English Literature Classes Research Articles

Dramatization and Theater Performance: An Approach to the Teaching and Learning of English Literature

This case study investigated the integration of drama in English literature teaching in a British literature course for English majors at Ho Chi Minh City Open University. It attempted to explore the underlying teaching strategies through dramatization. The primary data was collected through qualitative methods, the interview and observation to get a clear picture of how drama-based lessons were conducted and brought to theater performance. The study revealed several significant findings. First, dramatization bears some resemblance to Process Drama (Kao and O’Neill 1998) in its techniques. Therefore, the researcher was able to devise a set of teaching techniques in relevance to dramatization. The consolidation of the main phrases and steps was proposed to implement dramatization effectively in this English literature class. The researcher argued that the integration of creative drama into English literature teaching was deemed effective and had the potential in building the learners’ understanding and appreciation of English literature. It is also noticeable that the performance of students’ works on stage enhanced learners’ appreciation and viewers’ literary experience.

The Implementation of Creative Problem-Solving Model In Improving Creative Thinking, Problem-Solving, and Self-Regulated Learning Skills In Literature Learning For Grade XI Students of Saint Ursula High School

Creative thinking, problem-solving, and self-regulated learning skills are essential 21st-century skills that need to be developed. However, not many students have mastered these three skills. This research aims to determine the results of implementing the Creative Problem Solving (CPS) learning model to enhance these skills in English literature class for Grade XI at Santa Ursula High School in Jakarta. The research was conducted using the classroom action research (CAR) method, which consisted of three cycles. Each cycle involved the planning, observation, action, and reflection phases. A pre-test was conducted before starting each cycle, followed by a post-test after completing the cycle. The research subjects consisted of 32 students, and the assessment instrument used a scoring rubric. The results showed that there was an increase in the average value of creative thinking skills, problem-solving, and self-regulated learning in each cycle. From these results, it can be concluded that the CPS learning model can improve creative thinking, problem-solving, and self-regulated learning skills in English literature classes for Grade XI students at Saint Ursula High School Jakarta.

The Effectiveness of Wordwall in Enhancing Students’ Engagement and Motivation in Literature Classes

In order to enhance students’ engagement and motivation, the integration of technology into instructional environments is becoming increasingly fundamental. In this context, Wordwall is utilized for English Letters students in Universitas Sanata Dharma. This study investigates the effectiveness of Wordwall—an online tool applying gamification principles in non-game contexts—to enhance English Letters students’ learning engagement and motivation in literature classes. Wordwall is chosen among other platforms since it is free to use and students do not need to login to the platform. Therefore, it is deemed to be practical. This study uses quasi experimental post-test design. The population of this study is the students of Introduction to Literature and Culture of English-Speaking Nation of English Literature Class batch 2022. Both groups took a pre-test and post-test and the results were compared to see the variance in the results. Each group received one lesson per week for four weeks as part of the treatments. Lastly, the data were analysed using independent sample t-test with SPSS version 25. The findings indicated that integrating Wordwall into Literature classes had a notable impact in motivating students to actively engage in the learning environment. Employing gamification quizzes in literature classes emerged as an innovative agent to engage students’ interest in reading and interpreting literature works. In addition, the enjoyable and friendly competitive nature in Wordwall also facilitated the students to understand the literature texts better. Importantly, the lecturer may also monitor the students’ progress from the results of the quizzes presented in ranks, leaderboards, or statistics.

A Structural Analysis of Religious Legends about an Iconic Image in the Philippines

The study aimed to conduct a structural analysis of seven legends surrounding an iconic image in the Philippines, the Sto. Niño de Cebu. The corpora used for the study were limited to the legends on healing people’s illnesses through the Sto. Niño’s miraculous interventions. Specifically, this study identified the binary oppositions found in the legends, derived syntagmatic sequences or mythemes and their variations from the legends, determined the central message of each legend based on the mythemes, and related each legend to one another. This qualitative study adopted the procedures used by Gray (1978) in “Structural Analysis of Folktales: Techniques and Methodology.” The study found that each legend has its binary opposition/s and central message textually, and the mythemes were expressed in different details and bundles. Intertextually, such binary opposition sickness vs. healing, may be linked with the mythemes and central messages. The researcher recommends that future researchers study the other legends about the Sto. Niño focused on other themes to validate if the mythemes found in this study may apply or if a new set of mythemes may surface. It is also highly recommended that the Sto. Niño legends are included in the reading list or required readings in English and Philippine Literature classes. For the study’s academic implications, the study of religious legends, particularly the Sto. Niño legends as texts for critical analysis to apply Literary Criticism theories may be integrated into the basic and higher education curricula.

