Teaching Literature In English Literature

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.0 Background

Teaching English as a foreign Language to Arab students, more specifically, to the Sudanese ones requires from EFL teachers to devote a considerable amount of time and effort in different areas of learning process to improve students' competence and performance in English Language. Improving students' performance in the four basic skills of English (speaking, reading, listening and writing) has for a long time, been the main concern of the teachers in classrooms; in the center of these four skills is learning grammar rules. Furthermore, the Language of literature is regarded to be the special tool for reading the differences between language genres such as (a dialogue, a tale, and a poetic style based

Furthermore, the researcher will provide the students with the basic instructions for mastering the various poetic devices. Moreover, the multiple approaches and methods used and written about in the area of teaching poetry, as well as to improve the EFL teachers and learners attitude towards English poetry appreciation at Sudanese universities.

1.1Statement of the Problems

English poetry has less concern in the recent years have gone by. Whether the reason teachers are now reluctant to teach poetry. Moreover, they will not be interested in it and hesitant themselves on how to teach it effectively. In addition, teachers sense a suspension between their students and poetry and anxiety they may engage themselves in an unsuccessful unit, it is unfortunate and unnecessary. Consequently, they give less attention to developing the students’ attitudes and appreciation of English poetry. Kennedy (1994: 187) observes that

“Students’ dislike for poetry often stems from bad experiences with poetry, incompetent teachers, the print and the very nature of its presentation in books the alien diction, conventions, and queer associations to things that are worlds apart and of course the string of mind-boggling questions that follow the

The questionnaire contains a group of statements to measure the target appreciation and attitudes toward English poetry. In addition to classroom observation to the teachers who have been teaching English poetry in the departments of English in those universities.

1.7 The Scope of the Study

The scope of the present research will be limited to investigating EFL teachers and students' attitudes toward English poetry appreciation at the university level in the following Sudanese universities: Gezira University (Hasahisa – Hantob – Kamleen), Sust, (faculties of Languages and Education), and Albotanah and Alzaeim Alazhary (Faculty of Education). Moreover, it is limited to collecting data and the viewpoints of the teachers of English Literature, and especially those who have been teaching English poetry as well as the students in the Departments of English, Arts, and Education of these