Recent Experimental Research on Short Story Effectiveness in EFL Classrooms: A Review
Abstract
In the past decades, there has been a strong belief that short stories are powerful pedagogical tool educators can use to help EFL students optimize their learning, Much has been said about short stories’ effectiveness in the reinforcement of language skills development and language components learning. They are also claimed to be more effective than other materials and tools to empower EFL students to use English in socially and culturally appropriate ways as they facilitate students to engage with rich, authentic target language uses (Cameron, 2001) and offer motivating source to transmit information and ideas, nurture values and beliefs, and convey subliminal messages (King, 2001). Yet, available studies still lack essentials like what specific aspects of EFL learning have profited from short story use and how short story efficacies were exactly measured. This review aims at exploring the trend in 35 experimental research on short stories use in EFL classrooms published in 2011-2020, what they say about short stories efficacy, and the identified gaps that future research needs to address. The results will hopefully provide teachers, researchers, curriculum designers, and policymakers with a clearer understanding of short stories use in EFL classrooms.
References
REFERENCES
Abrams, M.H. (1999). A Glossary of literary terms. London: Harcourt Brace College Publishers.
Ahmed, N. (2017). Vocabulary Enhancement of Female ESL Learners through Short Stories: A Rural/ Urban Perspective. Language and Language Teaching Journal, 20(2), 113–138. https://doi.org/ 10.24071/llt.2017.200207
Arjmandi, M., & Aladini, F. (2020). Improving EFL Learners’ Vocabulary Learning Through Short Story Oriented Strategy (SSOS). Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 10(7), 833–841. http://dx.doi.org/10.17507/tpls.1007.16
Bartan, Ö. Ş. (2017). The Effects of Reading Short Stories in Improving Foreign Language Writing Skills. The Reading Matrix: An International Online Journal, 17(1), 59–74.
Bhatti, M. S., Arshad, A., & Mukhtar, R. (2020). Improving Vocabulary through Short Stories at Elementary Level. 55–62.
Cameron, L. (2001). Teaching languages to young learners. Cambridge University Press.
Carter, R., & N Long, M. (1991). Teaching literature. Longman.
Collie, J., & Slater, S. (1991). Literature in the language classroom (5th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
Crumbley & Smith, (2010) Using short Stories to teach critical thinking and communication skills to tax students. Accounting Education: An international Journal, 9(3), 291-296
Erkaya, O. R. (2005). Benefits of Using Short Stories in the EFL Context. Asian EFL Journal, 8, 38-49.
Frimasary, A. E. (2015). Using Short Story to Improve Students Reading Comprehension (A Study at the Second Year Student of SMPN 2 Kota Bengkulu). Journal of Linguistics and Language Teaching, 2(2), 1–8.
Gall, M. D., Borg, W. R., & Gall, J. P. (2003). Educational Research: An Introduction (7th ed.). Allyn & Bacon. /content/one-dot-com/one-dot-com/us/en/higher-education/product.html
Ghazanfari, M., Ziaee, M., & Sharifianfar, E. (2014). The Impact of Illustrations on Recall of Short Stories. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 98, 572–579. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2014.03.453
Ghosn, I. K. (2002). Four good reasons to use literature in primary school ELT. ELT Journal, 56(2), 172–179. https://doi.org/10.1093/elt/56.2.172
Gorjian, B., Moosavinia, S. R., & Shahramiri, P. (2011). Effects of Oral Summary of Short Stories on Male/Female Learner’ Speaking Proficiency. The Iranian EFL Journal, 4, 34–66.
Gusenbauer, M. (2019). Google Scholar to overshadow them all? Comparing the sizes of 12 academic search engines and bibliographic databases. Scientometrics, 118(1), 177–214. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-018-2958-5
Hadidi, N., & Hassanzadeh, L. (2012). The Effect of Digital Stories on Enhancing Iranian Pre-intermediate EFL Learners’ Listening Comprehension. Journal of English Language Pedagogy and Practice, 5(11), 29–44.
Hasbaini, H., & Manan, A. (2017). Teaching reading comprehension by using short stories. English Education Journal, 8(3), 404–423.
Heidari, A., Tabrizi, H. H., & Chalak, A. (2020). Using short stories vs. video clips to improve upper intermediate EFL students’ sociopragmatic knowledge: Speech acts in focus. Cogent Arts & Humanities, 7(1), 1778977. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311983.2020.1778977
Hill, J. (1994). Using literature in language teaching. Macmillan.
