Article Citation: Joel Iyiola Olaleye, Garba Arzika Jega & Muhammad Aliyu Sajo (2019). The Relevance of Integrative Approach to the Teaching of Literature in ESL Context. DEGEL: The Journal of the Faculty of Arts and Islamic Studies, Vol. 17, No. 1. ISSN 0794-9316
THE RELEVANCE OF INTEGRATIVE
APPROACH TO THE TEACHING OF LITERATURE IN ESL CONTEXT
By
Joel Iyiola Olaleye & Garba Arzika
Jega
Department of English
Waziri Umaru Federal Polytechnic, Birnin Kebbi
&
Muhammad Aliyu Sajo
Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto
muhammadsajo2005@yahoo.com
Abstract
Literature is usually conceived to be one of
the dreadful subjects to students. The approach to teaching the subject is one
of the factors causing students’ aversion to the subject. This study therefore
aims at investigating the approaches employed by teachers of literature in
Nigerian context where English is used as a Second Language (ESL). To achieve
this aim, the study identifies the various approaches employed by
teachers teaching literature; explores the teachers’ explanations for
using the particular approach they used; and uncovers the implications for
using a particular model with a view to suggesting possible solutions. The
study specifically covers10 selected Secondary Schools within Birnin Kebbi
metropolis. The investigation involved the use of questionnaire and oral
interview. The findings reveal the following: the Cultural Model Approach is
commonly employed by teachers, followed by the Language-Model Approach and the
Personal Growth Model Approach; teachers explain they take recourse to the
Cultural Model Approach because of their students’ inability to exhibit
relevant language skills in English; and the effect of using the Cultural Model
Approach above all is that the general aims of teaching literature will not be
attainable. The study therefore concludes that the use of integrative approach
which takes cognizance of the general aims of literature should be adopted by
teachers.
Introduction
In the context of Nigeria, English is used as
a Second Language (ESL). In Junior Secondary Schools, components of
literature were incorporated in the English Language syllabus with a view to
enhancing the acquisition of relevant language skills by students. In Secondary
Schools, literature is one of the compulsory subjects, especially for students
in the arts class. The objectives of teaching the subject are explicitly stated
in the National Policy on Education in relation to language/literature
teaching. Among the secondary school students, however, literature is received
with attitudes of disdain and hostility because it is perceived as a subject
laden with herculean tasks of reading voluminous literary texts. A condition
that worsens the negative attitudes is the fact that students also conceive of
literary texts as materials written in cryptic, recondite and nerve-racking
expressions which could only be dissected by a special class of people.
Stemming from the aforementioned
circumstance, the aversion towards literature is strongly expressed in subject
selection which is demonstrated in how students often opt for other subjects
they consider simpler to literature. Where literature is, however, made
compulsory, especially for students in the arts class, poetry is often seen as
an intimidating and nerve-tasking genre of literature. This explains why
Adewoye (1998, p.4) asserts that “Poetry constitutes a bazaar of fear and
confusion for its reader, especially students.” Hirvela and Boyle (1988, p.180),
however, warn that “Students’ attitude of dislike for any genre of literature
does not make teachers jettison the genre from the syllabus. But it must mean
that the teachers should appreciate the atmosphere in which the genre is going
to be taught.” Widdowson (1983, p.34) also adds:
In a way, literature has suffered
as a result of hasty decision about language teaching methodology; literature
was dismissed as irrelevant because it seemed not to be practical. Literature
should not be banished from language teaching...because literature is a
resource for developing learners on the ability to use knowledge of language to
interpret discourse.
Not minding the attitude with which students
might have been treating literature; the relevance of the subject in the
society is inexhaustible. Writers of literary texts do not just set out to
write; they often employ the power of self-intuition to restore orders to a
world which had been entangled in chaotic political wrangle-net, religious
vacuity and economic policies that promote inequality and extortion. They write
to fight for the poor, the peasant, the underprivileged, the unheard of, the
unspoken of, and the never-do-well of the society.
A close observation of the works of most
Nigerian writers demonstrates that some post-independence experiences which
inform their artistic compositions include: economic mismanagement, despotic
rule, moral decadence, insecurity, religious intolerance, famine, and hunger
with their debilitating effects on the populace. One would admit that the
teaching of literature would help in raising a generation of people that would
employ their moral values and linguistic endowments to condemn the various
societal maladies. The present study therefore, investigates the various
approaches adopted in the teaching of literature in the ten selected secondary
schools within Birnin Kebbi metropolis. To achieve this aim, the study
identifies the various approaches employed by teachers teaching literature;
explores the teachers’ explanations for using the particular approach they
used; and discovers the implications for using a particular model with a view
to suggesting possible solutions.
