ARBA MINCH UNIVERSITY

COLLEGE OF SOCIAL SCIENCE AND HUMANITIES

DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE

ASSIGNMENT OF SEMINAR ON SELECTED TOPICS:

WRITING RESEARCH PROPOSAL;

AN INVESTIGATION STUDENTS’ PREFERENCE OF READING
LITERARY WORKS: IN CASE OF THIRD YEAR ENGLISH
MAJOR STUDENTS AT ARBA MINCH UNIVERSITY.

NAME: KILASHI KEBEDE

ID: RSSH/437/10

DATE:DEC2020

INSTRUCTOR: ADDISU ADAMU(MA)

CHAPTER ONE
1. Introduction ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.1. Background of the study -------------------------------------------------------------------
1.2. Statement of the problem -------------------------------------------------------------------
1.3. Basic research questions --------------------------------------------------------------------
1.3.1. Objective of the study ----------------------------------------------------------------------
1.3.2. General objectives of the study ------------------------------------------------------------
1.3.3. Specific objectives of the study -----------------------------------------------------------
1.4. Significance of the study -------------------------------------------------------------------
1.5. Scope of the study---------------------------------------------------------------------------

CHAPTER TWO
2. Review of related literature ------------------------------------------------------------------
2.1. Definition of reading ----------------------------------------------------------------------
2.2. Theories of Reading ----------------------------------------------------------------------
2.3. The cognitive view (top down processing) ----------------------------------------------
2.4. Importance of reading -------------------------------------------------------------
2.5. Students preference of Reading Literary Works------------------------------

CHAPTER THREE
3. Research design and methodology ---------------------------------------------------------
3.1. Subject of the study -----------------------------------------------------------------------
3.2. Sample size and techniques of data collection -----------------------------------------
3.3. Data collection instruments ---------------------------------------------------------------
3.3.1. Questionnaire ----------------------------------------------------------------------
3.3.2. Interview ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
3.3.3. Focus group discussion -----------------------------------------------------------
3.4 Methods of data analysis --------------------------------------------------------

CHAPTER ONE
1. Introduction

1.1 Background of the Study

Reading is the act of getting the meaning from printed word or symbol.
According to fair and Brains (2002) reading first depending on readers
memory and experience to understand what is read and react to the
materials. According to world book (1973) reading is the act of getting
information from printed or written words. According to Harmer (1991)
reading is an exercise dominated by the eyes and mind. Reading
materials may include text books, fictions, newspapers, magazines,
internet and like. These reading materials are used based on the interest
of readers as well as the significance of the materials.
Nuttal (1982), stated ‘reading is mainly an effective means of developing
students general language communication preference, ability and style.
Still it is belied that, reading is one of the source of information,
knowledge, entertainments and developments of the civilized world.
Reading is necessary the key to all kind of information. It enable us to
learn how to build or fix things, to enjoy stories, to discover what other
people believe and to develop once own idea.
Therefore, it is important to argue that students should provide with
adequate, appropriate and interesting reading materials. So that, they
can develop their knowledge about the world they live in readers should
also identify their preference of reading. When readers know clearly what
they prefer to read, the offer bodies may try to provide those materials.
Therefore, the researcher’s interest is to explore the preference of reading
literary works of third year English major student of Arba Minch
University.
 1.1. Statement of the Problem

Beside mandatory reading material and course books, many students

need to read what made them interested. Among these materials literary
works like short story, novel and poetry are the major one. These kind of
literary works are very important especially for pleasure and to get
further knowledge about the culture and literature of different countries.
Thus the researcher has plan to conduct the research in Arba Minch
University focusing on English major students of third year with main
purpose of identifying their reading preferences. Those students were
selected assuming that they have to read more materials as they have to
be good readers and communicators and as they have to develop their
interest of reading literature as compare to other students: The
profession requires them to read additional materials beside their course
materials. This means they have to read literary works of their interest as
they are language students. Accordingly the researcher attempt to
answer the following questions.

1.2. Basic Research Questions

o What kinds of literary works do students prefer to read?
o Why do the students prefer to read these literary works?
o What kind of strategies do the students use to improve their skills
and interest of reading literature?