Iman, J. N. (2017). A Quasi-Experimental Study on Using Short Stories: Statistical and Inferential Analyses on the Non-English Major University Students’ Speaking and Writing Achievements. International Journal of Languages’ Education and Teaching, 5(1), 421–433.
Khalili, E., & Rezvani, E. (2015). The Effect of Online Short Story Reading on Iranian Intermediate EFL Learners’ L2 Reading Comprehension Ability. Journal of Applied Linguistics and Language Research, 2(8), 243–249.
Khatib, M., & Mehrgan, K. (2012). Achieving Critical Thinking Skills through Reading Short Stories. Advances in Digital Multimedia (ADMM), 1(3), 166–172.
Kim, Y.-H. (2018). Utilizing Literary Texts in the College EFL Classrooms: Focused on Linguistic Aspects and Affective Ones. Journal of Convergence for Information Technology, 8(3), 145–152. https://doi.org/10.22156/CS4SMB.2018.8.3.145
King, A. (2001). Beyond Cinderella: Using stories with secondary and adult learners. BETA- IATEFL: Language and Linguistic Studies, 4(2), 94–106.
Kitchenham, B., & Brereton, P. (2013). A systematic review of systematic review process research in software engineering. Information and Software Technology, 55(12), 2049–2075. https://doi.org/ 10.1016/j.infsof.2013.07.010
Laadi, W. A. (2014). The Use of Short Story in Teaching Pronunciation of English Vowel Sounds. E-Journal of ELTS (English Language Teaching Society), 2(2), Article 2. http://jurnal.untad.ac.id/jurnal/ index.php/ELTS/article/view/3033
Lao, C. Y., & Krashen, S. (2000). The impact of popular literature study on literacy development in EFL: More evidence for the power of reading. System, 28(2), 261–270. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0346-251X(00)00011-7
Lazar, G. (1993). Literature and language teaching. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Mahboobeh, K., Khosravani, M., & Khoosf, S. G. (2014). Fostering EFL Learners’ Speaking and Listening Skills via Oral Activities of Reading Short Stories. International Journal of Language Learning and Applied Linguistics, 5(1), 254–260.
Maleki, N. A., & Abdollahpour, Z. (2012). A Tale of One Story in Two Modes: Digital Flash Stories vs. Printed Stories. Australian Journal of Basic and Applied Sciences, 6(9), 96–101.
Mohammadnejad, L. (2018). The Effect of Reading Short Stories on Learning English Collocation among Pre-Intermediate EFL Learners. Journal of Sociological Research, 9(1), 102–116. https://doi.org/10.5296/jsr.v9i1.12553
Mourão, S. (2009). Using Stories in the Primary Classroom. In BritLit: Using Literature in EFL Classrooms (pp. 17–26). The British Council.
Murdoch, G. (2002). Exploiting Well Known Short Stories for Language Skills Development. IATEFL LCS SIG Newsletter, 23, 9–17.
Nafiseh Asadzadeh Maleki, Z. A. (2012). The impact of exposure to digital flash stories on Iranian EFL learners’ written reproduction of short stories. Canadian Journal on Scientific and Industrial Research, 3(2), 40–53.
Nasirahmadi, A., Madarsara, F. A., & Aghdam, H. R. (2014). Cultural Issues and Teaching Literature for Language Learning. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 98, 1325–1330. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2014.03.549
Nozen, S. Z., Kalajahi, S. A. R., Abdullah, A. N., & Jabbarzadeh, H. (2017). An Investigation of the Impacts of Teaching Writing Skill Through Extensive Short Story Reading. Journal of Nusantara Studies (JONUS), 2(1), 53–70. https://doi.org/10.24200/jonus.vol2 iss1pp53-70
Omidi, M., & Zafarghandi, A. M. (2016). The Effect of Short-story Retelling on Iranian Intermediate EFL Learners’ Speaking Skill. Journal of Applied Linguistics and Language Research, 3(4), 234–252.
Ompusunggu, R. M. (2018). The Effectiveness of Short Story Use On Students’ Speaking Skill Development at SMPN 160 Jakarta. Journal of English Teaching, 4(3), 195–204. https://doi.org/10.33541/ jet.v4i3.856
Pardede, P. (2021). A Review of Current Conceptual Research on Short Stories Use in EFL Classrooms. Journal of English Teaching, 7(1), 31–42. https://doi.org/10.33541/jet.v7i1.2595
Parkinson, B., & Thomas, H. R. (2000). Teaching literature in a second language. Edinburgh: Oxford University Press.
