Literary Texts in the EFL Classrooms: Applications, Benefits and Approaches

Abstract

Literary texts play an important role in learning English language, especially enhancing communication competence, raising cultural awareness, and generating motivation among students. Research studies have shown the potential advantages of using literary texts in the EFL classrooms, which promote authentic materials, help increase language skills, and extends linguistic knowledge. This paper documents comprehensive literature on the application and benefits of literary texts in learning and teaching English language to EFL learners. It explains how different language skills can be learnt successfully using literary texts. This paper shows the significance of literary texts in English language teaching program. It explores the historical background, covering various phases, studies from various countries, including the Arab world where literature teaching shows positive responses. The paper is distinct in its entirety since it explains how different literary texts can help enhance language skills and describes the different teaching approaches for teaching literature which will be a healthy guide for teachers. It also shows how literature enriches the EFL learners’ overall learning experience.

The Use of Local Literary Texts as Reading Materials in English Language Classrooms: An Analysis of Teachers’ Perspectives

“…A review of the literature was conducted to provide a background understanding of the research context and issues related to the Malaysian education system as well as its concerns. Using literary texts as part of English classroom activities plays an important role in learning English language, especially in enhancing communication competence, raising cultural awareness and generating motivation among students (Khan & Alasmari, 2018). In fact, Bousbai (2014) emphasizes that the choice of text is the most crucial element in literature courses, echoed by Lima (2010) who suggested a need of five criteria to be considered before a text is selected.…”

Analysing the Readability Level of the Short Stories Used in the IEEL Course

“…(Hişmanoğlu, 2005) stated that facilitating the students with the opportunity to learn about the cultural knowledge of the target language by providing the context enables the EFL students to have a better understanding of the short story. By exposing the students to the target culture along with the social problems of a particular community included in the short story, the students can go beyond what is written in the text and develop advanced-level readers' knowledge (Khan & Alasmari, 2018a).…”

“…(Erkaya, 2005) accentuated that carefully selected and appropriately exploited short stories can provide good quality text content that will significantly "enhance ELT courses for learners at intermediate levels of proficiency" (p. 3). The short story as a literary text provides useful language inputs in the form of figurative language and idiomatic expressions that help EFL students to build interpretation and comprehension beyond written texts (Khan & Alasmari, 2018b). In addition, a vast range of vocabulary and grammatical structures are also woven to help the EFL students learn the target language.…”

The Relevance of Warahan Teaching Material in Developing Character Education Value for the Language Class

“…It means that Warahan's oral literature should be one of the media relevant to the culture of the people of Lampung in developing their territory with distinctive characteristics and characteristics of ethnic or tribal Lampung such as kinship systems, traditional clothing, public beliefs, traditional houses, or cultural traditions. So, literary texts play an important role in language learning, especially in improving communication competence, increasing cultural awareness, and generating student motivation (Shamsur et al, 2018).…”