Enhancing Reading Skills in Malay: The Impact of the Easy Reading Module on Preschool Children

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Enhancing Reading Skills in Malay: The Impact of the Easy Reading Module on Preschool Children

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https://doi.org/10.54963/jqre.i46.2083
Md Bashah, S., Mohamed, S., & Syawal Amran, M. (2026). Enhancing Reading Skills in Malay: The Impact of the Easy Reading Module on Preschool Children. Journal of Qualitative Research in Education, (46), 22–34. https://doi.org/10.54963/jqre.i46.2083
Issue 46 (2026): in progress
Copyright (c) 2026 Syazreena Md Bashah, Suziyani Mohamed, Muhammad Syawal Amran
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Authors

  • Syazreena Md Bashah

    Department of Early Childhood Education, Faculty of Education, National University of Malaysia, Bangi 43600, Malaysia
  • Suziyani Mohamed

    Department of Early Childhood Education, Faculty of Education, National University of Malaysia, Bangi 43600, Malaysia
  • Muhammad Syawal Amran

    Department of Early Childhood Education, Faculty of Education, National University of Malaysia, Bangi 43600, Malaysia

Received: 12 September 2025; Revised: 23 October 2025; Accepted: 21 January 2026; Published: 3 February 2026

Within the Malaysian context, reading is a critical foundational skill in the learning process, particularly during the early childhood education stages where cognitive development is rapid. This study examines the implementation and overall effectiveness of the specifically designed Easy Reading Module in supporting preschool children who face persistent difficulties in acquiring Malay reading skills, emphasizing qualitative analysis as the primary method. The study was conducted in a preschool located in the Jelebu District, Negeri Sembilan, involving a purposive sample of one preschool teacher and the 25 preschool children who experienced reading difficulties. Data were collected over a comprehensive 12-week intervention period through semi-structured interviews with the teacher and non-participant classroom observations of children’s engagement, confidence, and phonological awareness during their use of the Easy Reading Module. The findings indicate that the Easy Reading Module enhanced children’s engagement, confidence, and phonological awareness, while also supporting more active participation in reading activities within the classroom. The study highlights how structured and developmentally appropriate instructional materials such as the Easy Reading Module can support early literacy acquisition and offers valuable implications for teaching practices, instructional design, and policy development in early childhood literacy education to improve long-term educational outcome. Ultimately, the module’s success in improving literacy skills underscore the necessity of structure instructional materials for advancing earlier teaching practices policy.

Keywords:

Early Malay Literacy Reading; Malay Literacy; Preschool

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