An Empirical Research Of Providing English Literature As An Optional Course In Senior High Schools

In April of 2003, the Ministry of Education published the new National English Curriculum Standards for Common Senior High Schools(on Trial). It put forward the concept of optional course and it also pointed out that the English course mode should adopt the combination of compulsory courses and optional courses in senior high schools. Optional courses should include two parts: the first part is sequential optional courses and the second one is random optional courses. Sequential optional courses should be provided on the basis of compulsory courses and the contents as well as the structure of sequential optional courses are similar to compulsory ones. Meanwhile, the random optional courses consist of three categories: language knowledge and skills, language application and appreciation. What’s more, among the suggested subjects of optional courses, English literature is listed as one of the choices.The author chooses Kenli No. 1 senior high school of Shandong province to do the research. Before the experiment, the author has done an investigation on the teachers’ and students’ attitudes toward “opening English literature as an optional course in senior high schools” by two different kinds of questionnaires. The results of the investigation have shown that senior high school students are strongly interested in English literature and they are also willing to appreciate English literary works under the guidance of teachers; on the other hand, English teachers confirm that it is necessary to open English literature as an optional course in senior high schools and most of them have confidence in providing such an optional course. Considering the feedback of teachers and students together with the permission of the leaders of Kenli No. 1 senior high school, the author selects teaching materials carefully, designs the teaching process elaborately and starts English literature as an optional course in three advanced classes in Grade Two for a term.After one term of teaching experiment, the author conducts a survey on students chosen to attend this optional course and the results have revealed that providing English literature as an optional course has exerted an effect on students’ English learning which can be found in questionnaires designed for students. Most students confirm that they have more interest in English learning after attending the author’s English literature and their confidence in English also has been enhanced. In addition, as English literary works are full of highly selective vocabulary and sentences, students can pick up a large quantity of English words and structures during the process of reading literary works, which is helpful for improving their writing skills. Furthermore, students are also able to acquire much indirect life experience through analyzing the various characteristics of figures in English literary works which contributes to the development of their aesthetics, healthy personality and the development of correct outlooks toward world, life and value. As a result, it is beneficial and important to open English literature as an optional course in senior high schools.