Teachers’ Use of Literature to Develop Language Proficiency in EFL Classrooms

Abstract: Research shows that the inclusion of youth literature in lower secondary schools has several advantages, including improvement of language proficiency development. For this reason the Swedish lower secondary school curriculum endorses the use of literature in language classes. There is, however, a great deal of freedom with regard to how teachers may implement literature for language learning purposes. Hence, this study aims to examine how some teachers use literature in their teaching to develop student’s language development and how the teachers perceive the benefits and challenges that come from using literature. The results show that incorporating literature in the classroom is regarded as important and that teachers  can see numerous benefits for the students. The results also indicate that there are various approaches available for teachers to integrate literature into their teaching.