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2. What are the factors that affect the teachers’ use and non-use of literature in
the EFL language classroom?
a. Factor that affect Teachers ’Use and
Non-use of Literature: 1.
Teachers’attitude that Literature is Difficult
2. Teachers’ lack of Confidence
3. Students’ lack of Motivation
A. Research Findings 1. Teachers’ Attitudes Towards Literature
Six main issues related to the teachers’ attitudes towards the use of literature
in the teaching of language emerged from the data. These are :1 what constitutes literature; 2 uses of literature; 3 values and advantages of literature; 4 Prose as the
preferred genre;5 criteria for selecting literary texts and 6 non-use of local literature. Maykut and Morehouse 1994 describe this chunk or units of meaning as
indicators.
1. What literature constitutes
The first issue is about what the participants’ consider to constitute literature.
On this issue, the teachers were asked to talk about literature and what it constitutes based on their experiences as language teachers. As pointed out by McRae 1991,
“The all purpose term ‘literature’ has provoked much philosophical examination, summed up in Jean-
Paul Sartre’s title, what is literature? Edmondson 1997 also points out
that the term “literature’ is a value term What do we mean by literature? There is no satisfactory definition that has general acceptance, and which is at the
same time operational.” Given the above, the teachers’ understanding and definitions
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of what constitutes literature is relevant to knowing their beliefs and attitudes towards the material.
In the responses, the teachers showed much understanding about what ‘literature’
constitutes. For example,
T1, T2, T3, T4, T7
described literature as poetry, drama and prose, including short story, novel and novella.
T5
and
T6
defined literature in relation to cultural properties indicating that literature is part of cultural artifacts.
T8 and T9
described literature from its language contents saying literature is a special use of language and that literature constitutes language, values, sensibilities and
knowledge. The responses below illustrate the description of six teachers on what constitutes literature:
“What comes into my mind when I hear about literature is poetry, prose, drama, short story. Works of art including popular classical written by an author, poet
or playwright”T1 “Literature is novel, poetry, drama including popular and canonical
literature”T2 “Prose, drama and poetry”. They students think it is something fictitious,
something not real”T4
“Literature, for me is part of cultural artifacts”. T6 “Literature is a kind of imaginative works which can be formed into some genres
such as novel, novella, short story, poetry etc. As a kind of imaginative works, it is different from non-
imaginative works, from factual works.” T7 “Literature is the “special use of language”
T8
“What constitutes literature is language, values, sensibilities and knowledge
T9
Literature is therefore summed up to constitute:
a. Poetry, drama and prose b. Part of cultural artifacts and cultural production representing the society.
c. Something of high imagination and high culture because of its expression
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d. An imaginative work of art works which can be formed into some genres such as novel, novella, short story, poetry
e. Is the special use of language f. Language, values, sensibilities and knowledge.
2. Literature as a resource and Literature as a subject
