Evaluating the Teaching of English Literature Component in the English Language Curriculum at Al-Quds University

Abstract

This study aims at evaluating the teaching of English Literature component in the English Language curriculum in the English Department at Al-Quds University. It attempts to examine the adequacy of the literature courses taught in the Department. It also aims at investigating the teachers’ and the students’ attitudes and opinions toward these courses, the methods used for teaching them, and whether these courses are congruent with the students’ needs and objectives. In order to achieve this purpose, three hypotheses were proposed. The first hypothesis stated that the English literature courses taught in the English Department were adequate to the needs of the students as specified in the curriculum. The second stated that the methods used in the teaching of English literature in the English Department were appropriate, and the last one stated that the attitudes of the students and teachers of the Department were positive. Two questionnaires for students and teachers were used. An English literature test was also used for the students. They included a variety of questions and items which covered all the relevant domains of the study. The findings of the study showed that all the hypotheses were rejected, but the hypothesis, which stated that the students' attitudes towards literature were positive, was confirmed. The study also revealed that most of the students thought that some of the literature courses were incapable of developing their language skills and that there was a need to modify these courses to make them suitable for job market. The results also showed that the teachers supported the idea of introducing new literature courses in order to enrich and improve the existing courses. However, they did not see any need for seeking a help from foreign specialists to develop these courses. The study also exhibited that the current traditional teaching methods in the Department did not meet the students’ needs and that the teachers were not satisfied with the use of conventional teaching methods in teaching English literature courses.

The study suggested that there is a need for investigating both the methods of teaching English literature and English literature curriculum in the English Department based on real studies of the students’ desires and needs, goals analysis and assessment of their level. The study also suggested that the teachers need to be trained to apply the thought of teacher-researcher and must have self-evaluation to develop the education process.