Making Authentic Literary Texts Relevant, Meaningful, and Fun in Advanced Beginner and Intermediate Spanish-language Classrooms

This article examines the role literature and literariness play in Spanish textbooks for lower secondary school in Norway. The empirical material consists of four textbook-series: Tapas, Vale, Amigos and Chicos Chicas. Both qualitative and quantitative methods are used in the analysis of the textbooks. The categories are not predefined but were established during the study to cover as many forms of literary presence as possible. The study maps the amount of literature in the different textbooks, in addition to text types and cultural affiliation. Moreover, the context of the texts and the tasks associated with them are examined. The findings show that the textbooks contain very few authentic literary texts. In contrast, they contain a significant number of stories, either adapted, literary stories, or so-called pedagogical-literary stories written by the textbook authors themselves. Many of the literary texts are also optional extra-texts placed at the end of the textbooks. Several of the literary texts are not accompanied by tasks at all. For those complemented by tasks, the most common are text comprehension and language (grammar) tasks. The findings are discussed in the frame of the most important approaches to literature within the field of foreign languages. The conclusion is that textbooks pay little attention to literature as such, but that literary genres and text norms play an important role in textbook texts. The text-selection, the placement of the texts and the tasks also testify to a traditional approach to literature. There is a considerable element of canon literature, and literature reading is projected to the future or reserved for the most advanced students. Literary texts lack tasks or form a starting point for language and text comprehension tasks.

In communicative language teaching (CLT) authentic texts have been emphasized, as they were taken fromreal life and could, correspondingly, be used for real communication. On the other hand, literary texts aresimultaneously authentic (not created for educational purposes / language learning) and exemplary (written byauthors very highly qualified in language). Due to this, authentic literary texts are essential tools of thedevelopment of language proficiency; thereby, literary works have been supported in language classes as theyprovide authentic materials. Literary texts were used in Grammar-Translation Method as samples of appropriatelanguage. However, with the communicative methods, for a certain period, such authentic texts as newspapernews, advertisement, touristic brochure, etc. have taken the floor and have withdrawn literary texts to theperiphery of language teaching / learning. Nowadays, there is a certain revival of interest towards literary texts asa medium to engage in linguistic forms and speech communicative functions. The use of literature for languageteaching can provide an avenue for advantages in language proficiency. Literature is a potentially worthwhilesource for coming to good terms with an extensive range of enrichment in linguistic knowledge for successfullanguage acquisition. This study argues for an emphasis on a preference for incorporating literary texts intoforeign / second language teaching in order to enable language learners at upper-intermediate level to applylanguage resources skillfully. The study also compares the application of literary texts with that of simplified textsand endeavors to reveal which text type benefits more language learners.

Literature in ELT Setting: Students⿿ Attitudes and Preferences Towards Literary Texts

The purpose of this research is to interrogate the effectiveness of utilizing drama performance in enhancing student teachers’ engagement with the literary text ‘ To Kill a Mockingbird’ by Harper Lee (1960). This study is based on a TESL course “Teaching of literature: Reading the word and the world” for TESL undergraduate student teachers at the Faculty of Education, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Malaysia. In this study, student teachers would need to read and understand the literary text “To Kill a Mockingbird” and eventually conduct a drama workshop, where they will dramatize the text to a group of secondary school pupils. The drama performance aims to engage these student teachers on issues of racism, prejudice and discrimination as a means to utilise literary texts to help them gain insight on how they are constructed and enacted. This study was designed to be a case study with three methods of data collection namely questionnaire, student teachers’ personal response and reflective essays. In this study, the student teachers reflected on the whole process of dramatization, identifying its strengths, weaknesses and suggestions on how to improve it. Generally, the participants perceived that dramatization helps them to construct meaning from the literary text and be able to examine issues of race, racism and discrimination.

The purpose of this research is to interrogate the effectiveness of utilizing drama performance in enhancing student teachers’ engagement with the literary text ‘ To Kill a Mockingbird’ by Harper Lee (1960). This study is based on a TESL course “Teaching of literature: Reading the word and the world” for TESL undergraduate student teachers at the Faculty of Education, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Malaysia. In this study, student teachers would need to read and understand the literary text “To Kill a Mockingbird” and eventually conduct a drama workshop, where they will dramatize the text to a group of secondary school pupils. The drama performance aims to engage these student teachers on issues of racism, prejudice and discrimination as a means to utilise literary texts to help them gain insight on how they are constructed and enacted. This study was designed to be a case study with three methods of data collection namely questionnaire, student teachers’ personal response and reflective essays. In this study, the student teachers reflected on the whole process of dramatization, identifying its strengths, weaknesses and suggestions on how to improve it. Generally, the participants perceived that dramatization helps them to construct meaning from the literary text and be able to examine issues of race, racism and discrimination.

