Factors affecting the reading habits of secondary school students

Abstract

Surveys factors affecting the reading habits of secondary school students in Ogbomoso State in Nigeria and discusses the results. Highlights the following inhibiting factors: the family background of students where few homes are conducive to reading owing to noise and lack of reading materials; the lack of functional libraries in most of the schools surveyed and a similar lack of trained librarians or teacher librarians; the failure to provide library periods in schools; language teachers and shortage of equipment and resources for teaching reading skills; and a heavy reliance on school texts, although students show willingness to read more broadly, e.g. newspapers and novels.

A Study on Using the University Library and Reading Habits of Students: A Study on Tishk International University Students in Erbil, Iraq

“…As in the meaning and definition of reading, the reading objectives differ according to socio-economic and cultural structures of societies. Onwubiko deals with reading objectives in four main topics (Ogunrombi & Adio, 1995):…”

“…In particular, parents who are encouraging children to look at picture books and reading stories aloud will help them acquire this habit (Yılmaz, 1993). Ogunrombi and Adio (1995) reported that only a few of the families had a library in their studies on the factors affecting the students' reading habits. The authors emphasized the need to have a library at home to support children's education at school.…”

“…The results of Ogunrombi and Adio (1995) in their study on the factors affecting the reading habits of students are that "libraries in schools are not functional". The authors stated that there are not enough librarian or librarian teachers in school libraries.…”

A qualitative study of the academic, social, and cultural factors that influence students’ library use in a rural Ugandan village

“…Students were also aware of and articulated the value of having a library. Ogunrombi and Adio (1995) found that having functional libraries was a critical factor in development of good reading skills for secondary students in Nigeria. "The acquisition of good reading habits depends largely on the availability of the right type of books.…”

“…Unfortunately, there is at the moment in Nigeria an acute shortage of suitable reading materials for students beginning to read, especially in Nigerian languages" (Ogunrombi & Adio, 1995, 56) The researchers found that in most of the schools they surveyed in Nigeria, there were no libraries and no librarians (Ogunrombi & Adio, 1995). They also discovered that for the few schools that did have libraries, they were often times limited to only senior secondary school students (Ogunrombi & Adio, 1995). The authors concluded that "functional libraries should be established in Nigerian schools" (Ogunrombi & Adio, 1995, 56).…”