USING LITERARY TEXTS IN EFL CLASSROOMS: CULTURAL AWARENESS AND VOCABULARY ENRICHMENT

Authors

  • Doğa OKTAN European University of Lefke, Lefke/TRNC
  • Sibel ERSEL KAYMAKAMOĞLU European University of Lefke Dr. Fazıl Küçük Faculty of Education, Lefke/TRNC

Abstract

This study was conducted to find out the influence of literature on vocabulary and cultural enrichment in EFL classrooms. A qualitative research design was adopted. A literary text was integrated into an EFL class with 19 students who were studying in the English Preparatory School of one of the universities in North Cyprus. After having 8 weeks of teaching (50 minute each lesson), data were collected by interviewing 5 volunteering participant EFL students who were Kazakh, Pakistani, Georgian, Turkish and Turkish Cypriot and 3 EFL teachers who were Turkish and Turkish Cypriot. In order to collect data, semi-structured interviews were carried out with the participants by the researcher. The participants were selected purposively. The findings of the study revealed consistency between the participant EFL students’ and EFL teachers’ perspectives. They all pointed out the benefits of using literary texts in contributing to learners’ cultural awareness and vocabulary enrichment.

Key words: Literature, language teaching, cultural awareness,vocabulary enrichment.

References

Alam, F. (2007). Imperial Entanglements and Literature in English: Using Postcolonial Literature in ELT. Dhaka: Writers. ink.

Belcher, D & Hirvela, A. (2000). Literature and L2 composition: revisiting the debate. Second Language Writing 9(1), 21-39.

Bernardo, S. A. (2006). The use of authentic materials in the teaching of reading. The Reading Matrix 6(2), 60-69.

Cadorath, J. & Harris, S. (1998). Unplanned Classroom Language and Teacher Training. ELT Journal, 52(3), 188.

Carter, R. A. &Long, M.N. (1991). Teaching Literature. London: Longman.

Collie, J and Slater, S (1994). Literature in the Language Classroom. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Cortazzi, M., & Jin, L. (1999). Cultural mirrors: Materials and methods in the EFL classroom. In  E. Hinkel (Ed.), Culture in second language teaching and learning (pp. 196-219). New York, NY: Cambridge University Press

Elliott, R. 1990. Encouraging reader-response to literature in ESL situations. English Language Teaching Journal, 44(3), 191-198.

Ellis, R. (2002). The place of grammar instruction in the second/ foreign language curriuculum. In E. Hinkel & S. Fotos (Eds.), New perspectives on grammar teaching in second language classrooms (pp. 17-34). Mahwah, N.J.: Lawrence Erlbaum.

Ellis, R. (2005). Principles of instructed language learning. System, 33 (2), 209-224.

Erkaya, O.R (2005). Benefits of using short stories in the EFL context. Asian EFL 8, 1-13.

Fox, L. (1999). Reflections on culture. Dialog on Language Instruction, 13 (1&2), 89-98.

Gu, Y. (2003). Vocabulary learning in second language: person, task, context and strategies. Electronic Journal. TESL-EJ, 7(2), 1-26.

Hirvela, A. & Belcher, D. (eds.) (2001) Linking Literacies: Perspectives on Second Language Reading-Writing Connections. Michigan: Michigan Applied Linguistics

Iser, W. (1993). Prospecting: From reader response to literary anthropology. Baltimore: John Hopkins University Press.

Khatib, M., Rezaei, S., & Derakhshan, A. (2011). Literature in EFL/ESL classroom. ELT 4(1), 201- 208.

Kramsch, C. (1993). Context and Culture in Language Teaching. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Krashen, S. (1988). Comprehensible output?. System 26, 175-182.

Laufer, B. & P. Nation. (1999). A vocabulary size test of controlled productive ability. Language Testing 16, 33- 51.

Maley, A. (1989). Down from the pedestal: Literature as resource. Modern English publications.

Maley, A. (2001) Literature in the Language Classroom in R. Carter and D.Nunan (eds.) The Cambridge Guide to TESOL. Cambridge : Cambridge University Press(Pp 180-185)

Maximo, R. (2000). Effects if rote, context, keyword, and context/ keyword method on retention of vocabulary in EFL classroom, Language Learning, 50 (2), 385-412.

Mead, M. (1961). Culture in foreign language teaching: The anthropologist point of view. In Report on a conference on the meaning and role of culture in foreign language teaching (pp. 4-24). Georgetown University.

Nation, P (2011). Teaching and Learning Vocabulary, Newbury House, New York.

Nunan, D. (1991). Language Teaching Methodology: A Textbook for Teacher. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Paran, A. (ed.) (2006). Literature in Language Teaching and Learning. Alexandria, VA: TESOL.

Povey, J. (1972). Literature in TESL programs: the language and the culture. Teaching English s a second language. New York: Mc. Graw Hill.

Read, J. (2000). Assessing vocabulary. United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press.

Savvidou, C. (2004). An integrated approach to the teaching of literature in the EFL classroom. The Internet TESL Journal, 12. Retrieved from http://iteslj.org/

Schmidt, R. W. (1990) The role of consciousness in second language learning. Applied Linguistics 11, 129-58.

Schmitt, N. (2000). Vocabulary in language teaching. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Sell, R.D. (2002). Introduction: Children’s literature as communication. In Sell (ed.), Children’s Literature as Communication, 1-26.

Shen, Y. (2002). Cognitive constraints on verbal creativity: The use of figurative language in poetic discourse. In E. Semino & J. Culpeper (Eds.), Cognitive Stylistics: Language and Cognition in Text Analysis (pp. 211–30). Amsterdam: John Benjamins

Sowden, C. (2007). Culture and the good teachers in the English language classroom. ELT Journal, 61 (4), 304-310.

Stern, S.L (1991). An Integrated Approach to Literature ESL/EFL. New York: Newbury House, 328-346.

Turker, F. (1991). Using literature in language teaching. Hacettepe Universitesi Eğitim Fakultesi 6, 299-305.

Ur, Penny (1996). A Course in Language Teaching. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Widdowson, H. G. (1995). Discourse analysis: A critical view. Language and Literature, 4, 157- 172.

Van,T.T. M. (2009). The relevance of literary analysis to teaching literature in the EFL classroom. English Teaching Forum, 3, 2-9.

Downloads

Published

2017-10-31

Issue

Section

Research Article