ENGLISH LITERATURE TEACHING MATERIALS IN AFGHANISTAN UNIVERSITIES IN THE CONTEXT OF EFL

ABSTRACT

The present paper aims to highlight the major challenges which exist in the curriculum of English Language and Literature of English Departments of Afghanistan Universities. As I am teaching literature in one of the Universities of Afghanistan, I have noticed that literature students’ attitude toward learning English literature is not glowing. Literature as a form of art is crucially an indispensable part of humans’ lives; however, the way Afghanistan Universiteis curriculum is designed has posed problems in capturing the students’ interest. This study has found that the main challenge that Afghan university students are confronted with at the English Department and Literature Faculty is in the content of the literary texts and the types of genres that engender weariness and disinterest in the students. The present study adopted a qualitiative research method, analyzing the content of Afghanistan Universities curriculum and drew the conclusion within the concepts of descriptive – analytic research design.

The article assumes further discussion and presentation of different points of view on the problem.

АННОТАЦИЯ

Цель данной статьи состоит в том, чтобы осветить основные проблемы, существующие в учебной программе по английскому языку и литературе на факультетах английского языка в университетах Афганистана. Поскольку я являюсь преподавателем литературы в одном из университетов Афганистана, я заметил, что отношение студентов-литературоведов к изучению английской литературы не очень радужное. Литература, как вид искусства, является важнейшей и неотъемлемой частью в жизни людей; однако, учебная программа Афганских университетов составлена таким образом, что возникают проблемы с привлечением интереса у студентов к данному предмету. Исследование показало, что основная проблема, с которой сталкиваются студенты афганских университетов на факультете английского языка и литературы, заключается в содержании художественных текстов и типах жанров, которые приводят к утомлению и отсутствию интереса у студентов. В настоящем исследовании применен метод качественного анализа, а именно авторами было изучено содержание учебной программы университетов Афганистана, и был сделан вывод в рамках концепции описательно–аналитического исследования.

Статья подразумевает дальнейшее обсуждение и представление различных точек зрения на данную проблему.

Keywords: Afghanistan English Literature Curriculum, Tertiary Education, Literary Genres.

Ключевые слова: учебная программа по английской литературе Афганистана, высшее образование, литературные жанры.

Introduction

Literature is in fact the language of beauty, art and nature. It gives the reader genuine pleasure and amusement. It is through literature that we learn about man, and figure out how man thought and felt. Literature has long been a subject, taught in many countries at different levels, ranging from tertiary to higher education. Teaching such an interesting subject to university students is definite and how it should be taught to be more effective to them is of central importance. Literature aims to bring more excitement to the language learning process, “it is created to fulfill some purpose in the language community in which it was produced” [14,p. 23]. The most stimulating meaning that literature gives to language teaching is the connotative meaning of the words (metaphor) which is collective in the literary text. According to Ricoeur (1992), “metaphor is in the literary language as a producer of meaning”. Metaphor can be understood differently by different readers. Literary language, more than everyday language, offers a space where learners can experience a variety of meanings.

The present research is carried out to shed light on the quintessence of literary text for Afghan students to create a sense of learning and interest toward such an interesting subject. It tries to endanger an optimistic outlook to the students so that they do not ignore and escape from literature. Though literature is a contended subject, detailed with broad texts, this research will directly help the students pursue an appropriate way learn and study literary texts stimulatingly. García (2017) stated, "Literature offers potential benefits of a high order in the EFL classroom."[7,p.116]

The present study is of triple significance; 1) to my knowledge, no research has been carried out on the same title as yet in Afghanistan, so it is quite genuine; 2) by evaluating the present curriculum of Afghanistan Higher Education, it proposes appropriate literary teaching materials and approaches to resolve the present challenges; and 3) it defamiliarizes the concerted beliefs of Afghan students toward literature and transforms it into a lasting artistic merit in the curriculum of English Department, Afghan Universities.