ANALYSIS OF STUDENTS' DIFFICULTY IN UNDERSTANDING ENGLISH PROVEBS

Proverb is one of the oldest literary works in the world. Proverb contains messages, values, morals, and advice that can give meaning to life. Many students have difficulty understanding the meaning of a proverb, so the teacher needs to provide appropriate teaching regarding the meaning conveyed in a proverb. This study aims to analyze students' difficulties in understanding the meaning of English proverbs when studying English literature. The method used in this research is qualitative through a descriptive approach. Participants in this study consisted of 35 students who studied English proverbs in English literature class. Data were obtained through documentation, observation, and interviews regarding the difficulty in understanding the meaning of English proverbs. Data were analyzed through data reduction, data display, and conclusion. The results of the study show that students are still confused about explaining the implied meaning of a proverb. This is because knowledge about the pragmatic meaning and sociolinguistic meaning of figurative sentences is still low, so the teacher needs to explain in detail the implied meaning of a proverb. Then, so that students can better get the message conveyed, the teacher asks students to provide examples of these proverbs in everyday life so that the value or advice from a proverb can be used as knowledge in living life.

A Research Synthesis of Using Young Adult Literature in College English Literature Class

A Research Synthesis of Using Young Adult Literature in College English Literature Class

Women’s Voices in Digital Storytelling During the Pandemic: A Case Study in English Literature Classes

Abstract During lockdown in 2020, in English Literature class, 4th year students majoring in Primary Education had to create stories in which optional male or female characters were allowed. Some conditions were pre-established: thus stories had to be digital and able to be used in online classes with primary pupils. Also, the stories had to follow a determined narrative structure. As a third condition, it was recommended to be aware of the fairness of using female protagonists, as well as male, and give it a thought before choosing either one or the other. This paper will explain the methodology, explain the participants’ digital contributions and show the results with some analysis of the students’ creations.

Using Scaffolding to Improve Online Group Presentation in English Literature Classes: An Action Study at Van Lang University

The aim of this study is to examine the use of scaffolding to improve online group-work presentations in English literature classes. Different stages of action research such as planning, acting, observation, and reflection are described in detail. Three scaffolding activities (questioning, feedback, and providing digital resources) were used in this present study. Qualitative analysis reveals that teachers' scaffolding activities were found to be useful in supporting students’ online presentation of literary texts. Specifically, it was found that teacher and peer feedback scaffolding played an important role in helping learners better understand literary texts. Another finding is that, on the one hand, questioning encouraged learners to explore different aspects of literary works. Providing resources, on the other hand, has a practical impact in helping learners out of frustration in searching for pertinent facts about the presentation tasks. The study can be a useful source of reference in teaching English literature online, especially in a multimodal learning environment.

Learners’ Attitude towards the Adaptation of CLIL in Undergraduate English Literature Courses in a Private University Context in Bangladesh

For a lack of competence in the English language, students of BA English programs in private universities in Bangladesh appear to struggle to understand the lessons involving literary content (Alam, 2018). To help students with adequate skills in English, adapting Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL), with equal emphasis on subject teaching and language teaching for enhancing both the skills of communicating and transferring content knowledge, appears to be more effective than just lecture-based content teaching of literature. Then again, the success of CLIL in literature classes depends on learners’ positive attitude towards it (Dörneyi, 1990; Dörneyi, 2001; Gardner & Lambert, 1972; Heckhausen, 1991). Therefore, this research intends to explore learners’ perceptions about integrating task-oriented literary materials with both content and language teaching to develop students’ comprehension level of literary contents as well as enhance their English language skills. This paper, a fraction of a larger research, will focus on the findings of a questionnaire and interviews to address learners’ perspectives regarding the strengths of using CLIL in undergraduate English literature classes in Bangladesh. A group of first year undergraduate students of English literature courses in a private university participated in this research. The quantitative data from the questionnaire was analyzed using an Excel spreadsheet and the qualitative interview data was analyzed thematically. Based on the analysis of the findings, the research identified that the learners expressed a mixed attitude towards CLIL in literature classes regarding its strengths and weaknesses. The majority of the learners with weaker language skills enjoyed CLIL whereas learners with better language skills preferred lecture-based lessons instead of CLIL.

