About

LiLLT ReN

The use of literary texts in language classrooms is firmly established in many foreign and second language secondary and post-secondary school contexts. In countries such as Germany, the Nordic countries and Hong Kong literature is a compulsory part of English as a Foreign Language Curricula. In the UK, literary texts are now included in the new National Curriculum for MFL in England, and in the Netherlands literature is a compulsory part of the learning of foreign languages at secondary level. In tertiary education contexts, there has long been a strong preoccupation with the integration of literature and language curricula.

This resurgence in the interest in literature has been accompanied by a revival in researching this area. However, much of what would be classified as research on literature in language teaching is either conceptual research or what has variously been called “practitioner evidence” or “best practice literature”. Research that is strongly rooted in educational research methodology or in applied linguistics methodology is only now beginning to emerge.

The Literature in Language Learning and Teaching Research Network (LiLLT ReN) aims to work towards establishing this area of research as an important element of applied linguistics and educational research. Our group currently includes 38 participants from more than 15 different countries. They bring expertise in various areas within LiLLT research to the network. The ReN includes scholars at different stages of their career, ranging from PhD students to highly experienced academics, all of whom will strive to advance LiLLT research and applied linguistics through their individual, different disciplinary and cultural experiences and lenses.

If you are actively involved in researching LiLLT and are interested in joining the network, please contact the two LiLLT ReN organisers, Petra Kirchhoff and Amos Paran.

AILA

Our Research Network works under the auspices of AILA, the International Association of Applied Linguistics, which organizes an international congress every three years. The next AILA World Congress will take place August 9-14, 2020 at The University of Groningen, in Groningen, The Netherlands. Visit the Congress website <aila2020.nl> for more detailed information about the venue and the conference.

Our network will be present with a ReN symposium in Groningen. The convenors will issue a call for papers concerning the symposium soon. Watch this space!