EFL students’ perception of the role of teaching novels in enhancing writing skills

Abstract

Applied linguists have different viewpoints on the relationship between teaching literature and language. Language through a literature approach theoretically corroborates the role of literature in developing language skills because it exposes students to different styles of writing and authentic materials. Language-structure-based syllabuses might not be sufficient for developing students' language skills. By contrast, an authentic-based syllabus such as novels and short stories motivates language learning and fosters the development of thinking and language skills. In this vein, this study attempts to investigate undergraduates' attitude towards the role of teaching novels in enhancing writing skills, using a survey in which students provided their opinions on the areas that teaching novels helped improve their writing skills. The students’ responses were analysed, and a one-sample t-test revealed the students’ agreement of the positive role of teaching novels in developing their writing skills at sentence and paragraph levels. Based on these findings, the author recommended the incorporation of novels in the courses of English undergraduate programs, following adequate methods of teaching and selection of appropriate novels that matches’ students’ linguistic levels.

Keywords: Writing skills, teaching novels, EFL students, perception, enhancement