Abstract
One of the central issues in methodological discussions of the use of literature in
second-language teaching is how to scaffold learners’ reading comprehension.
Intrinsic features of many literary texts, such as their use of low-frequency
vocabulary, semantically dense language, linguistic deviation, stylistic variation, as well as their historical and cultural remoteness, can make these texts highly
challenging for second-language learners. A significant number of studies,
including those on the use of English-language literature in Japan, have addressed this issue by proposing effective ways of scaffolding learners’ comprehension, especially with regards to specific literary texts. What is currently missing, however, is a general model of second-language literary reading that both theorises this multilayered cognitive act and offers corresponding pedagogical advice on ways of supporting learner interaction with literary texts in a language-literature classroom. This study proposes such a model based on insights from linguistic reading research, cognitive psychology, literary theory, and the empirical study of literature. While the model represents the process of reading literature in the second language, it is equally informative for first-language language-literature pedagogy.
second-language teaching is how to scaffold learners’ reading comprehension.
Intrinsic features of many literary texts, such as their use of low-frequency
vocabulary, semantically dense language, linguistic deviation, stylistic variation, as well as their historical and cultural remoteness, can make these texts highly
challenging for second-language learners. A significant number of studies,
including those on the use of English-language literature in Japan, have addressed this issue by proposing effective ways of scaffolding learners’ comprehension, especially with regards to specific literary texts. What is currently missing, however, is a general model of second-language literary reading that both theorises this multilayered cognitive act and offers corresponding pedagogical advice on ways of supporting learner interaction with literary texts in a language-literature classroom. This study proposes such a model based on insights from linguistic reading research, cognitive psychology, literary theory, and the empirical study of literature. While the model represents the process of reading literature in the second language, it is equally informative for first-language language-literature pedagogy.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 26-37 |
| Number of pages | 12 |
| Journal | The Journal of Literature in Language Teaching |
| Volume | 11 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| Publication status | Published - 2022 |
Keywords
- L2 literary reading
- models of reading
- language-literature classroom