SHORT STORIES IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING

F. Özlem SAKA

Akdeniz University

ozlemsaka@akdeniz.edu.tr

Biodata

Assist. Prof. Dr. F. Özlem Saka is currently working as an Assist. Prof. Dr. at Akdeniz

University, Faculty of Education, ELT Department. She has been teaching courses such as

testing, teaching literature in EFL classes and teacher training. Her main interests are testing,

ESP, teaching literature. She has presented papers at national and international conferences.

without the written permission of IOJET.

Saka, Ö. (2014). Short stories in English language

teaching. International Online Journal of Education

and Teaching (IOJET),1(4), 278-288.

http://iojet.org/index.php/IOJET/article/view/59/77

mailto:ozlemsaka@akdeniz.edu.tr
http://iojet.org/index.php/IOJET/article/view/59/77

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SHORT STORIES IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING

F. Özlem SAKA

ozlemsaka@akdeniz.edu.tr

Abstract

Being an important part of culture, literature should be included in foreign language teaching

programs. As it is written for the native users of the language, it is an authentic material and

presents good examples of target language. Reading literary works gives students great

opportunities to improve their language. Nevertheless, students believe that literature is

difficult to understand, boring and unnecessary. Therefore, teachers who want to use

literature in language classes face a strong resistance of students against studying literature. It

is possible to break the resistance of the students by choosing suitable materials to use and

finding enjoyable activities. In ELT departments, students are taught how to use literature in

EFL situations. This is a descriptive study which shows the ideas of 40 junior students of

ELT department of Akdeniz University about the contributions of studying short stories.

They were given a questionnaire to learn their ideas about the benefits of short stories. The

data were examined through SPSS and the results were interpreted. Their answers showed

that they didn’t find it boring, difficult or unnecessary any more. They also become aware of

the fact that reading short stories has contributed to them in many ways. In the light of the

findings, some suggestions were made related to the use of literature in EFL classes.

Keywords: short stories, teaching literature in EFL classes, English language teaching

1. Introduction

It is an indisputable fact that teaching literature is an important part of foreign language

teaching. As a reflection of culture of the society in which the language is spoken, literature

should be included in all curricula. Literature is an authentic material and by reading literary

texts students face language written for native speakers and try to understand the texts. They

also have to learn literary features such irony, exposition, climax, narration and so on (Collie

& Slater, 1988, pp. 3-4). In this way, literature develops readers’ language and literary

awareness. It is very motivating and it provides them with an understanding of another

culture (Lazar, 1993, pp. 14-15). Together with learning about the culture, students also learn

about the past and present and about people’s customs and traditions (Erkaya, 2005). It can

also be used to reinforce the language skills and complement language teaching (Erkaya,

2005). Literature promotes students’ creativity (Brumfit & Carter, 2000, p.193). It can

stimulate the imagination of students, develop their critical abilities and increase their

emotional awareness (Lazar, 1993, p.19). Another aim of using literature in language

teaching is to encourage students to read and experience it for their personal enrichment

(Pieper, 2006, p.5). While reading literary texts, the interaction between the reader and the

text is very important; personal interpretations and analysis of literature are based on not only

the textual elements but also the readers’ personal views, experiences and feelings (cited in

Khatib, 2011, p. 151). Cruz believes that studying literature enables students to construct

their own interpretation and reflection, according to their own experience, by thinking

critically and comparing and contrasting two different cultures (http://relinguistica.azc.

mailto:ozlemsaka@akdeniz.edu.tr

International Online Journal of Education and Teaching (IOJET),1(4), 278-288.

