A Brief Review of the Narrative Approach in the ESL/EFL Settings and its Meanings to EFL Teachers in China

Abstract

The paper reviews the motivation of the shift from form-focused methods to content-based instruction in ESL/EFL settings, and makes a survey of empirical researches about effects of the narrative approach on EFL/ESL learning in different parts of the world. All the researches listed in the paper suggest that the narrative approach is a desirable medium to facilitate learners’ language competence. Meanwhile the paper, considering the English teaching context in China, analyzes the constraints and challenges in applying the approach, and accordingly presents some suggestions and advice for EFL teachers and researchers in China