The investigation of English language teachers' use of literature in the classroom according to various variables

This study aimed to investigate the use of literature in language teaching among English teachers working in secondary and high schools, considering various variables (gender, age, years of teaching experience, graduated program, literature course attendance, and reading habits). The research included 154 English teachers working in private and public secondary and high schools in the districts of Diyarbakır. A mixed research method was employed, using a 40-item Likert scale and a questionnaire consisting of open-ended and closed-ended questions to collect quantitative data. Additionally, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 teachers who volunteered to participate for a more comprehensive exploration of the topic. The interviews were recorded and transcribed by the researcher. The statistical analysis of the quantitative data was conducted using SPSS 26.0, while inductive thematic analysis was employed for the qualitative data analysis. The results showed that English teachers in secondary and high schools agreed on the use of literature in language teaching. The integration of literature in the classroom differed significantly based on gender, age, and reading habits. However, teaching experience, graduated program, and previously attending a literature course did not have an impact on teachers' use of literary works. Furthermore, the study found no significant difference between teachers' use of innovative methods when incorporating literature into language teaching and their gender, age, teaching experience, graduated program, or attending a literature course. It was also found that teachers who read more tended to benefit from employing more innovative methods when language teaching English through literature. However, no significant difference was observed when analyzing teachers' integration of innovative technological resources in language teaching through literary works based on the aforementioned variables. Additionally, teachers' perspectives on their current professional development status and innovative practices differed significantly based solely on their teaching experience. The semi-structured interviews revealed that English teachers held positive attitudes towards the use of literature in language teaching. They believed that this material could effectively improve students' language skills, creativity, and motivation. However, teachers identified certain challenges that hindered their utilization of this material in the language classroom, including limited school facilities, students' language proficiency levels, curriculum constraints, and time limitations. Overall, this study revealed that the use of literature in EFL classrooms differed significantly based on several variables and teachers expressed positive attitudes towards the use of literature in language teaching. At the end of the study, suggestions for future studies are presented in order to achieve better results. Key Words: Literature, English Language Teaching, Use of Literature in English Teaching