Parvareshbar, F., & Ghoorchaei, B. (2016). The Effect of Using Short Stories on Vocabulary Learning of Iranian EFL Learners. Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 6(7), 1476–1483. https://doi.org/ 10.17507/tpls.0607.20
Parviz, A., Zohrabi, M., & Nouazad, T. (2014). The Effect of Summarizing Short Stories on Iranian EFL Learners’ Vocabulary Learning. International Journal on Studies in English Language and Literature, 2(9), 100–113.
Pathan, M. M. (2013). Use of Short Stories in EFL Classroom: Advantages and Implications. Labyrinth: An International Refereed Journal of Postmodern Studies, 4(2), 21–26.
Permadi, R. (2019). Online Literary Text Usage on the Studentsâ€TM Reading Comprehension. JET Adi Buana, 4(1), 35–47. https://doi.org/10.36456/jet.v4.n1.2019.1883
Pourkalhor, O., & Kohan, N. (2013). Teaching Reading Comprehension through Short Stories in Advance Classes. Asian Journal of Social Sciences & Humanities, 2(2), 52–60.
Pradana, S. A. (2015). The Effect of English Short Story Reading Habit on Students’ Ability in Writing Narrative Text. English Education: Jurnal Tadris Bahasa Inggris, 8(1), 17–38. https://doi.org/10.24042/ee-jtbi.v8i1.507
Prensky, M. (2001). Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants Part 1 | Emerald Insight. On the Horizon, 9(5), 1–6. https://doi.org/10.1108/ 10748120110424816
Rad, N. R., & Moghimizadeh, R. P. (2014). Impact of Short Story Books as Extensive Reading on Vocabulary Development among EFL Learners of Jahad-Daneshgahi Language Institute in Kerman. Journal of Applied Environmental and Biological Sciences, 4(1), 51–59.
Rahimi, M., & Yadollahi, S. (2017). Effects of offline vs. Online digital storytelling on the development of EFL learners’ literacy skills. Cogent Education, 4(1), 1285531. https://doi.org/10.1080/ 2331186X.2017.1285531
Rodriguez, G. L. A. (2017). Students’ Language Skills Development through Short Stories. Íkala, 22(1), 103–118. https://doi.org/ 10.17533/udea.ikala.v22n01a07
Sagita, D. N. (2019). Using Short Story Strategy to Develop Reading Comprehension of Grade Eight Students. E-Journal of ELTS (English Language Teaching Society), 7(3), Article 3. http://jurnal. untad.ac.id/jurnal/index.php/ELTS/article/view/13980
Savvidou, C. (2004). Savvidou—An Integrated Approach to Teaching Literature in the EFL Classroom (TESL/TEFL). The Internet TESL Journal, 10(2). http://iteslj.org/Techniques/Savvidou-Literature. html
Sentürk, S., & Kahraman, A. (2020). The Use of Short Stories in English Language Teaching and Its Benefits on Grammar Learning. International Journal of Curriculum and Instruction, 12(2), 533–559.
Shuchi, I. J., & Islam, A. B. M. S. (2016). Teachers’ and Students’ Attitudes towards L1 Use in EFL Classrooms in the Contexts of Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia. English Language Teaching, 9(12), 62–73.
Sultan, A., Nafi, J., Qabaja, Z., & Al-abed, S. (2018). The Effect of Using Short Stories on the Development of 5th Graders’ Reading Comprehension Skills in Hebron District—EA Journals. Journal of English Language and Literature Studies, 5(4), 1–27.
Sultan, A., Nafi, J., Qabaja, Z., & Al-abed, S. (2020). The Effectiveness of Short Story to Improve Students’ Reading Comprehension. The SEALL Journal, 1(1), 42–49.
Tarakçıoğlu, A. Ö., & Tunçarslan, H. K. (2014). The Effect of Short Stories on Teaching Vocabulary to Very Young Learners (Aged 3-4-Year): A Suggested Common Syllabus. Journal of Language and Linguistic Studies, 10(2), 67–84.
Wijayanti, E. (2020). The Effect of Reading Newspaper and Short Stories on Students’ Vocabulary Size at Cenderawasih University Setting. ENGLISH FRANCA : Academic Journal of English Language and Education, 4(1), 17–34. https://doi.org/10.29240/ef.v4i1.1158
- View 632 times Download 632 times pdf
Copyright (c) 2021 JET (Journal of English Teaching)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Copyrights for articles published in JET are retained by the authors, with first publication rights granted to the journal. The journal/publisher is not responsible for subsequent uses of the work. It is the author's responsibility to bring an infringement action if so desired by the author.
