The Aesthetic Transaction in L2 Literary Reading: Self-Involvement and Literary Judgment among Malaysian Student Teachers

Abstract

This study examines the aesthetic transaction between Malaysian TESL student teachers (N=20) and English literary texts, focusing on self-involvement and literary judgment as manifestations of aesthetic reading. Grounded in Rosenblatt's transactional theory, the research employed a mixed-methods approach combining the Literary Response Questionnaire (LRQ) with qualitative analysis of written responses to a culturally resonant Malaysian short story. Findings revealed that student teachers demonstrated strong aesthetic reading orientations, with Literary Judgment (28%) and Self-Involvement (19%) emerging as significant response types. Literary Judgment responses showed participants' capacity to recognise and appreciate stylistic features, particularly foregrounded language devices. Self-Involvement responses reflected emotional projection and personal connections, drawing on culturally familiar themes, especially family relationships and loss. The study validates the importance of culturally resonant texts in L2 literature pedagogy and highlights the pedagogical value of validating both evaluative and emotional reading responses in TESL teacher education.