Research Methodology
The present study utilised both quantitative
and qualitative methodologies. Data collection involved the use of
questionnaire and oral interview as the primary instruments. The study was
limited to 10 Secondary Schools (both private and public) selected within
Birnin Kebbi metropolis. The major targeted group in this research is the
English Language teachers who teach literature in the selected schools. In
order to obtain primary data for this study, a set of questionnaires was
designed to consist of Yes or No items followed by open-ended question items
which allow the respondents to express their opinions and give suggestions on
matters related to the research topic.
Review of Literature
National Policy on Education in Relation to
Language/Literature Teaching
Uwaifo (1979) reviews the philosophy of
Nigerian education as reported in the National Curriculum Conference (1969); he
enlists the objectives of teaching literature to include the following:
a. fostering clear communication of thought and making relevant
judgement;
b. raising a generation of people who can think reflectively for
themselves;
c. helping students to appreciate and understand Nigerian
d. culture as well as the world’s cultural heritage; catering for the
difference in talents, opportunities and roles open to students after their
secondary education;
e. encouraging students to develop a desire for achievement,
continual self-education and self improvement both in school and later in life.
In addition, Osunkentan (2004, p.315)
enumerates the major aims of the (1981) National Policy on Education to include
the following:
- respect
for the growth and dignity of the individual;
- faith
in man’s ability to make rational decisions;
- moral
and spiritual value on interpretation relations;
- shared
responsibility of the common good of the society;
- respect
for the dignity of labour; and
- promotion
of the emotional, physical and psychological health of children.
A careful exploration into the general aims
of teaching literature as provided in the National Policy on Education has
revealed the various sets of values which literature can bestow on the
students. Other insightful benefits of teaching literature, which are not
explicitly stated therein, are presented by the researcher as follows:
- Literature
enriches students’ vocabulary and enhances the acquisition of relevant
language skills.
- Literature
exposes students to different cultures through which the right sets of
values are inculcated.
- Literature
is a therapy for boredom.
- Literature
encourages and inculcates the reading habit among students.
- Literature
corrects social maladies
Literature as a Tool for Social
Change
We live in a world entangled in
socio-economic, socio-political and socio-religious nets. As agents of social
reformation, literary writers often employ their works to systematically call
our attention to the perceived inadequacies of the society we live in so that
we may seek an escape from our entangled world. For instance, the various
entanglements which permeate the Nigerian socio-economic and political terrains
are enumerated in the following words of Osunkentan (2004, p.325) who
points out that:
The Nigerian society is at
present bedevilled by mutual suspicion, religious intolerance, ethnic loyalty,
political banditry, and tension, inter-ethnic clashes, and the likes. Nigeria’s
low level of literacy significantly contributes to these problems and such
other problems as ignorance poverty, and despair, political disenchantment or
apathy.
If it is a common claim that there is a
connection between literature and the community that produces it, thus the
various problems can be solved if the right sets of values are inculcated in
students through the teaching of literature. This view is corroborated
by Ogundokun (2013, p.21) when he submits that:
Literature is a veritable tool
for actualizing societal developments and global advancement in general. With
literature, good governance and best practices can be achieved; since this will
create rooms for transparency, accountability, youth empowerment, women
liberation and eradication of barbaric traditions among other societal ills.
Nwoga (1978, p.26) also adds that:
Our literature must be seen as
part of the struggle for the liberation of Africa, politically, and morally. It
must reflect a full respect for the value of human life, our aspiration for
human life and that of humanity in general.
If the literary texts are constructed to
reflect the sets of values (educational, moral and social), the advantages in
the teaching of literature would be inexhaustible.
Models of
Teaching Literature
Applied linguists such as Carter and Long
(1991) extensively discuss three models of teaching literature. Each of these
models is reviewed as follows:
1. The Cultural Model: The Cultural Model is regarded as a traditional approach to the
teaching of literature. This approach focuses mainly on sets of moral values
which literature will inculcate in students. Hwang and Embi (2007, p.3)
assert that:
The Cultural Model views
literature as a source of facts or information and therefore, reading tends to
be based on obtaining information. In this model, the teacher transmits
knowledge and information to the students.
The literary text according to this model is
a cultural artefact where learners can explore to discover the social,
political, literary and historical context of the text. This method allows the
teacher to simplify a difficult text by using lucid expressions as opposed to
the complex expressions used in the text. The teacher using this approach
supplies useful cosmological information forming the contextual factors for the
construction of the text. The teacher is the active participant who supplies
background information surrounding the text. In this approach, students are not
motivated to read and discover the information in the text themselves. This is
an approach which concentrates on moral values which students would learn while
reading a particular literary text. The approach is evaluative and judgemental
of the characters in the text. The model is credited with an attempt to expose
students to different cultures, ideologies, and world views other than their
own. However, Savvidou (2004) reports that TEFL (Teaching of English as Foreign
Language) rejected this model on ground that it is a teacher-centred approach;
and does not give opportunity for extended language work.
