Innovating Learners Through Reading: Investigating ESL Students’ Reading Performance

Abstract

The pre-diploma English language preparatory course is a course offered in Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) which caters for students at risk of educational failure. The main aim of the course is to upgrade the English proficiency levels of disadvantaged Malay and Bumiputera students to not only help them further their studies at diploma level but also to equip them with literacy skills required for innovation societies in the twenty-first century. Literacy skills, particularly reading skills, are of utmost importance in the twenty-first century which places a premium on the exchange of information. Hence, tertiary students should have good reading skills to help them gain knowledge as well as to be successful in the twenty-first century. This paper investigates ESL students’ reading performance in the Pre-Diploma English course. The study involved a total of 255 students from three UiTM branch campuses, namely Kelantan, Seremban and Melaka. The students were required to sit for a validated and reliable Diagnostic English Language Test to assess their reading performance. Results indicated that close to half of the students failed the test i.e. they obtained grade bands of ‘C−’ and below. The results also show that there is no significant difference in students’ performance based on their gender. However, there is a significant difference in their performance based on language proficiency levels, discipline and locality. The findings show that the majority of these students have low proficiency and need more support and strategy training so that they can master reading skills necessary for innovation in the twenty-first century.