Approaches to the Teaching of English Literature Preferred by Students in Selected Malaysian Secondary Schools

Abstract

In 2000, the English literature component was incorporated into the English language syllabus in Malaysian secondary schools. This program still attracts interesting discourse amongst researchers, educators, and policymakers. Determining an appropriate approach to the teaching of English literature is crucial in achieving positive literature learning outcomes. Therefore, this study aims to identify the most preferred approaches to the teaching of English literature in selected secondary schools in Terengganu, Malaysia. The study employed a descriptive survey method in which 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 moral-philosophical approach to the teaching of English literature is the most preferred approach amongst the students, followed by the information-based approach and the language-based approach. This shows that teachers of English literature incorporate moral values in their lessons. 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’ preferences for literature teaching approaches