The Role of a Literature-Based Program in the English Second Language Classroom - Annotated Bibliography Example

Using Literature in ESL Ghasemi, P. (1998).The role of a Literature-based Program in the ESL Classroom. Dept of Foreign Languages and Linguistics College of Literature and Humanities .Shiraz University. Ghasemi, the author of this article explores the role that literature-based programs play in ESL classrooms. He observes that researchers have established that literature can aid ESL learners particularly those in higher levels of education to enhance their acquisition of linguistic skills. Drawing on to the findings of previous research studies, Ghasemi establishes that the use of literature as a technique in teaching English incorporates the use of literary texts such as drama, novels, short stories and poems to generate activities and tasks that help learners to enhance their skills in second language acquisition. It is believed that the use literature in ESL classroom offers students spiritual, moral and aesthetic values. By alluding to Littlewood (1976), Ghasemi observes that as compared to informational texts literary text have a more unique relationship that points to external reality. Through a review of various literatures, it is established in this article literal texts help readers to foster a dynamic interaction with the external world. Ghasemi also examines the pros and cons of using literature programs in ESL classrooms. He identifies the advantages of using literature for ESL learners as its personal relevance, universality and its ability to draw the attention of learners. Conversely, based on the finding of Linguists in the likes of Topping (1968), Ghasemi notes that some of the disadvantages of using literature in ESL learners include the complex nature of some literal text and the lack of conformity to grammatical rules and standards. Hişmanoğlu, M. (2005). Teaching English through Literature. Journal of Language and Linguistic Studies.Vol.1, No.1. The main focus of this article is to portray the significance of using literature as a teaching technique for basic language skills such as speaking, listening, writing and reading. Furthermore, this article shows how literature can be used to develop other language areas such as pronunciations, vocabulary and grammar. The author of this article also examines the criteria that can be used to select suitable literary text that can make positive impact on the progress of learner in foreign language classes. He recommends that teachers should consider the cultural background, interests, language level and motivation of students before selecting the literal texts that will be used in class. In addition, this article highlights some of the challenges that teachers might experience when using literature especially in TEFL/ TESL programs. Some of the challenges identified include, the lack effective of pedagogy, experience and training .Generally, this article provides great insights on the significance of using literature and how literature can be used to enhance the language learning process for foreign students. The author of this article recommends that teachers should adopt a student centered and dynamic approach when using literature to teach English. He accentuates that the use of literature can be a motivating and powerful source for teaching ESL/EFL. Vandrick, S. (1996). Issues in Using Multicultural Literature in College Writing Classes ESL. Journal of second language writing, 5 (3), 253-269. Stephanie Vandrick, the author of this article demonstrates that over time the use of multicultural textbooks and multicultural literature in ESL writing classes has increased. Nevertheless, she notes that in as much as this development is appropriate there is need for teachers to use such literature carefully. Vandrick recommends that ESL teachers or professionals should vividly familiarize themselves with multicultural literature, lay out the suitable goals, organize selection guidelines and find appropriate ways of incorporating multicultural literature in ESL writing classes. Moreover, she advices ESL professionals incorporating multicultural literature in the classroom to expect challenges since some students and academics may find the use of such concepts unnecessary and controversial. Vandrick’s article sheds light on some fundamental concerns that should be addressed in order to realize the effective use of multicultural textbooks and multicultural literature in ESL writing classes. For example, she points out that text or literature showing discrimination or prejudice towards the culture or ethnic background of some culture should be handled with care. The instructor should use professional judgment and make it clear to the class that examining some stereotypes is by no way endorsing them. Vandrick also asserts that the instructor should ensure that no group is singled out especially when discussing sensitive topics. Preston, W. (1982). Poetry Ideas in Teaching Literature and Writing to Foreign Students. Tesol Quarterly Vol. 16, No. 4. A key motivation for Preston’s article on incorporating poetry ideas in teaching and writing literature to foreign students was that little has written about teaching poetry to foreign students. In this article, Preston attempts to illustrate ways of incorporating poetry ideas when teaching poetry to intermediate level English teachers. He discourages the notion of extensive analysis or selecting poetry on the basis formal elements such as repetition and rhyme and recommends that poetry should be designed and presented in a manner that enables students to be creative and find meaning in the poems that they read. Preston asserts that