Literature in the EFL Classroom in KSA: Rectifying a Relationship at Odds

Palabras clave: EFL Curriculum, Learner Perception, Literature, Pedagogy. Currículo EFL, Literatura, Percepción del Alumno, Pedagogía.

Resumen

ABSTRACT

A language is better, if not exclusively, learned in context. Since languages are representative of the culture of their speakers, EFL teaching/learning through the literary creations of a language can be beneficial in many respects. To mention a few, it encourages and fosters tolerance, lateral thinking and purposeful language use, provides varied and wide instances and possibilities of language use, and exposes learners to real-life situations of the target language. Literature is thus an important, if not indispensable, addition to EFL courses and curricula. However, the task of selecting appropriate literary works for inclusion in foreign language syllabi is a challenge that requires sufficient attention and taking carefully considered and well-thought-out measures in its own right. The experience of teaching EFL in Saudi Arabian universities shows that learners are, in general, disinclined, and at times even outright averse, to studying literary content in spite of the fact that they have a few years of exposure to it prior to the university. Literature, nevertheless, is an inseparable component of syllabi in higher education institutes. This paper aimed to find the reasons for this and elaborated on the benefits of literature in enriching and enhancing EFL learners’ experience. It also proposed ideas to make reading literary texts an interesting experience for EFL learners. The focus of the study is the assessment of the attitudes and perceptions of sophomore EFL learners and teachers in College of Languages and Translation, Imam Muhammad Ibn Saud Islamic University (IMBSIU) and College of Sciences and Arts, Methnab, Qassim University (QU), towards studying literature in English. The study tried to reconcile, and bridge, learners’ literary preferences with educational goals in respect to literary components in Saudi EFL classrooms. The findings were manifold but overall showed improved outcomes following the administration of the treatment, especially in terms of motivation, engagement and communicative output.

 

RESUMEN

Un idioma es mejor aprendido en contexto. Dado que los idiomas son representativos de la cultura de sus hablantes, la enseñanza/aprendizaje del inglés como lengua extranjera (EFL por sus siglas en inglés) a través de las creaciones literarias de un idioma puede ser beneficioso en muchos aspectos. Por mencionar algunos, alienta y fomenta la tolerancia, el pensamiento lateral y el uso intencionado del lenguaje, proporciona instancias y posibilidades variadas y amplias de uso del lenguaje y expone a los alumnos a situaciones de la vida real del idioma de destino. La literatura es una adición importante a los cursos y planes de estudio de EFL. La experiencia de enseñar EFL en las universidades de Arabia Saudita muestra que los estudiantes no están dispuestos a estudiar contenido literario a pesar de que tienen algunos años de exposición antes de la universidad. La literatura es un componente inseparable de los programas de estudio en la educación superior. Este documento tuvo como objetivo encontrar las razones de esto y explicó los beneficios de la literatura para enriquecer y mejorar la experiencia de los estudiantes de EFL. También propuso ideas para hacer de la lectura de textos literarios una experiencia interesante para los estudiantes de EFL. El enfoque del estudio es la evaluación de las actitudes y percepciones de los estudiantes y docentes de segundo año de EFL en la Facultad de Idiomas y Traducción, Universidad Islámica Imam Muhammad Ibn Saud (IMBSIU) y Facultad de Ciencias y Artes, Methnab, Universidad de Qassim (QU), hacia estudiar literatura en inglés. El estudio intentó conciliar y unir las preferencias literarias de los alumnos con los objetivos educativos con respecto a los componentes literarios en las aulas sauditas de inglés como lengua extranjera. Los hallazgos fueron múltiples, pero en general mostraron mejores resultados después de la administración del tratamiento, especialmente en términos de motivación, compromiso y producción comunicativa.

