STUDENTS’ INTEREST IN LEARNING GRAPHIC NOVEL’S IN THE MALAYSIAN SECONDARY CLASSROOM

Abstract

Graphic novel is popular in young adult literature due to their illustrations and less usage of words. In the Malaysian secondary classroom, the selection of literary texts is prescribed by the Ministry of Education. The students learn the genres of poems, short stories, novels and graphic novels. However, the students only learn graphic novels for a year during their five-year secondary school. The aim of this study was to find out the students’ reasons for and interest in learning graphic novels during secondary school. The methodology of this study was a survey design that involved a purposive sampling of 80 students from an institute of teacher education in Malaysia. This study collected quantitative data through a survey questionnaire which was analysed descriptively. The findings show that the students preferred graphic novels that were interesting and enjoyable. They also showed that they would like to learn more than one graphic novel in the classroom. The implications are on text selection and more choices of graphic novels by curriculum planners to sustain students’ interest in learning literature.