2. The Language-based Model: The Language-based Model is a theory of Applied Linguistics, which
sees literature as a relevant subject that can be applied to solve aspects of
language teaching related problems. This view believes that literature has
content, determines teaching methodology and serves as a means of obtaining
language material. The Applied Linguists, such as Eagleson and Kramer (1976)
and Maley (1989) who champion this model, see literature as a resource for
language learning. Hwang and Embi (2007, p.3) reveal that “The Language
Model seeks a closer integration between language and literature. Students can
improve their language proficiency by using literature as a resource in
language learning.” Thus, the Language based model conceives literature
teaching as having a symbiotic or symmetrical relationship with language
teaching because the model allows the teacher to bring the linguistic knowledge
to the interpretation and the teaching of literary texts. Experts in the field consider
the approach to be highly beneficial to the students because learners have an
opportunity to access a text in a systematic, factual, and objective way.
Babatunde (2005) is of the view that “literature texts can be used to develop
four levels of reading: factual, evaluative, creative and inferential in the
students”. Simpson (2004, p.3) also posits that “Exploring language offers a
substantial purchase on our understanding of literary text.”
The Language-based Model sees literary texts
as relevant language materials from which the teachers can apply the various
methods used in language teaching such as summary writing, creative writing,
grammatical patterning, etc. to the analysis of literary texts in order to
serve specific linguistic goals. This approach equips learners with linguistic
knowledge of language system in the text. This is done by helping the students
to acquire knowledge of contextual meanings of linguistic expressions. A presentation
of literary text requires that students use linguistic resources to the utmost
for the interpretation of literary texts. Savvidou (2004) however observes that
the Language-based Model has its own shortcoming in that students engage mainly
with literary texts which provide a series of language activities purely for
linguistic practice.
2. The Personal Growth Model: The Personal Growth Model sees the literary text as a stimulus for
personal growth. The model is credited for being the learner-centred approach.
It gives room for personal development of the students by allowing them to
express their personal views on the literary texts based on their personal
experiences of the world. The approach concentrates on eliciting personal
response and foster students’ personal development by allowing them to
personally explore the text in searching for the meanings contained in the
text. Hwang and Embi (2007, p.3) submit that:
The Personal Growth Model seeks
the opportunity for students to relate and respond to the themes and issues by
making a connection to their personal lives. Consequently, students' growth in
terms of language, emotions and character development are stimulated.
The model gives room for personal exploration
of the reality in the text, and also offers the students the ability to bring
out personal feelings, opinion, to the interpretation of circumstance
encountered in the text. This model could be credited for developing the skill
of self-expression and application of past experiences to the interpretation of
the events in the text. The Personal Growth Model is not without its own flaw.
Students’ experiences are heterogeneous; therefore, interpretations of a text
cannot be identical.
Data Analysis and Findings
Demographic Profile of Teachers
A total of 48 teachers in the ten selected
schools responded to the questionnaire constructed to obtain information for
this study. Table 1 reports the breakdown of respondents according to the
respective aspects namely gender, academic qualification, area of
specialization (option), experience in teaching English as well as training in
the literature component in English.
Table 1. Demographic Profile of the
Respondents
|
|
Profile |
Frequency |
Percentage |
|
Gender |
Male Female |
21 27 |
44% 56% |
|
Academic Qualification |
NCE First Degree PGDE Master |
32 12 4 0 |
67% 25% 8% 0% |
|
Teaching Experience in
English/Literature |
Less than 5 years 5-10 years 15 years or more |
32 14 2 |
67% 29% 4% |
|
Literature in English bias |
Yes No |
19 29 |
40% 60% |
Approaches Employed by the Teachers
The table that follows reports the approaches
employed by teachers in the teaching of literature.
