Is Reader Response Approach Still Relevant in ESL Classrooms?: Mitigating Young Malaysian Readers’ Disinterest through Scriptwriting Activities to Teach Literature

Literature in Education has been integrated into the Malaysian primary English as a Second Language (ESL) curriculum, whereby pupils are expected to experience at least three years of exposure to the Contemporary Children’s Literature (CCL) programme by the end of primary schooling. However, previous studies have reported pupils’ lack of interest in learning literature, often attributed to the continued use of traditional and less engaging instructional approaches. To address this issue, scriptwriting activities were incorporated into the teaching of literature through the Reader Response Approach (RRA). This study aimed to identify the challenges encountered in the teaching and learning of CCL in a primary ESL classroom and to examine the usefulness of RRA through scriptwriting activities. A qualitative case study design was employed, involving semi-structured interviews with ten Year 6 pupils using six open-ended questions. The findings revealed three main challenges in learning literature: limited vocabulary, lengthy literary materials, and a lack of guidance and learning resources. Despite these challenges, the use of scriptwriting activities enhanced pupils’ understanding of literary texts, as pupils were able to produce scripts based on poems and short stories. Increased interest and engagement in the CCL programme were also observed. This study highlights the potential of scriptwriting as an effective pedagogical approach in primary ESL literature classrooms. The findings suggest that integrating scriptwriting activities within the Reader Response Approach offers a practical and engaging alternative to traditional literature instruction in Malaysian primary ESL classrooms.