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Introduction
Reading exercises are unanimously believed to be one of the most important tasks required in ESL classes. It enhances the vocabulary power of the students as well as improves the ability to write and enhances general language competence. Teaching literature to ESL students has been a topic of debate over the last decade. Some believe that even though there is a hazard of introducing literature to second language English students, it helps in the expansion of the linguistic knowledge of the students.
Most importantly, it helps to bridge the cultural gap present between non-English speaking students and the English speaking culture. However, using literary works for classroom teaching for ESL students may be disadvantageous as some of the topics discussed in such books/stories are controversial and students may feel uncomfortable discussing them in the classroom (Obeidat 37). Due to the difference in the cultures of the students native country and that of the English speaking world, there arise problems of identifying with certain social norms mentioned in the text which are unfamiliar to the students and at times difficult to accept. As social norms different between nations and the degree of social acceptance also differ greatly, it becomes imperative for many to accept the customs presented in the books and openly accepting them.
The increased inclusion of literature in the curriculum of ESL students has shown that the inclusion of traditional texts into the curriculum has lead to the belief that the syllabus should be heavily drawn on the authentic stories that provide motivational insights and facilitates learning the language which is essentially important for L2 learning. It is believed that teaching literature to second language English students fosters the development of the students intercultural ability and hence, helps increase acceptance of the cultural discourses through language. Thus, it helps in nurturing an understanding of other cultures as well as cultivating the intellectual ability of the students (Ghosn 172). As students are introduced to different cultural norms, societies, and social mores, they develop greater acceptance for foreign cultures. They do not feel alienated from a custom that is not prevalent in their society, which increases their acceptance power. Hence, the students learn to adjust to other cultures through their study of the literature.
Many scholars have forwarded arguments against teaching of literature to ESL students. The argument against the use of literature mostly rests on the complex structure of the texts (Traore and Kyei-Blankson 561). Most commonly, critics believe such literature is difficult to understand. There are other disadvantages to the use of English literary works. Some topics and concepts utilized may be controversial, and students may feel uneasy and hostile to discuss them (Obeidat 37). Hence, it has been acknowledged that educators have to be careful when using literary works, as they have to take into account the diversity of their classes (Vandrick 253). Hence, many believe that literature is ineffective in teaching grammar and syntax in ESL classes.
Many scholars have either argued for or against the use of literature in ESL programs. Arguments forwarded against its use include the fact that the language used in the literature is structurally complex, conceptually difficult to understand, and is unique to a particular culture or authentic situation, therefore does not support the goals of teaching grammar in a language classroom and helping students meet their academic and occupational needs. (Traore and Kyei-Blankson 561)
The present research aims at understanding the effect of inclusion of detective stories in the curriculum, which is believed to be less complex and exceedingly interesting for intermediate level ESL students. The study will focus on the use of detective stories of the twentieth century, such as short stories by Conan Doyle in ESL classes. The research will try to understand the effectiveness of using detective stories as a curriculum in the ESL classes. The present paper will evaluate the use of these texts that will be applicable to various levels and groups. My working argument of this research can be formulated as follows: Detective stories of the 20th and 21st centuries can develop the English language skills of ESL students.
The research employs a qualitative research methodology to garner support for the argument presented. The first part of the paper will demonstrate the literature review of literary works that will show the background on the work done on this area and the effectiveness of the use of literature and more specifically detective stories in ESL curriculum. The research will employ grounded theory that uses data collection will be employed to identify major features of the literary texts that should be used in language classes with intermediate and upper-intermediate ESL students. The paper poses special attention to the benefits (and disadvantages if any) of the use of detective stories (written by renowned writers in the twentieth century) in ESL classes. Literature introduces the students to various cultural facets of the English speaking countries. The present research aimed at understanding the acceptability of ESL students of literature and the kind of literature they were comfortable to appreciate.
An experiment was designed where two groups of students were given two different kinds of stories first a short story by OHenry and the second a detective story by Conan Doyle. Our research has shown that students could easily understand the detective stories and identify with it as opposed to the other literary text. The reason being they found reading the detective story more enjoyable, which helped them to understand the stories increasing the degree of comprehension. Second language students find it difficult to identify with the other stories they read, as they are more inclined towards the social drama of western life they find alienating. The advantage of detective stories is that they do not stress strongly on the political, social norms of the western world but on the particular crime that is talked about. They use simple language and literary tropes to structure their stories, which are easily understood by students new to the language.