Table 2. Approaches Employed by the Teachers
|
Items Associated with each Approach |
Frequency of Teachers Using each Item |
Percentage |
|
Language-Based Approach 1. Guide students to infer meanings
from clues in the text 2. Guide students to read between the
lines 3. Guide students to express opinion
towards a text 4. Set simple language activities in
literature lesson 5. Generate language practice using
the text |
6 0 5 0 1 |
13% 0% 10% 0% 2% |
|
Personal-Growth Approach 6. Guide students to relate the themes
to personal experiences 7. Ask students to compare the text to
any text they have read earlier 8. Elicit students’ response to a text 9. Encourage students to express
feeling towards the issues raised in the text 10. encourage students to re-tell the
event in the text |
2 0 1 2 4 |
4% 0% 2% 4% 8% |
|
The Cultural Model Approach 11. Incorporate moral values in the
lessons 12. Tell students directly the moral
values found in the text 13. Ask students the values they learn
from the text 14. Guide students to search moral
values from a text 15. Raise students’ awareness of
values derived from the text |
7 13 2 1 4 |
15% 27% 4% 2% 8% |
|
Total |
48 |
100% |
Obviously, the findings of the questionnaire
presented in Table 2 and figure 1. above reveal that the cultural model
approach (56%) is popularly applied by teachers. This is followed by the
language-based approach (25%) whilst the personal-growth approach remains the
lowest (19%). Findings also corroborate with item No.12 “Tell students directly
the moral values found in the text” which has the highest percentage (=27%);
some of the respondents reported that they used simple terms to explain
literary texts to students. This is followed by item number No. 11.
“Incorporate moral values in the lessons” which has the second highest
percentage (=15%); many of the respondents stated that they "explain[ed]
the contents of the text to the class". In addition, No. 1“Guide students
to infer meanings from clues in the text” sets the third highest percentage
(=13%).
Summary of the Findings of Oral Interview
This study assessed the approaches employed
by the teachers in the teaching of Literature in English in the 10 selected
schools. The major findings in the study are listed below.
a. Majority of the
respondents agreed that they employed cultural model approach in the teaching
of Literature in English.
b. It was
discovered that the teachers take recourse to cultural model approach in the
teaching of literature because of students’ inability to exhibit relevant
language skills.
c. It was also
discovered that teachers resulted to the use of Hausa (which is the
language of the immediate environment of the students) as the medium of
instruction to teach literature.
d. The study also
revealed that the effect of the students’ inability to exhibit the relevant
language skills has forced the teachers to spoon feed the students with
information on the literary texts.
e. Equally, the
study showed that teachers resort to the use of the cultural model
approach which affords them the opportunity to supply necessary information on
the texts because of students’ attitude to literary materials which the
students considered unnecessary to purchase.
f. Majority of
teachers said they employed the cultural model approach for students’ external
examination purpose. Therefore, students are fortified with necessary
information for them to pass the exams.
Implications of the Findings
The underlisted points are considered to be
the serious implications of the findings listed in the preceding section.
a. The undue
preference for the utilization or adoption of the cultural model in which
teachers are the active participants defeats the purpose of education by
denying students’ ability to explore information themselves. Thus, the model
does not put the learners at the centre of teaching.
b. Certain aspects
of the objectives of entrenching Literature into the curriculum would not be
achieved. For instance, literary passages which require students to utilize
linguistic resources to the utmost for meaning potential would be lost.
c. Personal
interpretative skills would not be developed in students.
Conclusion and Recommendations
On the bases of the various findings in this
study, the following recommendations are offered with a view to enhancing
effective teaching of Literature in schools and colleges.
a. Teachers are
encouraged to integrate other approaches (Language-based approach and
Personal-Growth approach) with the cultural model approach. Otherwise, certain
aspects of learning useful for the students would be denied the learners.
b. The goal of the
curriculum designers is to identify and consider the common needs of the
society with a view to recommending literary materials for students. Therefore,
literary materials suitable to the themes of social reformation, moral
rectification and peaceful revolution should be recommended.
c. The language of
literary texts to be recommended for students by policy makers and curriculum
designers should be contemporary; because language is a potential weapon to
interrogate societal maladies. Texts that will expose learners to quality works
without frightening them off literature should be recommended. This would help
learners to acquire relevant language skills needed to express themselves in
the society; bearing in mind that many Nigerian citizens remain hapless and
hopeless in the squalor of sufferings because they don’t have the linguistic
wherewithal to articulate their deprivation.
d. The use of the
language of the immediate environment of the learners should be de-emphasized
by teachers in the teaching of Literature. The use of the language of the
immediate environment of the learners may blur the vision of instilling the
relevant language skills on the students to communicate with the wider world
through English language rather than the local language which has limited reach.
e. The government
should assist the poor students in the provision of literature texts.
f. Teachers should
also adopt the use different audio-visual aids in teaching Literature.
g. The government
should assist to convert stories in the literary texts into drama acted in the
films. In this age of technological advancement, students prefer viewing films
to reading books.
As already discussed in the preceding section
that literature enriches vocabulary; instils moral values; interrogates
societal maladies; encourages students to develop a desire for achievement; and
helps students to appreciate Nigerian cultures. It is obvious then that the
subject is very relevant to the Nigeria’s Transformation Agenda. It is believed
that if the various stakeholders take cognisance of the various recommendations
suggested above, Nigeria would produce a generation of students who would be morally
fit, intellectually capable and linguistically endowed to reform our crumbling
society.
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