The Integrated Approach to Teaching Literature in English Second Language Classrooms: A Constructivist Lens

This study explores how the integrated approach enhances ESL learners’ linguistic and critical thinking skills through literature teaching in South African high schools. Specifically, it explores the teachers’ insights and whether an integrated approach is helpful in ESL literature classrooms. Teachers find the literature complex and challenging for the learners and opt to use traditional and teacher-centred approaches to teach literature. This qualitative case study purposefully sampled 12 ESL teachers from three high schools in one South African education district. Participants verbalised their thoughts and experiences through face-to-face semi-structured interviews. The recorded, transcribed and coded interviews were thematically analysed. The findings revealed that teachers use various approaches but in silos. Those aware of the positive impact of an integrated approach to literature teaching use it to develop learners' linguistic and critical thinking skills. There is still a lack of a deeper understanding of the benefits of using an integrated approach in the ESL classroom. The findings advocate for using an integrated, learner-centred approach that can develop learners’ critical thinking and analysis skills. Also, the advancement of multilingual pedagogies and technology use in literature teaching.