University Science Malaysia

Keywords: University Science Malaysia, literacy, TESOL, ESL, postgraduate students, English proficiency test, foreign students.

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Contents

• Abstract
• Introduction
• Purpose of study
• The USM ELLS degree programme
• Conducting the survey
• Results and discussion
• Perceptions of reading ability
• Motivation to read in English
• Preparation time spent on courses
• Conclusion
• References

Abstract

Academic success at the tertiary level is likely a multidimensional phenomenon that includes language proficiency, learning and study strategies and certain personal characteristics (Stoynoff, 1997). As reading is part of academic literacy, lecturers in local universities usually have high expectations of a student's ability to cope with the demands of reading in English. However, a survey conducted among eighty first year students enrolled for the Bachelor of Arts in English Language and Literature Studies (ELLS) programme at the School of Humanities, USM revealed poor reading habits and that the students' perceptions of their reading ability did not commensurate with the expectations of the lecturers. Results of a questionnaire and structured interviews (with a subgroup of 15 students and course lecturers) provided valuable insights about the reading readiness of students about to embark on an academic life. The findings of the survey will help to raise awareness among students and staff about potential reading difficulties and the crucial role that reading plays in the achievement of academic success. The results of this study have implications for admission decisions, academic advising and orienting of new students into the programme.

Introduction

What are the reading habits of Malaysian students at the university? Will efficient readers achieve higher levels of academic achievement? How do our students perceive their reading ability?

When we (with other colleagues of the English section) interview prospective students for the B.A. in English Language and Literature Studies (ELLS) programme, we always seem to ask about their reading habits. We constantly probe into the fabric of interweaving factors of their reading dimension hoping that they will elaborate on their favourite books and authors and comment on their leisure reading interests. During the interviews, we discovered that many of the students read very little (except for some who read the daily newspaper) and seem uncomfortable when asked about their reading interests, citing the usual reasons of the lack of time and access to reading materials to account for the little time spent on this activity. Of course, there have been instances when students have come prepared to these interviews and go to great lengths to explain a Shakespearean play or Dickens novel (often having read the simplified version) to impress us.

How much do Malaysians read? According to the last National Literacy Survey carried out in 1996 by the National Library, the average Malaysian reads only two books a year! This is an improvement compared to an earlier survey in 1982 which revealed that an average Malaysian read a mere page or two a year. The Sunday Star newspaper (8th August, 1999:p2) reports that "the poor reading habits among Malaysians was common knowledge but, in true Malaysian fashion, it took an official survey to jolt the education sector that something had to be done fast." When the survey findings hit the headlines, the Education Ministry came up with the NILAM (Nadi Ilmu Amalan Membaca or Sapphire) programme in 1998 to nurture the reading habit among school children. In this reading project, students are awarded marks for the number of books they read and the Education Ministry has suggested an award ranking system for primary and secondary schools. However, many schools have yet to start the programme and those that have are still in the infancy stage. Various reasons for setbacks in the implementation of this reading programme have been cited, among which include the recent economic downturn making a national launch impossible. Many teachers have also expressed confusion about the concept and are unsure about implementing it in their schools.

Studies in the past have shown that the exam-oriented educational system in Malaysia promotes rote learning and that there needs to be a paradigm shift in how we view education and about the way we teach ((Chitravellu, 1997; Osman, 1997). The Education Minster, Datuk Najib Tun Razak, has frequently commented in the local media that most students read only to pass exams and do not read for pleasure. He has been instrumental in implementing many projects aimed at improving students’ reading ability in the country. Reading skills are important through out our lifespan, particularly as we respond to new demands and changes in jobs and reading for pleasure or recreational has been found to improve reading comprehension, writing style, vocabulary, spelling and grammatical development (Krashen, 1993). The positive and rewarding effects of recreational reading have been demonstrated in numerous studies (Burgess, 1994; Krashen, 1984, 1993)

Over the past over the past twenty years, increasing numbers of Malaysians have enrolled in institutions of higher learning in the country. Admission decisions are usually made on the basis of the applicants’ academic performance in standardised national exams like the ‘A’ levels or the STPM (Sijil Tinggi Pelajaran Malaysia). Hence, identifying the reading habits of university students will have tremendous significance on the local universities and for the students themselves. Most attempts to predict the academic performance of local university students have not focussed on the students’ reading habits. As Stoynoff (1997: 2) notes,"academic success is likely a multidimensional phenomenon that includes language proficiency, learning and study strategies, and certain personal characteristics." The intent of the present study is to investigate the students’ reading habits and their perceptions of their reading ability. We have defined reading habits as regular tendencies in reading behaviour. top

Purpose of study

The purpose of the present study was to find out answers to the following questions:

1. How much time do university students spend on reading materials in English?
2. How do university students perceive their reading ability?
3. What motivates them to read?
4. How much time do they spend on preparing for their courses?

