13 respondents suggested, and acceded by others, that reading newspaper reports and articles help to improve
their reading skill in addition to improving their speaking and writing skills, grammar proficiency, and
expanding their vocabulary range as shown on Table 11. Newspapers are one of the cheapest reading sources
available that cover general and specific topics and issues such as education, environment, health, social issues,
science and technology which are suitable for students with average and below language proficiencies. The
materials are also imperative guides for students to improve their grammar skills by identifying tenses forms,
sentence structures and learning new words to expand their vocabulary and applying them in speaking and
writing. The respondents stated that they used these materials in their individual and/or speaking activities and
writing assignments.
CONCLUSION:
Learners’ perceptions towards the teaching and learning of English should be taken and reviewed seriously as it
is a two-way process involving teachers and learners. Meanwhile, teachers should take the initiative to ensure
their teaching plans are effective while students’ learning becomes meaningful through a myriad and mixture of
teaching methods to cater to a majority of the students’ learning styles and preferences. An empathic teacher can
motivate reluctant students to explore their maximum potential through consistent encouragement and selfassurance.
Besides, average and low proficiency students need to be proactive and consistently strive to
improve their English language proficiency until they are able to achieve their maximum ability. In the end, the
results will be an equal achievement and success for both educators and learners.