SECONDARY THREE EXPRESS STUDENTS' PERCEPTION OF LITERATURE

The denigration of the subject, Literature in English, is unfortunate. The present study sought to address this problem of disinterest and incompetence in the subject, a problem .faced by many schools. The objectives of the study, therefore, were to examine the .factors that influence students' perception of Literature in English in the hope that the insights provided will enable teachers and others, e.g., administrators, parents, and students themselves, to be better able to take measures to nurture a more positive perception. Three factors believed to exert a strong influence on perception of Literature are: 1. Students' proficiency in English 2. The frequency of students' exposure to English reading materials 3. The language most frequently spoken in students’ homes. To test the influence of these factors, a survey was conducted in five Singapore secondary schools. The sample comprised 302 secondary three express students. The instrument used was a questionnaire. The Likert scale and the semantic Differential Technique were employed, with the latter serving as a validating instrument. The statistical analysis, Differences Between Two Means, was used to test the hypotheses. Findings revealed that all three factors significantly affect perception.

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• WINNIE TEO