Attitudes, beliefs and practices in poetry education at a post-secondary school in Malta

Abstract

This study is an investigation into the relationship between attitudes, beliefs and practices in relation to poetry and the study of poetry. Its participants consisted of teachers and students at a post-secondary institution in Malta as well as the chief examiner responsible for the Matriculation Certificate Advanced level English syllabus and examination. The study’s application of a mixed methods approach entailed the use of a number of research methods and instruments, including a questionnaire, classroom observation, and semi-structured and focus group interviews. These interviews employed the use of poetry as stimulus material. This research design was deployed as a means of developing an understanding of the participants’ attitudes and beliefs in relation to poetry and its pedagogy, as well as a way of examining their practices in the poetry classroom and their approach to poetry outside the school environment. This study shows that the interplay between attitudes, beliefs and practices is fundamental. Given that such research is to a large extent missing from the literature on poetry education, this study’s main contribution to advancing knowledge in the field is the light it throws on the importance of the relationship between attitudes and beliefs on the one hand and practices on the other. Rather than restricting itself to exploring the influence of examinations on poetry pedagogy, as is the case with much previous research, this study clarifies the importance of shared attitudes and beliefs in determining the way teachers and students approach poetry. It demonstrates how fundamental it is for them and other stakeholders to develop an awareness of the effect of attitudes and beliefs in relation to poetry and poetry pedagogy. Its findings lead to a better understanding of the complexity of the events that occur in the poetry classroom and beyond, events that are engaged in by teachers and students both consciously and not.