ENHANCING STUDENTS’ ENGAGEMENT AND ACTIVE LEARNING THROUGH FLIPPED CLASSROOM IN LITERATURE CLASS

This study explored the students’ engagement and active learning that appeared in flipped classroom learning. A flipped classroom is one of the course delivery modes that can be used in the pandemic situation now. The purpose of this research was to analyze to what extent a flipped classroom enhances students’ engagement and active learning in Introduction to Educational English Literature class. This research has one research problem. The research problem was to what extent does a flipped classroom enhance students’ engagement and active learning in Introduction to Educational English Literature class? This research adopted qualitative descriptive analysis. The instrument of this research was the questionnaire that used the Likert scale. The results of this research showed that through implementing a flipped classroom model in the Introduction to Educational English Literature class, the students’ behavioral engagement, emotional engagement, cognitive engagement, agentic engagement, and active learning were enhanced. In this case, the students could engage in the discussion forum, complete the tasks, and participate actively in learning activities so that the students could achieve higher engagement and learning achievement in the Introduction to Educational English Literature class.

Effectiveness of “Learn Social” Platform for Students’ Writing Skill at Universitas Sumatera Utara

The study attempts to find out the effectiveness of an online learning platform provided by the English Department language center at Universitas Sumatera Utara regarding to the English Literature class of 2018 students’ writing skill. The thesis was conducted by analyzing the result of the questionnaire given to the students via google form. The research used the qualitative descriptive method and the indicators proposed by Slavin. Based on the questionnaire result, it showed that Learn Social online platform is effective for students’ writing skill. It is shown through the students’ feedback by answering the questionnaire where the result is positive. The indicators used in order to measure the effectiveness of the online platform are instruction, the appropriate level of instruction, incentive, and time where all four of the indicators get a positive result.

Online English Literature Classes in Pakistani Public Universities: Preferences and Attitudes of Undergraduate Students

COVID-19 resulted in the digitalization of teaching and learning in Pakistan and across the world. Indeed, online education has become a new normal in the wake of the pandemic. The subject of English literature in Pakistani universities is also being taught online, which has become a hindrance in the development of critical understanding of literature in students. Learning in online classes of English literature can be challenging for them because literature demands an effective discussion on the subject matter. Researcher 1, a student at the Department of English, University of Sindh observed such issues related to the online teaching of English literature. Students faced challenges in understanding literature in online classrooms due to digital illiteracy. This fact motivated the researchers to explore the attitudes and preferences of undergraduate students and measure challenges facing them in online classes in order to provide a way forward. Hence, this study focused on undergraduate online classrooms of English literature of sixteen public sector universities of Pakistan. A quantitative survey of the respondents, who were sampled using the probability sampling technique, was used to collect the primary data. In total, one hundred and fifty-one participants from sixteen Pakistani public sector universities participated in this study. Among them, sixty-five were males and eighty-six were females. All were undergraduate students at the Department of English Literature of their respective university. Their responses were quantified in MS Excel and charts. The quantified data revealed that most of the students wanted more discussion and engagement in online classes of English literature. The results also demonstrated that students supported interactive learning. Moreover, they did not consider the use of digital tools as effective in teaching drama and poetry. However, the online mode of teaching was preferred for teaching short stories and novels. This study can help teachers, students, and policymakers to know what students prefer and do not prefer in online classes. Furthermore, it manifests how their preferences can be transformed into student-centered teaching in the digital domain. Keywords: digital domain, English literature, online classes, pandemic, public sector, universities

Designing Applied Linguistics Course for a Postgraduate Class: A Case Study in Literature Major

The present research aims at designing an applied linguistics course for the students of literature at the post-graduate level. The inclines of English linguistics and literature are: One is related to the immaculate hypothetical evidence, while the other is related to culture, society, and art, and the various results it can envision, which brings it under a specific arrangement. In this study, the researcher refines different hypotheses and theories instead of the issue of further developing exercises and instruction modules. Content Analysis by Harold Lasswell has been used as a tool for data collection and the framework applied for this study is Syllabus Designing by David Nunan because to design a course, syllabus designers animate the feelings, needs, and musings of their students by engaging them in different activities. This can occur if instructors separately investigate standards and examinations with abilities. They, at that point, then made an English Literature class that would be met with a course in building hypotheses, methods, and theories about their experience and the discoveries of their associates (e.g., Nunan, Widdowson, Candlin, Carter, etc.) in attempting to concentrate in this new era. By then, they are associated and adjusted to the English (literature) courses of consenting to the writer's experience and consenting to the requests of certain researchers (e.g. Pennycook in Critical applied Linguistics). The purpose of the researcher is to give direction on how this is accomplished. The study is limited to the students of English Literature at the postgraduate level only. The result shows that a teacher who knows about the reasoning for the plan of the schedule can show what, why, when, where, and how much for the class to instruct much better and all the more proficiently. The research is intended to direct teachers to a basic appraisal of thoughts and the educated application regarding their study halls.

