Exploring the Fluency in Reading among Rural Primary School Students and Parents’ Role

Reading is one of the foremost components in English education that determines the general level of English mastery as well as the literacy level in the respective language. However, there is a gap between the fluency of reading in the rural readers who reside in the countryside and their urban counterparts. The main focus of this research is to explore the fluency of reading English text among the students of rural primary schools, as well as the role played and influence of the parents in this matter. This research employs a qualitative approach that provides a ranged discussion on the topic of concern. The researcher uses thematic analysis, which is intended to compare and find intertwining patterns of background as well as fluency in reading, which consists of word recognition and reading intonation among the targeted participants in rural areas in Pahang. The results of the data convey that the fluency of reading among rural primary school students is below a satisfactory level in terms of speed of reading, word recognition and rhythm. This is, to an extent, influenced by the roles of the parents. They could not encourage their children to be fluent readers due to their own lack of English proficiency, inability to be present for reading activities and the constraints of financial aspects. The findings suggest the awareness and importance of the roles of parents in enhancing fluency in reading at a young age, hence further promoting literacy, especially in rural Malaysia.