Literary Analysis Skills of 21st Century Readers

Abstract

INTRODUCTION

In the present times, Philippine education has been climbing its way up as the neighboring countries race to the summit of educational progress. Through the acquisition and utilization of English as a predominated language, 21st-century learners are expected to be equipped with analytical and critical thinking skills which are essential in making them globally competent in the changing world. This study investigates specifically how readers think analytically and critically when presented with literary texts written in the second language.

METHODS

This is a qualitative phenomenological study identifying students' perceived experiences in close reading and critical interpretation of literary texts. Data collection process through unstructured interviews, documents, and visual materials analyses, as well as establishing a protocol for recording information were collected. Class strategies that enhance critical thinking skills were also investigated. The target group was Grade 6 pupils.

RESULTS

The target group who received explicit instruction in the inferencing critical thinking strategy performed well with a high percentage of students demonstrating critical thinking skills. The results of the target group who received the close analysis and critical thinking instruction broke down as follows: of the ten who participated, three demonstrated critical thinking while seven demonstrated basic thinking. of the seven who scored in the basic thinking category, all four were male and three were female. Considering the three students who demonstrated critical thinking, two were female and one was male.

DISCUSSIONS

The participants encountered challenges while reading and analyzing literary texts because of their interest. Students feel bored and sometimes can't understand the text that they are reading because they are not interested in it. They also lack vocabulary, that's why they can't understand the text especially when the text has unfamiliar words. The environment also affects them when reading and analyzing literary text especially when the surroundings are deafening. On the other hand, students use the dictionary to unlock the words that they don't know and try to expand their vocabulary to overcome the difficulties that they encountered. This study suggests the future researchers to identify the root causes of reading difficulties and to explore other teaching reading strategies to enhance the 21st-century skills of the learners.