EFL Students’ Reading Habits: A Study Towards the Use of Digital Tools Trends

Abstract

The study's goal is to learn about the present reading habits of students in the English Language and Education Study Program at Unika Santu Paulus Ruteng using digital-based methods. It also intends to see what effect using the Internet and other alternative multimedia resources has on reading habits. The researchers used a questionnaire adapted from Akarzu and Daryemez (2014), which included five main categories: frequency of items read, contents of online reading, online activities, content first clicked when online, and techniques to develop reading habits. The questionnaire was then distributed to 187 participants. The findings revealed that most students are highly habituated to using the Internet for online reading habits and are hooked to using a gadget or smartphone with an Internet connection. They devoted a significant amount of time to internet reading. When they were reading online, they engaged in a variety of activities. Almost every aspect of a student's life is reliant on the Internet. Their reading habits were also influenced by the reading they found on the Internet, which was based on interest content that was relevant to their interests.