Students’ Perception towards Literature Integration in the English Language Departments at Duhok and Zakho Universities

Abstract

This study investigates the students’ perceptions towards literature integration in language learning in the English Language Departments (henceforth ELD) at Duhok and Zakho universities. Knowledge about students’ perceptions will influence their interest and language learning development. Literature is an important part of the syllabus at most ELDs in the Kurdish universities. Although studies have shown the importance of the learners’ perception, no studies have examined the students’ perceptions towards their literature modules in the ELDs at the Kurdish universities. The study is based on the responses of 268 undergraduate students to a questionnaire consisting of close-ended, multiple choices (quantitative data) and open-ended questions (qualitative data). The quantitative data is analyzed using the statistical analysis software (SPSS) and the qualitative using thematic analysis. The majority of the students have positive perceptions towards literature integration in their study program. They show that it contributes to the their language development in general and their vocabulary, speaking and reading skills in particular and novel is selected as the most beneficial literary genre for language development. Additionally, literature contributes to develop the learners’ cultural awareness in general and helps to identify the similarities and differences between the English culture and the learners’ own culture. The study also shows the contribution of literature to the learners’ personal growth in terms of active participation in class activities, increasing their critical thinking and analytical skills and helps them to understand theirs and other people’s experiences. The students are satisfied with the selected literary texts and topics and to some extent with the teaching methods which are mostly teacher led, but they suggest more students’ involvement. However, students face some difficulties, mostly language difficulty, that need to be taken into consideration. Thus, it is recommended that literature should be kept in the ELDs curriculum and teachers and administrators should make students aware of the value of the literature, understand the students needs and work to overcome the problems they encounter in literature study. Generally, knowing the students’ perceptions towards literature classes will be helpful for the researchers, educational policy makers and the language teachers to determine English language learners’ genuine needs, motivation or challenges and issues in relation to the use of literary texts as teaching materials and to develop a suitable teaching approach to use the literary texts.

Chinese University English-Major Students’ Attitude Toward Literature Circles and Literature Reading

“…The results from the interview discussions confirmed previous findings by researchers (e.g., Ashrafuzzaman et al, 2021;Baytar & Timuçin, 2021;Hasan & Hasan, 2019;Aghagolzadeh & Tajabadi, 2012;Yeasmin et al, 2011) that literature helps learners develop a wide range of skills, including language competency through exposure to authentic language, familiarity with universal themes related to human psychology, increased cultural understanding, enhanced reading motivation, analytical thinking skills, and enriched reading experiences. According to Ashrafuzzaman et al (2021), literature helps build interpretive abilities by exposing students to a wide range of vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation, thus being a valuable tool for language learning.…”

Integrating Literary Works in an English Class to Improve Students’ Critical Thinking

“…There are 3 main points discussed regarding the integration of literary works in the classroom, namely increasing students' involvement in learning, increasing students' self-reflection, and improving the way students' express opinions and judgments more critically. This is supported by the research findings of Hasan and Hasan [14], which revealed that literary integration aids in the development of critical thinking, personal interpretative opinions, and analytical skills in students.…”

“…The questionnaire contained several close and open-ended questions that were used to seek information about how the integration of literary works could improve critical thinking and the perspective of the students toward the use of the literary works in improving critical thinking. The questionnaire used was designed by adapting the questionnaire on Hasan and Hasan [14] research about students' perception towards literature integration in the English language departments at Duhok and Zakho universities.…”

The Application of Critical Thinking to Short Story Analysis: An Experiment on a New Teaching Process

“…Literature courses are introduced as compulsory in the curricula of many foreign language faculties in Vietnamese universities with the aim to provide their majors with an overview of cultural background and the abilities to appreciate literary works, discover humane values, and improve language and thinking skills. The significance of literary studies is well-perceived by most students in Hasan and Hasan (2019) and Tran (2022 ). This view reflects the three approaches to literature teaching suggested by Carter and Long (1991): language-based approach, cultural approach, and personal development approach.…”