Cultivating Responses from Students through Literature Circle

The English literature component has been around in the Malaysian Education system since 2000. However, literature as a subject has always been learned more for transactional purposes rather than for its aesthetic value. Basically, a regurgitation of knowledge from years of learning, poured out in one major examination. In this research, the researcher applies a teaching method, called the literature circle in a classroom to study how it could be an effective way to learning literature beyond the classroom and for completing exam papers. Accompanying the literature circle activity is the writing of personal responses to gauge the students’ understanding and views on the literature component being studied. This paper discusses the findings of the study that investigates the effect of literature circle in the students’ personal responses and also to examine the students’ perception towards literature circle. The findings of this study, obtained via qualitative and quantitative instruments, comprising of observations, interviews, personal responses, and questionnaires, provide insights for educators and other researchers into another dimension of the teaching and learning of literature component.