ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING THROUGH THE PRISM OF THE

GLOBAL PANDEMIC
T. Genova
University of Library Studies and Information Technologies (BULGARIA)

Abstract
The changes that occurred as a result of the global pandemic of COVID-19 have significantly affected
all elements of the teaching process in the academic environment. It was necessary to restructure the
teaching material in order to look for working alternative forms of communication and teaching. Within
the scope of the project entitled "Study of attitudes to the therapeutic potential of reading in atypical
situations for the individual" with contract № KP-06-H45/2 of 30.11.2020, funded by the National
Science Fund of Ministry of Education and Science, Bulgaria, a list of top five most popular book titles
written in English with a sought therapeutic effect in each of the three countries ‒ the USA, the UK and
Bulgaria has been used to test the potential of reading in English as a foreign language during the
pandemic and the ways these book titles can be used to enrich the scope of English language
teaching at the University of Library Studies and Information Technologies (ULSIT), Bulgaria.
The purpose of the report is to present the opportunities to be involved in English language teaching of
the literary works that have become extremely popular during the pandemic period. The idea is to
promote these book titles among university students who are interested in reading in English language
and are enrolled in the Bachelor's degree programs outside the field of library studies at the University
of Library Studies and Information Technologies (ULSIT), Bulgaria, academic year 2021/2022.
Consequently, the students become acquainted not only with the readers’ preferences over the period
specified and the therapeutic effect they may use themselves when encounter atypical situations in
their lives, but also it can assist them with their learning English as a first foreign language at the
university. The bachelor students are supported and advised by their lecturer and author of this review
along the way of discovering new contents, enriching their vocabulary and appreciating the therapeutic
effect these books could have on themselves. This can also become a starting point for a fruitful
discussion in English and Bulgarian during classes about the therapeutic effect of the field of
bibliotherapy on students’ foreign language learning broadening their perspectives on reading foreign
and native book titles and being aware of this kind of particular communication between the reader
and the world of literature in a foreign language. They are encouraged to share their attitudes towards
reading and the kind of any stressful situations they have been into during the pandemic period.
In addition, this report serves as another example of proving the interdisciplinary character of the
project under implementation and adds to the bibliographic resources that reflect the issues of the
therapeutic potential of reading during the pandemic.
Keywords: English language, foreign language learning, bibliotherapy, pandemic, ULSIT

1 INTRODUCTION
As a result of the Covid-19 pandemic worldwide, which started in March 2020 and is still continuing at
the time of writing this report, despite its already diminishing power over people’s lives, a new
approach in view of this ''atypical situation for the individual'' [1, 2] to teaching in academic settings has
become completely necessary. Within the university context, an attempt has been made to enrich the
potential of English language teaching and restructure the teaching material through the prism of the
pandemic using the resources of bibliotherapy with both learning and informative function to university
students majoring in non-library and information fields of study at the University of Library Studies and
Information Technologies (ULSIT), Sofia, Bulgaria, academic year 2021/2022. They have had the rare
chance to become acquainted not only with the readers’ preferences associated with the books
chosen in the three countries specified over the given period and the therapeutic effect they may use
themselves when encounter atypical situations in their lives, but also it can assist them with their
learning English as a first foreign language at the university. Obviously, the students have never heard
of the beneficial connection between the literary works and the reader and the therapeutic effect they
could have on themselves during times of crisis which opens a new perspective of the field of
bibliotherapy [3, 4]. The books chosen have served as the basis of carrying out fruitful discussions in
relation to the aspects outlined above and initiating creative processes of finding and expessing their
own personal opinions and insights in a foreign language.

2 METHODOLOGY
Firstly, data from Amazon online sources have been used about the first five most popular book titles
in the UK and USA and the reasons behind the readers’ choices and interests and the potential for any
therapeutic effect they may have created over the audience during the times of social isolation for the
year 2020 about the USA and the UK in parallel to the local statistics presented for Bulgaria. This is in
line with the main hypotheses of the project that bibliotherapy allows the use of literature for the
creation of a new kind of communication and a sense of the world and to painlessly accept difficulties
and changes [5, 6]. According to Stip, Östlundh and Aziz, ''Bibliotherapy is a systematic intervention
regarding the use of carefully selected reading materials in order to help persons to cope with stress
and personal problems. This therapy can be used easily during the pandemic.'' [7].
Secondly, these titles are presented to first-second-and-third year university students enrolled in the
full-time Bachelor's degree programs outside the field of library studies at ULSIT, Bulgaria, academic
year 2021/2022, namely studying Information Resources in Tourism and Communication and
Information Studies during their obligatory seminars of English as a first foreign language at different
language levels starting from B1 all the way to C2 according to the Common European Framework of
Reference for Languages (CEFR). ''Тhe teacher(s) were not rigid in attendance and punctuality,
favoring the possibility of attending classes, even when there were constraints, whether in the
computer or personal field.'' [8] using the blended learning approach.
After that, this data has been used as a spring-board for performing fruitful discussions in English
about the attitudes and interests of the readers; making comparisons of the literary works and their
therapeutic effects on the readers in the different countries; giving presentations on the book contents
the students have read and sharing their own insights on the therapeutic effect they have experienced
while reading the literary works; choosing literary extracts from the book contents which can be used
as reading texts for learning new vocabulary and illustrating the power of words can have on the
mental and psychological state of the readers during times of pandemic.

3 RESULTS
The following lists present data for the first five most popular book titles in the UK, USA, and Bulgaria
for the year 2020 with their potential therapeutic effect and reasons for readers' preferences; and the
ways they can be used in English language teaching (ELT) in the academic context.

