An investigation of high school students' attitudes towards English language learning by using literary texts

This qualitative study was conducted at a public high school in a rural area of Şanlıurfa province, Turkey, involving high school students with A2 proficiency level in English. The coursebooks used in their English lessons exceeded their language proficiency, which contributed to language acquisition challenges due to the artificial content and limited opportunities for the real-life usage of English. Consequently, students developed negative attitudes toward English lessons and the language learning process, leading to interruptions in their language development. In this study, literary texts selected based on the students' interests and needs, along with lesson plans aligned with the intended outcomes of these texts, were implemented with 36 students over a 7-week period. The aim of the study was to explore changes in students' attitudes toward English and the language learning process. After each lesson, students were asked to write their experiences and attitudes towards the literary texts and the lessons in their journals. At the end of the study, these journals were collected and analyzed through content analysis using a coding method. The findings indicated that incorporating literary texts into English lessons had a positive impact on students' attitudes toward English and the language learning process. Additionally, the study observed a positive increase in students' interest and attitudes toward literary texts throughout the implementation period.