The Underplayed Role of Children Literature in Teaching English Language and Literature in the Iranian Universities

This article briefly reviews the challenges the learners of foreign language and literature face in the home context and presents the promises of children literature in meeting some of those challenges. It is argued that using children literature in the target language is easily justifiable in light of compelling research and evidence about second language acquisition and foreign language learning. The article describes the official program for English Language and Literature in the Iranian universities and emphasizes the pre-requisite steps in any educational literary agenda which may target sustainable attainment of its goals. The article, then, reviews some outstanding theories and ideas in second language acquisition which seem to support the use of children literature for the purpose of developing language skills. Hence, the article advocates the systematic inclusion of children literature as a significant component in the basic and literary courses for the students of English Language and Literature. It is argued that such an attempt can lead to increased quality in the treatment the learners receive and make their learning more meaningful and sustainable. Some potential shortcomings and pitfalls in the suggested proposal are also pointed out.