scholarly journals Not Just Book Week: Developing a Reading Culture at Mill Park Secondary College

2021 ◽  
pp. 275-281
Author(s):  
Judith Way
Keyword(s):  
Secondary School ◽  
Cultural Change ◽  
Reading Culture

Establishing a culture where reading is valued as much as participation in sporting teams is not easy. At Mill Park Secondary School a programme has been underway for three years and appears to be making strong progress in cultural change. This presentation outlines three initiatives that are working well together. They target teachers, students and parents and are supplemented by Reading Cup team activities and Reading Challenge activities for individuals.

Availability of Print Resources as a Factor Affecting Reading Culture of Secondary School Students in Edo State, Nigeria

Libri ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 70 (2) ◽  
pp. 157-167
Author(s):  
Christopher Osaretin Ukpebor
Keyword(s):  
Secondary School ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Secondary School Students ◽  
Survey Design ◽  
Weighted Average ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
School Students ◽  
Poor Reading ◽  
Edo State ◽  
Reading Culture

AbstractStudies have shown that Nigerians have a poor reading culture which could be as a result of several factors including unavailability of print resources. Literature has revealed that the quality of reading by secondary school students in Edo State was regrettably on the decline and that inadequate use of print resources was a major factor. The descriptive survey design of correlational type was adopted for the study. Stratified multi-stage sampling technique was adopted in selecting participants for this study. Fifty percent was used to select nine local governments, 10 % to select public and private secondary schools from the already selected nine local governments, making a total of 65 schools. From each of the selected 65 schools, a sampling fraction of 11 % was used to select a total of 895 students for the study. A questionnaire was used for students while an interview checklist was used for school principals in justification of the students’ responses. Regression analysis (at 0.05 level of significance) was used to analyse the data. Findings revealed that secondary school students in Edo State have print resources readily available, while secondary school students had a poor reading culture with the weighted average of 3.06. The effect of print resources (β = 0.141; p < 0.05) in predicting students’ reading culture was significant. Conclusively, the study showed that secondary school students in Edo State have a poor reading culture irrespective of the availability of print resources.

Adoption of Web 2.0 Technologies in Driving Reading Habits of Secondary School Learners in Bulawayo Metropolitan Province, Zimbabwe

Mousaion ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 38 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sifundo Nkomo
Keyword(s):  
Secondary School ◽  
Web 2.0 ◽  
School Librarians ◽  
Web 2.0 Technologies ◽  
Reading Habits ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Reading Materials ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Multiple Case ◽  
Reading Culture

Reading in the 21st century networked society is no longer confined to print. The scope of reading has extended to Web 2.0 technologies that have changed the traditional reading culture of readers. The problem is that secondary school learners in Zimbabwe are not fully adopting Web 2.0 technologies to cultivate their reading habits. This qualitative study examined the adoption of Web 2.0 technologies in driving the reading habits of secondary school learners in the Bulawayo Metropolitan Province in Zimbabwe. A multiple-case study design was employed, which collected data from 210 learners. The learners were divided into 14 focus groups as a data collection tool. Data were augmented through interviews with school librarians and then analysed thematically. Findings reveal that some learners spend five hours per day using different types of Web 2.0 technologies, which include WhatsApp, Facebook, WattPad, Pinterest and YouTube for the purposes of entertainment, and this has a negative effect on their reading. The study revealed potential positive effects of using Web 2.0 technologies, such as having up-to-date reading materials. It is concluded that Web 2.0 technologies can be adopted in driving the reading habits of secondary school learners. Some learners are already using Web 2.0 technologies for downloading novels. Especially girls (and some boys) are reading newspapers by using Web 2.0 technologies; however, other learners are using them for the wrong reasons. This paper contends that if guided well, young people can use these technologies to cultivate their reading habits. A further study is recommended on how parents/guardians can adopt the use of Web 2.0 technologies as a drive to improve the reading habits of learners.

scholarly journals Assessment of Access of Reading Resources in Bolstering Extensive Reading Habits and Composition Writing Skills in Secondary Schools in Kenya

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (12) ◽  
pp. 333-344
Author(s):  
Francis G. Mwangi
Keyword(s):  
Secondary School ◽  
Secondary Schools ◽  
Writing Skills ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Schema Theory ◽  
Extensive Reading ◽  
Reading Habits ◽  
Study Objective ◽  
Reading Culture ◽  
Reading Interest

