Abstract
In the current dynamics of world communication, the ability to use English functionally is increasing exponentially given the conception of the world as a global village. In the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, however, the EFL teaching community has much to desire as far as the learners’ English proficiency go. Literature forms a very minuscule component in the curriculum whereas story telling as pedagogy in EFL learning is proven to be effective in various other EFL environments. This paper is an empirical study of the usefulness of this method in KSA with the aim to encourage its adoption by the teaching community. Keywords: EFL; language skills; competence; Dual-code model; multi-sensory approach; contextual clues
Highlights
Foreign language teaching has come a long way since the beginning of the century when grammar translation dominated as a pedagogy
Literature and language are two sides of the same coin: one can be used to excel in the other. They are symbiotic in the sense that competence in one can lead to better competence in the other
As per views of Dyson (1991), Grugeon & Gardner (2000); Hall (1987; and Nelson (1989), sufficient auditory input and oral language competence are basal requirements and crucial pre-requisites for bringing about reading development; the same is true of EFL learners
Summary
Foreign language teaching has come a long way since the beginning of the century when grammar translation dominated as a pedagogy. What we observe in EFL education these days is the use of literature as a technique for teaching the basic language skills of Listening, Speaking, Reading, Writing and Grammar. Why this appeals to the learners is simple: Human predicament is the same across nations and cultures and much like music, one can appreciate literature even with limited language competence. Sulzby and Teale (1991) and Trostle & Hicks (1998) confirm through their studies that even a simple version of storytelling not demanding much of the teacher’s interpretation can make a big difference in children’s EFL learning It is the researcher’s experience that short stories prove effective in EFL situations as they can be read or narrated in a single sitting giving the sensation of ‘totality’ of experience to the reader or listener. Brevity and coherence make for easy appreciation as even the average learner’s attention does not waver due to the presence of these features
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