“THANK YOU, IT REALLY MAKES MY DAY”: COMPLIMENT RESPONSES REVISITED

Complimenting is a typical speaking act and the method in which it is responded to can vary based on the culture of the speakers as well as the influence of other circumstances. The purpose of this study was to provide a more in-depth knowledge of compliment response research based on how it is used by university students learning EFL in everyday life. Furthermore, this study also aims at finding out if exposure to another culture affects university students learning English as a second language while responding to compliments. The data were garnered using data elicitation method by complimenting the participants’ look, possession, character, or aptitude. The finding found that the participants used ten types of responses; listed from the most frequently used type of compliment responses to the least used type of compliment responses: Comment Acceptance (8), Appreciation Token (2), Comment History (2), Question (2), Praise Upgrade (1), Reassignment (1), Return (1), Scale Down (1), Disagreement (1), and Qualification (1). According to the data, the majority of students in an international English literature class at Brawijaya University are likely to accept the compliments. Students tend to take compliments by thanking them and then making related comments. English-speaking countries consider a simple "thank you" to be an adequate response to a praise. This present study also confirms that short term encounterance with foreign culture exposure slightly affect EFL learners’ way of responding to compliments. This shows that the students learn the English language culture in terms of compliment.

Virtual Education in English Literature Courses during Pandemic COVID-19: Merits and Demerits, and Needs

Distance education and e-learning became widespread and necessary with the miracle of the internet and its increasing influence among the individuals much within the days of a pandemic outbreak of COVID-19. Many universities, institutions, and learners encourage using e-learning and begin growing in this field. This paper examines the merits and demerits of distance and online education teaching for English literature educators and students. Technology and increasing demand for education, traditional strategies do not meet the growing requirements of academic communities and virtual education and e-learning with all their benefits and drawbacks attempt to meet these needs. This paper investigates e-teaching and e-learning infrastructure, needs, benefits, and limitations, in addition to opportunities and challenges of online education within the days of the coronavirus occurrence. The research method of the current study was conducted through a library study along with empirical study and descriptive analysis. New challenges of English literature educators and students in pandemic COVID-19 were identified and new approaches to remove the constraints are suggested. The results confirm online education is a constant educational need not limited to pandemic period and have to be compelled to develop productivity and creativity in learning with the appearance of recent technologies such as computers, the web, and social networks. These skills development can assist educators to find solutions for these difficulties in various areas of educational, cultural, and social issues. Blended learning can contribute to post-pandemic English literature classes and sustainable higher education.

I Suck at This Game: “Let’s Play” Videos, Think-Alouds, and the Pedagogy of Bad Feelings

This article explores the pedagogical usefulness of “Let’s Play” videos (LPs), a wildly popular paratext in which video gamers record and narrate their gameplay. I designed and implemented an LP creation assignment in two English Literature classes that focused on digital children’s literature and culture. I imagined my LP assignment as a variation on a cognitive “think-aloud” activity, wherein students and/or instructors vocalize their approach to solving a particular problem. I was curious how these habits of mind might differ when students engage with interactive digital texts as opposed to print literature. What this study exposed is the centrality of feelings—in particular, “bad” feelings like anxiety and frustration, and the silences that often accompany these feelings—to the initial stages of critical thinking. When students contemplated bad feelings and their origins, eventually they were able to offer incisive analyses of their digital texts. Ultimately, this study argues that cognitive and affective “think-and-feel-aloud” activities such as the LP exercise, which allow students to dwell momentarily in bad feelings and silence, create rich teaching and learning opportunities.

