A study of teachers' views on the suitability of the prescribed literary texts for form one and form two classes / Zahrullaili Ahmad Zakaria

Effective teaching materials play an important role to both the teaching and the learning process. This study examined the views of sixty (60) English Language teachers in fourteen (14) secondary schools in Perlis, on the suitability of the prescribed literary texts for Form One and Form Two classes. The teachers' views on the suitability of the texts are examined in terms of the objectives for the use of the texts, the content of the texts, the teachers' teaching methodology, support and guidance for the teachers in exploiting the texts and overall evaluation of the texts with regard to the students' background - cultural, linguistic, literary, and language proficiency. The study also attempted to determine the differences between the views of 32 teachers from urban schools and the views of 28 teachers from rural schools. The findings of this study show that most teachers' views towards the suitability of the literary texts are of a moderate level. The texts are seen to be appropriate for the comprehension level of the students regardless of the school location - urban or rural. The teachers' responses also reveal that the teachers really need training, guidance and guidelines to enable them to exploit the literary texts more effectively. This is due to the lack of experienced teachers, practical guidelines or models and other related support resources such as adequate teacher education programmes. The study also shows that the teachers' views are not influenced by the location of the school (urban or rural). Finally, it is suggested that the Education Ministry need to be aware of this situation and subsequently, take steps to overcome the shortcomings experienced by the teachers in teaching the literature component in Form One and Form Two classes. It is also suggested that the authorities concerned should pay attention to the task of providing the teachers with ample guidance, training and guidelines in teaching the literature component. Education authorities and policy makers should also allow teachers to participate in planning and decision making of selecting materials, in order to facilitate the successful teaching and learning of the English Language.