The purpose of this study was to illustrate the usefulness of oral interpretation in the teaching of English literature at the middle school level. Four areas of literature: poetry, short story, mythology, and drama, were approached through methods of oral interpretation and/or recommendations in the teacher's resource manual accompanying the textbook. A descriptive review was made of the response to the material by the students and the methods of presentation by the instructor. The primary value of approaching the study of literature through oral interpretation was increased interest and motivation among the students and their generally positive reaction to the methods used.

This study focuses on identifying students' perceptions of the most successful and least successful methodologies of teaching/ learning- English language and literature in Saudi Arabian universities. The study employed a questionnaire format, which was distributed to the English Departments of three Saudi Arabian universities and one college for women, to gather data. Data analysis revealed that students had many problems, especially with Old and Middle English literature. Language problems, cultural differences, and unfamiliarity with the literary or historical backgrounds of the English literature were cited as the major obstacles to learning. Students of any foreign ,literature need a constantly improved curriculum which uses methods aimed at overcoming and simplifying these major language and cultural differences. Data analysis also indicated that students perceived the lack of oral practice and lack of stimuli, such as the use of films and other colorful supplemental material, as major reasons for their difficulties. The study has implications for English instruction in Saudi Arabia and for future research. Samples of the students' and teachers' comments are included in the appendix.