Prospective English Language Teachers’ Views on Literature- Oriented Courses at Akdeniz University's ELT Department

Abstract

Using literary texts in English as a foreign language (hereafter EFL) context is beneficial for learners since they provide authentic properties of the target language and culture. The Ministry of National Education supports the use of literary texts to teach English effectively in primary and high schools. Hence, most of the ELT departments in Turkey include literature-oriented courses in their curricula. The aim of the study is to reveal prospective teachers’ views on literature-oriented courses along with their suggestions so as to improve English language teacher education curricula. In order to collect prospective English teachers’ views on literature-oriented courses, a Likert- type scale with 28 items was applied to 59 fourth-grade ELT students at Akdeniz University. The results showed that the literature-oriented course were essential for prospective teachers since these courses help improve teaching skills, critical thinking. Besides, according to the students literary texts provide language enrichment, improve reading ability and give cultural information about the target language.