This study examines how pre-service teachers assess the appropriateness of literary texts used by high school students in terms of learners’ age, linguistic needs, and language proficiency. It also aims to determine the relevance of the texts used to learners’ cultural understanding. The participants in this study were five pre-service teachers who participated in a content analysis study of five literary texts. They analyzed the content of the texts using the four categories of textbook evaluation criteria proposed by Tomlinson (2001), namely, media-specific criteria, content-specific criteria, learner-specific criteria, and language criteria. The evaluation results were positive. All participants agreed that all five texts were appropriate for high school learners, with average levels of compliance ranging from moderate to appropriate. In addition to selecting texts that are appropriate for the learners’ language level, the topics and issues addressed in the texts should also be appropriate for the learners’ interest, so the selection of literary texts is crucial. Finally, more local texts should be selected for the English literature curriculum to highlight local cultures and practices. It is expected that this study will contribute to English language teaching as the findings of this study will provide necessary information to those who are concerned with the selection of appropriate literary texts for schools. In addition, this study will raise awareness among teachers and curriculum designers of the need to consider learners’ level of competence when evaluating and selecting from the many literary texts available.

Studies of natural language contributing to representation of information about the world are of interest to cognitive linguistics. The way how in-formation is stored and structured is fundamental to the study of conceptualisation of the world which, in its turn, gives meaning a central position. At the same time conveying meaning through literary texts is vital to literary criticism. According to the principles of cognitive linguistics applicable to the subject-matter of the research, the authentic literary texts are conceptualised, categorised and perceived initially by the critic and then by the reader. The critic provides the reader with hints in form of precedent texts. In order to understand the critic’s message it is vital that the reader shares the same background knowledge. The role of enumeration, allusions, anthroponyms, toponyms and code intertextuality in literary criticism have been analysed as the means representing knowledge. In literary texts enumeration is used in order to introduce writers and their literary works, as well as interpret the texts and summarise the presented ideas. Allusions, anthroponyms, toponyms and code intertextuality in literary criticism are used by critics to suggest analogies with books of writers, cite original texts and clarify opinions of other writers, critics and philosophers.

The use of literary texts in teaching language has varied from the strict focus on translation and essential grammar and vocabulary lists derived from the text to the more creative uses like acting, writing and debating. Nowadays, communicative language approach prevails in most classrooms and insists on immersing students into both the target language and culture. In this paper, the author argues that to accomplish this, one can use literary texts in a number of ways and help the students learn, practice and master various language skills, while at the same time relating the texts to the students' interests, goals and lived experiences and help them relate to the society whose language they are learning. Literature is presented as a great source of authentic material that can contribute to students' language enrichment and cultural awareness. According to the data obtained from the research conducted for the purpose of this paper, students learning the Norwegian language by extensive use of literature reported better understanding of the target culture, raised awareness of the different cultural patterns and improved language skills. The pedagogical implications of the research are that more authentic literary texts should be used in language classroom to boost successful language acquisition.

In Croatia, textbooks play a crucial role in shaping the linguistic and communicative competencies of young English as a Foreign Language learners. Incorporating authentic and adapted literary texts in textbooks is essential for enhancing language development. Authentic literary texts mirror real-world language use, providing learners with genuine language encounters in various contexts. Adapted literary texts, on the other hand, are modified versions of original texts tailored to meet the linguistic and cognitive abilities of the target audience. They serve to bridge the gap between learners’ current language abilities and authentic materials, and thus facilitate language development. Integrating authentic and adapted texts of different forms into textbooks for young English as a Foreign Language learners offers numerous advantages. Exposure to real-life language enables learners to develop their language skills in a meaningful and relevant manner while working at the same time on their communicative and intercultural competencies, as well as visual and multimodal literacies. The present paper analyses textbooks designed for Grade 4 English as a Foreign Language learners, focusing on authentic and adapted literary texts. It explores the range of authentic literary texts (stories, cartoons, dialogues, poems, etc.) and investigates factors such as purpose, cultural relevance and engagement value (follow-up activities). The findings highlight the significance of including authentic materials that reflect learners’ interests and experiences in textbooks. Educators, curriculum designers and textbook publishers can benefit from these insights to create materials that cater to the needs and interests of young English as a Foreign Language learners, fostering their language development in authentic and engaging ways.