The USM ELLS degree programme

The BA Honours in English Language and Literature Studies (ELLS) programme, designed to be in line with the national education policy and the aspiration of the nation to make English the effective second language, is a degree course which was first offered by the Centre for Languages and Translation, USM. It has taken into consideration the objectives of the KBSM (New Curriculum for Secondary Schools) and has also included a literature component that will equip the graduates with the required knowledge and skills. The programme aims at meeting the current shortage of good teachers of English in the education system and producing competent teachers qualified to teach English as well as literature in English as required in the KBSM programme

Admission into the ELLS programme is based on the student’s STPM results, candidates sponsored by the Ministry of Education and candidates with recognised teaching qualifications or its equivalent (USM Handbook for BA ELLS programme, 1989). It is also stipulated in the programme that candidates must pass all courses offered for the degree course and that they must satisfy all coursework requirements. The course structure requires students to take 111 units over the three year duration. Top

Conducting the survey

The sample consisted of 63 students enrolled in the B.A.ELLS programme. These students were selected because they were first year students and they were new to academic life in a university. Also, a majority of them have worked as primary school teachers. A total of 63 questionnaires were administered during one of their foundation course lectures. Both teachers personally administered the questionnaires.

A survey entitled ‘The Reading Habits of ELLS students’ was developed for this study. It consisted of 5 demographic questions (gender, race, age, level of education and teaching experience), 1 question about their frequency in reading, 1 question on their perceptions of their reading ability, 1 question on their motivation to read and 2 questions on preparation time spent on their courses. In addition, structured interviews were conducted with 20 students to elicit more detailed information about their reading habits. Top

Results and discussion

The questionnaire revealed that the majority of students (82.5%) were females, were in the 25-29 age group, possessed a Teacher Training Certificate and 41.2% had 3-5 years of teaching experience. It was interesting to discover that two students had nineteen years of teaching experience and one had twenty-two years.

Table 1: Students’ frequency of reading

The information gleaned from the questionnaire (refer to Table 1) revealed that while many students preferred spending as much as 3-5 hours per week on reading yet the breakdown of the responses indicated that 69.8% of them spent this amount of time on literacy works (i.e. poetry and drama) and ELT books, 28.6% on newspapers, 25.4% on novels and 25.4% of the students responded ‘non-applicable’ regarding the frequency of reading novels. Although many students claim to read literacy works and ELT books yet it was revealed during the structured interviews that they face tremendous problems in coping with reading literary texts prescribed by their lecturers saying they were still not very confident. Some of the comments:

"Reading literature is tough! I am blurred/shocked/devastated"

"It’s something very new."

"The more were read the more we do not know."

The above comments related to plays, like "King Lear’ and "The Importance of Being Earnest" and some selected poems (21 in numbers) by Spencer, Kipling, Browning and Sassoon.

We were also informed that before coming to the university they had more time to read the various types of English newspapers (e.g. The Star, New Straits Times, etc.) but now they have no time and preferred to watch English news over TV or read the newspaper in the common room. Only 25.4% responded that they read novels (some last read a novel six months or three months ago). Favourite types of novel were horror stories (by Stephen King) romance and mysteries. During the structured interviews some said they rented books from bookshops and only one student (female) said she frequented her hometown library. The reasons for little reading of novels were time constraints, marital responsibilities, limited interest and the high price of imported books. Students reported the money spent on book purchased ranged from only RM3.90 – RM5.00 per book (usually from the Popular Bookshop in town). Gallik (1999) in a study on the recreational reading habits of college students in central Texas also found that only 35.2% of her respondents read novels.

