Assessment Of The Attitude Of Teachers And Students Towards Using Literary Texts In English Classrooms: The Case Of Adami Tullu High School Grade Ten English Lessons Grade Ten In Focus

Abstract

This paper examined the attitudes of teachers and students towards the use of literary texts as a facilitating tool in EFL classes at Adami Tullu High School. It also reviewed what possible reasons, if any, teachers would have for using or not using litera ture in the language classrooms. Although it has been argued that teaching literature enhances students’ cultural understanding, facilitates critical thinking and improves language skill, all the advantages to be obtained by the use of authentic literature seemed lacking in many classrooms at present. Thus, the present study tried to assess the reasons for not using literature in language classrooms and the major factors for choosing inappropriate genres of literary texts in such classes were reviewed. The study was carried out in one high school classrooms which had 450 Grade ten students and eight teachers of English. Moreover, the study attempted to review how much compatible the classroom activities were, what views and attitudes the teachers and the stu dents have towards literary texts and what kind of literary materials teachers preferred to use in their EFL classes were also investigated in the study. In view of this a mixing method research design was adapted to collect both qualitative and quantitati ve data using three research tools, namely students’ questionnaires teachers’ interviews and classroom lesson observation. The set of questionnaires were used to gain primary quantitative data about views and attitudes of the participants towards the lear ning of EFL through literary components. The semi -structure interview guide was employed to obtain independent data from teachers as to their preferences of literary texts. The two sessions each classroom observations were carried out to assess the types o f literary texts actually used during the lessons. The data obtained were computed with the help of descriptive analysis. The results revealed that both the teachers and the students had negative attitudes and views using the existing literary texts in the course book. Based on the findings, recommendations were forwarded to further increase students’ motivation and attitudes towards the use of literary texts and to improve their use of these texts for the lesson thereby to bring about improvement in studen ts EFL skill proficiency.