ENGLISH-MEDIUM INSTRUCTION PROGRAMME IN MALAYSIA: READABILITY OF SCIENCE TEXTBOOKS USED IN DUAL LANGUAGE PROGRAMME AT PRIMARY SCHOOLS

• Published in: Issues in language studies Vol. 13; no. 2; pp. 53 - 70
• Main Authors: Idris, Nur Ilyani, Ali, Nor Liza, Mohd Don, Zuraidah
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 05.12.2024
• ISSN: 2180-2726; 2180-2726
• DOI: 10.33736/ils.6290.2024

The use of English as a medium of instruction in the teaching of science and mathematics in the Dual Language Programme (DLP) in Malaysia is to increase students’ exposure to English in developing English proficiency to meet globalisation needs. One of the main issues in the implementation of DLP is student readiness to learn science in English. This study examines the readability of primary school science textbooks using Text Inspector to ascertain the difficulty level of the English used. One unit from Year 1 to Year 6 of science textbooks were analysed. The analysis used two features of the Text Inspector: Lexis: EVP and Scorecard. The findings indicate that the language used in science textbooks is beyond CEFR level B2, which suggests that the readability exceeds the primary students’ English proficiency, hence affecting their ability to comprehend the textbooks. In addition, the findings showed that the readability of the science textbooks does not differ much from Year 1 to Year 6. The study found that the readability of the science textbooks used in primary school is inappropriate; hence, proposes policy and pedagogical implications for teachers to support students learning of science in English.