Motivation to Read Authentic Narrative Texts: A Focus on Pre-University Students in an ESL Class

Abstract

  Second Language (L2) instructors often use authentic text, although it is designed for real-world communication among speakers of a target language. However, it is criticised for being too complex for L2 learners. This study explores the level of acceptance of 85 pre-university students of authentic narrative text in their ESL lessons and the factors that influence their reading motivation. The quantitative data were collected using a 9-item questionnaire. The findings show that the students had a high acceptance of reading authentic narrative texts in the classroom. Their motivation was positively correlated with the length of the text, level of interest, relevance and appropriateness of the storyline. This study supports the use of authentic narrative texts in ESL classrooms.