279

uam.mx/no007/no07_art09.pdf). As long as readers pay attention to what they are reading

and they feel close to the characters and share their emotions, they will feel they are getting

possessions of an unknown territory (Collie & Slater, 1988, p. 6). Vandrick states that

literature motivates students to explore their own feelings through experiencing feelings of

the characters in literature (cited in Erkaya, 2005). As can be seen literature is necessary and

beneficial in EFL classrooms. However, what to teach in literature is the crucial point. Carter

and Long (1991) emphasise this point as in the following:

To encourage personal growth the teacher has to stimulate and enliven students in the

literature class by selecting texts to which students can respond and in which they can

participate imaginatively, by promoting the kind of conditions for learning in the

classroom which will make the reading of literature a memorable, individual and

collective experience and, above all, by enthusiasm for and commitment to the

teaching of literature as literature. (p. 3)

The second step in literature teaching in EFL classrooms is to decide which genre should

be taught first. Short story has some advantages to teach compared to other genres. Collie &

Slater (1988, p. 196) claim that short stories are the ideal way of introducing students to

literature. The short story provides the teacher with a rather convenient vehicle for examining

literary elements in a limited context. Crumbley & Smith (2010, p. 292) state that short

stories connect education with entertainment in order to make learning easier and interesting.

Short stories provoke emotions in us. They inform us how people can behave; they teach us

something about human psychology. In reading a story, we can recognise and understand

ourselves and others (Bohner & Grant, 2006, p. 4). By analysing the short stories, students

start thinking critically.

On the other hand, students believe that literature is something that is boring and difficult

to understand. Lack of literary competence, they believe that they cannot interpret what the

idea given in the literary text is. With this anxiety, mostly they refuse to read literature. In

English language teaching departments there are some literature courses, which are

compulsory. In these courses the students are expected to be familiar with literature and

literary terms and also they should gain ability to use them in their language classes. The

students of English language teaching departments are not expected to improve their literary

competence as much as those of literature departments. In ELT department, literature is only

a means of teaching the foreign language. Therefore, to appreciate literature, to enjoy it and

to get benefits from literature will be enough for such students.

With these ideas in mind, the students of ELT department of Akdeniz University were

exposed to short stories to develop their literary awareness and their abilities to use them.

They were expected not only to analyse the short stories but also to develop some activities to

teach them in language classroom. At the beginning of the course, they were mostly anxious

and against the idea of studying literature. After finishing the education for two months, and

reading7 stories, it was observed that their points of view for the course changed in a positive

way. They started to enjoy literature, join the discussions and activities in class. This was the

starting point of this study. It was tried to find out if the changes observed would reflect from

the ideas of the students in terms of studying short story.

1.1. Problem

What are the benefits of short stories from the perspectives of ELT students?

1.2. Research Questions

With the aim to find an answer for the problem, the following questions are tried to be

answered:

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1. Does studying short stories broaden readers’ perspectives for the events they
have never experienced before?

2. Does studying short stories provide readers with a better understanding for
different behaviour?

3. Does studying short stories enable readers to see the events from different
perspectives?

4. Does studying short stories make readers develop empathy with the people in
different situations?

5. Does studying short stories enable readers to think about the reasons rather
than the result?

6. Does studying short stories show readers different life styles?

7. Does studying short stories increase readers’ understanding about the personal
relations?

8. Does studying short stories provide readers with a comparison between his/
her own culture and other cultures?

9. Does studying short stories teach readers ethical and moral values of other
cultures?

10. Does studying short stories increase readers’ wish to read short stories more?

11. Does studying short stories increase readers’ appreciation for literature?

12. Does studying short stories make readers more tolerant?

2. Method

This is a descriptive study, which shows the ideas of students related to studying short

story. In the study, 40 junior students at the ELT department of Akdeniz University were

exposed to different examples of short stories. Short stories were chosen as the literary genre

to teach literature because they are read in one sitting, as they have limited context, they are

easy to understand and also studying short story is the easiest way to introduce literature to

the students. The stories studied were as follows:

The White Stocking by D.H. Lawrence

Hills Like White Elephants by Ernest Hemingway

The Necklace by Guy de Maupassant

The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry

Button Button by Richard Mathison

The Open Window by Saki

Her First Ball by Katherine Mansfield

In all the stories, beside the literary analysis of the story, students had to discuss the

topics in detail. Sometimes the story ended in a way they were against. At this point, they

tried to see the events from different perspectives and understand the behaviour of the

characters even if they did not behave in the same way they expected them to do.

