An Attempt to Design Didactic Strategies to Enhance the Teaching of Poetry in Higher Education: Case of Some Teacher Training Colleges in South Kivu Province
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47941/ejl.3888Keywords:
Poetry, Understanding Poetry, Analyzing Poetry, Teaching Poetry, Didactic Strategies.Abstract
Purpose: The study objective is to design didactic strategies that can help teachers of literature improve the teaching of poetry in first and second years at some teacher training colleges in South- Kivu province.
Methodology: The study adopted a descriptive survey research design using a mixed-methods approach: qualitative and quantitative methods. Data were collected from thirty (30) students and eight (8) literature teachers through structured questionnaires containing both closed-ended and open-ended questions. Quantitative data were analyzed using frequencies and percentages while qualitative data were analyzed thematically to identify recurring instructional practices, learners’ experiences and teachers’ pedagogical challenges.
Findings: The findings revealed that poetry teaching was largely teacher-centred in which teachers frequently imposed their own interpretations on students instead of engaging them in collaborative meaning-making. Most students reported that teachers paid insufficient attention to their understanding of poems and that they experienced difficulties due to unfamiliar poetic language, difficult vocabulary and inadequate interpretation strategies. The majority of students indicated that they were unable to understand poems satisfactorily and did not have opportunities to express their own views during poetry lessons. Although teachers reported using various instructional techniques and believed that most students understood poetry, students’ responses indicated otherwise by revealing a discrepancy between teachers’ perceptions and learners’ actual experiences. The study also established that teachers faced numerous challenges including inadequate instructional resources, insufficient training in literary interpretation, difficulty of poetic language, limited instructional time and students’ weak literary background.
Unique contribution to theory, policy and practice: This study enriches the literature on poetry pedagogy by demonstrating that learner-centred and interactive approaches are more effective than teacher-centred approach in promoting students’ interpretation, participation and appreciation of poetry in EFL contexts. It provides empirical evidence from Teacher Training Colleges in the Democratic Republic of the Congo where research on poetry pedagogy remains limited. The findings underscore the need for teacher education institutions and curriculum designers to strengthen poetry instruction through learner-centred methodologies, explicit teaching of literary interpretation strategies, continuous professional development for literature teachers, improved instructional resources and curriculum reforms that promote active learner engagement, critical thinking and communicative competence.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Mutekulwa Masilya Daniel, M.ed, Prof. Tembue Zembele Wa Ololo, Prof Bapolisi Bahuga Paulin, PhD, Prof. Mbokani Kambale Bulambo
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