Unfurling the Literary Appreciation Strategies Utilized by Secondary Male Teachers

Abstract

Reading offers an exploration of the past, an appreciation of the present, and a glimpse of the future. Literary appreciation helps students acquire and develop sensitivity, self-awareness, and a greater understanding of the world and other people. Through a qualitative phenomenological study, the study unfurled the experiences, coping mechanisms, and insights regarding the literary appreciation of teachers. The participants of the study were ten (10) male secondary teachers currently teaching in a secondary school belonging to the first district of Davao City. Extracted narratives from the interview revealed teachers' experiences in literary appreciation, such as biases on male English teachers, lack of learning resources, and students with different levels of language proficiency. Meanwhile, the coping mechanisms of the teachers were resourcing strategy, repeat reading or rereading, and finally, reading between the lines. However, teaching literature does not have a one-plan-fits-all dictum. From these findings, insights were drawn. Employing innovative learning tasks will promote students' interest and engagement in learning literature, while teachers becoming role models will influence students to become avid readers and develop skills valuable in their educational journey.