Exploring EFL Students' Difficulties In Reading Narrative Texts Aloud: Rhythm, Stress, And Intonation

Qaidah, Alifatul (2025) Exploring EFL Students' Difficulties In Reading Narrative Texts Aloud: Rhythm, Stress, And Intonation. Undergraduate Thesis thesis, UIN K.H. Abdurrahman Wahid Pekalongan.

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Abstract

Reading aloud is an important skill for EFL (English as a Foreign Language) learners, especially when reading narrative texts that require prosodic expression such as rhythm, stress, and intonation. However, in practice, many EFL students in Indonesia still read flatly without paying attention to these aspects. Most previous studies have focused only on sound pronunciation (segmental features) or general reading comprehension, while studies that specifically highlight students' difficulties in suprasegmental aspects when reading narrative texts aloud are still rare. This study aims to explore the difficulties faced by EFL students in reading narrative texts aloud, particularly in terms of rhythm, stress, and intonation, as well as to identify the factors that influence these difficulties. The research method used is a qualitative approach with observation and narrative inquiry methods through indepth interviews with 11th grade students at an Islamic high school in Kendal, Indonesia. The results of the study show that students' difficulties in displaying the appropriate rhythm, stress, and intonation are caused by several main factors, namely: (1) limited exposure to native English speakers, (2) differences in the prosody system between the first language (L1) and the second language (L2), (3) lack of vocabulary mastery, and (4) personal characteristics such as nervousness, anxiety, and lack of confidence. Theoretically, this study enriches the study of suprasegmental aspects in English pronunciation learning for EFL learners. Practically, the results of this study provide insights for teachers and curriculum developers to develop teaching strategies that emphasize rhythm, stress, and intonation exercises in reading aloud activities and increase exposure to authentic English models so that students can improve their fluency and prosodic expression.

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