Can English language teaching in China be improved by the incorporation of English literature?

Abstract

The English language has become the first foreign language in Chinese education, but examination-oriented teaching and learning have created various challenges for English education at Chinese secondary schools. English literature teaching and relevant research have gained popularity in many countries in Asia and Europe. Teaching English through literary texts has also been conducted experimentally in Chinese secondary schools in some areas of China where English education is relatively advanced. This study aims to explore the possibility that English language teaching in Chinese secondary education can be improved by the incorporation of English literature.
The study adopted the method of narrative literature review to explore the advantages and challenges of teaching English literature in the ESL context. Research on teaching English literature at Chinese secondary schools is still at the initial stage, and therefore the study reviewed the studies from China and around the world, especially Asia and Europe, in the last ten years. The study found that teaching literary texts in ESL could have positive impacts on secondary school students’ learning motivation, language proficiency, cultural awareness, and critical thinking, as well as enrich pedagogical approaches and activities. Also, the study showed that teaching English literature at secondary schools had challenges caused by factors, including the literature itself, text materials, teachers and students.
The study concluded that incorporating English literature teaching into Chinese secondary schools had the potential to improve the quality of English language teaching. Some recommendations for practice, research and policy were proposed better to implement English literature teaching in Chinese secondary schools, and the limitations of the study were also listed for future research.