Reading resources in schools can help in inculcating the reading culture and reading proficiency amongst students. This may help learners develop rational skills that are crucial in dealing with the current unpredictable and dynamic world. There has been a concern from educationist and researchers about the declining reading interest among secondary school learners in Kenya and one of the causes could be unavailability of reading resources amongst other determiners. This study was prompted by the lack of adequate reading resources that can bolster and sustain reading interest among secondary schools learners in Laikipia County in Kenya. The study therefore sought to establish whether there existed any relationship between availability and access of extensive reading resources and development of extensive reading habits evidenced in composition writing amongst learners. The study was guided by Piaget's (1952)) Schema Theory. The study used descriptive survey research design. Fifteen secondary schools in Laikipia County were sampled using proportional stratified sampling technique in five sub-counties across the county. Purposive sampling was used to sample 30 out of 80 (37.5%) teachers of English language. A Simple random sampling technique was used to sample 327 students out of appproximately 2670 students (12.24%) in form 2 and 3 in the County. The research instruments used for data collection included: questionnaire for students, interview guides for teachers and composition writing test. A pilot study of the instruments was done to ensure their validity and reliability in a co-educational secondary school in the neighbouring county that was not involved in the study. The reliability of the questionnaire and interview guide was estimated using Cronbach’s alpha coefficient as 0.871 which met the recommended threshold of 0.7 and above. Analysis of data was done using descriptive statistics such as frequency, tables and percentages. T-test was done at 95% confidence level (F(2) = 80.933, P = .001) to establish whether there was statistically significance difference between availability of reading resources and development of extensive reading habits captured in composition writing mean scores of different categories of school using (SPSS) version 17. Qualitative data were organized according to the study themes and presented descriptively on the basis of the study objective. It was established that learners in secondary schools with adequate extensive reading resources performed better in composition writing than those who did not. Therefore, it was established that inadequate supply of reading resources in schools had a negative impact on development of reading interest amongst learners. The study recommended that schools should collaborate with various stakeholders to solicit reading resources so as to promote access of reading materials and reading culture in schools and consequently improve learners’ composition writing skills.

scholarly journals Establishing a Reading Culture in a Rural Secondary School: A Literacy Intervention with Teachers

2013 ◽  
Vol 49 (4) ◽  
pp. 399-412 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ina Joubert ◽  
Liesel Ebersöhn ◽  
Ronel Ferreira ◽  
Loraine du Plessis ◽  
Melanie Moen
Keyword(s):  
Secondary School ◽  
Literacy Intervention ◽  
Reading Culture

Compulsory Book Reading at School and Within Leisure

2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 375-384
Author(s):  
Slavica Pavlović
Keyword(s):  
Secondary School ◽  
Leisure Time ◽  
Book Reading ◽  
Literature Teaching ◽  
Language And Literature ◽  
Stratified Sample ◽  
Reading Culture ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Insight Into ◽  
Secondary School Pupils

AbstractThis paper deals with attitudes of secondary school pupils towards compulsory book reading at school, being the integral part of the subject Croat language and literature teaching subject, and its possible impact on their book (not-)reading in their leisure time. It is based on the research carried out through five-point Likert-type scale in secondary schools in Mostar (Bosnia and Herzegovina), in the second half of 2014. The research was conducted on the convenience, stratified sample consisted of 260 secondary school pupils, attending the final class of grammar (130) and vocational (130) school. The results obtained could give an insight into the book reading culture of secondary school pupils within their leisure related to their experience of compulsory book reading at school. It results that compulsory book reading has still been an uninteresting school task for both the strata of the research sample. Moreover, it results that compulsory book reading at school has a certain influence on book reading decrease in both sample strata’s leisure time. However, some guidelines how to increase the students’ interest in compulsory book reading at (secondary) school as well as in book culture within their leisure time are given in this paper.

scholarly journals PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT AND READING CULTURE AMONG SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS CASE OF INTERNATIONAL SCHOOLS

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
O. Davis Otieno ◽  
Andala Hesbon
Keyword(s):  
Parental Involvement ◽  
Secondary School ◽  
Secondary Schools ◽  
Technology Use ◽  
Secondary School Students ◽  
International Schools ◽  
School Students ◽  
Poor Reading ◽  
Teaching Aids ◽  
Reading Culture

