POPULAR AND DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF ALGERIA MINISTRY OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH UNIVERSITY OF TLEMCEN FACULTY OF LETTERS AND LANGUAGES DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES SECTION OF ENGLISH Teaching Anglo-Saxon Literature through Film Adaptations: Case of 2nd Year EFL Students at the University of Tlemcen Dissertation Submitted to the Department of Foreign Languages as a Partial Fulfilment of the ‘Magister’ Degree in Didactics of Literary and Civilisation Texts Presented by: Supervised by: Mr Omar RAHMOUN Dr Radia BENYELLES Board of the Examiners Prof. Smail BENMOUSSAT President University of Tlemcen Dr. Radia BENYELLES (MC’A’) Supervisor University of Tlemcen Prof. Fewzia BEDJAOUI External Examiner University of Sidi Belabbes Dr. Hafida HAMZAOUI (MC’A’) Internal Examiner University of Tlemcen Dr. Ghouti HADJOUI (MC’A’) Internal Examiner University of Tlemcen Academic Year: 2012-2013 DEDICATIONS To my dear parents, my beloved sisters and my sweet nephews. I ACKNOWLEDGMENTS First of all, I would like to express my wholehearted gratitude and thanks to my supervisor Dr Radia Benyelles for her sense of altruism, dulcet support, incommensurable help and priceless guidance. I thank you for all what you did for me throughout the achievement of this academic endeavour. My sincere thanks go to the honourable members of the jury, namely, Prof Smail Benmoussat, Dr Ghouti Hadjoui and Dr Hafida Hamzaoui for their savoir- faire, generosity and benignity. My thanks go also to Prof Fewzia Bedjaoui for accepting to make the move from Sidi Belabbes to take part in evaluating and examining this modest work. I seize this opportunity to express my thankfulness to my teachers who permitted me to learn from their experience and knowledge during the theoretical year notably: Dr Ali Baiche for his authenticity, Dr Rahmouna Zidane for her guidance, Dr Ilhem Serrir for her kindness and Dr Faiza Senouci for her encouraging feedbacks. I am extremely indebted to the teachers who helped me and encouraged me during these two last years, especially, Mrs Wassila Mouro, Mr Farid Frid, Mrs Souad Berbar, Mr Abedellatif Semmoud, Mr Abderrazak Benziane and all the teachers of the section of English. I could never thank enough the teachers and the students who participated in this research. Thank you for your kind cooperation. At last but not least, I warmly thank those who supported me -fortunately there are many- mainly Mr Mohammed Khelladi, Mr Ahmed Mehdaoui, Mr Khireddine Khellifi and all those who contributed to the fulfillment of this dissertation. II ABSTRACT With the speedy development of technology, it becomes a necessity for English language teachers to think about new effective ways to create a better foreign language teaching and learning environment. As a result, the use of multimedia as instructional tools has become increasingly popular in the foreign language teaching field and, particularly, in the teaching of literature. One of the most promising multimedia technologies which has gained momentum in literature teaching is film adaptations. However, at the University of Tlemcen, a certain reluctance is witnessed vis-à-vis the use of such a visual material. Accordingly, the aim of this research is to provide evidences that demonstrate the suitability of film adaptations for the teaching of literature. Furthermore, the motive behind such research is, hopefully, to provide a threshold for a larger use of this kind of materials. For the sake of reaching such aim, a case study is conducted at the University of Tlemcen involving second year EFL students and literature teachers. Relying on three different instruments, not least students’ questionnaire, tests and teachers’ interview, this empirical study attempts to disclose the actual status of adaptations in situ, canvassing the informants’ opinion and gauging the pedagogical assets that films might offer. The findings that the present research unveiled denote that film adaptations are to a considerable extent beneficial to the teaching of literature. Admittedly, it is shown that adaptations offer a rewarding learning atmosphere and, most importantly, promote students’ understanding of literary texts’ content. Besides, such materials are positively perceived by students due to the fact that the striking majority of them are audio-visual learners prone to watch rather than to read. In the light of such results, it is revealed that film adaptations seem worth to be used as an instructional tool in literature courses. Yet, for a fruitful use, it is suggested that, both, teachers and students take into account a couple of issues, notably, the selection of the adaptation, the, the use of captions, teachers’ and students’ role in addition to the use of tasks. III TABLE OF CONTENTS Dedication………………………………………….………………………........ I Acknowledgments…………………………………………………………… II Abstract………………………………………………………………………… III Table of contents………………………………………………………………. IV List of Tables…………………………………………………………………… IX List of Figures………………………………………………………………….. X List of Acronyms…………………………….