Page 51 - ICGE VII - ABSTRACT BOOK

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON GLOBAL EDUCATION VIII
“Visioning the Future of Education”

MALAYSIAN POLYTECHNIC STUDENTS’ READING HABITS AND
ATTITUDES TOWARDS READING

Yeap Lay Hwa, Fasyin Diyana Mohamad Fadzil

(yeaplayhwa@gmail.com, fasyindiyana@gmail.com)

Abstract

Reading is a skill or an ability that is vital not just for success in studies but throughout
our life. Kirsch and Guthrie (1984) found that reading contributes significantly to job
success, career development and the ability to respond to change. Reading is deemed
st
more important in the 21 Century as according to Moore, Bean, Birdyshaw and Rycik
(1999), adolescents entering the adult world in this century are expected to read and
write more. They need higher levels of reading literacy to perform their jobs, run their
households, act as citizens and perform their personal lives. Hence, this paper is an
attempt to understand the reading habits and attitudes of students in a Malaysian
polytechnic. To collect the relevant data, a survey questionnaire adapted from Smith’s
(1991) Adult Survey of Reading Attitude (ASRA) was designed and distributed to 80
students. The questionnaire examined the students’ reading habits, preferences and
attitudes towards reading. The research findings through quantitative analysis revealed
that the students had low interest in reading and they preferred other technological
related activities more than reading. Given a choice, the students preferred digital to
printed reading materials. The students’ reading habits were inclined towards
entertainment based content. Based on the findings, a few recommendations were
made to help improve students’ reading habits and attitudes.

Keywords: Reading habits, attitudes towards reading, reading preferences,
polytechnic students

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