Joy Koopman | Metamodern Reading in the EFL Classroom
Joy Koopman | Metamodern Reading in the EFL Classroom | Supervisors: Prof. Edwin van Meerkerk, Dr Usha Wilbers, Dr Lindsay Janssen & Dr Dennis Kersten | Radboud University | April 2024 – March 2029
In recent years, the declining motivation to read among Dutch adolescents has sparked considerable discussion and concern. Nevertheless, the popularity of Anglophone young adult fiction and social media platforms such as #BookTok indicate that Dutch adolescents are not necessarily averse to reading and storytelling. In fact, some books and literary genres, with their inclusive treatment of recurring (societal) themes, may be seen as representative of a zeitgeist in which connection, empathy, and sincerity are central, aligning with the contemporary scholarly debate on Metamodernism.
Metamodern Reading in the EFL Classroom investigates how insights into the current zeitgeist can contribute to English as a Foreign Language (EFL) literature education and foster more engaged readers in the upper levels of secondary school in the Netherlands. Starting from the premise that Anglophone literature has a socio-didactic potential in the Dutch EFL classroom, this project will focus on literature education within the school subject of English. The key objectives are to (1) explore how the zeitgeist manifests itself in Anglophone literature; (2) analyse how the zeitgeist is represented in the EFL curriculum in the Netherlands; (3) examine how the reading practices of students and underlying values relate to the zeitgeist; and finally, (4) assess how these insights can contribute to EFL literature education to better prepare students for their future participation in society as responsible citizens.
This project will research these topics through a mixed methods approach, combining three studies: a review of literature and teaching materials, (in-school) surveys, and semi-structured interviews.