I Suck at This Game: “Let’s Play” Videos, Think-Alouds, and the Pedagogy of Bad Feelings

This article explores the pedagogical usefulness of “Let’s Play” videos (LPs), a wildly popular paratext in which video gamers record and narrate their gameplay. I designed and implemented an LP creation assignment in two English Literature classes that focused on digital children’s literature and culture. I imagined my LP assignment as a variation on a cognitive “think-aloud” activity, wherein students and/or instructors vocalize their approach to solving a particular problem. I was curious how these habits of mind might differ when students engage with interactive digital texts as opposed to print literature. What this study exposed is the centrality of feelings—in particular, “bad” feelings like anxiety and frustration, and the silences that often accompany these feelings—to the initial stages of critical thinking. When students contemplated bad feelings and their origins, eventually they were able to offer incisive analyses of their digital texts. Ultimately, this study argues that cognitive and affective “think-and-feel-aloud” activities such as the LP exercise, which allow students to dwell momentarily in bad feelings and silence, create rich teaching and learning opportunities.

Shift of English Literature Learning from Classroom to Online: Preferences and Attitude of Bangladeshi Undergraduate Students

This paper explores the English Literature classes that are taught online in Bangladeshi universities and the attitude of the students towards these classes. The new-normal after the Covid-19 outbreak forced the students to attend classes online and their experience about the English Literature classes are investigated in this research. The total number of participants for this study was ninety-seven. The research was conducted on the students of the Department of English in four private universities in Bangladesh. A survey questionnaire was prepared consisting of twenty questions to collect the data online. The data was analysed with quantitative method of research. Digital statistical software Microsoft Excel used for the data analysis. The research finding shows that the students find poetry and short story classes effective and engaging in online classes but showed unfavorable attitude towards novel and drama classes. The results also show that the students want more opportunity to share their opinion in the class and preferred visual aids in online classes. This study implies that while the instructors and the students are going through an unprecedented challenge of learning English Literature in online classrooms, the obstacles can be mitigated through increasing interactive classroom discussion and precise use of multimedia tools while teaching different genres of English Literature.

The Present English Education and English Literature: Poetry Class via Online Discussion during the COVID-19

This essay first raises a question about the difference between the Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation’s official plan-Subject Pedagogy (25~35%) and Subject Contents (75~65%), and the reality of Teacher Appointment Exam in the distribution ratio of Pedagogy and Contents in English subject. Not only questioning the difference, it also disputes the validity of giving a large portion of the test to the area of English Education to the extent of 47.5% (2016-17), among English Education, Linguistics, Literature, and General English. Second, commenting on the domain of English Literature which constitutes the lowest percentage in Teacher Appointment Exam, it contends that the present situation of English education leans too much to the education for profit or economic growth. It points out that excessive concentration on the education for profit in teaching English could result in the lowering of English proficiency, especially students’ reading ability and its accompanying thinking ability. Therefore, this essay pronounces on the necessity of invigorating English literature in EFL learning process since English literature as coupling English language and the humanities is crucial in the development of critical thinking and human compassion, as well as English proficiency. As a case study of English literature class for boosting students’ creativity and human compassion, it introduces English & American poetry class practiced with online discussion which was actualized due to the coronavirus pandemic. Lastly, this essay proposes the reform of English Teacher Appointment Exam such as making questions out of the selected must-read books so that teacher candidates could read English literature texts and collaborate in forming creative and interactive classroom environment with poems, novels, and dramas in the era of the fourth industrial revolution.

Dialogic Pedagogy: Teaching English Literature in Korean Classrooms

Most of my students taking English literature courses have tended to be inactive and to have an anxiety about presenting their own views on literary texts. Many students preferred just listening to a lecture passively in their safe zone without being disturbed. I, however, am skeptical about passive learning because students have a better chance of realizing their potential when they participate in class actively. I think dialogic teaching can be a pedagogical alternative to a traditional lecture which allows students to be passive and uninvolved in class activities. Dialogue is not a one-sided but a two/multi-sided communication. And individuals grow through dialogic communications. Therefore, dialogic teaching which welcomes dialogues and communications does not look for only one monologic, authoritative and right answer/truth in classrooms. Dialogic teaching gives students voices and makes them creative as well. This paper deals with the possibility of dialogic teaching in English literature classes for Korean students. Firstly, the cultural backgrounds which make dialogic teaching difficult in Korean classrooms are discussed. In particular, Confucian virtues which can be obstacles to dialogic teaching are examined. Secondly, I explore the dynamics of dialogism which can be applied to teaching English literature, dealing with Paulo Freire’s pedagogy. Thirdly, I go over one of my English literature classes in which Eudora Welty’s “A Worn Path” has been discussed. And finally, I examine what the four-step routine is and how it works for dialogic teaching. Dialogic teaching makes students’ potential realized and their voices heard. Students learn how to communicate with each other, acknowledging the self-other relationship in a dialogic classroom. With supporting students’ growth, teachers are transformed as well.