Abstract
This study is designed to explore how literature lessons are perceived by pre-service English language teaching (ELT) students and discusses the findings in terms of student perceptions and educational objectives. The participants were 30 Turkish EFL senior students. Both quantitative and qualitative measures were used to collect data in order to validate the findings. The results showed that pre-service teachers highly valued the literature courses. The participants, however, recommended that the literature courses should not be restricted to the canonic texts and aim to develop linguistic abilities through critical literary readings and cultural interpretative efforts.
Highlights
Reading for pleasure or out of curiosity and private study traces back to ancient times and is expected to “...go on long after literature has been disestablished from the educational curriculum or changed out of all recognition” (Hall, 2005, p. 42)
Partly excluded from English language teaching (ELT) programs, literature is a crucial subject of curriculum developed by ELT and LanguageLiterature departments in Turkey and appears to be an important issue in the timetable
A quick look at the present practice in Turkey shows that literature classes are mostly concerned with appropriate anthologies and syllabuses of ‘canonic’ authors and texts
Summary
Reading for pleasure or out of curiosity and private study traces back to ancient times and is expected to “...go on long after literature has been disestablished from the educational curriculum or changed out of all recognition” (Hall, 2005, p. 42). Partly excluded from English language teaching (ELT) programs, literature is a crucial subject of curriculum developed by ELT and LanguageLiterature departments in Turkey and appears to be an important issue in the timetable. A quick look at the present practice in Turkey shows that literature classes are mostly concerned with appropriate anthologies and syllabuses of ‘canonic’ authors and texts. Many educators in both fields have again acknowledged the academic, intellectual, cultural, and linguistic benefits of the study of literature and educational departments reviewed and revised their attitude towards literature classes. As far as what practical benefits we expect from literature education in ELT classes are concerned, in Turkey, integrating literature to already established ELT curriculum presents some complications. This article considers how literature lessons are perceived by the prospective English teachers and discusses the findings in terms of their perceptions and educational objectives
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