1.2 Objective of the study

 1.2.1. General Objective of the Study

The general objective of the study is to investigate students’ preference of

reading literary works.

1.2.2. Specific Objective of the Study

Specifically the study focused on:

o To examine literature which are commonly read by the English

third year
o To explore the perception of the students towards reading
literature.
o To investigate the ways students use to improve their skill and
interest of reading literary works; and

1.3. Significance of the Study

The researcher hopes that the result of this study will have a great
benefit for the following bodies.
o The results of this study may primarily helps students of Arba
Minch University to evaluate their preference of reading literary
works.
o The study may also give good information for those bodies who are
engaged in encouraging students reading abilities of literature at
level of university
o Beside this, the study may give some insight for those people who
interest to conduct further research in this area.

1.5 Scope of the Study

It is clear that student’s problem of reading literary works preference
touch every part of our country. However, the researcher delimit his
study to third year English major students of Arba Minch University
because of inaccessibility to data, shortage of time and financial problem.

CHAPTER TWO
 2. Review of Related Literature

2.1. Definition of Reading

The definition of reading has undergone many changes. In past, reading

simply means to extract visual information for any given codes or
systems. For example, Dutch (1951) define reading as “imagining,
thinking and feeling about ideas and thoughts made from past
experience that are suggested by perception of printed words” (P 9).
However, thereafter, reading become much more complex and involved
the understanding of a whole text composed of written signs. Smith and
Robinson (1980), defined reading as “an active attempt on the part of
reader to understand a writer’s message.” According to Toit (2001)
“reading is as a process of thinking, relating concepts under the
functioning of written words.”

2.2. Theories of Reading

So far, there are three main theories which explain nature of learning to
read. First, the traditional theory or bottom up processing which focused
on the printed form of text (2) the cognitive view or top down processing
enhanced the role of back ground knowledge in addition to what
appeared on the printed page. Third, the met cognitive view which is
based on the control and manipulation that a reader can have on the act
of comprehending a text, and thus emphasizes the involvement of the
reader’s thinking about what he is doing while reading.

The traditional bottom up approach to reading was influenced by

behaviorist psychology of the 1950, which claimed learning was based up
on “habit formation, brought about by repeated association of stimulus
with a response and language learning was characterized as a response
Behaviorism become the basis of the audio-lingual method, which sought
to form second language “Habits” through drilling, repetition, and error
correction.

Like the audio-lingual teaching method, phonics emphasizes on

repetition and on drills using the sounds that make up words.
Information is received and processed beginning with the smallest sound
units, and processed to letter blends words, phrases and sentences..

The bottom up model describes information flow as series of stage that

transforms the input and passes if to the next stage without any feed
back or possibility of later stages of the process influencing earlier stages
(Stanovich, 1980).

2.3. The cognitive view (top down processing)

In the 1960s a paradigm shift occurred in the cognitive sciences.

Behaviorism become somewhat discredited as the new cognitive theory
represented the minds innate capacity for learning, which gave new
explanatory power to how humans acquired their first language; this also
had a tremendous impact on the field of ESL/EFL as psycholinguists
explained “how such internal representations of the foreign language
develop within the learner’s mind”(Omaggio, 1993:57).

These new cognitive and top down processing approaches revolutionized

the conception of the way students learn to read (smith, 1994). In this
view, reading is not extractive meaning from a text but a process of
connecting information in the text with the know ledge the reader brings
to the act of reading.

2.4. Importance of Reading

. In many situations, reading is considered as the indispensable channel
of communication in an ever widening world. Rooutledge state we are
living in reading world where it is difficult to manage without reading.
Reading has numerous significances in daily life of human being.
However, these significance of reading are difficult to express in words
but can be experienced by people from all walks of life with the advent of
modern technology. A variety of reasons makes reading important. For
example, in some cases, it is considered as an active state exercise for
humans mind as opposed to watching TV or listening to music. Keeping
reading new books, new genres, fictions and non-fictions gives one some
varieties and he/she well pick-up some new words each day. On the
other hand, reading is essential for writer. Reading a wide range of
authors is a wide range of genre is a very effective way of helping oneself
as writer.

Reading expose individual to new things,new information, new way to

solve a problem, and new ways to achieve one thing.Who knows you
might actually explore one thing you hobbies within it.

