A study of leisure reading habits and interests among students in Malaysian higher-learning institutions

Abstract

This study was undertaken to gather and analyse the relevant information which will provide the necessary data for leisure readership profiles of students in academic institutions. It is greatly hoped that there will be a better awareness among students with regards to the importance of reading as a leisure activity in our increasingly knowledge-based society. Using simple random sampling, 250 students from five higher learning institutions were selected, The academic institutions involved in the study are University Malaya (UM), International Islamic University (UIA), Unitek College (KU), Taylor's College (TC) and Polytechnic Port Dickson (PPD). The survey instrument was designed in the form of a structured questionnaire comprising a series of questions sequence. Both the 'closed and the 'open-ended' types of questions are used. Generally, the reading attitude is encouraging and a wide variety of materials are read, ranging from local newspapers, magazines, periodicals and novels. Nevertheless, the percentage of leisure reading among students could be improved and its benefits could be brought to a greater height. The findings showed that leisure reading was rated second after watching television although the difference in percentage is very minimal. It was also found that reading from a variety of sources has a positive influence on a student's academic performance. Female respondents showed more interests in pursuing leisure reading than male respondents although the results displayed that more male respondents than female respondents reading newspapers daily.