Explorando la literatura infantil en el aula de ELE : Un estudio en torno a la presencia y el uso de la literatura infantil en la enseñanza de español como lengua extranjera.

Sammanfattning: This essay aims to further investigate the role of children’s literature when teaching Spanish as a foreign language. Aside from examining if and how it is used, the study focuses on the reasons behind why teachers choose to include children’s literature in the classroom. According to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, there is reason to explore varieties of literature (Council of Europe, 2002). In addition, the possibilities of integrating intercultural aspects into the Spanish classroom through teaching literature are considered. Aiming to explore how Spanish teachers view and integrate literature and children’s literature in their teaching, a virtual survey was published in online groups for Spanish teachers around the world. In total, 24 teachers of varying ages, studies and experiences with literature participated in the survey.  The findings indicate that children’s literature is present in some way when teaching Spanish, contrary to one of the hypotheses. Moreover, most of the teachers use children’s literature to teach reading comprehension and elements of language, such as grammar and vocabulary. Lastly, the results show that most teachers consider intercultural aspects and students’ personal development when using children’s literature in the classroom, confirming our final hypothesis. It is concluded that while the study analyses data on an international level, the findings may also be of value for teachers in a Swedish school context.