Challenges Faced by English Department Students at the University of Zawia in Understanding Mandatory Novels: A Classroom Observation Study

Abstract

This study investigates the challenges faced by English Department students at the University of Zawia in understanding four mandatory novels: Pride and Prejudice, The Old Man and the Sea, A Passage to India, and A Tale of Two Cities. The study adopts a qualitative classroom-observation approach based on the teacher-researcher's observations during the teaching of these novels to different groups of students between 2021 and 2025. The observations focused on four main areas: linguistic difficulties, comprehension and plot, cultural and historical context, and literary analysis. The findings indicate that students experienced difficulties with unfamiliar and figurative vocabulary, lengthy and complex passages, following the sequence of events, and distinguishing characters and their relationships. Students also demonstrated limited cultural and historical background knowledge, particularly in relation to the colonial context of A Passage to India. In addition, a recurring difficulty was the tendency to retell the plot rather than engage in deeper literary analysis of themes, symbolism, characterization, structure, and literary techniques. The study concludes that students' difficulties in understanding novels extend beyond language proficiency and involve interconnected linguistic, contextual, comprehension, and analytical challenges. The findings highlight the need for appropriate linguistic and contextual preparation and systematic guidance to help EFL students move from basic comprehension to independent literary interpretation.