Statement of the Problem

English teachers at Afghanistan Universities are always concerned with the kind of teaching material and the approach they offer to their students in the English Department. One of the most intricate challenge is the kind of literature materials taught to the English classes. The main challenges that Afghan university students are confronted with at the English Department and Literature Faculty are the content of the literary texts and the types of genres that engender weariness and disinterest in the students. Although the Ministry of Higher Education of Afghanistan has developed materials in the curriculum for literature subjects, the content of the literary modules and the approach used by the teachers lead to discontent and dissatisfaction among the learners. Since literature is the culture of a language exercised by the native speakers, language learning requires a profound understanding of literature which, according to Keshavarzi (2012), literature has proved to be a prominent source for the four skills of language; reading, writing, listening, and speaking. The present study, by looking into the developed curriculum of literature for the graduate program, makes an effort to propose appropriate literary materials and genres with the primary aim of contributing to the English language learners to experience a better language-learning setting.

Research aim and objectives

The overall goal of this study is to investigate the literary materials taught to English language learners at Afghanistan universities. The specific objectives of the present study include the following:

1. To evaluate the content of literary materials in the curriculum of Afghanistan universities for graduate program, and
2. To suggest certain literary genres; literary terminology, fictions and non-fictions.
3. To propose certain methods and approaches commonly used by other world universities.

Literature Review

Stefan Colibaba (2003) investigated on the target group for the “materials development” and his side of the paper consists of university students who study (American) Literature in EFL contexts. Their specific linguistic and cultural background as well as their needs and interests are systematically addressed in an attempt to boost their motivation and elicit well-informed, highly personal and confident reactions to the literary text. The goal of his dissertation is to develop a rationale and illustrations for a process approach to the teaching of literature at tertiary level. In concrete terms, this means a volume which includes a number of American short fiction pieces accompanied by practical suggestions for classroom activities, mainly designed around the four skills, meant to help students engage with and interpret the literary text.

Irwandi (2017) emphasizes on the strategy of integrating the language learners’ intercultural communication competence in English literature teaching, especially in reading novel. He further argued that through reading novel, students are exposed to more cultural varieties and understand the culture concepts. The strategy mostly encompasses activating learners’ cultural awareness, considering context, and understanding obstacles in English reading comprehension from the perspective of cross-culture, and designing classroom tasks for the intercultural competence.

Amina Berrarbi and Abbes Bahous (2018) in a literary research attempt to highlight the use of short stories as an initial motivational literary genre in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) context. Their work also aims at providing some practical ideas and methods regarding the use of short stories by inquiring some questions which are: What significance can be accorded to the use of short stories in EFL classroom and how can short stories serve as a mediator between the learner’s own culture and other cultures? To address these questions, they designed a questionnaire and it was collected from 95 third year undergraduate students at Mostaganem University, 24 of the students were selected randomly for an intervention that lasted about 8 weeks. Their findings from the questionnaire and experimental study indicate that the study population does not only show positive attitudes towards short stories reading but also manifests a number of signs that reflect their acquisition of cultural issues, they also support the usefulness of examining learners’ cultural knowledge, feelings and experiences before, while and after bringing short stories into the literature class.

Rashid and Hasan (2017) demonstrated that learning of a language is one needs to study reading, writing, listening and speaking; the four skills of the English language, which will all be available in literature. They provided materials which are sufficient for these skills, but literary texts have ascertained a worthy source that accomplishes these abilities. Moreover, they have gone more on cultural information which is inferred via language learning, and yet with comprehension of society. They argued that it is a characteristic of language that requires materials associating with culture. Culture is a basis for literature; namely; it does not merely imply that literature deals with culture, but literature about the culture of any specific user of that language. Furthermore, one can say the use of literary texts in language classes inspires more attentive and determined language learning. Thus, the students are not merely uncovered to the actual usage of language, but also they become critical scholars. As such, their study argues the causes behind focusing on the use of literary texts as a significant source in teaching English language.