………………………………… XI General Introduction………………………..……………………………… 1 Chapter One: Review of Literature 1-1-Introduction…………………………………………………………….... 8 1-2-Literature Defined………………………………………….………….… 8 1-2-1-Literature and Society............................................................................... 9 1-2-3-Literary Elements...................................................................................... 10 1-3-Literature, a Controversial Issue in EFL Classrooms…........................... 11 1-3-1- Proponent Literature Arguments............................................................ 11 1-3-1-1-Literature as a Linguistic Model.......................................................... 12 1-3-1-2-Literature as a source of Cultural Enrichment.................................. 12 1-3-1-3-Literature as a Motivating Material..................................................... 13 1-3-2- Opponent Literature Arguments............................................................ 13 1-4-Approaches to Teaching Literature............................................................ 15 1-4-1- Critical Approach...................................................................................... 15 1-4-2- Stylistic Approach..................................................................................... 16 1-5- Models of Teaching Literature in EFL context......................................... 16 1-5-1-The Cultural Model................................................................................... 16 1-5-2-The Language Based Model..................................................................... 17 1-5-3.The Personal Growth Model.................................................................... 18 1-5-4- An Integrated approach to Teaching Literature................................... 19 1-6-Multimedia in English Classrooms............................................................ 20 IV 1-6-1-Definition of Multimedia.......................................................................... 20 1-6-2- Rationale for Using Multimedia In EFL Classrooms.......................... 21 1-6-3- Constructivism, the Theoretical Basis Underlying Multimedia in ELT.............................................................................. 23 1-7-Film as an Instructional Tool....................................................................... 25 1-7-1-Film and Learning Styles.......................................................................... 26 1-7-2-Film and Motivation................................................................................. 27 1-7-3-Film and Students’ Attitude..................................................................... 29 1-7-3-1-Students’ Attitude toward Literature.................................................. 29 1-7-4-Film and Culture........................................................................................ 31 1-7-5-Film and Comprehension......................................................................... 33 1-8-Film Adaptations and Literature………………………………………. 36 1-8-1-Film Adaptations Defined........................................................................ 36 1-8-2-Comparison between Literature and Cinema………………...…… 37 1-8-2-1-Similarities between Literature and Cinema...................................... 38 1-8-2-2-Differences between Cinema and Literature………………….... 39 1-8-3-Film Adaptations, a Controversial Matter............................................. 40 1-9-Conclusion...................................................................................................... 43 Chapter Two: Situation Analysis and Research Design 2-1-Introduction…………………………………………….…..…………... 48 2-2- General Description of the English Language Teaching/Learning Situation......................................................................... 48 2-3- General Description of the Literature Teaching/Learning Situation........................................................................ 50 2-3-1- Teachers of Literature......................................................................... 51 2-3-2- Time Allocation................................................................................... 52 2-3-3- Literature Syllabus...……………………………………...………… 52 2-3-4- Literature Teaching Materials……………………..………………. 53 2-3-5- Literature’s Coefficient and Credit………………..…………… 53 V 2-4-Research Design and methods.............................................................. 55 2-4-1-Categorization of the Research.......................................................... 55 2-5-The Informants......................................................................................... 57 2-5-1-Learners’ Profile.................................................................................... 57 2-5-2- Teachers’ Profile.................................................................................. 58 2-6-Instruments for Data Collection............................................................ 59 2-6-1- Students’ Questionnaire..................................................................... 60 2-6-1-1- The Description of the Questionnaire.......................................... 