Reading makes individual to bring his/herself improvement.Through

reading, you begin understanding on a topic that interest you; for
example, how to build self confidence, how to make plan better before
taking action, how to memorized things better and more.

contain people’s successes, failures and advice.

Readingis also tools of communication. Communication is the most

importing tools which can be transmitted through reading. As you
communicate through reading you understand more, and thus you can
communicate better with people.

2.5. Students Preference of Reading Literary Works

Cosello and Charton (2007) define literacy as “the cognitive processing of
text information, a motivational attitude toward reading and the
integration of texts into everyday life (p,697). They explain that in the
cognitive process, readers learn to apply the meanings of the words and
sentences that they-comprehend to their present knowledge. These
authors stated that motivational attitude can be considered as an
aesthetic process based on the readers own interests or “expecting to
benefit from reading” (p,697).

.Especially when it comes to language students whose main goal is

developing their language proficiency, reading plays decisive role.For this
role to be effective, there will be a need to have appropriate preferences of
literary work they reads; it is with this view that the researcher decided
to conduct the study on investigating reading preferences of Arba Minch
University English major students.

CHAPTER THREE

3.1 Research design and Methodology

In this study the researcher will use descriptive research design to investigate
the existing practice of student’s preference of reading literary works. The
study will also incorporate both quantitative and qualitative research method
in order to analyse data gathered through questionnaire, interview and focus
group discussion.

3.2 Subject of the study

There are three groups of English major students in Arba Minch University
chamo Campus namely first, second and third years. Among them third year
English major students have been chosen considering their long experience in
the department and thus the amount of valueable inputs they will provide.

3.3 Sample size and Techniques

The total size of third year English major Students is 27, and since their number is
manageable, the total population of the study are all of the 27 students. First, the
researcher will distribute questionnaire to all students and then by using purposive
sampling the researcher will select 3 students for interview and five students for focus

group discussion.

3.4 Data collection instruments

To obtain relevant data, 3 different tools namely questionnaire, interview

and focus group discussion will be employed.

3.4.1. Questionnaire

To collect necessary information 5 close and 3 open ended questions will

administer to students. The sample students will provide their answer
the questions in which they will ask to indicate by ticking in the box and
give explanation. In the structure of the questionnaire,respondants are
requiring to rate their level of agreement to five point chart scales. item,
respondents were rated their level of agreement to 5 points chart scales.

3.4.2. Interview

The main purpose of interview is to prove the validity which will gather
through questionnaire. Therefore,3 third year English major students will
be interviewed 4 open ended questions which are relateing to the
student’s preference of reading literary works..

3.4.3. Focus group discussion

Five students will be selected for focus group discussion. These

individuals will selecte to extract opinions, share ideas and perception
through group interaction and to grasp points which will not cover by
questionnaire and interview. The researcher will interact with the groups
to find out their main insights of why they read specific kind of literature.

3.5. Data Analysis

The researcher will use both qualitative and quantitative data analysis
methods. specifically, close ended questionnaire will analyze
quantitatively where as open ended questionnaire interview and focus
group discussion data will be analyzed qualitatively by looking in to data
category.

References
Castello and Chartlon (2007) Literary and reading Encyclopedia of
children, Adolescents, and media vol.2 thousand Oaks, CA:
sage publications P, 697-699.
Dutch (1951) psychology and teaching of reading 2 nd ed. Champaign,
Illinosi: the Garrard press.
Kucer , S.B. 1987 . thecogritive of reading and writing.
Omrggio, M.A 1993. Teaching language in context. Boston: Heinle and
Heinle.
Smith Farnk. (1978) reading Cambridge: Cambridge university press.
Stanovich, K.E. 1980. “Toward an interactive compensatory model of
individual difference in the development of reading Fluency”
Stewart. (2006). Theories of literary.Encyclopedia of educational
leardershing and administration. Thousand Oaks, CA: sage
publications p,617-622.
Tierney, R.J, and P.D pearson. 1994. “learning to learn from text : A
Frame work for improving classroom practice” In Ruddell,
Ruddell, and Singer edds. 1994. 496-513.
World book encyclopedia.(1973). the “reading vol. 16 Chicago field
enterprise educational corporation.