After having finished studying short stories, students were given a questionnaire to

see their ideas about studying short stories. This questionnaire was prepared under the control

of the field experts. The results were analysed in SPSS statistical program and evaluated.

International Online Journal of Education and Teaching (IOJET),1(4), 278-288.

281

2.1. Research Group

The research group of the study is 40 junior students of ELT department of Akdeniz

University in the 2011- 2012 academic year, fall semester.

2.2. Limitations

1. It was limited to 40 junior students of ELT department of Akdeniz University in the

2011- 2012 academic year fall semester.

2. It was limited to the short stories chosen by the researcher.

2.3. Assumptions

1. As the students are all students of English Language Teaching Department, their level

of English is advanced.

2. It is accepted that literature reflects the differences between language varieties

(Maibodi, 2008) and develops language awareness (Vural, 2013, p.16) and it gives the chance

to students to travel in different cultures (Vural, 2013, p.18). Therefore the study is based on

other benefits of studying short stories rather than linguistic and cultural basis.

3. Findings and Discussion

Students are asked if studying short story broadens readers’ perspectives for the events

they have never experienced before, 51.4% of them say that studying short story broadens

readers’ perspectives for the events they have never experienced before. Besides, 37.8% of

the participants partly agree with this idea. The results can be seen in Graph I:

Graph 1. Short story broadens readers’ perspectives

QUESTION 1

51,4%

37,8%

8,1%

2,7%

agree

partly agree

neither agree nor di

partly disagree

They are asked if reading short story provides readers with a better understanding as the

2
nd

question. The first group with the ratio 51.4% believes that it provides with a better

understanding and the second group that follows it with the ratio 37.8% supports this idea

with the answer ‘partly agree’. Graph 2 shows the distribution as in the following:

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Graph 2. Short story provides a better understanding

QUESTION 2

54,1%

37,8%

5,4%

2,7%

agree

partly agree

neither agree nor di

partly disagree

In the third question they are asked if studying short story enables readers to see the events

from different perspectives. For this question, 59.5% of the group accept the idea that

studying short story enables readers to see the events from different perspectives. The

following graph shows the result:

Graph 3. Short story enables readers to see events from different perspectives

QUESTION 3

59,5%

35,1%

2,7%

agree

partly agree

neither agree nor di

disagree

They are asked if studying short story makes readers develop empathy with the people in

different situations. 35.1% of the students agree that studying short story makes them develop

empathy with the people in different situations. The highest ratio, 45.9%, belongs to the

students who partly agree with this idea. The result is shown in Graph 4 below:

International Online Journal of Education and Teaching (IOJET),1(4), 278-288.

283

Graph 4. Short story makes readers develop empathy

QUESTION 4

35,1%

45,9%

10,8%

8,1%

agree

partly agree

neither agree nor di

partly disagree

When students are asked if studying short story enables readers to think about the reasons

rather than the result, 35.1% agree with the idea and 40.5% partly agree. The ratio of the

people who do not agree is 18.9% and 5.4% of the group disagree with the idea. Graph 5

shows the ratio of different answers given for the question below:

Graph 5. Short story enables readers to think about the reasons rather than the result

QUESTION 5

35,1%

40,5%

18,9%

5,4%

agree

partly agree

neither agree nor di

partly disagree

They are asked if studying short story shows different life styles. More than the half of the

group believes that studying short story shows readers different life styles. 32.4% partly agree

with this idea. 8.1% do not have any idea for this question. Graph 6 shows the answers given

for this question:

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Graph 6. Short story shows different life styles

QUESTION 6

59,5%

32,4%

8,1%

agree

partly agree

neither agree nor di

When they are asked if studying short story increases readers’ understanding about the

personal relations, 40.5% say that studying short story increases readers’ understanding about

the personal relations. 43.2% of the group partly agree with this idea. The others do not have

any positive or negative ideas. The distribution of the answers among the participants can be

shown as in Graph 7 below:

Graph 7. Short story increases readers’ understanding

QUESTION 7

40,5%

43,2%

16,2%

agree

partly agree

neither agree nor di

Question 8 was about the effect of short story on the comparison between readers’ own

culture and other cultures. 40.5% of the group believe that studying short story provides

readers with a comparison between his/her own culture and other cultures. Other 40.5% of

the group partly agree with this idea. 18.9% do not make a decision about this point. Graph 8

shows the result as in the following:

International Online Journal of Education and Teaching (IOJET),1(4), 278-288.

