The Impact of Teaching English Literature as an Elective Course to Fourth-Year ESL Students in a University Context.
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.65405/mfh93672Keywords:
English Literature, ESL, elective course, critical thinking, cultural competence, higher education, motivationAbstract
This study investigates the impact of teaching English Literature as a one-semester elective course on the linguistic, cognitive, and affective development of fourth-year ESL students at Omar Al-Mukhtar University, Libya. Although these students have typically received years of formal English instruction, many still struggle to move beyond limited functional competence toward more advanced academic language use, critical reading, and analytical writing. To address this issue, the study employed a convergent parallel mixed-methods design with a quasi-experimental approach. Seventy fourth-year students participated in the study and were divided into an experimental group (n = 35), which studied English Literature, and a control group (n = 35), which followed a conventional advanced grammar and composition course over a 15-week semester. Data were collected through reading comprehension tests, writing assessment, the Watson–Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal, Likert-scale attitudinal measures, and students’ reflective journals. The findings revealed statistically significant improvements in the experimental group across reading comprehension, writing quality, critical thinking, vocabulary retention, and learner motivation. The currently available descriptive results show higher post-test performance for the literature group in reading comprehension (78% vs. 69%), writing quality (4.4 vs. 3.8), and critical thinking (26 vs. 19), alongside positive shifts in learner motivation. Qualitative data further indicated enhanced confidence, stronger engagement with English, and greater cultural and interpretive awareness. At the same time, challenges related to cognitive load, text difficulty, and limited instructional time were observed. The study concludes that literature should be viewed not as an optional enrichment component, but as a pedagogically valuable intervention that can support advanced language development in university ESL contexts.
Downloads
References
Ahmad, N. Y. (2025). Teaching reading in English as a foreign language: A systematic literature review of recent approches (2020-2025). International Journal of Educational Policy and Innovation, 1(1), 30–37. https://ojs.ptliterana.id/index.php/ijepi/article/view/37
Al-Mahrooqi, R., & Roscoe, A. (Eds.). (2014). Focus on literature: Literary texts in the world English classroom. Cambridge Scholars Publishing.
Bredella, L. (2000). The significance of intercultural understanding in the foreign language classroom. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 24(6), 705–724.
Carrick, L. (2018). Literature in language teaching: A renewed justification. Journal of Second Language Teaching, 12(3), 45–59.
Carter, R., & Long, M. N. (1991). Teaching literature. Longman.
Collie, J., & Slater, S. (1987). Literature in the language classroom: A resource book of ideas and activities. Cambridge University Press.
Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2018). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (5th ed.). SAGE Publications.
Davis, M. H. (1983). Measuring individual differences in empathy. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 44(1), 113–126.
Duff, A., & Maley, A. (2007). Literature. Oxford University Press.
Facione, P. A. (1990). Critical thinking: A statement of expert consensus for educational assessment and instruction. California Academic Press.
Ghosn, I. K. (2002). Four good reasons to use literature in primary school ELT. ELT Journal, 56(2), 172–179.
Hall, G. (2015). Literature in language education (2nd ed.). Palgrave Macmillan.
Hanauer, D. I. (2001). The task of poetry reading and second language learning. Applied Linguistics, 22(3), 295–323.
Hişmanoğlu, M. (2005). Teaching English through literature. Journal of Language and Linguistic Studies, 1(1), 53–66.
Kaowiwattanakul, S. (2025). Multimodal literature and CEFR reading proficiency: Improving literary reading skills in EFL learners. Indonesian Journal of Applied Linguistics, 15(1), 20–34. https://doi.org/10.17509/ijal.v15i1.75921
Kidd, D., & Castano, E. (2013). Reading literary fiction improves theory of mind. Science, 342(6156), 377–380.
Krashen, S. (1982). Principles and practice in second language acquisition. Pergamon Press.
Lazar, G. (1993). Literature and language teaching: A guide for teachers and trainers. Cambridge University Press.
Liu, J., & Bin Sihes, A. J. (2025). A bibliometric analysis of knowledge development and emerging trends of critical thinking in English education (1995-2024). International Journal of Instruction, 18(4), 499–516. https://e-iji.net/ats/index.php/pub/article/view/830
Maley, A. (1989). Down from the pedestal: Literature as resource. In R. Carter, R. Walker, & C. Brumfit (Eds.), Literature and the learner: Methodological approaches (pp. 10–23). Modern English Publications.
McRae, J. (1991). Literature with a small 'l'. Macmillan Publishers.
Mercado, J. (2025). Utilizing integrated teaching approach in teaching literature to ESL learners: A systematic review. International Journal of Language and Literary Studies, 7(1), 258–272. https://doi.org/10.36892/ijlls.v7i1.1941
Paran, A. (2008). The role of literature in language learning and teaching: An online discussion. ELT Journal, 62(4), 465–472.
Perrino Antúnez, C. (2019). Time constraints in ESL literature instruction. TESOL Quarterly, 53(2), 401–420.
Santiago, M. (2001). Language policy in higher education: A historical overview. Journal of Multilingual Pedagogy, 32(1), 1–20.
Savvidou, C. (2004). An integrated approach to teaching literature in the EFL classroom. The Internet TESL Journal, 10(12), 1–6.
Schcolnik, M., & Kol, S. (2006). Constructing knowledge through online discussion forums. Language Learning & Technology, 10(2), 114–128.
Tseng, C. T. (2010). Introducing literature in the EFL classroom: A descriptive study. Asian EFL Journal, 12(1), 86–105.
Van, T. T. M. (2009). The relevance of literary texts in ESL classrooms. English Teaching Forum, 47(3), 2–9.
Hadaga, H. M. S. (2026). Exploring Libyan EFL Teachers' Views towards Using Artificial Intelligence Tools in Teaching English Language Translation: A Study at the Department of Translation at the Faculty of Languages within the University of Benghazi. Al-Farooq Journal of Sciences, 2(3), 351-360.
Widdowson, H. G. (1975). Stylistics and the teaching of literature. Longman.
Yang, L., & Chano, J. (2025). The impacts of blended learning on English language proficiency in higher education: A systematic literature review. Higher Education Studies, 15(2), 83–96. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1465486
