FROM PASSIVE TO ACTIVE: TESTING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THEMATIC APPROACH IN ESL LITERATURE CLASSROOM
Keywords:
Thematic instruction, ESL literature, Poetry teaching, Student engagement, Active learningAbstract
This quasi-experimental study investigates whether a thematic approach can transform passive ESL literature students into active, engaged readers of poetry. Although thematic units are widely recommended in language-teaching theory, there is still limited empirical evidence on their impact on both literary competence and student engagement in second language contexts. The study therefore compares a thematic poetry syllabus with traditional teacher-centered instruction in two intact Indonesian university classes to determine their relative effectiveness. Thirty-seven intermediate ESL students completed pre- and post-tests using a Poetry Analysis Test, Student Engagement Scale, and classroom observations based on an Active Learning Observation Protocol over a fourteen-week semester. Results show that the thematic group achieved substantially higher gains in literal comprehension, figurative language recognition, thematic analysis, critical evaluation, and personal response than the traditional group, accompanied by marked increases in behavioral, emotional, and cognitive engagement as well as more frequent active learning behaviours. These converging findings indicate that thematic instruction not only improves poetry comprehension and analysis but also reconfigures the literature classroom into a space where ESL learners construct meaning collaboratively and critically. The study concludes that a carefully designed thematic approach offers a powerful, evidence-based alternative to traditional methods and should be considered in curriculum development and teacher education for ESL literature courses
References
Bland, J., & Lütge, C. (2013). Introduction: Children's literature and learner empowerment. In J. Bland & C. Lütge (Eds.), Children's literature in second language education (pp. 1-7). Bloomsbury Academic. https://doi.org/10.5040/9781472593313.0006
Brown, J. D., & Rodgers, T. S. (2002). Doing second language research. Oxford University Press.
Chen, M., & Liu, X. (2023). Contextualized instruction of figurative language for ESL learners: A thematic approach. TESOL Quarterly, 57(2), 445-472.
Cohen, J. (1988). Statistical power analysis for the behavioural sciences (2nd ed.). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2018). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approach (5th ed.). SAGE Publications.
Fredricks, J. A., Blumenfeld, P. C., & Paris, A. H. (2004). School engagement: Potential of the concept, state of the evidence. Review of Educational Research, 74(1), 59-109. https://doi.org/10.3102/00346543074001059
Gilmore, A. (2007). Authentic materials and authenticity in foreign language learning. Language Teaching, 40(2), 97-118. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0261444807004144
Khatib, M., & Rahimi, A. H. (2012). Literature and language teaching. Journal of Academic and Applied Studies, 2(6), 32-38.
Lee, S., & Wong, K. (2022). Reader engagement and personal response in ESL literature classrooms: Effects of thematic instruction. Language Teaching Research, 26(4), 678-701.
Mackey, A., & Gass, S. M. (2015). Second language research: Methodology and design (2nd ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315750606
Martinez, R., & Thompson, D. (2023). Developing metacognitive strategies through thematic literature instruction in second language contexts. Applied Linguistics, 44(1), 123-149.
Mercer, S. (2019). Language learner engagement: Setting the scene. In X. Gao (Ed.), Second handbook of English language teaching (pp. 643-660). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-02899-2_34
Pabur, H. E., Ali, M. I., Husain, S. W. J., Andries, F. A., & Posumah, J. (2025). Analyzing the disillusionment in Ernest Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises and its implication on English language learning. IDEAS: Journal on English Language Teaching and Learning, Linguistics and Literature, 10(1), 344–357. https://doi.org/10.24256/ideas.v10i1.4562
Paran, A. (2008). The role of literature in instructed foreign language learning and teaching: An evidence-based survey. Language Teaching, 41(4), 465-496. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0261444808005144
Park, J., & Kim, H. (2024). Scaffolding critical thinking in ESL literature instruction: The role of thematic frameworks. Modern Language Journal, 108(1), 89-114.
Phakiti, A. (2015). Quantitative research and analysis. In B. Paltridge & A. Phakiti (Eds.), Research methods in applied linguistics: A practical resource (pp. 27-48). Bloomsbury Academic. https://doi.org/10.5040/9781472593368.ch-002
Rorintulus, O., Ali, M. I., Mamengko, V., & Wongkar, K. A. (2025). A guide to literary criticism. Klaten: Tahta Media Group.
Sidelinger, R. J., & Booth-Butterfield, M. (2010). Co-constructing student involvement: An examination of teacher confirmation and student-to-student connectedness in the college classroom. Communication Education, 59(2), 165-184. https://doi.org/10.1080/03634520903390867
Wuntu, C. N., Ali, M. I., & Mamentu, C. A. (2025). Developing nationalism awareness through literature learning of Indonesian national songs via mobile assisted language learning (MALL): A quantitative pre-test and post-test study. MARAS: Jurnal Penelitian Multidisiplin, 3(3), 1226–1240. https://doi.org/10.60126/maras.v3i3.1231
Xerri, D. (2013). Colluding in the 'torture' of poetry: Shared beliefs and assessment. English in Education, 47(2), 134-146. https://doi.org/10.1111/eie.12014
Zhang, Y., & Chen, L. (2021). Schema activation and thematic instruction in second language reading comprehension. Reading in a Foreign Language, 33(2), 234-259.
