Literature Teaching in English as a Second Language (ESL) Classrooms: The South African Teachers’ Experiences
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17507/jltr.1606.02Keywords:
English as a Second Language, literature teaching, multilingual, Ubuntugogy, UbuntuAbstract
This paper explores the English as a Second Language (ESL) teachers’ experiences of teaching literature in three high schools in the Pinetown District, South Africa. The interpretivist paradigm underpinned the qualitative case study. It used Ubuntugogy as an epistemic lens. Eleven high school teachers were purposively sampled, participated in semi-structured interviews, and were observed teaching literature in their grades 10–12 classrooms. The recorded, transcribed and coded interviews were thematically analysed. The findings revealed that ESL literature teachers found literature teaching to be multidimensional. The teachers perceived literature teaching in the ESL environment as a positive experience. For instance, they described it as fantastic, fascinating, life-changing, and enticing and as a journey. However, they also found it to be challenging and intimidating. They also considered the multilingual component of the South African ESL environment and used multilingual pedagogies to enhance comprehension and learner engagement. Teaching literature in the ESL classroom has more significant benefits than challenges posed by the teachers’ or learners’ backgrounds and linguistic barriers. This paper recommends using Ubuntugogy in teaching literature in South African ESL classrooms. Furthermore, the learners’ voices and the use of literature in teaching other language skills must be strengthened in policy and practice. Technology infusion may also be a relevant resource in using literature to enhance critical thinking and language development in the classroom.
References
Alsyouf, A. (2019). Creative writing as an effective method of learning English as a foreign language: a case study of Arab learners. Folio, Journal of the Materials Development Association, 19(1), 64-68.
Alsyouf, A. (2020). Cento as a creative writing approach to language learning. In A. Almeida, U. Bavendiek, & R. Biasini (Eds.), Literature in language learning: new approaches (pp. 33-39). Research-publishing.Net.
Bangura, A. K. (2005). Ubuntugogy: An African educational paradigm that transcends pedagogy, andragogy, ergonagy and heutagogy. Journal of Third World Studies, 22(2), 13-53.
Bangura, A. K. (2017). African-centred internet literacy: An Ubuntugogy metadata approach. Journal of Pan African Studies, 10(10), 88-108.
Bender, W. N. (2017). 20 strategies for increasing student engagement. Learning Sciences International. Retrieved June 15, 2025, from https://philpapers.org/rec/BENSF
Bhuda, M. T. (2021). Making a case for indigenous education systems in South Africa. African Journal of Development Studies, Special Issue 2, 67-82.
Calafato, R. (2024). Literature in language education: Exploring teachers’ beliefs, practices, creativity, and literary competence, Pedagogies: An International Journal, 19(1), 80-98. https://doi.org/10.1080/1554480X.2022.2164500
Cardoso, A., & Lago, N. A. (2021). Literature in EFL classes: four teachers' experiences in Brazil. Revista Investigações, 34(2), 1-22.
Carter, R., & Jones, C. (2012). Literature and Language Awareness: Using Literature to Achieve CEFR Outcomes. Journal of Second Language Teaching and Research, 1(1), 69-82.
Carter, R., & McRae, J. (2016). The Routledge history of literature in English: Britain and Ireland. Routledge.
Cohen, L., Manion, L., & Morrison, K. (2018). Research Methods in Education (8th ed.). Routledge: Taylor & Francis Group.
Creswell, J. W. (2013). Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative and Mixed Methods Approaches (4th ed.). Sage.
DBE. (2011). Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement: English First Additional Language – Grade 10-12. Government Printing Works.
DiCicco-Bloom, B., & Crabtree, B. F. (2006). Making sense of qualitative research: The Qualitative research interview. Medical Education, 40, 314-321.
El-Helou, H. A. R. (2010). Difficulties Facing English Teachers in Teaching Literature in English for Palestine Grade Twelve Textbook. The Islamic University. Gaza.
Elvriza, M. S., & Nurcholis, I. A. (2025). The Impact of Extensive Reading of Novels on Students' English Vocabulary Acquisition. Indonesian Journal of Education, 1(3), 94-102.
Etikan, I., Abubakar, S., & Alkassim, R. S. (2016). Comparison of Convenience Sampling and Purposive Sampling. American Journal of Theoretical and Applied Statistics, 5(1), 1-5.
Ghosn, I. K. (1998). Four Good Reasons to Use Literature in Primary School. ERIC.
Gibbs, G. R. (2012). Software and qualitative data analysis. In J. Arthur, M. Waring, R. Coe, & L. V. Hedges (Eds.), Research Methods and Methodologies in Education (pp. 251-258). Sage.
Haimbodi, K. N., & Woldemariam, H. Z. (2019). Literary Activities for the Teaching of English in a Namibian High School Setting: A Case Study. Ethiop.j.soc.lang.stud., 6(2), 117-136.
Hall, G. (2020). Literature, challenge, and mediation in 21st-century language learning. In A. Almeida, U. Bavendiek, & R. Biasini (Eds.), Literature in language learning: new approaches (pp. 7-13). Research-publishing.Net.
Hilda, M. N., & Pelokazi, N. (2023). Enhancing communicative competence in English second language classrooms through traditional storytelling. Research in Business & Social Science, 12(2), 376-383.
Hokor, E. K. (2020). Pre-service Teachers’ Probabilistic Reasoning in a Constructivist Classroom. Pedagogical Research, 5(2), 1-9.
