178 AMERICAN Journal of Language, Literacy and Learning in STEM Education www. grnjournal.us AMERICAN Journal of Language, Literacy and Learning in STEM Education Volume 02, Issue 09, 2024 ISSN (E): 2993-2769 Engaging EFL Learners in Literature by Comparing Books to Their Film Adaptations in Higher Education Khamidullaeva Nigora Murodilla kizi Master student of NSIFL Abstract. This article investigates an innovative technique of the recent approach Teaching English through literature that is titled teaching English through literature in higher education by comparing books to their film adaptations where students are not only involved in learning literature, but also can enhance their language skills and systems. Key words: Artificial intelligence, language area, language system, intercultural competence, comparison, film adaptations, productive and receptive skills. Introduction. Currently, it is vital to engage learners in acquiring languages with the help of new techniques, methods, activities, especially, in the century of technology, where the usage of an artificial intelligence (AI) became mostly common amongst youth. This article suggests a modern technique of the approach Teaching English through literature (TETL) that is called teaching English through literature in higher education by comparison of real books with their movie adaptations which can develop students` not only receptive and productive lingo skills (reading, speaking, listening and writing) and areas (grammar and vocabulary), but also flourishes students’ cross-cultural understanding and critical thinking abilities. According to Silverstein (2023) readers can communicate and build relationship with the author that does not exist with another medium. Melanie Moreno (2023) states that film adaptations present viewer`s vivid imagination while books challenge readers interpret the story in their own unique way that is the major variation between books and movies. Author believes that it is better to combine reading and watching in order to enrich learners` English language. How to do it? Earlier Methods Turgunova (2020) considers that a reader can discover the way, the characters in such literary works see the planet outside, their feelings, customs, and traditions, what they are doing, believe in, how they speak and behave in several places, parties. Abdu Nagi and Karajgi (2005) states that approach needs a very skillful teacher who can read the needs of his learners. The four skills of learning a language can be involved; reading, writing, listening and speaking. Literature provides learners with a wide range of vocabulary items or syntactic items. The best chance for learners to enhance their vocabulary is through literature. The different types of literature are useful in the process of teaching English. At the same time, it is not a bed of roses for the teacher. Some problems might appear and make the teaching process risky. There are various methods of implementing TETL into EFL classroom that take account of role playing, drama, learning and analyzing poems; singing a song, translations of novels, writing a text by students and so on. According to Murat Kisman oglu (2005) many language teachers make their students translate literary texts like drama, poetry and short stories into the mother tongue. Since translation gives students the chance to practice the lexical, 179 AMERICAN Journal of Language, Literacy and Learning in STEM Education www. grnjournal.us syntactic, semantic, pragmatic and stylistic knowledge they have acquired in other courses, translation both as an application area covering four basic skills and as the fifth skill is emphasized in language teaching. Abdu Nagi, Karajgi (2009) states that students’ need of the specific literary texts should be taken into consideration. Some students have literary talent, so they have to express their emotions. The teacher motivates such students either to write a poem in English or to write a short story. Some students like dramatization, so teacher can get benefit of their skills to play dramatic roles on the stage; it should be a theatre stage, it can be a class stage or a school/ college stage. For instance, the story of Shivaji Mahraj can be performed on the stage in English. Students will get amusement because they deviate from the lecture method in the class as well; they can use English in role playing activities. Some students like singing; the teacher can choose a poem easy to be sung. Other students have writing talents in which they can write a story of their own or they can write an essay or any literary text. Here, the teacher can suggest some titles and can be the guide for such talent learners. Benefits of an innovative technique. Author considers that the percentage of reading books decreased amongst today`s youth, on accounting of being addicted to address AI information rather than using their minds that leads to the danger of becoming out of thought. Current research of innovative technique of TETL in higher education by comparing original books with their film adaptations allows learners to boost several life skills such as, critical and creative thinking and cross-cultural understanding including language skills. Both reading books and watching films has advantages and disadvantages. Reading books has advantages together with improving readers` imagination, deeply explanation of the scene, enhancing language skills, maintaining emotional connection with the author, stimulating cognitive benefits, having reflection and interpretation of the content by their own. Furthermore, advantages of movies counting visual representation of the narrative, settings and characters, involving less time to read, convenience of getting the idea as well as psychological impact. The main aim of the contemporary technique of TETL in higher education is getting learners keen on doing extensive reading, clearly, reading novels through contrasting them with their movie adaptations, development of four language skills, enhancement of critical thinking, awareness of foreign literature and formation of creativity. Where does it work? It works in higher education or upper secondary Education; with the upper-intermediate level learners from age 14 where readers can discuss and analyze specifically. The period is chosen according to the circumstances, approximately, at once a month or twice a week. At the beginning, teacher should set achievable goals, give clear instructions and choose an appropriate level book. How it works? It is considered to be taught in three steps. Primary step is called extensive reading where it is important to select a reading source that has a film adaptation and set a deadline according to the curriculum of the course. The second one is movie time. In this step, students are to take notes in the worksheets which is prepared beforehand and analyze the differences. In the last, comparison step, students contrast the changes in an oral discussion, afterward, a written discussion is given as a home task. Investigation. First of all, at the beginning of the investigation, teacher selects four specialized groups such as: group 1-traditional class, group 2-readers, group 3-movie-watchers and group 4-compariser. During the academic year, those groups are taught according to the selected curriculum. At the beginning term, teacher conducts a diagnostic test to identify the level of the learners. Subsequently, the curriculum is chosen for each group. For instance, in the traditional class, the program is followed in a usual style. In the second group, the program is based on only reading tasks including several subskills as skimming, scanning, intensive and extensive reading and etcetera. In the third group, the audience is taught via demonstrating visual medias. In the other team, the learners are taught in comparative style as it is explained above. After each term, participants are evaluated and teacher measures the progress. At the end, the results are compared with the first one. 180 AMERICAN Journal of Language, Literacy and Learning in STEM Education www. grnjournal.us Conclusion. To sum up, the usage of an artificial intelligence became habitually common among young people, that is why, it is vital to implement new techniques, methods, activities, especially, in the digital age. Teaching English through literature in higher education by comparison of real books with their movie adaptations is a modern technique that can attract several types learners including: visual, auditory and kinesthetic ones, especially, where most of learners gave up reading books. The authors believe that it is better to combine reading and watching in order to enrich students` not only receptive and productive language skills, but also improves students’ cross-cultural understanding and critical thinking abilities. WORKS CITED: 1) Stern, S. 1991. “An Integrated Approach to Literature in ESL / EFL” in Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language. ed. Murcia, M. Boston: Heinle & Heinle Publishers. (1991:337). 2) Collie, J. and S. Slater. 1990. Literature in the Language Classroom: A Resource Book of Ideas and Activities. Cambridge: CUP. 3) Hiller, J.P. 1983. “Teaching Poetry in the Foreign Language Classroom: Theory and Practice.” Unpublished PhD Dissertation. 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