Biografía del autor/a

K.A ALKHODIMI, College of Languages and Translation, Al-Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University
Khaled Abkar Alkodimi is currently an assistance professor of English Literature at the College of Languages and Translation, Al-Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University. He attended a number of international conferences and conducted a number of workshops and seminars. Moreover, he taught/teaches different literary courses, language skills, as well as, pedagogy courses and research methods for both undergraduate and postgraduate students.  Mr. Khaled has obtained his PhD from University Putra Malaysia (UPM), Malaysia, and has already published a number of books and articles in different internationally scientific indexed journals on a wide range of topics. He has been a Sage Open Article Editor since 2012, as well as, an editorial member and a reviewer for many international journals. Mr. Khaled is a member of many esteemed international associations, Asia TEFL Association, American Comparative Literature Association (ACLA), Saudi Association of Languages and Translation (SAOLT) and Social Science & Humanities Research Association (SSHRA), to name but a few.
A.A.M.H AL-AHDAL, College of Sciences and Arts, Methnab, Qassim University
Dr. Arif Ahmed  M. H. Al-Ahdal is an Associate Professor of Applied Linguistics, College of Sciences and Arts, Methnab, Qassim University, Saudi Arabia.  Though his vocation is teaching, Dr. Al-Ahdal is an avid poet and writer. He has to his credit two bi-lingual poetry collections, To Yemen with Love and Joys and Sorrows, published in Yemen in 2010 and a  reference book " PREPARING EFL TEACHERS FOR TOMORROW: OPENING NEW VISTAS IN TEACHER DEVELOPMENT WITH INSET, published in Germany in 2015, apart from nearly 25 research papers published in Internationally Scientific Indexed Journals. He also gained cross-cultural teaching experience from three countries: Yemen, India and Saudi Arabia. With such diverse exposure, he was offered prestigious editorial responsibilities as Board Member of ELT Journal, Canada, Arab World English Journal, Malaysia, Dr. Arif Ahmed Al-Ahdal is an Associate Professor of Applied Linguistics, College of Sciences and Arts, Methnab, Qassim University, Saudi Arabia.  Though his vocation is teaching, Dr. Al-Ahdal is an avid poet and writer. He has to his credit two bi-lingual poetry collections, To Yemen with Love and Joys and Sorrows, published in Yemen in 2010 and a reference book " PREPARING EFL TEACHERS FOR TOMORROW: OPENING NEW VISTAS IN TEACHER DEVELOPMENT WITH INSET, published in Germany in 2015, apart from nearly 25 research papers published in Internationally Scientific Indexed Journals. He also gained cross-cultural teaching experience from three countries: Yemen, India and Saudi Arabia. With such diverse exposure, he was offered prestigious editorial responsibilities as Board Member of ELT Journal, Canada, Arab World English Journal, Malaysia, International Journal of English and Literary Studies, Australia and Journal of ELT and Applied Linguistics, India, among others. He is also a freelance trainer and certified IELTS Examiner

Citas

ABRAHAM, AP (2010). “Teaching Literature through Language-Some Considerations”. Language in India; Strength for Today and Bright Hope for Tomorrow, (10), pp. 78-90.

AKYEL, A, &YALCIN, E (1990). “Literature in the EFL class: A study of goal-achievement incongruence”. ELT Journal. 44(3). pp. 174-180.

AL-AHDAL, A. A. M. H., ALFALLAJ, F. S. S., AL-AWAID, S. A. A., & AL-MASHAQBA, N. J. A. H (2017). “Translation Courses at Qassim University, Saudi Arabia: A Study of Existing Problems and Possible Solutions”. US-China Foreign Language, Vol.15, Issue 3.

ALI, MIA (2017). “Tutors’ Perspectives in including English Literature in the Sudanese syllabus for developing EFL skills in the secondary schools of East Gezira State-Sudan”. Ahfad Journal (June). Vol. 43, Issue 1.

BAGHERKAZEMI, M, & ALEMI, M (2010). “Literature in the EFL/ESL classroom: Consensus and controversy”. LiBRI. Linguistic and Literary Broad Research and Innovation, 1(1), pp. 30-48.

BLAND, J, & MOURAO, S (2017). “The Shapeshifting Nature of Children’s Literature for ELT (Editorial)”. CLELE Journal. Vol. 5, Issue 1.

BRUMFIT, CJ, & CARTER, RA (1986). Literature and Language Teaching. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

CHASTAIN, K (1988). Developing Second Language Skills: Theory and Practice. (3rd Ed.). USA: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich Publishers.

COLLIE, J, & SLATER, S (1987). Literature in the language classroom: A resource book of ideas and activities. Cambridge University Press.

DUFF, A, & MALEY, A (1990). Literature. OUP.

HOFF, HE (2019). Rethinking approaches to intercultural competence and literary reading in the 21st century English as a foreign language classroom (Doctoral Thesis).

MCKAY, S (1982). “Literature in the ESL classroom”. TESOL Quarterly. 16(4). pp. 529-536.

MOHAMMED, K (2017). An Exploration of the Main Difficulties and Challenges in Teaching EFL Literature. The Case of Teachers at the University of Tlemcen, Algeria.

PARKINSON, B & THOMAS, HR (2004). “Teaching Literature in translation: An Experiment at the introductory level”. The Modern Language Journal. 56. pp. 306-310.

SAVVIDOU, C (2004). “An Integrated Approach to the teaching of literature in the EFL classroom”. The Internet TESL Journal. X, 12.

SHOLICHAH, IR, & PURBANI, W (2018). Fostering Language Skills Development through Fairy Tales: A Literature Study. Proceedings of the International Conference of Communication Science Research (ICCSR).

SMITH, MS (1972). “Some thoughts on the place of literature in a practical English syllabus”. ELT Journal. XXVI. pp. 274-278.

TSENG, FP (2010). “Introducing literature in an EFL classroom: Teacher’s Presentations and Students’ Perceptions”. Journal of Language Teaching and Research. 1(1). pp. 53-65.

VAN, TTM (2009). “The relevance of literary analysis to teaching literature in the EFL Classroom”. In English Teaching Forum, 47(3), p. 2. US Department of State. Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, Office of English Language Programs.

Publicado
2019-12-19
Cómo citar
ALKHODIMI, K., & AL-AHDAL, A. (2019). Literature in the EFL Classroom in KSA: Rectifying a Relationship at Odds. Utopía Y Praxis Latinoamericana, 24(1), 256-264. Recuperado a partir de https://www.produccioncientificaluz.org/index.php/utopia/article/view/30327
Número
Vol. 24 (2019): Extra 6 [Interlocuciones]
Sección
Artículos