The Role Of Using Allegories In Enhancing Efl Learners Critical Reading Skills

Résumé: Proficient reading in any foreign language can be achieved once learners' needs and interests are methodically met with an appropriate input. However, reading comprehension is usually given the lion's share in classroom activities while more important skills such as critical reading are set to the periphery. Using literary texts such as allegories which can represent a more engaging type of reading input that can meet students' needs and hone help them hone their critical reading skills and strategies has been also neglected. Therefore, this study attempts to investigate students' attitudes towards the use of literary allegorical texts in enhancing their critical reading skills and strategies. To carry out this study, a questionnaire was conducted and administered online owing to its practicality and convenience. It was addressed to 60 fifth year students in the Department of English at the Ecole Normale Supérieure de Constantine. A quantitative and qualitative analysis of the data showed learners' positive attitude towards allegories as reading materials with an overall consensus on such texts' potentiality in triggering and fostering critical reading skills and strategies. The outcomes of this study may offer theoretical and practical insights with regard to incorporating literary allegorical works in EFL university reading courses.

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