The effects of linear and non-linear text on students’ performance in reading

Abstract

The purpose of this investigation is to identify the differences in their performance when the students read „linear? and „non-linear? as shown by the test, and at the same time, to identify which of the two texts interests students most. The respondents were primarily Semester One students of UiTM City Campus, Johor Bahru branch and at present, taking BEL 120 subject; Consolidating Language Skill. Along the process of answering the research questions of this investigation, the instruments used were Test 1 („linear?), Test 2 („non-linear?), a set of survey questions and a number of interview questions. The findings suggested that most respondents scored better in „non-linear? questions (Test 2) as compared to „linear? questions (Test 1). Generally, based on the respondents? feedbacks of the questionnaires, they favored „non-linear? texts to linear texts. Referring to the respondents? responses during the interview sessions, four out of six respondents had chosen „non-linear? text because of the same reason simultaneously. The rationale was that the primary idea of „non-linear? text could be easily understood and tackled in a short period of time.