Use of the Resilience Concept in the CEFR-Aligned English for Science and Technology (EST) Classes in Malaysian Secondary Schools through Victorian Literature

The CEFR-aligned English for Science and Technology (EST) is an elective subject for the fourth and fifth forms students in Malaysia. It was introduced in 2003. The supplementary material is CEFR-aligned, in accordance with the implementation of the CEFR at national level. The purpose of this subject is to boost students' proficiency so that they could have a smooth transition when they enter university to pursue a degree in the STEM domain. It is also aimed to train the students to think creatively and critically and express their points of view on issues related to science and technology. It distinguishes itself from general English language subjects across the world. It is indeed one of its kind. This paper reports a work-in-progress (WIP) preliminary findings about using resilience concept found in flood-theme literary texts in EST classes to development resilience among secondary school students. The instruments include two Victorian texts that describe flooding in the nineteenth century British culture. These texts are Charles Dickens' Bleak House and George Eliot's The Mill on The Floss. Preliminary findings indicate that through literary texts, students in the EST classes are more susceptible to engage in interdisciplinary approaches to curb flood disaster by making connection between sciences, technologies, social sciences and the humanities. The preliminary finding concludes that students are more prudent to think that an interdisciplinary approach is the best for resilience development.