The use of Literary Texts to improve Reading Comprehension in the EFL Classroom : Användningen av litterära texter i engelsk undervisningen för att förbättra läsförståelsen

There is a growing concern that a considerable number of adolescents and aslo students entering university studies in Sweden have not reached a satisfactory reading comprehension in English. A body of research has acknowledged the advantage of literature reading to enhance reading comprehension in the EFL (English as a foreign language) classroom. This study sets out to explore the benefits, challenges and approaches to literature reading that can contribute to enhanced reading comrehension. The method used was primarily a systematic seach of scholarly databases to identify relevant empirical studies. The results showed that literature reading has positive effects on reading comprehension and is valuable in many different ways. It can have an encouraging effect which make learners more prone to engage with the text and subsequently motivate to further reading. Another reason is that literary texts can help overcome demanding linguistic features in the English language. However, it was also discovered that literary reading has a peripheral role in the syllabus for English which has impacts on its implementation and subsequent teaching practices. This study makes a contribution to a more evidence-based approach to English teaching in Sweden by raising awareness to the benefits and challenges of literature reading in the EFL classroom.