LEARNING ENGLISH LITERATURE: PERSPECTIVES OF VIETNAMESE UNIVERSITY STUDENTS AND TEACHERS

Abstract

This study investigated the perception of students of English at Can Tho University (CTU) in learning literature in English. The study also sought teachers’ opinions and recommendations for more effective literary learning. Seventy-nine students and two teachers teaching literature were invited to participate in the study. The students were asked to complete a questionnaire survey while the two teachers were interviewed. The results from the questionnaire and the interviews revealed that while the students recognized the importance of literature in their studies, they had low motivation and faced a number of challenges. The difficuties included a lack of literary knowledge and experience, literary terminology, and linguistic competence for the subject. Additionally, the teachers’ suggestions focused on two major measures, namely, (1) encouraging a habit of extensive reading and (2) creating opportunities for students to express opinions and get engaged in discussions about literature.