Using an English Novel to Improve Saudi EFL Reading Skills

Abstract

This mixed-methods study investigated10 Saudi EFL university students’ perceptions of the use of authentic literary materials in an intensive three-week reading intervention involving Charles Dickens’ novel Great Expectations. Participants were equally divided into an experimental group and a control group. The study collected quantitative data from a pre-test and post-test to measure reading progress and collected qualitative data through semi-structured interviews. The results showed participants held positive attitudes about using interactive instruction with authentic literary texts, such as novels, in the Saudi EFL reading classroom. Despite this positive attitude, participants faced some challenges in their initial exposure to the experiment, mainly due to a lack of vocabulary and being unaccustomed to reading such a long text.