Apart from the literature review, the paper will present a clear understanding of the effectiveness of using detective stories in TESOL training classes in which I participated at the CELTA Centre in New York City. As a part of their training program, all participants have to take up mandatory teaching session and try to understand how ESL students adapt to reading and comprehending detective stories and if it facilities in their learning experience. As part of the program, the participants are required to teach a class of 12 to 13 students. I introduced the students to a set of texts written by Arthur Conan Doyle and assigned it to several groups of ESL learners. When the project terminated, the students were asked to complete questionnaires where they reflected on the use of literary works. The questionnaires were prepared based on the grounded theory that helps to motivate students thinking and analyse students perceptions, evaluations, and concerns.
This research paper is divided into three sections. The first is the literature review that will help us to understand the state and nature of previous scholarly works on the effectiveness of the use of literature in an ESL class. The methodology section will delineate the process adopted for the research, how the data is collected, and the way it will be analysed. The analysis is done in the final section where the paper discusses how literature, especially detective stories, can help in improving the knowledge of English of ESL students.
Literature Review
The literature review reviews literature that shows how literature is an essential and helpful tool for teaching a language. Further, the discussion of previous scholarly works has shown that literature is an essential tool to demonstrate the cultural, social, and linguistic pattern of a language to the students. The review is furthered through a discussion of some literature being taught to comprehend for second language English learners and hence the importance of choosing the right kind of literature to be taught in class. This discussion leads to the importance of detective stories which are believed to be easy and simple to understand, can become a vehicle for teaching language to ESL students.
According to researchers, language acquisition is a process of gradual acclimatization with the process of building vocabulary gathered through communication and reading and the ability to use the language (Li 56). Li points out that perceptive understanding of the language is essential to facilitate successful learning.
The teacher is responsible for providing the understandable language (comprehensible input), along with whatever supports are necessary for the students to understand the message. Using approaches and materials that add content to the language such as props, gestures, and pictures, all contribute to the students acquisition and eventual verbal production of language (Li 56).
Hence, usage of props for educating the students is believed to be an essential method for enhancing the pedagogical skills of the second language English learners.
Recent research has shown that various methods of creating interactive conceptualizations while reading a story in the classroom that can enhance the grammatical learning of a language (Ripley and Blair 209). The intent to teach literature in class is to make the students aware of the text and narration structure. The process of reading and conceptualizing a story is a mutual interaction of ideas between the reader and the text (Harris 203). Some believe that the combined teaching method of reading and writing helps in enhancing grammar understanding in students to a greater extent than the grammar drills taught in ESL classes (Fox 73). Teaching English through the study of literature helps bridge the gap that ESL students face in terms of narrative English and the basic language learned in ESL intermediate classes.
As acquiring vocabulary is an essential step in the learning process of a language, it is essential to understand that the vocabulary can be most successfully built through studying and reading of literature (Fox 73). Previous researches have shown that there is a tendency among second language English teachers to put greater stress on teaching language and grammar to students. They even use simplified reading material to enhance the vocabulary skill, which Fox believes, only partially helps the students (71). They acquire a very basic understanding of the English language that does not help them in understanding the essentials of the language. A gap remains in the simplified English taught to the students and the more sophisticated language used in literature and books. Hence, the simplified teaching of English to the second language students leaves them ill-equipped to handle the intrinsic sophistication required for using the language competently.
A recent study has shown that the background of the reader has a strong influence on the comprehension of a text by the reader. In other words, prior knowledge present in the mind of the reader, created through previous discourses, helps them to understand the text based on the schemata present in their mind (Mihara 52).
Literature for Teaching English
The use of literature entails discussion and reflection on various topics revealed in the texts. Literature used for teaching ESL students and more specifically teaching English has been discussed widely in the scholarly literature. Literature is believed to be essential in teaching English to an ESL class because of four reasons: authentic material, enhancement of cultural knowledge, language improvement, and personal association (His’manoglu 54). Literature taught in class are the source of demonstration of the culture and society of the English speaking country. They present the linguistic and narrative style that can help students to learn to write intuitively. American and British literature has been used to teach non-English speaking students for more than a century; however, the advent of the twentieth century saw a rejection by academicians of literature as a tool for teaching English in foreign countries. The reason is believed to be the inadequacies found in the traditional teaching methods. Thus, literature has lost its primacy as a language-teaching tool globally, and few believe that the use of English literature as a teaching tool has declined considerably (Gilroy-Scott 1).
