EXPLORING PERCEPTIONS ON ESL STUDENTS’ READING HABITS

Malaysia is far from a reading society. In order to advance to a society that loves reading, everybody must claim responsibility for spreading good reading habits as early as possible. Students should practice avid and independent reading, parents should provide a reasonable variety of reading materials at home, and teachers need to understand the individual needs of students of diverse backgrounds with varied habits, interests, attitudes and motivations towards reading. Additionally, the government should revise their policy of exam-oriented education which places too much prominence on examinations and not enough on the importance of the reading process. Thus, this study intends to explore perceptions on ESL students’ reading habits. The findings revealed that the status of ESL students’ reading habits is still bad but it can be enhanced with proper guidance and encouraging activities to motivate students’ to enhance their reading skills. Therefore, it is time for the government and the community to strengthen their moves to promote effective reading habits to curb the vital contemporary issue.