<p>Poor culture of reading among Rwanda students is a perennial problem. This study sought to investigate the relationship between parental involvement and reading culture among secondary school students. Specifically, the study sought to identify parental involvement practices in promoting reading culture among students in international secondary schools, to identify reading culture practices among students in international secondary schools and to determine the influence of parental involvement on reading culture among students in international secondary schools. Descriptive and correlational research designs were adopted. Primary data was collected using questionnaires and interview guide. The population size was 3557 and a sample size of 360 was computed which comprised of teachers, parents and students. The study utilized purposive, stratified proportional and simple random sampling techniques. Data was processed using IBM SPSS software version 21 in addition to Excel and presented in tabula and graphic forms. Computation of percentages and frequencies formed the basis of descriptive analysis. The study findings indicated that 41% and above of parents, teachers and children supported that parents are involved in various learning practices which includes joint reading, donating books and teaching aids to school, going through students’ homework, buying recommended books to the children, encouraging technology use in reading and offering reading incentives to the children. Additionally, findings did indicate that between 36% to 51%, 39% to 61% and 41% to 57% of teachers, parents and students respectively agreed that students engage in various reading culture practices including having favorite story books, spending free time reading, love for reading, talking about books they have read, creative and writes something on what they have read and making consultations from teachers and parents for clarifications. Moreover, the findings indicated that there is still a great percentage of parents who don’t engage themselves on students learning matters supported by 17%-40% of respondents and also a greater percentage of students having poor reading culture in secondary schools supported by at most 45% of respondents. correlation finings indicated a Pearson correlation coefficient of 0.650 which positive and significant whereas regression finings indicated R squared of 54.7% and beta coefficient of 0.119 with p value of 0.025 for parental involvement. The study concluded that there is a moderate involvement of parents in the learning process of their children, good reading culture is practiced to a moderate extent by secondary school students in Rwanda and there is positive significant influence of parental involvement on reading culture among secondary school students. This study recommends parents to engage in various activities aimed at promoting the reading culture and performance of their children. Schools to organize workshops to enlighten the parents on the need to engage in various supports to promote their students reading culture.</p><p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/edu_01/0748/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

scholarly journals Strategies for Promoting a Reading Culture Among Secondary School Students in Kiambu County, Kenya

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 20-32
Author(s):  
Lucy Wangechi Muthee ◽  
Peter Wamae
Keyword(s):  
Secondary School ◽  
Secondary Schools ◽  
Secondary School Students ◽  
Book Club ◽  
Survey Design ◽  
Significant Proportion ◽  
School Libraries ◽  
School Students ◽  
Poor Reading ◽  
Reading Culture

This research looked at reading culture within secondary school students in Kiambu County. It discussed the role that teachers, parents, school librarians and school culture play in the promotion of a reading culture or lack thereof. The specific objectives were; to determine the status of reading culture being promoted by secondary schools and to determine the level of usage of school libraries and their resources to support the development and cultivation of culture of reading among high school learners among secondary school students. This research was based on Lee Vygotsky’s cultural historical theory of cognitive development. The study employed descriptive survey design. The target population was 240 students, 24 teachers and 12 librarians from 12 secondary schools within Kiambu County. This research used stratified random sampling. The data was collected using self-administered questionnaires. Through pretest of the questionnaires and subsequent re-modelling, validity of the findings was enhanced. The data collected was analyzed through the aid of Statistical Package for Social Scientists (SPSS). The analyzed data is displayed using charts, graphs, diagrams, tables, frequency tables, matrices, drawings or block diagrams. A significant portion of students loved reading very much at 31%. The hours spent on reading also varied with students (34%) 3-4 hours a day reading, with 30% others spending more than 4 hours a day. All the institutions featured have libraries. Out of the 208 students, 44% use the library hour to read either in class or the library. 20% of others use the allocated hour for private studies. Most of the students (78%) stated being part of a book club or study group. For instance, the study found that out of the 187 students (78%), a significant proportion (49%) used the groups for academic performance. Others benefited through fluency in language, increased vocabulary, better writing, and reading skills, among other reasons. The study proves the popular notion that Kenya's schools and the country have a poor reading culture. Students are forced into reading either by teachers and parents or pressured by the need to pass exams. As such, the most read materials are school textbooks and novels, which also happen to be the most stocked materials in school libraries. Reading should be a personal initiative as opposed to being forced into it. That being the case, students' opinions matter more on making reading more fun and appealing. Therefore, in addition to the importance of school libraries and reading clubs, schools need to encourage peer motivation to read in an effort to improve reading culture. Some of the study recommendations are that there is a need to include an opinion on academic experts on reading culture, government, and parents who play a significant role in the education sector.

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