Less attention is given to teaching literature in the early intermediate level, with greater concentration on teaching language skills and mainly reading, writing, and speaking (Dalmau, Fernández and Bobkina 218). In many countries like Spain, there is any uncertainty regarding the use of literature in the curriculum of foreign language courses (Dalmau et al. 219). The importance of literature in teaching languages to ESL students, as pointed by Dalmau et al. are of five perspectives cultural heritage, language skills, personal growth, fundamental, and critical literary perspective (220-221). Literature is the storehouse of culture, linguistic and narrative style, grammar, literary styles, and individual personality. ESL students get to learn about these perspectives when they study literature. These points are discussed in detail in the later section. The main aim of teaching English to second language learners is that they can learn to speak, read, write, and understand the language as well as acclimatise them with the cultural mores of the English speaking world.
A literary piece is not an end in itself, but the means of beginning a creative process in the minds and emotions of the students. Placing themselves in that particular literary world, students relate imaginary contexts with real-life situations, feeling the power and possibility of contributing positively to a larger world than just their own. (Dalmau et al. 235)
Literature targeted for young adults is believed to be a rich source for teaching advanced ESL students in classrooms (Wu 2). Young adult literature is believed to be a rich source for teaching language development, diction, sentence structures, and writing narratives (Wu 1). Wu (1) also points out that studying this literature enhances the cultural understanding of the students, especially for immigrant students who face a cultural difference. He points out that young adult literature deal with stories that relate to self-discovery, growth, and development of the characters, which are non-complicated and ESL students can easily associate with them. The subjects that are usually dealt with in young adult literature are related to growing up, coming of age, relationships, and self-discovery (Wu 1).
The most important reason for easy understanding and acceptance of such literature by the students as they use contemporary language, and following linear storylines (Wu 1). As the stories are easy to read and follow a linear structure, are easy to understand, help the ESL students to grasp the content of the stories easily. As the understanding of the narration is easy, they associate with the stories and understand the stories of the young adult literature. The benefit of using young adult literature in teaching ESL students lies in their acceptability of the content and grasping of the language and grammatical structure of the language. Easy understanding of the literature helps in the development of the language skills of the students and helps them to ascertain the way they can use the language.
A study conducted by Mokharti and Sheorey (2) shows how the reading strategies and cognition of ESL students are for academic and textual literature. The study used the Survey of Reading Strategies (SORS) measure to understand the metacognitive awareness of the adolescent ESL students in reading academic material and texts. Their sample for the research was the ESL students from high school and colleges to provide recommendations in the development of reading curriculum for the ESL students based on their findings of the reading cognition of the ESL students. One of the most prevalent impediments for second language English learners is reading of the text, and researchers believe the language proficiency of the students may be gauged through their ability to read a text fluently (Mokharti and Sheorey 3). Reading becomes an integral part of the learning strategy for second language English learners as it helps to enhance their reading comprehension. Reading of literature is an important part of ESL learning, as it is believed that it enhances the proficiency of the students to grasp the language.
A review of literature conducted by Mokharti and Sheorey (3) points out that in the recent years there was a considerable increase in the proficiency of skilled ESL readers and the researches have successfully helped the L1 and L2 learners and teachers to helps students become strategic readers. Strategic readers imply students who have metacognitive awareness or metacognitive control-that is, planning and consciously executing appropriate actions to achieve a particular goal-to be a critical element of proficient, strategic reading (Mokharti and Sheorey 3). Metacognitive reading implies understanding of ones understanding of the text. Their research indicates that the students ability to read is directly related to the awareness and use of reading strategies of academic materials than the ones who have a higher ability to read (Mokharti and Sheorey 6). This study helps us to ascertain that the ESL students who usually have a lower ability to read should be taught by the teachers to become active readers. This study indicates the importance of effective reading required for learning. The importance is to learn to what extent the students can comprehend the material to them.
Another research into the reading skills development of ESL students conducted by Grabe (375) demonstrates that the interactive approaches in reading skill development for L1 and L2 students require a higher level and degree of reading capability that the prevalent ESL pedagogy equips them with. The researches of the reading ability of the ESL students demonstrate that the ESL students reading abilities have considerably developed when they have concentrated on reading literature (Grabe 378). Reading of literature is therefore found to be an essential part of teaching English to ESL students. The ability to read fluently has been defined by Grabe as follows.
Research has argued that fluent reading is rapid; the reader needs to maintain the flow of information at a sufficient rate to make connections and inferences vital to comprehension. Reading is purposeful; the reader has a purpose for reading, whether it is for entertainment, information, research, and so on. Reading for a purpose provides motivationan important aspect of being a good reader. Reading is interactive; the reader makes use of information from his/her background knowledge as well as information from the printed page. Reading is also interactive in the sense that many skills work together simultaneously in the process. Reading is comprehending; the reader typically expects to understand what s/he is reading.