Noelia Malla García (2017) did a research on Spanish EFL teachers with a series of suggestions and tips on the wide range of activities that can be used to take advantage of the richness of English literature. Her aim is to consider the use of English Literature in the process of teaching-learning English as a Foreign Language (EFL). She argued that in relation to current language teaching, it was not until the 1980's that this field of study has been of interest among teachers of EFL. Since literature provides us with a suitable source of content for a course in a foreign language, several reasons should be considered. First, reading is the most autonomous ability in language work, and literature is a widely-appealing source of material for reading. Second, literature will not conflict with the claims of other subjects in the curriculum. Third, materials are readily available.

Murat Hişmanoğlu (2005) in his paper, aims at emphasizing the use of literature as a popular technique for teaching both basic language skills (i.e. reading, writing, listening and speaking) and language areas (i.e. vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation) in our times. Reasons for using literary texts in foreign language classroom and main criteria for selecting suitable literary texts in foreign language classes are stressed so as to make the reader  familiar with the underlying reasons and criteria for  language teachers’ using and selecting literary texts. Moreover,  literature and the teaching of language skills, benefits of different genres of literature (i.e. poetry, short fiction, drama and novel) to language teaching and some problems encountered by language teachers within the area of teaching English through literature (i.e.  lack of preparation in the area of literature teaching in TESL / TEFL programs, absence of clear-cut objectives defining the role of literature in ESL / EFL, language teachers’ not having the background and training in literature, lack of pedagogically-designed appropriate materials that can be used by language teachers in a classroom context) are taken into account.

Celile Eren Ökten (2013) examines the portfolio studies of the third grade student teachers of the English Language Teaching Department in Yıldız Technical University, as part of the requirements of the “Language and Literature” course offered. He included the worksheets designed by student teachers, mainly targeting teaching grammar, vocabulary, translation, textual cohesion and coherence. His research shall mainly focus on the following points of (i) how student teachers approached literary texts, highlighting the advantages and disadvantages they encountered while coping with literary texts; (ii) which literary texts were chosen as teaching materials and how were these texts internalized and interpreted to target cultural enrichment; (iii) which language samples of real life settings were demonstrated.

Huda Al-Tamimi (2012) determines how the desirable outcomes can be implemented in second -language classrooms, in this paper she also provides a review of the relevant scholarly literature concerning teaching literature to L2 learners in general and as a medium to bridge the gap between cultures in particular. Examples of the use of literature in the author‘s Arabic language classes are provided throughout.

Sami Hussein Hakeem Barzani (2020) considered the various benefits of the of short story utilization in the EFL classroom, in the present paper he investigated the perceptions of university teachers and students towards the use of short stories for developing the reading comprehension skill. And he finally find out and indicated from the data which he collected by using semi-structured interviews. And he concluded that both participant groups consider short stories as an effective and essential tool for developing reading comprehension as well as other language mastery skills.

Erma Sujiyani (2016) in his research aims to show the use of literary texts as a resource for English language teaching and learning to enhance students’ language skills. He said that literary texts provide students with the exposure to the real language being used in a real context, and contain cultural aspects that will stimulate and motivate them to interact actively and autonomously in the teaching learning process. Through the use of literary texts as pedagogical materials, he has shown that teachers may design classroom activities that are based on materials capable of stimulating students’ greater interest, motivation and involvement than many other factual texts.

Matthew Armstrong (2015) illustrates how a literature course was organized in an English as a Foreign Language (EFL) context to help students increase critical thinking and make intercultural connections through short stories. Rather than he is focusing on linguistic elements through sometimes-contrived language in EFL textbooks, meaningful input was provided through the use of authentic materials. He uses short works of literature by both well-known and less well-known authors as the main source of input due to their length, descriptive writing styles and deep connections to various cultures. He argues that students used all language skills to decipher the meanings in the text, as well as their knowledge and experiences to find connections with the setting, characters, themes, story plots, as well as cultural and historical references.

Research Method

The present study adopted a library research method, utilized a descriptive research design, and employed a qualitative method for data collection. The data in this study has come from a close evaluation of the content of the curriculum for literature subject developed by the Ministry of Higher Education of Afghanistan for the English Department, Afghanistan University graduate program. By analyzing and construing the obtained results, this study contextualized its findings with the findings of the works that had been done on teaching literature in English classes in the context of EFL and drew the conclusion.

