Literature in Second Language Education

Dr Piera Carroli is Convener of Italian Studies at the Australian National University, Australia.

"By documenting in extensive detail how learners experience literature in a foreign language, the author engages the reader in a loving voyage of discovery into the multiple perceptions, pleasures and insights gained by readers of foreign literary texts in their study of the language. For teachers and researchers, the book offers easily replicable research approaches and concrete exercises for a cyclical pedagogy of the literary text. This book is a delight. A must for any undergraduate or graduate course in language and literacy education." - Professor Claire Kramsch, Department of German, University of California, Berkeley, USA. "Based on systematic research this is a work that asks us to pause, reflect and re-examine operating assumptions of what constitutes an effective, interesting and engaging second language curriculum." - Professor Joseph Lo Bianco, University of Melbourne, Australia. "What does the world look like to others?": this is one of the implicit questions underlying this wonderful monograph. The corresponding, more concrete, question is, "How do students experience (see) the learning of second language through reading literature?" The results indicate that finding a precise answer to this question is a necessary condition, in order to help students to better learn a second language through reading literature." - Professor Ference Marton, University of Gothenburg, Sweden 'Carroli's study provides ample food for thought and suggests innovative ways to enhance the L2 learning experience through L2 literary texts.' Abstract

• Contents; Introduction: Quo Vadimus?; 1: The Role of Literature in Language Education: Background, Debates, Research and Educational Practice; 2: An Eclectic Approach to Research into Literature in L2 Language Education; 3: Students' Perceptions of Literature; 4: Students' Experiences of Literary Texts: Linking Perceptions of Literature and Study Approaches to Students' Learning Outcomes; 5: Linking Research to Practice: A Pedagogy of Awareness and Change; Conclusion: Enhancing Literature in L2 Language Education - Intersections of Research and Practice; References; Index; Appendix: Survey; Interview Guide; Some Practical Ideas and Applications.