The Practice of English Language Teaching Through Literature at Secondary Schools in Ethiopia Focusing on Attitudes of Teacher’s and Student’s

Abstract

Teaching and learning of a language couldn’t be performed separately without understanding the culture and the custom of the language under study. Therefore, in English language teaching through literature at secondary school cultural values and/or impacts of culture should be clearly stated by the language teachers to their students since the cultural issues retain a direct relationship to determine the meaning of words uttered and written by speakers of the language. Literature properly exposes students to complex themes and afresh, unexpected uses of standard language. A good novel or short story can gently take the students to foreign countries and fantastic worlds. A play or a poem can bring up certain dilemmas and dynamic emotional responses. This paper analyses literary texts incorporated in students’ textbook, incorporate researcher teaching English language experience and look out the curriculum objectives for the grade level. In the Ethiopian context, intercultural understanding has got little attention; communicative competence and linguistic competency gain relatively prioritized. If institutions and concerned bodies are looking for better learners who are well skilled with the target language; they have to properly incorporate contents which focus on enhancing trainees’ awareness and use suitable language teaching methods for better implementation.

Keywords: Literary text, English language teaching, Short story

DOI: 10.7176/JLLL/82-01

Publication date:October 31^st 2021