285

Graph 8. Short story provides readers with a comparison between his/her own culture and

other cultures

QUESTION 8

40,5%

18,9%

agree

partly agree

neither agree nor di

When they are asked if studying short story teaches readers ethical and moral values of

other cultures, nearly half of the group say ‘yes’. 37.8% partly agree with the idea. While

13.5% do not make a choice, 2.7% disagree with this idea. Graph 9 below shows the ratio of

the participants who believe they learn about the ethical and moral values of other cultures,

thanks to literature:

Graph 9. Short story teaches readers ethical and moral values

QUESTION 9

45,9%

37,8%

13,5%

2,7%

agree

partly agree

neither agree nor di

disagree

They are asked if studying short story increases readers’ wish to read short stories

more, 56.8% of the group want to read short stories more. 16.2% partly agree with this idea.

21.6% do not have any idea. 5.4% do not want to read more. Graph 10 shows the distribution

of the answers as in the following:

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Graph 10. Short story increases readers’ wish to read more

They are asked if studying short story increases readers’ appreciation for literature, 40.5%

of the group accept that studying short story increases readers’ appreciation for literature.

43.2% partly agree with this. 13.5% do not say anything. 2.7% disagree with the idea. Their

answers are shown in Graph 11 below:

Graph 11. Short story increases readers’ appreciation for literature

QUESTION 11

40,5%

43,2%

13,5%

2,7%

agree

partly agree

neither agree nor di

partly disagree

When they are asked if studying short story makes readers more tolerant, 32.4% say that

studying short story makes readers more tolerant. 29.7% partly agree with this idea. 27.0%

have no idea. 8.1% disagree with it. Graph 12 shows how much the participants believe that

short story makes them more tolerant:

International Online Journal of Education and Teaching (IOJET),1(4), 278-288.

287

Graph 12. Short story makes readers more tolerant

QUESTION 12

32,4%

29,7%

27,0%

2,7%

8,1%

agree

partly agree

neither agree nor di

partly disagree

disagree

4. Conclusion and Suggestions

Students believe that short story broadens their perspectives. When they read different

stories and see different lives and events which they have never experienced before, they

realise that the same event can be seen differently from different perspectives. Seeing the

same event from different perspective provides them with a better understanding. While they

are reading the short story, they sometimes have the feeling or the idea of the character as if

they were their own. Therefore they mostly agree that short story develops empathy.

Examining lives of other people in the short stories shows students that people should think

of the reasons for something rather than the result, which we tend to do the opposite. It is

clear that short stories present different lives and life styles. It increases understanding for the

events or behaviour around us. It is a good way to read short stories to see the similarities and

differences between cultures. Students agree that each story gives an idea or moral to the

readers. Reading short story increases their wish to read more. It also increases their

appreciation for literature, which is the main aim of the literature course. By reading good

examples of literature, students will be aware of the world of short stories. These findings are

similar to those of Erkaya (2005, p.10), who claims that short stories provide readers with

literary, cultural and thinking facilities. On the other hand, despite the positive changes in

their feelings and ideas, when the students are asked about a change in behaviour, the answer

is not the same. They cannot say that reading literature made them tolerant. It may be easy to

change ideas, feelings or thoughts but not behaviour or attitudes. This may be the reason why

they do not say that they will be more tolerant.

As a result, the suggestions to be made for this study are as follows:

1. Short stories should be included in all the curricula and students should be
encouraged to study them.

2. Short stories should be chosen carefully according to the needs or interests of
the students and supported with suitable activities to develop their critical thinking.

3. During literature sessions, students should be given opportunities to express
their own ideas.

4. Booklets or materials based on short stories should be prepared with
supportive activities to improve the language level, cultural understanding and

interpretative abilities of students.

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