Utilizing Assigned Roles in Efl Literature Circles

Originally developed for the L1 classroom, literature circles have since been adapted to the EFL context, with the dual purpose of helping students improve reading skills and discourse.In EFL settings particularly, it is common for teachers to scaffold literature circles by assigning roles to students to demonstrate the various strategies that can be used to connect with a text.This article describes the first stage of an action research study, in which a class of Japanese sophomore university students utilized an assigned roles framework to collaboratively discuss a piece of graded fiction.Class procedures, analysis of individual roles, and issues that emerged are discussed.The study found that for assigned roles to succeed in an L2 context, pre-lesson teacher coaching and peer support were of paramount importance and it is recommended that students be afforded preview time to enhance comprehension of individual discussion points.