Readability of Prose Forms: Pain or Gain?

Abstract

This paper aims to analyze the readability of the prose forms prescribed for students at the lower secondary level comprising short stories and a novel. The research question addressed is, 'What are the text-reader factors which affect students' reading comprehension?' Interview sessions were carried out with 18 lower secondary students and the questions posed during the interview sessions focused on text-reader factors. Thematic analysis was carried out to analyze data from the verbatim transcription. The findings revealed that students were unhappy with certain physical aspects of the prose forms. Nonetheless, the literary texts used appears to match the readability level of the students involved. Results also show that the prose forms selected cater to all Malaysian lower secondary students of different language abilities and background. The weak students could be guided to read and understand the prose forms whereas the good students could improve themselves with enrichment activities.