Hungwe, J. P. (2021). The (In) compatible Nexus between Ubuntu and Critical Thinking in African Philosophy of Education: Towards Ubuntu Critical Thinking in African Higher Education. In Mediating Learning in Higher Education in Africa (pp. 23-40). Brill.
Hussein, E. T., & Al-Emami, A. H. (2016). Challenges to Teaching English Literature at the University of Hail: Instructors’ Perspective. Arab World English Journal (AWEJ), 7(4), 125-138.
Isro’iyah, L., & Herminingsih, D. I. (2023). Teaching the Culture of Others through English Literature Comprehension to the Students of the University: English. International Journal of Language and Literary Studies, 5(2), 136–146.
Jabeen, R., & Sarifa, N. (2022). Probing the Approaches to Teaching Literature to EFL Students - Graduate Learners’ Perspective. Journal of Arts & Humanities, 11(1), 1-8.
Julia, P., & Jeyanthi, B. (2024). Exploring the Role of English Literature in Developing Cultural Competence among ESL Students. World Journal of English Language, 14(6), 432-432.
Keshavarzi, A. (2012). Use of literature in teaching English. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 46, 554-559.
Lakshmi, B. V. N. (2013). Challenges in Teaching Language and Literature: An EFL Perspective. IOSR Journal of Humanities and Social Science (IOSR-JHSS), 15(6), 49-53.
Lazar, G. (1993). Literature and Language Teaching: A guide for teachers and learners. Cambridge University Press.
Letseka, M. (2013). Educating for ubuntu/botho: lessons from Basotho Indigenous education. Open Journal of Philosophy, 3, 337–334.
Letseka, M. M. (2016). The Nexus Between Open Distance Learning (ODL), African Philosophy and Ubuntu. Open Distance Learning (ODL), 31.
Marshall, C., & Rossman, G. B. (2016). Designing Qualitative Research (6th ed.). Sage.
Mbambo, K., & Hlabisa, M. V. (2024). South African rural high school teachers' experiences of teaching English poetry. Journal of Education (University of KwaZulu-Natal), (97), 261-281.
Mthimkhulu, S. (2024). Ubuntugogy as a viable pedagogical construct in African Education: A literature review. Journal of Culture and Values in Education, 7(1), 83-98.
Mustofa, A. (2016). Literary Teaching and Its Constraints: Paradigms and Problems. English Review: Journal of English Education, 4(2), 219-230.
Muthmainnah, D. (2021). Framing Future Education Through Funtainment Learning Based. In T. S. Sanjayan (Ed.), Engaging Learners in the Twenty-First Century (pp. 1-3). Taran Publication.
Muthusamy, C., Salleh, S. M., Michael, A. S., & Arumugam, A. N. (2017). Methods Used in Teaching and Learning of Literature in the ESL Classroom and Adult Learners’ Attitude. Journal of Applied Linguistics and Language Research, 4(2), 17-25.
Neuman, W. L. (2011). Social Research Methods: Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches (7th ed.). Pearson.
Newby, P. (2010). Research Methods for Education. Pearson Education Ltd.
Ngubane, N. I., & Makua, M. (2021). Intersection of Ubuntu pedagogy and social justice: Transforming South African higher education. Transformation in Higher Education, 6(0), 1-8.
Novianti, N. (2016). English Literature Teaching: An Indonesian Context. Indonesian Journal of Applied Linguistics, 6(1), 42-49.
Omodan, B. I. (2022). The Potency of Ubuntugogy as a Decolonised Pedagogy in Universities: Challenges and Solutions. African Perspectives of Research in Teaching and Learning, 6(2), 96-111. https://doi.org/10.46303/jcve.2021.8
Omodan, B. I. & Diko, N. (2021). A Conceptualisation of Ubuntugogy as a Decolonial Pedagogy in Africa. Journal of Culture and Values in Education, 4(2), 95-104.
Reeve, J. (2012). A self-determination theory perspective on student engagement. In S. L. Christenson, A. L. Reschly, & C. Wylie (Eds.), Handbook of research on student engagement (pp. 149-169). Springer.
Shah, J. (2021). Engaging students in the ESL Classroom. In T. S. Sanjayan (Ed.), Engaging Learners in the Twenty-First Century (pp. 59-61). Taran Publication.
Shinga, S., & Pillay, A. (2021). Why do teachers code-switch when teaching English as a second language? South African Journal of Education, 41(1), 1-7.
Thanh, N. C., & Thanh, T. T. L. (2015). The Interconnection Between the Interpretivist Paradigm and Qualitative Methods in Education. American Journal of Education Science, 1(2), 24-27.
West, J., & Meier, C. (2020). Overcrowded classrooms– The Achilles heel of South African education? South African Journal of Childhood Education, 10(1), 1–10.
Yende, S. J. (2024). Democratising the Music Curriculum: Integrating Ubuntugogy for the Africanisation of South African Higher Education. International Journal of Educational Development in Africa, 9(1), 1-14.
Zaini, M. M., Wan, M. K. Z., Kassim, Z. W., Wahab, N. A., Aziz, A., & Sabian. N. A. A. (2024). Understanding The Learning Habits Of English Major Undergraduates Towards The Literature Component In Improving English Language Learning. Educational Administration: Theory and Practice, 30(6), 9-19.
Zondi, S. P., & Mncube, D. W. (2024). A resource or a threat? Codeswitching in the English First Additional Language classroom. African Perspectives of Research in Teaching and Learning, 8(3), 1-15.
Zondi, S. P. (2025). The Integrated Approach to Teaching Literature in English Second Language Classrooms: A Constructivist Lens. International Journal of Learning, Teaching and Educational Research, 24(6), 1-20.
