Abstract
In the realm of education, literature holds a significant role, particularly in shaping the language development and fostering a passion for reading and critical thinking. This study explored the profiles, preferred literary genres, and reasons for both using and not using literary texts in teaching literature among 4th Year Bachelor of Secondary Education major in English students at a higher education institution in Aklan during the academic year 2022-2023. The total population of thirty-five (35) students officially enrolled in the program was chosen to provide data through a survey questionnaire analyzed using descriptive and content analysis techniques. The results revealed that most of the English pre-service teachers who utilize literary texts are female and fall with the age range of 20-24 years old. The inclusion of literature in English language classroom has been perceived as a beneficial process as it contributes to students’ meaningful language teaching and learning, personal development and fostering a love for literature (Carter & Long, 1991). The findings indicate the positive attitudes of pre-service teachers toward using literary texts in their classes, as they express that literature is advantageous for the linguistic, affective development, and literary awareness of the students. However, some pre-service teachers acknowledge to finding it challenging to use literary texts due to doubts on their own teaching efficacy and their students’ linguistic capability in the target language for processing literary texts. Additionally, they highlight limitations imposed by the framework of the university’s pre-service teacher training program.
Keywords: literature, literary genres, pre-service teachers, English language teaching
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