Enhancing Poetic Literature Instruction Through Stylistic and Thematic Approaches

This study investigated the effects of instruction in stylistic and thematic approaches on students’ achievement in poetic literature. It also determined the moderating effect of gender on students’ achievement in poetry. The study adopted pretest, post test, control group quasi-experimental design. The participants in the study were SS11 students in Akure metropolis. The subjects were randomly assigned to two experimental groups and one control group. The instruments used were Students’ Achievement Test in Poetry (r=0.75), Instructional Guide on Stylistic Approach, Instructional Guide on Thematic Approach, Instructional Guide on the Convention Lecture Method, and Teaching Observational Scale. Three hypotheses were tested at the 0.5 alpha levels. Data were analyzed using means, standard deviation, Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) and Scheffe post hoc test. Findings revealed that there was significant main effect of treatment on students’ achievement in poetry (F (2,125) =25.915; P<.05). There was no significant main effect of gender on students’ achievement in poetry (F(1,125)= .011; P>.05. The interaction effect of treatment and gender on students’ achievement in poetry was, however, not significant (F(2,125=.577; P>.05). Based on these findings, it is recommended that teachers should adopt stylistic and thematic approaches in the teaching of poetry in particular and literature in general.