Unlike many ESL students, the fluent reader does not begin to read, wondering whether or not s/he will understand the text. Reading is flexible; the reader employs a range of strategies to read efficiently. These strategies include adjusting the reading speed, skimming ahead, considering titles, headings, pictures and text structure information, anticipating information to come, and so on. Finally, reading develops gradually; the reader does not become fluent suddenly, or immediately following a reading development course. Rather, fluent reading is the product of long-term effort and gradual improvement. (378-9)
The general description of fluent reading, therefore, presents that the ESL students must be able to read any form of material without any metacognitive difficulty and comprehend the meaning of the text through contextualization and not necessarily with the aid of a dictionary.
Given the importance of reading established by researchers, the other important factor that emerges is the content of the reading text that is used for ESL students. Research shows that ESL students when they are given a known format with organized structure find it easier to understand and comprehend the text (P. L. Carrell 461). The study conducted shows that ESL students more easily adapt and understand the texts with material that are well structures and less non-linear with content that they can easily relate to.
The overall finding of this study seems to be that when both content and rhetorical form are factors in ESL reading comprehension, content is generally more important than form. When both form and content are familiar, the reading is relatively easy; when both form and content are unfamiliar, the reading is relatively difficult. When either form or content is unfamiliar, unfamiliar content poses more difficulties for the reader than an unfamiliar form. However, perhaps not too surprisingly, the rhetorical form is a significant factor, more important than content, in the comprehension of the top-level episodic structure of a text and the comprehension of event sequences and temporal relationships among events. In other words, each componentcontent and formplays a significant, but different, role in the comprehension of text. (P. L. Carrell 467)
Reading a text becomes easier when the readers are familiar with the content of the text and can easily identify with it. Familiar content eases the difficulty of reading, thereby helping students to learn English.
Block (463) studied the ESL students who had failed the college reading test and were the essential targets of the college reading programs. The study showed that the students who failed the reading proficiency test lacked the comprehending skills that were automatically found in proficient readers. Thus, their aim was more inclined towards solving the problems as they went on reading the text. The research aimed to understand the description of the comprehension strategies used by ESL students who failed the proficiency test. The research found out that various patters indicated the capacity of the reader, which were integrated, depended on the text structure, use of personal experiences in the text, and response to extensive mode (Block 482). In other words, the study implied that the second language English speakers belonging to different ethnic background employed a different strategy to comprehend and read a text. For instance, a Chinese English learner will employ a different set of strategies to read and understand the text as compared to a Spanish learner:
This suggests that strategy use is a stable phenomenon, which is not tied to specific language features. In this way, learning to read in a second language may differ from learning to read in a first. When people first learn to read, they must learn how to read the language in print and the appropriate strategies to use for comprehension. When people learn to read in a second language, they need only be concerned with understanding specific language features in print. (Block 484-485)
Thus, reading is a process of continuous construction wherein the reader is responsible for the construction of the active participant. Active reading enables the students to read and interpret the text the way ascertain its meaning. Thus, the reading ability of the students and comprehension power of the students determines their ability to learn and use the language (Block 485).
Similarly, some researchers have concentrated on determining the pedagogy for the ESL reading development but with the aid of schema theory. Carrell and Eisterhold (553) studied the importance of the background knowledge of the readers about the content of the text that helps in understanding and comprehension of the text. According to them, reading and comprehension process involves the knowledge of the readers of the content of the text and their worldly knowledge with which they can relate the text. The underlying assumption of the researchers was that the perceived meaning is often embedded in the utterance or text which has a separate and independent existence different from the speaker or the writer of the text (Carrell and Eisterhold 554). The researchers use schema theory, which is based on the belief that the text itself does not carry any meaning. It is the readers who interpret the text and attach the perceived meaning to it: According to schema theory, comprehending a text is an interactive process between the readers background knowledge and the text (Carrell and Eisterhold 556).
The aim of the text chosen for teaching an ESL class is to choose a text that will minimize the cultural conflicts and interference and to maximize the ability of the readers to comprehend it (566). The aim of the teachers should be to avoid narrow reading and allowing the students to adjust to one author, one style of writing, and one structural type. They point out that the reading assignments given to ESL students are usually short and varied selections, which does not allow the readers to adjust to the writers style. On the contrary, when students are given a single author and a single text to read, they find it easier to comprehend. Thus, repetition helps in increasing the comprehensibility of the text: The significant advantage from the schema-theoretic point of view is that schemata are repeatedly accessed and further expanded and refined, resulting in increased comprehension (Carrell and Eisterhold 567). Hence, the researchers point out that the goal of the intermediate ESL teachers should be to develop readers who can read not only from the texts assigned to them but also from the general English literature available elsewhere.
