The role of literature in developing speaking and writing skills of higher secondary school students

Abstract

This paper investigates the role of literature (short stories) in developing speaking and writing skills among students at higher secondary school level in district Swat Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Pakistan. Literature reveals that current practice of teaching English at higher secondary schools is Grammar Translation Method (GTM), in which word to word translation is done and language is taught through first language. Besides, emphasis is on rote learning and memorization which leads to the development of convergent thinking of students. Thus, students are expected to arrive at a single correct answer. Studies have revealed that literature plays a key role in developing speaking and writing skills of students. Most of the previous research is reported on primary schools level. There is a dearth of studies on how literature plays an important role in developing speaking and writing skills of students at higher secondary level. Moreover, in the current literature, the role of literature specially short stories and other similar contents have been overlooked and underestimated related to developing speaking and writing skills of students. For this purpose, the researcher conducted a survey to find out the role of short story in developing writing and speaking skills of students at higher secondary school level. To collect data, the researcher designed and administered a structured questionnaire to 302 students. The students were selected through random sampling method. The findings of the study testify that teaching of English language through literature helps students develop their speaking and writing skills. The study also found that perception of female versus male students towards the role of literature in developing speaking and writing skills of students at higher secondary school level was more or less the same with exception to a few statements where the difference was significant. Based on the results, the paper suggests that literature (short story) may be used as a technique for developing speaking and writing skills of students.