A study on the role of literature in language learning: Secondary school efl learners' experiences on integrating short stories into language teaching

Abstract

The use of literary texts for language learning has been a controversial issue among the linguists. Although employing literary pieces like short stories, poems or novels as additional language learning tools are claimed to be beneficial for the language learning process; there aren't sufficient studies on the issue. Thus, this study aims to present an example of integrating short stories in English language classes. The participants of the survey are secondary school students of a state school (n: 8). The data was collected through in-depth, semi-structured interviews and teacher-researcher observations. Accordingly, the results were analysed in a qualitative nature. The study concluded that both the participants and the EFL teacher found the integration of short stories as an additional tool effective in promoting learners' motivation and participation in the language classes.