when students are provided with opportunities to involve themselves in poetry writing process, their appreciation for literature, language and creative writing is bound to increase. By drawing to the findings of various literature and research studies Preston observes that poetry is an effective tool for teaching writing and literature to ESL students. However, he notes that there is no substantial evidence showing its effectiveness in improving literary skills for ESL learners. In addition Preston examines the existing gaps in literature on how poetry should be taught. He alludes to the structure and context of several poems to illustrate how poetry can be taught, analyzed and written. Broekkamp, H., Janssen, T. & Bergh, H. (2009). Is there a relationship between literature reading and creative Writing? Fourth Quarter, Volume 43, Number 4. The key aim of this study was to examine the relationship between regular literature reading and ability in creative writing. In order to establish this, the authors of this article selected a group of poor and good readers of literature and examined their creative writing abilities. The study involved 19 students in the eleventh grade, 8 among this group of student were poor literature readers whereas 11 were good readers. So as to get information on the measure of the student’s ability in creative writing, the researchers asked the students to carry out a series of creative writing tasks. In addition, the two groups of students were given several literature reading tasks. The tasks given to each participant included writing 5 creative texts and reading 4 literary texts revolving around short stories and poetic genres. Subsequently, the reading and writing performances of the students were judged by a panel of judges. The agreement amongst the participating judges was very high and the performance of the student was consisted in all the writing and reading tasks. It was also apparent that the average performance in the reading and writing tasks were related. Evidently, the findings of this study support the initial hypothesis of the authors that there is a positive link between literature reading and ability in creative writing. Muthusamy, C., Mohamad, F., Ghazali, S. & Micheal, A.(2010). Enhancing ESL writing creativity via literature based language instruction. Studies in literature and language Vol.1, No.2. pp, 36-37. The authors of this article asserts that succeeding in learning to write English can be linked to the flow of ideas, growing confidence, enjoying academic writing and self-expressions. Nevertheless, one of the key challenges that teachers in writing classes face does not revolve around what they should instruct the student to write rather the challenges that teachers face revolves around the need to motivate their students to write interesting and creative essay pieces. Basically, in this article the authors examine what contributes to language creativity when writing. They allude to the findings of different literature in order obtain a concise definition of what creativity entails. The authors acknowledge that the definition of creativity is hard to pin down however with reference to Anderson (1965) and Troda (1977) they note that creativity can be characterized by originality or uniqueness. In order to establish what contributes to language creativity when writing, the authors of this article examine the findings of a quasi- experiment revolving around a writing class which incorporated a literature –based language instruction. This experiment sought to assess the extent of student’s creativity in their essay writings. Based on the findings of inferential and descriptive statistics, it was established that literature based instructions develops and enhances the creativity of students in writing. Belcher, D. & Hirvela, A. (2000). Literature and L2 composition: revisiting the debate. Journal of second language writing, 9(1), 21-39. Belcher and Hirvela, the authors of this article acknowledge that there is great controversy surrounding the role of literature in the classroom composition. Therefore, their focus in this article is to present arguments against and for the incorporation of literature. Foremost, the authors examine the main stances used in the composition of L1 pedagogical theory that significantly influence L2 composition. Secondly, they review the perspective of compositionists’ on literature. To some extent the arguments on L2 resonate however in some areas they contrast with those of L1 writing theory. In this review Belcher and Hirvela not only aim at presenting arguments against and for the incorporation of literature, their main goal is to provide a basis that can be used to make informed decisions on the significance of literature in various contexts that both teachers and students find themselves. This review provides invaluable information on the significance of literature in L2 composition. The authors examine how literature can be applied in writing L2 writing instruction through a review of literature which help to establish substantial evidence on the essence of literature and the various variables revolving around the use of literature in L2 compositions. Erkaya, O. (2005). Benefits of using short stories in the EFL context. Retrieved on April 10, 2011 from The key aim of this article was to depict to EFL instructors the effectiveness of employing literature as a language instruction, their main focus is on short stories. Erkaya that author of this article notes that in as much as some instructors strongly believe in solely using language instruction when teaching EFL, their students are bound to communicate in their intended language. However, for those instructors