Implementing Digital Tools in Teaching American Literature to English Majors

Abstract

American Literature is a compulsory subject in most English Language curricula for English majors in Vietnam. However, while teaching this subject in English, EFL teachers encounter many difficulties, such as students' lack of language competence, hesitation in discussing activities, and low interest in literature. Therefore, to ease the teaching process, this action research tried applying Wordwall, Bamboozle, Padlet, and Kahoot in the pre-teaching, while-teaching, and post-teaching stages in two American Literature classes. This application process was described in the teacher's reflective journal during the 15 weeks of the course. Eventually, a Likert-scale and open-ended questionnaire was distributed to 71 English majors from these above classes, asking about their perspectives on this application. Also, ten randomly-picked students were invited to participate in the semi-structured interview to explore the students' attitudes profoundly. The research findings revealed that a high percentage of students (94%) favored implementing digital tools in their literature course. Most responded that these tools helped them effectively deal with vocabulary difficulties, boost group work participation, and increase their learning engagement. As a result, this study suggests recommendations for teaching American Literature or other literature and culture subjects at the tertiary level.