The purpose of this paper is to examine previous studies on the use of literature in language learning from the 1980s to the present, and to explore the potential of incorporating literary materials into English education in Japanese junior high schools. Based on theoretical research reviews, this paper proposes a method for selecting appropriate childrenʼs literature, specifically picture books, by developing objective indicators through vocabulary coverage analysis and CEFR-J tools. Especially, CEFR-J analysis enables teachers to determine which texts will be suitable for their classes and consequently to promote the integration of literary materials in English language classroom instruction.
Watanabe et al. (Tue,) studied this question.