Students’ Perceptions of the English Literature Component in Malaysian Secondary Schools

Abstract

Students’ understanding of literature is often neglected, while curriculums are usually determined by educationists whose expectations might not suit the students’ ability. To achieve a positive learning outcome in the literature classroom, the students’ perceptions and interests must be accorded much consideration. Therefore, this study aims to determine students’ perceptions of the importance of the English literature component in selected secondary schools in Terengganu, Malaysia. The study employed a descriptive survey method in which a structured questionnaire was used as a data-gathering instrument. The data were gathered from a sample of 403 students across four different public secondary schools in Terengganu: SMK Kompleks Seberang Takir, SM Sains Sultan Mahmud, SMKA Dato Haji Abbas, and SMK Kompleks Gong Badak. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics via the SPSS statistical software package (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA, 20.0). The study found that the students have positive perceptions of the English literature component to a large extent. The students also believe that English literature enables them to develop their cultural awareness, critical thinking skills, as well as improve their English grammar and vocabulary. The moral-philosophical approach is the most preferred approach amongst the students, followed by the information-based approach and the language-based approach. It is envisaged that the findings of this study could be especially useful in the process of curriculum development, particularly in the Malaysian context. Besides, this study could raise teachers’ awareness of their students’ level of understanding of the English literature component.

Keywords: Descriptive survey, English Literature, ESL classroom, Learning outcome, Malaysia