Prospects and Challenges of Teaching and Learning of Literature-in-English in Nigerian Secondary Schools

The place of literature in oral and written communication of secondary school students in Nigeria cannot be overemphasized. It is a tool subject in that the three layers of learning emphasized by the Blooms’ Taxonomy of Educational objective, that is, the cognitive, affective and psychomotor domains are indirectly engaged in, in any literature teaching/learning situation. The writers of this paper engage in the discussion of the dichotomy between Literature- in- English and English Literature. A panoramic view of Literature in English curriculum in both the junior and senior secondary schools and the relevance of Literature –in –English to boost performance in English Language examinations are critically examined. They stress the fact that the challenges being currently experienced by most schools can be curtailed or reduced to the barest minimum provided necessary proactive measures suggested in the paper are utilized.