FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENTS READING HABITS IN SECONDARY SCHOOL

FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENTS READING HABITS IN SECONDARY SCHOOL

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1    BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Reading is an excellent way to stay educated while also learning new skills and abilities (Mayer, 2010). Reading allows students to learn new things and improve their skills in their fields. According to Loan (2009), those who read on a regular basis have the opportunity to broaden their mental horizons and increase their chances of success. Furthermore, according to Mayer (2010), reading habits play an important role in achieving people’s practical efficiency.

Reading is at the heart of any literacy program. It is one of the earliest practices of human civilization. It is recognized as a form of art capable of transforming a man’s life and society as a whole. Reading has always been a passion of the world’s greatest minds. An illiterate society is, without a doubt, a limited society.

(Howie, 2009). This is because reading serves as a tool for accessing and refining people’s intellectual properties from generation to generation, ensuring ongoing human and societal changes and advancements. According to Rubin (2002), reading is a comprehensive integrative process that starts with the reader and involves the emotive, psychomotor, and cognitive domains. Reading, according to Magara and Batambuze (2005), provides humanity with a means of transmitting information to each successive generation; it allows one to listen to the wisdom and people of the past.

Reading is important not only in school, but also in life. Reading in all of its forms is essential for becoming more educated and better understanding ourselves and others. It gets things ready. men to be intelligent and creative members of a democratic and peaceful society (Howie, 2009). This implies that a reader will not only become a leader, but a successful adult leader capable of overcoming life’s challenges and issues. To put it another way, leaders are readers, so reading is synonymous with leadership. Reading allows children to expand their vocabulary because every unknown word or phrase is looked up in a dictionary. As a result, students who read voraciously have improved their written and spoken language skills (Magara & Batambuze 2005). Reading, along with skimming, scanning, focused reading, and comprehensive reading, is one of the language skills. Excellent readers, according to reading studies, read widely and have a fluid reading style.

style, and rely on a wide range of skills.

As a result of technological advancement, reading habits are changing. While technology continues to have an increasing impact on people’s lives in our society, the reading habit is rapidly fading into obscurity (Gbadamosi, 2007). Students are no longer interested in reading educational materials. Instead, they spend more time on social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, 2go, and Whatsapp. The frequent use of these social media platforms by students appears to be a source of distraction when reading their required coursework. Browsing the internet, chatting with friends, sending nonstop SMSs, watching photos, pornography, and playing music, among other things, appear to be the order of the day, making reading a book or any other written material in a quiet or peaceful environment appear to be the order of the day.

For most schoolchildren and adults, a corner of a library or home is an archaic idea (Gbadamosi, 2007). However, the use of social media by students is influenced by their family background. This is because students from low-income families may not have access to the same social opportunities as those from higher-income families.

1.2 THE PROBLEM’S STATEMENT

Despite the importance of reading and cultivating a healthy reading culture, the majority of secondary school students are unable to engage in meaningful reading activities both at school and at home due to a variety of factors influencing their reading culture (Mayer, 2010). Some of the literature-revealed variables of students’ reading include curriculum materials, social media, home family background, gender, and school location.

culture. These factors influence students‘ reading habits, causing them to read less and focus solely on required textbooks in order to pass exams; this condition has resulted in poor language coordination and expression, as well as low academic achievement. As a result, students’ creativity in a variety of areas is hampered. However, literacy should be defined as the ability to read and write; however, the emphasis of this study is on reading culture. It is also critical to investigate whether poor reading culture among junior secondary school students can be attributed to factors such as curriculum, family background, social media, gender, and location (Howie, 2009).

1.3 THE STUDY’S OBJECTIVES

The primary goal of this research is to

Examine the factors influencing secondary school students’ reading habits. Other objectives of this research include:

i. To investigate the effect of gender on students’ reading habits in secondary school.

ii. Determine the impact of students’ home environments on their reading habits.

iii. To investigate the influence of teachers on students’ reading habits

iv. To investigate the impact of social media on students’ reading habits.

1.4 QUESTIONS FOR RESEARCH

i. Does gender influence students’ reading habits in secondary school?

ii. Does the home environment influence students’ reading habits?

iii. How do teachers influence students’ reading habits?

iv. Does social media influence students’ reading habits?

1.5 THE STUDY’S IMPORTANCE

The study’s findings would be beneficial to students, teachers, parents, and curriculum developers.

developers, and future researchers. The findings of this study may be of critical importance to secondary school students. This is informed by the fact that they will be aware of how certain things affect their reading culture, which will shine a light on them and thus provide them with opportunities to read better as they pursue further education.

This study will also be very useful to scholars because it will provide existing material for future research and studies.

1.6 STUDY OBJECTIVES

This research will look at the factors that influence students’ reading habits in secondary school. Teachers and students from Hope Waddel Secondary School in Calabar will be recruited for this study.

1.7 RESTRICTIONS OF THE STUDY

This study will only look at the factors that influence students’ reading habits in secondary school. This study will also be limited to Cross River State, so the findings will not be applicable elsewhere until additional research is conducted.

1.8 TERM DEFINITION

A circumstance, fact, or influence that contributes to a result is referred to as a factor.

Students: A student is primarily a person who is enrolled in a school or other educational institution and who is pursuing knowledge, developing professions, and obtaining employment in a desired field.

Reading habits: the manner in which a person organizes his studies