Data Analysis

The data show that the main challenge that Afghan English learners face in studying literature is the material taught in Afghanistan Universities. Initially, the curriculum of the English Department in Afghanistan Universities is not selected according to the updated literature curriculum of prestigious World Universities to appropriately fulfill the needs of English literature learners. In this research, a profound analysis is done on the current curriculum of Afghanistan Universities, in which no clear genres of literature have been difined and identified. It merely shows that in English language and literature faculties, literature is taught in six semesters and in every semester it is named simply literature without specifying or breaking it down into genres. For instance, as the analysis of the curriculum shows, for the first semester of sophomore, it is mentioned as principles of literature, and the objectives of this subject according to the English Department Curriculum Manual (2010) are decribed as "Students will be effective communicators in order to achieve personal and professional success" [11, p.55]. It further explained, "Students will demonstrate the ability to critically read a variety of text with 70% accuracy." [11, p.55]

The objectives of the curriculum show that there is not any clarification about the literary genre to be taught to the sophomore; therefore, we note that when such illustration is not clearly defined and designed, it is difficult for the students to benifit it. Further delineatioin of the objectives of the curriculum for juniors and seniors are presented below:

1. Students will be able to identify key features of the main literary genres across cultures and historical periods
2. Students will understand the significance and influence of the contexts in which literary texts are written and received.
3. Students will understand the key aspects of grammar and syntax relevant to the analysis of language in literary text and use the tools of grammatical analysis to edit and improve their writing.
4. Students will plan and write both academic essays and informal journal entries in response to works of literature [11, p. 40].

Similarly, the above objectives of the curriculum for juniors and seniors are very vague and ambiguous and the learners and instructors both get confused what to achieve and how to achieve it. Further explantion of the content of the curriculum stated, "Students will recognize, analyze and produce a variety of written text." And, "Students will have a basic knowledge of and the ability to discuss British, American and world literary works and culture." However, there is no obvious clarification of what genres of British, American, or the world literary works are going to be discussed for the junior and senior. So, the details provided in the curriculum do not describe the course content, which neither the instructors nor the students would be able to concretely utilize and derive the benefit from it.

Discussion

As we looked into the primary material, we have found out that the Afghanistan Universites curriculum for English language and literature is absolutely vague and the objectives of this curriculum are unknown too achieve. As seen in the analysis, literature is taught for six semesters in the tertiary period, and for each semester it is named literature and the objective of the selected subject is, "Students will demonstrate the ability to critically read a variety of text with 70% accuracy." [11, p.55]. To deeply study the objectives of the curriculum for the sophomore, we are not able to find some useful clues to apply in the literature classroom. Furthermore, since the name of the subject is only literature, the objectives would not be concrete. As a result, it directs the lecturers and learners toward disappointment. Another illustration of the curriculum for sophomore stated, "Students will be effective communicators in order to achieve personal and professional success" [11, p.55]. It further stated that by studying literature, "students will be effective communicators". In our views, it would have been far more better if the curriculum had identified the genres or subgenres of literature for the sophomore instead, and had set measureable and achieveable objectives enabling both the lecturers and learners to easily understand and utilize them. The objective of this curriculum is further illustrated as "Students will orally communicate and articulate creative and relevant responses to literary texts using appropriate terminology and concepts." [11, p. 40]. It over again said something confusing, the reason for confusion is there is no determination of the type of literary texts. For instance, it could be fictional, nonfictional or any other genres of literature that students communicate through. This curriculum further mentioned that "Students will use literary terms and concepts to interpret and respond to text in a variety of communicative settings." [11, p. 41]. We are arguing that the entire materials in the curriculum for English literature is equivocal. By looking into the objectives and content of the curriculum, one can readily notice it. For instance, if the objective were to difine that students will use literary terms related to prose or verse, the learners would have been able to catch definitely the meaning and implication of these literary terms or concepts.