Introduction: Cross-Cultural Reading

Within the educational process, reading represents one of the fundamental competencies of primary education. The literary text is an indispensable educational resource in developing reading skills among primary school students. It provides numerous opportunities for intellectual, emotional, and creative development, contributing to the formation of an active and reflective reader profile. Through modern, student-centered teaching methods, reading becomes an enjoyable, accessible, and efficient process. The teacher plays a decisive role in creating a supportive context, selecting appropriate texts, and stimulating motivation for reading. Successful literary education at the primary level is key to shaping adults capable of critical thinking and profound communication. Reading is a complex skill with cognitive, emotional, and cultural dimensions. In primary school, the development of reading skills is a priority, as it forms the foundation for learning across all disciplines. The literary text plays a crucial role in this process, offering not only models of correct language use but also opportunities for reflection, empathy, imagination, and inner dialogue. This paper aims to highlight how literary texts contribute to the development of reading competencies in primary school students and to propose relevant teaching strategies for an effective instructional approach. Teachers select literary texts appropriate for the students' age level, ensuring thematic and stylistic variety that allows meaningful connections with children's real-life experiences. We aim to analyze the role of literary texts in shaping students' abilities to understand, interpret, and appreciate written texts at the primary level. The importance of interactive reading strategies, appropriate text selection, and the active involvement of students in the reading process is emphasized. The paper presents teaching methods and techniques that make reading an engaging and formative experience, focusing on expressive reading, predictive reading, reading journals, and dramatization.

Incorporating literature in language classes had many ups and down. In hay days of Grammar Translation Method, literature was the core source of foreign language learning. However by the emergence of Direct Method literature has been generally out of favor. In recent years literature came back to language classes. Literature has been discovered as a valuable and interesting material for improving students’ language ability (Premawardhena, 2005). It has been found that if appropriate literary texts are chosen it would ―be an effective tool for stimulating and achieving language learning and equipping learners with relevant linguistic and socio-cultural competences‖ (Sell, 2005, p. 92). This study tries to test using literary text in improving reading comprehension ability of Iranian foreign language learners. A group of 26 students majoring in English at the Islamic Azad University Babol Branch and Amol Branch has been sampled for the purpose of this study. The students were then divided into two groups– the control group and the experimental group. Both the groups were administered identical Pre-Test and Post-Test which consists of selected reading passage from different TOEFL books. Contrary to the previous researches the result of the present study shows that the experimental group did not show a significant improvement over the control group. So the using of literary texts seems unsatisfactory for Iranian EFL learners’.

Importance. The key problems of socio-cultural concept formation among Chinese students in the process of learning Russian as a foreign language are considered. Insufficient integration of the cultural component into teaching Russian as a foreign language to Chinese philology students hinders the effective formation of their socio-cultural competencies. The purpose of the research is to develop and test the textbook “Cultural Studies of Russia”, aimed at the formation of the above competence through a systematic study of Russian traditions, values and modern socio–cultural reality. Materials and Methods. The methods of analytical review of scientific literature, comparative analysis of Russian and Chinese educational approaches, pedagogical observation and content analysis of Vesti FM radio broadcasts, literary texts, and visual sources are used. Results and Discussion. The methods of analytical review of scientific literature, comparative analysis of Russian and Chinese educational approaches, pedagogical observation and content analysis of Vesti FM radio broadcasts, literary texts, and visual sources are used. Conclusion. The possibility of including cultural studies as a component of the RFL course and prospects for further research in the field of cultural studies and foreign language education are substantiated.

This study was conducted to investigate the selection and implementation of literary texts for teaching of reading skills in English as a foreign language classes in preparatory schools in Ethiopia. In doing so, descriptive survey design was employed. To collect data, observation, questionnaire, interview and text analysis were used as data collection tools. Using simple random sampling technique, 30 grade 11 English teachers for questionnaire and 6 teachers for observation and interview were selected. Text analysis was also used to evaluate the suitability of literary texts. The study revealed that literary texts designed in grade 11 English textbook are not suitable for the students’ age, interest, cultural background, social background, linguistic proficiency and literacy background. The reading tasks have almost no pre-reading activities, some while-reading activities and plenty of post-reading activities which are not well designed. Besides, EFL teachers perceived that literary texts are important to facilitate the students’ reading classes but they were limited in using literary texts meaningfully. The study also revealed that difficulty level of literary texts, unfamiliarity of the cultures from texts, lack of interest, lack of reading experience and students’ limited vocabulary were the major difficulties that hindered the proper use of literary texts in reading lessons.

The article focuses on methods of developing international students’ sociocultural competence through the study of E.I. Nosov’s short story “Red Wine of Victory”. The relevance of the research is determined by the importance of historical memory in Russian cultural discourse and the need to overcome cultural barriers in teaching Russian as a foreign language. The study proposes a three-stage model for working with literary texts (pre-text, text and post-text stages), aimed at decoding key cultural concepts (“memory”, “heroism”, “victory-sacrifice”, “collectivism”). Special attention is paid to the analysis of color symbolism and connections between the text and contemporary Russian memorial practices (“Immortal Regiment”, “St. George’s Ribbon”). The practical significance of the research lies in developing specific tasks and methodological techniques that promote international students’ understanding of Russian cultural codes and develop intercultural dialogue skills. The proposed approach can be integrated into Russian as a foreign language teaching practice at B1 level.