62 2-6-2- Teachers’ Interview............................................................................. 63 2-6-2-1-Description of Teachers’ Interview................................................. 64 2-6-3-Test......................................................................................................... 66 2-6-3-1- The Description of the Tests.......................................................... 68 2-6-3-2-Scoring of tests’ Answers................................................................. 68 2-7- Methods of Data Analysis.................................................................... 69 2-7-1-Qualitative Research Method……………….……………………… 69 2-7-2-Quantitative Research Method………………….…………………. 70 2-8-Conclusion……………………………………………………………... 71 Chapter Three: Data Collection and Analysis 3-1-Introduction………………………………………….………………… 75 3-2- Data Analysis………………………………………….…………...….. 75 3-2-1- Students’ Questionnaire………………………………………...….. 75 3-2-1-1-Results of Students’ Questionnaire…………………………....… 76 3-2-1-2- Summary of the Results………………………………....………. 84 3-2-2-Teachers’ Interview.............................................................................. 85 3-2-2-1-Results of Teachers’ Interview........................................................ 85 3-2-2-2- Summary of the Results……………………………………….… 96 3-2-3- Tests………………………………………………………………….. 97 3-2-3-1-Pre-test Results…………………………………………………… 97 VI 3-2-3-1-1- Summary of the Pre-Test……………………………………… 98 3-2-3-2-Post-test Results…………………………………………………… 99 3-2-3-2-1- Summary of the Post-Test Results…………………………… 99 3-2-3-3-Comparaison between the Pre-Test and the Post-Test Results.. 100 3-2-3-4-Summary of the Result of the Tests……………………………... 101 3-3- Discussion and interpretation of the Main Results……………….. 102 3-4-Conclusion............................................................................................... 109 Chapter Four : Suggestions and Recommendations 4-1-Introduction…………………………………………………………...... 115 4-2- An Appeal for the Use of Film Adaptations to Teach Literature.... 115 4-3-General Recommendations…………………………………………… 117 4-4- Film Adaptation Selection…………………………………………… 118 4-4-1- The Faithful Adaptation…………………………………………… 119 4-4-2- Linguistic and Cultural Suitability……………………………… 120 4-5- Book and Film Adaptation, Complementary Use………………… 122 4-6- Film adaptation Posterior to Literary Text………………………… 125 4-7- Captions as a Scaffold for Watching Film Adaptation…………… 127 4-8-Teacher’s and Student’s Role………………………………………… 129 4-8-1-Teacher’s Role……………………………………………………….. 129 4-8-1-1-Teacher as a Controller…………………………………………… 130 4-8-1-2-Teacher as an Organiser…………………………………………. 131 4-8-1-3-Teacher as a Resource ………………………………………… 131 4-8-1-4-Teacher as a Mediator……………………………………………. 132 4-8-2-Students’ Role………………………………………………………. 132 4-9- Cooperative Learning............................................................................ 134 4-9-1-Cooperative Learning Components………………………..…........ 136 4-9-2-Cooperative Learning and Film Adaptations Use …..……...…… 137 4-10-Task Based Film Projection.................................................................. 138 4-10-1- Task Based Instruction...................................................................... 138 VII 4-10-2-Task Oriented Film Projection…………………………….....…… 140 4-10-2-1-Pre-Viewing Phase……………………………………….………. 141 4-10-2-2-While-Viewing Phase……………………………………………. 141 4-10-2-3-Post-Viewing Phase……………………………………….……... 142 4-11- “Literary Appreciation Gate”, a Multimedia Application to Teach Literature…………………………………………………………. 144 4-12- Sample Film-Based Course………………………………………….. 146 1-Pre-Viewing Phase……………………………………………………….. 147 2-While-Viewing Phase……………………………………………………. 148 3-Post-Viewing Phase……………………………………………………… 149 4-12-Conclusion…………………………………………………………….. 150 General Conclusion……………………………………………………….. 153 Bibliography………………………………………………………………… 158 Appendices…………………………………………………………………. 169 Appendix A: Students’ Questionnaire………………………………….. 170 Appendix B: Teachers’ Interview………………………………………… 174 Appendix C: Pre-test……………………………………………………… 177 Appendix D: Post-test……………………………………………………… 180 Appendix E: Tests’ Scoring Scale………………………………………… 183 Appendix F: Table of Pre-Test and Post-Test Scores…………………… 185 Appendix G: Resources for teachers……………………………………… 187 VIII List of Tables -Table2.1.Literature teachers and their teaching experience……………………...51 -Table 2.2. Official curriculum of LMD year two…………………………………..54 -Table3.1. Students’ Learning English Motivation....................................................76 -Table3.2. Students’ Motivation to Study Literature…………………….………...78 -Table3.3 Students’ Reading Habit..............................................................................80 -Table 3.4. Students’ Learning Preferences................................................................81 -Table3.5: Central Tendency of Pre-Test Students’ Scores……………………….98 -Table3.6: Central Tendency of Post-Test Students’ Scores……………………...99 -Table4.1. Criteria for Film Adaptation Selection adapted from Thaler(2008)…....122 IX