provide the data. Based on the findings, it was found out that learning literature has indeed assisted them to improve their grasp of the target language. It was also found that students perceive learning literature as important and integral in the holistic development of language of the students. The study also determined that the approach and styles of the teacher, choice of literary texts and students' interest determine a successful programme. Future researchers should widen their scope of research by a more varied and wider sampling.

Approaches to the Teaching of English Literature Preferred by Students in Selected Malaysian Secondary Schools

“…A number of studies were conducted to investigate the literature teaching approaches in ESL classroom (Bridget & Omar, 2007;Tina et al, 2007;Ghazali et al, 2009;Divsar & Tahriri, 2009;Rashid et al, 2010;Mustakim et al, 2014). Most of these studies demonstrated an increasing awareness of the importance of using appropriate approaches to the teaching of English literature (Amer, 2003;Khatib et al, 2011a).…”

“…The study found that the information-based approach and paraphrastic approach were the most favored approaches by teachers in the teaching of CCL programs. Ghazali et al (2009) also explored the teaching strategies and the students' attitudes towards the literature texts used in Malaysian secondary schools. The study found that students have positive attitudes towards the text selection although they were less enthusiastic about the teaching methods used by teachers.…”

“…The importance of literature teaching approaches has drawn increasing attention especially in the field of second language learning (Amer, 2003;Tina et al, 2007;Ghazali et al, 2009;Rashid, Vethamani, & Rahman, 2010;Khatib, Derakhshan, & Rezaei, 2011a;Mustakim, Mustapha, & Lebar, 2014;Krishnasamy, 2015). Research has highlighted the importance of literature teaching approaches in the process of knowledge acquisition and achieving positive learning outcomes (Timucin, 2001;Savvidou, 2004;Bridget & Omar, 2007;Divsar & Tahriri, 2009).…”

“…Research has highlighted the importance of literature teaching approaches in the process of knowledge acquisition and achieving positive learning outcomes (Timucin, 2001;Savvidou, 2004;Bridget & Omar, 2007;Divsar & Tahriri, 2009). In 2000, the literature component was incorporated into the English syllabus in Malaysian secondary schools (Ghazali et al, 2009). Until today, this literature component program attracts the attention of researchers, teachers, and policymakers.…”

“…Therefore, this study aims to identify the most preferred approaches to the teaching of English literature in selected secondary schools in Terengganu, Malaysia. Since teacher-centered approaches may result in less engagement with students in the learning process (Bridget & Omar, 2007;Gopala et al, 2012), focusing on the learner's perspective could be much imperative. Learner's enthusiasm and comprehension are likely to be improved by applying an appropriate teaching approach (Timucin, 2001;Rashid et al, 2010).…”