Challenges in Teaching and Learning English Fiction: Insights from Undergraduate Students at a Public University in Pakistan

Abstract

The current study has investigated students’ preferences to literary texts in an undergraduate literature course at a public sector university in Pakistan. Guided by reader-response theory, this study’s data was supplied by 52 participants. Firstly, anonymous and voluntary feedback was collected from 52 undergraduate students of English Literature. Secondly, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 participants. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis. The findings reveal that students’ personal life experiences play a significant role in determining their preference for novels in their curriculum. Most students based their preference of novels on their own moral code so much so that they disliked novels that did not fit their moral standards suggesting that they should be removed from the curriculum. These results are important for curriculum designers and researchers of literature.