What makes the classroom activities and other techniques we have described valid is their applicability to the real world beyond the EFL/ESL reading classroom. Every culture-specific interference problem dealt with in the classroom presents an opportunity to build new culture-specific schemata that will be available to the EFL/ESL student outside the classroom. Also, however, and possibly, more importantly, the process of identifying and dealing with cultural interference in reading should make our EFL/ESL students more sensitive to such interference when they read on their own. By using the classroom activities and techniques we have described, our EFL/ESL readers should become more aware that reading is a highly interactive process between themselves and their prior background knowledge, on the one hand, and the text itself, on the other. (Carrell and Eisterhold 569)
Authentic source
According to Lazer (5), literature is the authentic source for demonstrating the linguistic rules and norms to the students, as it is the storehouse of all the linguistic-related laws necessary for the construction of the language. When reading a text, students come across various grammar and lexical units that have been taught.
Moreover, the use of literary works enhances students knowledge and language skills, and it is one of the most effective tools in ESL teaching (Ernst-Slavit, Moore and Maloney 118). Students have an opportunity to explore ways specific rules employed by writers. For instance, while reading Virginia Woolf or James Joyce, the use of stream of consciousness if effectively employed by both the authors in their work. A student unfamiliar with their work will remain perplexed at the text structure. However, a story written in simple language may follow a linear narration style, which is easily understandable. Literature helps students grasp various facets of the language and grammatical structure through the usages shown in the text. Students vocabulary is improved through the reading of the texts and the linguistic styles help in developing their knowledge of the language.
Furthermore, reading literary texts expands students vocabulary and enables them to develop linguistic confidence (Arthur 199). Again, when discussing texts (and/or trying to solve the case), students employ lexical as well as grammar units and can practice speaking skills as well. Notably, the use of literary texts may help develop reading, speaking, as well as writing skills. It is necessary to note that intermediate and upper-intermediate students can work with universal texts (Grellet 97). Hence, educators have to choose authentic but manageable texts to work with.
As literature is an authentic mode of input of the language, it provides information to the reader that may be both personal and relevant to him (Ghosn 173). Authenticity is essential in teaching English and is extensively envisaged in drama and novels (Khatib, Rezaei and Derakhshan 202). Hi_mano lu points out, In a classroom context, learners are exposed to actual language samples of real-life/ real-life-like settings. Literature can act as a beneficial complement to such materials, particularly when the first survival level has been passed (54).
Cultural knowledge
Literature is the vehicle for teaching cultural diversity and creates intercultural awareness among students (Van 3). In a global world, when people of other culture are learning English, it is important to gain cultural insight into the life of the English-speaking world. Literature provides the window through which students can look into the life of other people. It helps to enhance verbal and non-verbal communication norms and facilitate communication style: This colourful created world can quickly help the foreign learner to feel for the codes and preoccupations that shape a real society through visual literacy of semiotics (Hi_mano lu 54). The gestures and antics described in the books allow the students to gain an understanding of the non-verbal communication that is prevalent in the English speaking society, thus, training them to adapt to the etiquettes of the western world.
Marshall (331-338) studied the influence English literature from the west has on the Latin American society, which has a distinct cultural difference with the west. He points out that the distinct differences in the social and familial structure of the two cultures create a divide in the mind of the ESL students belonging to the Latin American culture who feel alienated from the descriptions of nature, society, families described in the literary texts:
Perhaps the fascinating meeting ground of English literary text and Latin mind is in the English literature, which makes conscious use of classical or Mediterranean material. Byrons facetious lines on sexual behaviour in sunny climates, Miltons and Spensers descriptions of paradise and the Garden of Adonis, Shakespeares Italian settingsall remind us that the cultural communication is one of mutual fascination and great complexity through history. (Marshall 337)
The definite divide in the understanding of the classical literary texts, the ESL students have to adapt themselves with the social customs of the time in England or Europe to adjust their understanding with that of the other world, which they are not aware. Hence, Marshall points out that the literature professors obligation is to know the several available avenues to understand and, explaining the landmarks and sketching in unfamiliar features, to take the nearest way (338). Thus, the teacher is responsible for teaching not only the language to the students but also the social-cultural landscape of the English speaking society to the students. Hence, when this assignment is presented to the students, they can create a different aspect of the story in their own
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