We maintain that for each semester of the tertiary education every essential part of literature should be determined; sophomore introduction to the literature and fiction as; romance, short story and novel for junior; drama, nonfiction as; autobiograph, biography and essay for senior; poetry and literary criticism. Since the mentioned types of literature will increase students critical thinking as Matthew Armstrong (2015) illustrates "how a literature course was organized in an English as a Foreign Language (EFL) context to help students increase critical thinking and make intercultural connections through short stories." [2, p. 7]

According to Colibaba (2003)

"Developed a rationale and illustrations for a process approach to the teaching of literature at tertiary level. In concrete terms, this means a volume which includes a number of American short fiction pieces accompanied by practical suggestions for classroom activities, mainly designed around the four skills, meant to help students engage with and interpret the literary text." [5, p. 1]

We analyzed and evaluated almost the entire illustration of the literature subject of this curriculum. In order to show an obvious example of English literature for the readers of the current study, we accurately selected the teaching materials of a prestigious University for English literature as a sample and based our arguent on and adduced it to that curriculum. We selected the curriculum of 'National Institute of Education/ Singapore; Bachelor of Arts in English Literature and Education (2023)'. In this curriculum it is obviously illustrated all the topics related with each genre of literature as "American Literary Tradition, Victorian poetry and Prose, Shakespeare and Early Modern Drama, Teaching Prose, Teaching Poetry, Teaching Drama. [3, p. 2, 3]

This sample curriculum plainly illustrated the explanations of each subject, an example of which is presented below as Shakespeare and Early Modern Drama:

The course focuses on the breadth of Shakespeare’s writing, covering his major plays as well as his poetry. Shakespeare and his work will be studied in the context of Elizabethan history and culture. Topics might include performance, identity, personal and political power, the effects of economic expansion and/or the roots of empire. [3. p. 5]  

Therefore, the illustration of the sample data for English literature clearly shows that the American Literary Tradition, Victorian Poetry and Prose, and all other literary genres are clearly selected in the curriculum that both the lecturers and the learners can understand. They both realize what to teach and how to implement the content of such curriculum. Therefore, to compare this sample material with that of Afghan universities for English Languages and Literature, the Afghan materials for literature teaching is more engrossing for the learners and that is the reason why Afghan students are uninterested in literature and think of literature as a tiresome subject.

The above data for the English Department of Afghanistan Universities focus on an unknown objective of the materials. It should have primarily illustrated each literary type instead of objectives, because at the initial stage of the curriculum, students need to get the overall information about the subjects instead of objectives, and then each and every subject objective should be clearly stated, an example of which is presented below:

Teaching Poetry

This course introduces approaches and techniques for teaching poetry. It covers the selection of appropriate materials and teaching ideas for the different elements of poetry. It will also pay attention to the links between reading and writing about poetry while considering the teaching of poetry for literary development, cultural literacy, and creative and critical thinking. [3, p. 10]

The material Colibaba analyzed in his dissertation is an obvious example of American short fiction. It clearly mentioned a genre of literature for the students the same as the sample syllabus that illustrated. On the contrary, the English Department Manual (2010) fails to present such an obvious illustration for the students to be directed.

Irwandi (2017) argued that "through reading novel, students are exposed to more cultural varieties and understand the culture concepts." [10, p. 69] Novel is a genre of literature which mainly talks about the cultural aspects of a nation. If the genres are going to be selected correctly, students definitely descern the culture and tradition of a country. The English Department Manual (2010) solely presents that "Students' understanding of the mutual influence between culture and language…" [11, p. 41]. It is not clear that through which genres of literature students understand the influence between culture and language.

Conclusion

This study concludes that the literary reading materials if well planned could reach for a better and authentic syllabus, especially for the case of tertiary students who are required to develop their language acquisition skills since language and literature are interrelated. The literary genres (e.g., short story, novel, drama, poetry) prove to be effective vehicles to fulfill these objectives. The literary genres should be used as initial literary material for tasting the pleasure of reading and motivating the learners to feed their minds with such a diversity of fields. The literary text in general is a tool that offers the possibility to question the world, to view it with the others’ eyes. So advocating the integration of literature to learn about genres means tolerating differences. The more learners read literary texts, the better they comprehend. The better they comprehend, the more they nourish and utilize literature and finally the more it opens their minds about the world.

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