who have incorporated literature in their curricula they have discovered that literature brings about a new dimension in EFL teaching. In the following section, Erkaya attempts to illustrate the benefits of short stories in enhancing the acquisition of linguistic skills. Through a review of relevant literature, he notes that, short stories enable instructors to effectively teach the four skills i.e. reading, writing, speaking and listening. Erkaya notes that if short stories are appropriately selected and exploited they are bound to provide an effective text content that can to a great enhance the linguistic skills for learners at different levels of proficiency. Erkaya observes that when using short stories to teach the four skills, there is always an underlying motivation entrenched in the story. Moreover, he notes that some of the benefits associated with using short stories include; short stories enforce a higher-order of thinking, it helps to introduce literary elements and they also help to teacher culture. Nonetheless, Erkaya recommends to instructors that before they use short stories in their EFL classes they should first understand the short stories that they are going to use. Bagherkazemi, M. & Alemi, M. (2010). Literature in the EFL/ESL classroom: consensus and controversy. Linguistic and Literary Broad Research and Innovation, Volume 1, Issue 1. Through a review of literature and research studies, this article attempts to provide an incisive outlook on the significance of literature in EFL/ESL classroom. In order to establish this, the authors of this article move back in time from the 18th century onwards and provide a brief history showing what previous literature depict on the controversy surrounding the use of literature in EFL/ESL classrooms. The authors note that, in the mid 18th century and early 19th century literature was not considered a distinct subject rather it was incorporated into teaching classical rhetoric with the aim of improving learners’ skills in communication and discovery. Varying arguments are presented in this article with regards to whether or not literature can effectively improve and enrich foreign language learning and teaching practices. For example, some of the highlighted arguments against the use of literature illustrates that literature is highly charged culturally thus it presents conceptual difficulties and hindrances rather than facilitating the learning of the target language. On the other hands, arguments that are in support of the use of literature depict that literature offers meaningful contexts, enhances cultural awareness, encourages critical thinking and enhances ones imagination and creativity. Subsequently, the authors of this article draw to the findings of empirical and theoretical research to illustrate the ways in which literature can be effectively used in teaching a foreign language classroom. Kim, M. (2004). Literature Discussions in Adult L2 Learning. Language and Education Vol. 18, No. 2, pp.145-166. This article uses a close observation and evaluation of adult ESL classroom interactions to examine how literature circles operate in the L2 context. The observation involved nine ESL learners reading and discussing fictional readings. Kim, the author of this article scrutinized the characteristics of the leaner’s interaction with their group members and with the literary texts. She focused on how the interactions related to the student’s Ls language development and reading experiences. The findings of this observation conveyed that the learners develop different insightful responses with regards to the evaluation of text, interpretation, cross-cultural themes, literal comprehension and personal connections. This study also showed that the ESL learners were greatly involved in dialogic social interactions using their target language. Based on these findings, it is apparent that literature discussions assisted the students intellectually and emotionally to get involved in the literary text thus causing the students to enjoy their L2 reading experiences. Additionally, the findings of this study revealed that literature discussions enhanced the communicative competence of L2 students by giving them a platform to give out extended output. References Bagherkazemi, M. & Alemi, M. (2010). Literature in the EFL/ESL classroom: consensus and controversy. Linguistic and Literary Broad Research and Innovation, Volume 1, Issue 1. Belcher, D. & Hirvela, A. (2000). Literature and L2 composition: revisiting the debate. Journal of second language writing, 9(1), 21-39. Broekkamp, H., Janssen, T. & Bergh, H. (2009). Is there a relationship between literature reading and creative Writing? Fourth Quarter, Volume 43, Number 4. Erkaya, O. (2005). Benefits of using short stories in the EFL context. Retrieved on April 10, 2011 from Ghasemi, P. (1998).The role of a Literature-based Program in the ESL Classroom. Dept of Foreign Languages and Linguistics College of Literature and Humanities .Shiraz University Hişmanoğlu, M. (2005). Teaching English through Literature. Journal of Language and Linguistic Studies.Vol.1, No.1. Kim, M. (2004). Literature Discussions in Adult L2 Learning. Language and Education Vol. 18, No. 2, pp.145-166. Muthusamy, C., Mohamad, F., Ghazali, S. & Micheal, A.(2010). Enhancing ESL writing creativity via literature based language instruction. Studies in literature and language Vol.1, No.2. pp, 36-37. Preston, W. (1982). Poetry Ideas in Teaching Literature and Writing to Foreign Students. Tesol Quarterly Vol. 16, No. 4. Vandrick, S. (1996). Issues in Using Multicultural Literature in College Writing Classes ESL. Journal of second language writing, 5 (3), 253-269. . Read More