An examination of teachers' objectives in teaching literature to the 9 to 13 age group

It is suggested that there are various social and educational reasons why teachers may be confused about their aims in teaching Literature at the present time. This research investigates whether teachers have clear priorities when teaching Literature to 9 to 13 year old pupils. For purposes of comparison smaller samples of teachers of 13 to 16 year olds are also taken. A questionnaire method of investigation was chosen and preliminary reading and a pupil-teacher investigation were used to collect objectives from which questionnaire items could be selected. One of the few research studies in this area, the Swedish Ligru survey allowed its questionnaire to be adapted. The main sample of 211 teachers was drawn from Junior, Middle and Secondary schools in the North-east, and smaller supplementary samples were drawn from Sheffield Comprehensives and from Public and Preparatory Schools throughout Britain. A high degree of unanimity was found across all school types and sub-groups by sex, age, specialism and experience over what objectives are important in Part I of the questionnaire which covered Literature teaching per se, and in Part II which covered Literature as a means f to achieving other educational 'objectives. In general Creative, Emotional and long-term Functional behaviours were valued over Reproductive, Conative or-Higher Cognitive ones. There was little interest in 'background' or evaluation in Part I. Language objectives I and many Social, Personal and Community objectives were thought capable of achievement with the help of Literature teaching in Part II. Political and religious objectives were rejected by all groups.