Rethinking literature education: A quasi-experimental study of the production-oriented approach for english majors in...

Foreign language education increasingly calls for pedagogies that combine disciplinary knowledge with humanistic development. In China, the Ministry of Education's National Standards (MoE, 2018) and Teaching Guide (MoE, 2020a) for Foreign Language Majors mandate this integration, yet effective approaches remain underexplored in literature courses. This quasi-experimental study investigates the impact of the Production-Oriented Approach (POA) on both literary knowledge and humanistic qualities among Chinese undergraduate English majors. Over a 16-week British literature course, students receiving POA-based instruction featuring productive tasks in motivating-enabling-assessing cycles (n = 35) were compared with peers in lecture-based classes (n = 29). Standardized instruments assessed critical thinking disposition, intercultural competence, moral foundations, and literary knowledge. Results (effect sizes: r for non-parametric comparisons, Hedges' g for between-groups, η² for within-group changes) revealed significant gains in literary knowledge (Mann-Whitney U, r = 0.26, p = .04) and humanistic qualities, including overall critical thinking disposition (Hedges' g = 0.59, p = .02), intercultural competence (Hedges' g = 2.30, p < .001), and moral foundations (Hedges' g = 0.92, p = .001). Within critical thinking, Critical Openness showed large gains (Hedges' g = 0.80, p < .001) while Reflective Skepticism remained unchanged between groups (Hedges' g = 0.23, p = .37). Within the POA cohort, large effect sizes (η² = 0.58-0.92) indicated robust internal gains. Addressing both research questions, these findings extend POA research into the underexplored domain of literature pedagogy, demonstrating that productive tasks can integrate disciplinary knowledge (RQ1) with humanistic qualities (RQ2). The study contributes to global discussions on revitalizing literature education and offers an adaptable model for cultivating the humanistic competencies essential to 21st-century citizenship.