Composing Da You Shi in English: Chinese EFL Students’ Perceptions and Desires to Write Poetry in English

Replicating Kaldina’s (2018) study on Indonesian EFL students’ perceptions and desires to write English poetry, this study investigated Chinese EFL students’ perceptions and desires to write poetry in English through a culturally relevant poetry writing task. Sixty-seven (N = 67) Chinese EFL students completed an online survey, where they composed in English a Da You Shi, a Chinese poetic form, and responded to statements and questions regarding their perceptions and desires of writing Da You Shi and poetry in English. Specifically, with a focus on the role of Da You Shi, it was hypothesized that participants’ cultural attachment to this culturally relevant genre correlates negatively with participants’ perceived levels of anxiety, stress, and intimidation (Hong, Fang, Yang, & Phua, 2013). Statistical and thematic analyses revealed: 1) Participants perceived composing Da You Shi in English as a positive experience, 2) This writing experience significantly improved participants’ confidence in writing English poetry, and 3) The aforementioned hypothesis was rejected. The results of this study indicate that culturally relevant poetry writing can offer EFL students a meaningful literacy experience with enjoyment and beneficial challenges and that English instructors should consider incorporating culturally relevant poetry writing as an effective EFL pedagogy in their class.