Only 1-2 hours per week were spent on the reading of magazines: female students favouring magazines like Cleo, Home Scene, Motherhood and Reader’s Digest, while the male students read Time, Newsweek, etc. (while not subscribing to them). top

Perceptions of reading ability

Generally the ELLS students perceive themselves as being efficient readers of the various types of reading materials like newspapers, magazines and letters. Table 2 below summarises the findings of responses to questions of students’ perceptions of their reading ability:

Table 2: Perceptions of Reading Ability

Although 41.3% of them claim to read newspapers and magazines efficiently, only 31.7% claim to read novels efficiently. It is interesting to note that 48.6% of the students do not rate themselves as highly in reading and comprehending literary works. Similarly 44.4% rate themselves as only ‘quite efficient’ readers of ELT books. In Freidberg and Mahanaimi’s study (1998) on the reading habits of 47 third year medical students in Israel during an integrated endocrinology course, it was revealed that 93.2% of the students had difficulties reading the prescribed course texts. This indicates that generally undergraduates find reading course texts problematic.

During the structured interviews the respondents claimed their reading difficulties were caused by the linguistic load, semantic problems, terminology and unfamiliarity with content areas. Students reported that they could not understand terms like "soliloquy", had little or not enough exposure to poems before and found analysing and criticising poems and novels a problem. They said they were ‘not coping well’, ‘were struggling’ and were ‘at a loss sometimes’. Some felt handicapped by their level of English language proficiency in the reading of literary works. Interviews with other colleagues (four lecturers) in the ELLS programme provided us the same comments i.e. that students have problems grappling with long texts, terminology and unfamiliarity with poems and plays. Students are not ‘independent readers’ and rely heavily on lecturers’ explanations and handouts. Top

Motivation to read in English

The questionnaire revealed that most of the students were aware of their roles as mature students and showed very positive attitudes towards reading. 85.7% of them read in English because they feel it can improve their English Language proficiency. Similarly 74.67% of them read in order to get good grades in all their courses and 71.4% read in English because they want to become good English language teachers upon graduation. As in other studies conducted among mature learners at Malaysian universities (Kaur and Che Lah, 1999; Kaur and T.Mahadi, 1998), we found that these learning traits truly reflect their Asian characteristics of being goal-oriented and wishing to succeed at the university. Only 42.8% of the students were motivated to read because they enjoyed reading. Top

Preparation time spent on courses

The responses of the survey showed the majority of the students (84.1%) spent 6-10 hours more a week in doing assignments while 33.3% of the students reported they spent 3-5 hours preparing for tutorials. 42.8% of the ELLS students claimed to spend 3-5 hours reading relevant course texts and 41.2% of them spent that same amount of time making notes for their courses. 46% of the students claim that they spend 3-5 hours a week researching in the library. Very little time seems to be spent working on the computer as 49.2% of the students said they spent from less than 1 hour to 2 hours on the computer. This can be attributed to the fact that most of their course assignments are usually submitted at the end of each semester.

Students report that they face difficulties with regard to reading because of several factors. Amongst them are their inability to recall information; new terminology; inability to concentrate; and regressive reading habits. Top

Conclusion

References

Burgess, A. 1987. A Clockwork Orange. New York: W.W. Norton.

Friedberg, M and Mahanaimi, D. 1998. Reading Habits of Third –Year Medical students during an Integrated Endocrinology Course. Medical Teacher. March 1998, Vol. 20 Issue 2, p 133.

Gallik, J.D. 1999. Do they read for pleasure? Recreational reading habits of college students. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy. Vol. 42, Issue 6, p. 480.

Kaur, S and Che Lah, S (1998). The Sociocultural Development of Mature Learners at the University. Paper presented at the Malaysia International Conference on Languages, Literatures and Cultures (MICOLLAC). The Mines Resort Hotel, Kuala Lumpur. 10-12 May 1999.

Kaur, S and T.Mahadi, T.S. (1998). Challenges Faced By Malay Employees in Using English at the Workplace. Paper presented at the 3^rd International Conference: "On the Role of Language in a Borderless World: Harkening to the Voices of Asia". Nikko Hotel, Kuala Lumpur. 10-12 May 1998.

Krashen, S. 1984. Writing: Research, Theory and Applications. Torrence, CA: Laredo.

Metsala, J.L. and McCann, A.D. 1996. Children’s Motivations for Reading. Reading Teacher. Vol. 50, Issue 4: p360.

Stoynoff, S. 1977. Factors Associated with International Students’ Academic Achievement. Journal of Instructional Psychology. March 1977. Vol. 24, Issue 1:p56.

The Sunday Star. 1999. Nurturing the Reading Habit. The Star Education: 8 August 1999:p2.

USM Handbook for ELLS students. School of Humanities, USM, p 14. Top

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