Why literature is not popular among students<\/p>\n
By A. Chaedar Alwasilah<\/p>\n
BANDUNG (JP): Literature is simply defined as a collection of
\nthe best writings. How good is the best? It is judged using a set
\nof criteria accepted by the literary community. Members of this
\ncommunity share commonality, expectations, and values inherent in
\nliterary works.<\/p>\n
All of these constitute a convention established throughout a
\nnation's civilization and is passed on through education. People
\nappreciate literature as part of being educated and civilized.
\nPeople ignorant of their own culture's literature, let alone
\nworld literature, are considered less educated and less cultured.<\/p>\n
Literature, by universal standards, is important enough to be
\nincluded in school curricula. It is not because it embodies the
\nbest of writing, but most importantly it represents cultures.
\nEducation begins with knowing one's own culture and gradually
\nunderstanding others.<\/p>\n
This is how literature develops in students' multicultural
\nperspectives and cross-cultural understandings. By reading
\nliterary works, students share the problems, concerns, values,
\nand issues common to all human beings. In other words, literature
\noffers universal values and thus makes students more human.<\/p>\n
In my observations, the objectives of teaching literature as
\ndiscussed above are still a far cry from reality. A 1999 survey
\ninvolving 100 college freshmen representing high schools
\nthroughout West Java and its vicinity was conducted to reveal how
\nliterature and Bahasa Indonesia are taught in schools. In its
\nconclusion, the study suggests that literature is not popular
\namong teachers and students. It is not frequently taught, and in
\nmost cases when it is, it is not properly taught at all. But lets
\ntake a closer look at the survey's conclusion:<\/p>\n
Firstly, compared time-wise with vocabulary and grammar,
\nliterature gets less. However, it does not suggest that
\nvocabulary and grammar are better taught than literature.<\/p>\n
As Table 1 and Table 2 show, grammar and vocabulary seem to be
\nover-taught; therefore, they become boring and unproductive. When
\nteaching listening and reading comprehension, teachers dominate
\nthe class by reviewing vocabulary and grammatical rules.
\nTraditionally, students are made to memorize the rules and to
\ncreate sentences using the vocabulary under discussion.<\/p>\n
Secondly, students are not well acquainted with literary
\nworks. Surprisingly, less than half of the respondents (48.4
\npercent) reported they were advised to read novels or short
\nstories, while 34.4 percent of them were not recommended anything
\nat all. As to the number of teacher-recommended novels or short
\nstories, you will be surprised to see Table 3.<\/p>\n
Thirdly, apparently listening and reading comprehension
\ndominate the teaching sessions. As depicted in Table 4, listening
\ncomprehension dominates all the other language skills, suggesting
\nthe teachers dominate the class, thus leaving the students
\ninactive and unchallenged. Despite its ample sessions, apparently
\nreading is overused in teach vocabulary and grammar on the
\npretext of understanding the reading passages.<\/p>\n
Fourthly, consistent with the principle of the psychology of
\nlearning, the teaching material should be selected to arouse
\nstudents' interest. Student-selected materials in most cases are
\nbetter received rather than teacher-selected ones. In Table 5,
\nyou will see that what is most taught in the class is not
\nnecessarily what is most well received by the students.<\/p>\n
As the table indicates, in students' perceptions short stories
\nseem to be the easiest genre for some reason. They are easily
\nobtainable, do not cost much and students can often finish one at
\none sitting. Most newspapers carry a short story in their Sunday
\neditions. Short stories create a single impression. Each word
\ncontributes to the planned effect. In many aspects, short stories
\nare more familiar to students. This being the case, they require
\nless concentration on the part of students than poems do.<\/p>\n
For the students, poems are the most difficult genre to learn;
\nlikewise, for teachers, they are the most difficult to teach.
\nPoems are the most highly emotive form of expression and exploit
\nthe sounds of words in a systematic way.<\/p>\n
Using rhythm, rhyme and other sound effects to heighten and
\nintensify expression, poems require more concentration on the
\npart of students than short stories do. However, it would be
\nentirely wrong to assume that poems are by definition the most
\nimportant literary genre to teach, as much as to assume that
\nshort stories are the least important genre to teach.<\/p>\n
From what I have discussed, some instructional suggestions
\nfollow:<\/p>\n
* To teach literature correctly is not synonymous with increasing
\nthe hours for teaching literature or Bahasa Indonesia. Literary
\nworks could be used as triggering materials for teaching all
\ncomponents and skills of language.<\/p>\n
* Literature should be taught following the principle of easy-to-difficult
\nand simple-to-complicated. Familiar genres should take precedence
\nover unfamiliar ones.<\/p>\n
* Literature is a form of expression; accordingly, students are
\nto be encouraged to create their own poems and fiction and to
\nshare them with their peers and teachers.<\/p>\n
* Literature is better instructed through reading-responding
\ntechniques, whereby students are encouraged to produce written
\nresponses to the works. By so doing, they will unbelievingly
\nbecome young writers themselves.<\/p>\n
* Writing constitutes the most difficult language skill to
\nacquire. Research shows that reading literary works, rather than
\ngrammatical explanation, improves students' performance in
\nwriting.<\/p>\n
Through literature, students explore the best in writing
\nacross cultures, and in so doing, they are facilitated to learn
\nto think, speak and write more effectively and creatively.<\/p>\n
The writer is a lecturer at the Graduate School of Universitas
\nPendidikan Indonesia in Bandung, West Java.<\/p>\n
Table 1<\/p>\n
Language components most presented in the class<\/p>\n
Language component Percentage of respondents
\n ----------------------------------------------
\n Vocabulary (54.8%)
\n Grammar (52.7%)
\n Literature (34.4%)<\/p>\n
Table 2<\/p>\n
Perceived lack of interest in studying language components<\/p>\n
Language component Percentage of respondents
\n ----------------------------------------------
\n Grammar 35.5%
\n Vocabulary 31.2%
\n Literature 23.6%<\/p>\n
Table 3<\/p>\n
Reported numbers of recommended novels or short stories read
\n throughout high school years<\/p>\n
Number of novels\/short stories read Percentage of respondents
\n ---------------------------------------------------------------
\n 0-5 34.4.%
\n None 18.3%
\n 6-10 15.1%
\n more than 20 12.9%<\/p>\n
Table 4<\/p>\n
Language skills most taught in high schools<\/p>\n
Language skills Percentage of respondents
\n -------------------------------------------
\n Listening 62.4%
\n Reading 49.5%
\n Writing 43.1%
\n Speaking 19.3%<\/p>\n
Table 5<\/p>\n
Perceived difficulty of learning literary genres most taught in
\n high schools<\/p>\n
Literary genre Most taught Most difficult to learn
\n ------------------------------------------------------
\n Poem 68.8% 63.4%
\n Short story 36.5% 7.5%
\n Drama 29.0% 21.5%
\n Novel 23.6% 20.4%<\/p>",
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