To Teach or not to Teach? A Qualitative Study of Chinese University Teachers’ Cognitions on Literature in Language Education

Abstract

While Literature in Language Education (LLE) has gained renewed theoretical prominence, the cognitive processes driving its implementation in pragmatic, skills-oriented EFL contexts remain under-researched. Guided by Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory and Borg’s teacher cognition framework, this qualitative case study investigates the cognitions of three university EFL teachers in China regarding the integration of literature. Data, derived from in-depth semi-structured interviews, were subjected to thematic analysis. The findings suggest that while teacher participants recognized the intrinsic value of literary texts, they varied in how they positioned literature in this course and in how consistently they enacted LLE. Their cognitions and practices were heavily mediated by a complex interplay of contextual affordances and constraints, including personal prior experiences, perceptions of student proficiency, and systemic pressures from institutional curricula and material conditions. The study highlights the pedagogical tension inherent in literature instruction within an examination-oriented culture, offering critical implications for teacher professional development, curriculum design, and the alignment of assessment with humanistic educational goals.