An examination of literary texts prescribed for lower secondary schools

Abstract

This paper aims to analyse the readability of literary texts in Malaysian lower secondary schools. A quantitative research method took place to find out students’ views on reading the literary texts prescribed in terms of: i) readability of the texts ii) cultural familiarity of the texts iii) physical features of the texts iv) interest and motivation v) preferred literary texts.. A cross-sectional survey was conducted. A set of questionnaire containing 127 questions was distributed to 450 respondents in five districts of Perak. Data from 450 questionnaires were used in the SPSS statistics software version 20.0 to analyse students’ views in five aspects of the literary texts prescribed and presented in the form of percentages. The findings indicate students are positive on the readability of literary text especially the prose forms, they understand the culture portrayed in the novel, on physical aspects, the cover of the texts for Form Two and Three do not seem to attract them. Besides, students are motivated and interested in the literary texts prescribed for them and much preferred prose themes among students is on family. The implication of the research indicates readability of literary texts depends on text and reader factors. Both the factors play a significant role in the process of reading and understanding the literary texts.