Table 1.The first five most popular book titles in the UK, 2020 (Amazon) [9]

Book title Author Therapeutic Ways of using

effect/readers' in ELT
preferences
1. The Boy, The Charlie ''Loved drawings, Reading in
Mole, The Fox Mackesy adventuring into English to
and The Horse the Wild and children
exploring the
thoughts and
feelings that unite
us all.''
(Goodreads
reviews)
2. The Thursday Richard Osman ''Such a beacon of Discussions;
Murder Club pleasure''; ''Smart, presentations;
compassionate, personal
warm, moving and opinions or
so very funny. I attitudes;
smiled a million expression of
times. This book personal
will make a lot of feelings and
 people very, very probable
happy'' (Amazon effects
reviews)
3. Where the Delia Owens ''Mysterious''; Discussions;
Crawdads Sing ''lyrical''; ''It’s the presentations;
first novel in a personal
long time that opinions or
made me cry'' attitudes;
(Amazon reviews) expression of
personal
feelings and
probable
effects
4. Pinch of Nom Kate Allinson ''recipes are easy, Learning new
Everyday and Kay irreverent, practical ways
Light: 100 Featherstone inexpensive, of healthy
Tasty, accessible for all dieting in
Slimming in terms of budget English
Recipes All and availability''
Under 400 (Amazon reviews)
Calories
5. A Promised Barack Obama ''Remarkably Discussions;
Land candid and presentations;
beautifully personal
written''; ''Deeply opinions or
enjoyable'', etc. attitudes;
(Amazon reviews) expression of
personal
feelings and
probable
effects

Table 2. The first five most popular book titles in USA, 2020 (Amazon) [10]

Book title Author Therapeutic Ways of using

effect/readers' in ELT
preferences
1. A Promised Barack Obama ''Boring''; Discussions;
Land ''disappointed''; presentations;
''enlightening'', personal
etc. (Amazon opinions or
reviews) attitudes;
expression of
personal
feelings and
probable
effects
2. Too Much and Mary L. Trump ''Dripping with Discussions;
Never Enough: snideness, presentations;
How My vibrating with personal
Family Created rage, and opinions or
the World's gleaming with attitudes;
Most clarity—a deeply expression of
Dangerous satisfying read." personal
Man (Amazon reviews) feelings and
probable
 effects
3. Where the Delia Owens ''Romantic''; Discussions;
Crawdads Sing ''Beautiful''; presentations;
''Haunting", etc. personal
(Amazon reviews) opinions or
attitudes;
expression of
personal
feelings and
probable
effects
4. My First Learn Crystal Radke ''A fantastic Reading in
to Write resource for English to
Workbook: young children small children
Practice for who are learning and assisting
Kids with Pen how to write.'' them how to
Control, Line (Amazon reviews) learn to write
Tracing,
Letters, and
More!
5. Midnight Sun Stephenie "Expressing Discussions;
Meyer gratitude for presentations;
presenting it personal
during difficult opinions or
times", etc. attitudes;
(Goodreads expression of
reviews) personal
feelings and
probable
effects

Table 3. The first five most popular book titles in Bulgaria, 2020 (atrakcia.bg) [11]

Book title Author Therapeutic Ways of using

effect/readers' in ELT
preferences
1. City of Girls Elizabeth Recommended Discussions;
Gilbert pleasant reading presentations;
(atrakcia.bg) personal
opinions or
attitudes;
expression of
personal
feelings and
probable
effects;
translation
2. Matilda Roald Dahl Expressing joy Reading in
from the fact that English to
this children's children
book is a best-
seller
(atrakcia.bg)
3. Anxious Fredrik ''Influential on Discussions;
 People Baskman people's hearts presentations;
and minds" personal
(atrakcia.bg) opinions or
attitudes;
expression of
personal
feelings and
probable
effects;
translation
4. Clay Victoria ''A newly released Discussions;
Beshliyska novel by a presentations;
Bulgarian author" personal
(atrakcia.bg) opinions or
attitudes;
expression of
personal
feelings and
probable
effects;
translation
5. Lover Eugene ''Recommended Discussions;
Vodolazkin example of quality presentations;
translation'' personal
(atrakcia.bg) opinions or
attitudes;
expression of
personal
feelings and
probable
effects;
translation

As it is evident from the tables given above, the most popular book titles can be used to illustrate the
power of written literary works to the students, make them informed about the therapeutic effect and/or
readers' preferences they can have in view of bibliotherapy as a concept; and the ways these literary
works have been used to teach new contents, creating new English learning reading materials,
performing fruitful discussions on the personal effect they have had on the students and incorporating
this way of coping with difficult and atypical situations for them in the pandemic period. In addition, it
has been a challenge for the students to see that they can help smaller children with their English
language skills and assist them with their learning and writing. Moreover, the students have been
challenged to read a Bulgarian author (Victoria Beshliyska) and express their attitudes in a foreign
language.

4 CONCLUSIONS
In this article, the author presented an attempt to use bibliotherapy as a means of informing university
students about the therapeutic effects it can have on readers illustrating this by using three lists of
bestselling book titles for the year 2020 when the global pandemic was in full swing. This attempt has
turned out to have multifaceted functions of the English language teaching process, namely
informative, communicative, creative, and psychological function of the teaching process. The
students have found that reading can be both empowering and transformative when dealing with both
Bulgarian and English reading texts at times of global pandemic.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This report would not have been possible without the financial assistance of the following project:
„Study of Attitudes to the Therapeutic Potential of Reading in Atypical Situations for the Individual”
financed by the National Science Fund of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of
Bulgaria with Contract № № КП-06-Н45/2 from 30.11.2020, led by Chief Assist. Prof. S. Eftimova-
Ilieva, PhD.

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