Promoting Literary Reading in Lower Secondary English Language Classrooms

Reading literary texts in their original version presents notable challenges in the Swiss lower secondary English language classroom. Not only are students’ English language skills still developing, but teachers often lack methodological support. This article outlines a design-based research study aimed at addressing these issues. Two teaching sequences, based on existing theory and research in the fields of Second Language Acquisition (SLA) and literary studies, were developed through close collaboration between a researcher and a practitioner. The teaching sequences were designed to facilitate students’ literary reading abilities, with the added benefit of providing support for teachers. The study analyzed students’ creative textual outcomes using qualitative content analysis to trace processes of literary comprehension. Findings showed that both interventions supported students in making interpretative inferences and empathizing with fictional characters’ emotions (signs of literary comprehension), and that they did so across the spectrum of students’ overall language proficiencies. In addition to demonstrating the feasibility and impact of the teaching sequences, the study offers valuable empirical insights into the process of literary reading in the English language classroom. Notably, the findings challenge the assumption that advanced language competence is a prerequisite for successful literary interpretation.