the role of students ' schemata in boosting literary interpretation.

Abstract

The role of students’ schemata is of utmost importance in the field of EFL literary interpretation because it greatly influences students’ comprehension and analysis of literary texts. The primary aim of this dissertation is to examine the role of students’ schemata in boosting literary interpretation among third-year EFL students at Mila University. More specifically, the study seeks to examine whether students use schemata during literary interpretation and to identify the types of schemata they rely on. Moreover, the study evinces students’ perceptions regarding the role of schemata in literary interpretation. This study adopts a descriptive research design using a quantitative approach. The research questions formulated for this study are: (1) Do third year EFL students at Mila University use schemata in literary interpretation? (2) What types of schemata do these students rely on during literary interpretation? (3) How do students perceive the role of schemata in their literary interpretation? In an attempt to answer the research questions, a questionnaire was designed and administered to a sample of 75 third-year English students at Mila University. The findings revealed that most students rely on different types of schemata, particularly cultural and linguistic schemata, while interpreting literary texts. The study also showed that activating prior knowledge facilitates comprehension, increases engagement with literary texts, and enhances students’ interpretive abilities