ELT undergraduate students' reflections of their experiences in their literature classes

Abstract

“ELT undergraduate students during their academic formation as future teachers of English are related with the language in different aspects such as grammar, morphology, syntax, teaching methodology as well as literature. The ELT Program includes two subjects with English literature; students discover literature through short stories, poems and novels. This study attempts to understand pre-service English teachers‟ perceptions about English literature and how it is taught in an undergraduate ELT program in Mexico. This is a qualitative interpretative study which used interviews to collect data. As a result the main findings in the research study are related with three categories: the components of the best English literature class, the benefits these undergraduate students found in literature and finally how literature was used in the classroom. It is commonly thought that ELT undergraduate students often consider Literature boring because they tend to think that literature is difficult to understand and often is not related to topics they are interested in. However, those who read and appreciate literature can find and perceive a world full of new experiences. He or she can imagine a new world through reading; can imagine new places, people, cultures, traditions, and ways of communication.”