problems of reading habits on Academic performance among secondary school students in Abuja

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background to the Study

Reading is a basic language skill that contributes significantly to the academic, intellectual, and individual development of the students. It acts as the basis for learning in all academic areas and improves the vocabulary, understanding, critical thinking, and communication skills of the learners. In any case, the secondary school students should be well versed in the art of reading that enables them to cope with the increasing academic demands of their courses. Recently, there has been rising worry regarding the poor reading habit exhibited by the secondary school students of Nigeria, especially those from the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja..

The reading habit is an activity characterized by frequent reading of material for educational, information, or entertainment purposes. Students with good reading habits usually have high academic performance since they are able to gain extensive knowledge, improve their understanding, and enhance critical thinking skills. On the other hand, students who have bad reading habits usually end up with poor academic performance, ineffective communication, fail in exams, and poor intellectual growth..

It is not surprising that studies have shown that secondary school children today do less reading of their books while spending much more time interacting on social networks or playing with online games. This trend has greatly contributed to the current poor reading culture of young people. As a result of using cell phones, social networking sites, and other forms of online entertainment, less time is spent by students on productive reading and studying. These technological distractions have emerged as serious threats to reading practices of secondary school children in Nigeria..

The use of school libraries and its effectiveness have been recognized as critical factors affecting the students’ reading behavior. According to a study carried out among senior secondary school students in Abuja Metropolis, the use of school libraries effectively results in improved reading behavior among the learners. The researchers suggested that school libraries help inculcate positive reading behaviors and attitudes among the learners in schools with active libraries. Therefore, there is a need for government to ensure that all public secondary schools in Abuja Metropolis have effective school libraries (Jaja & Udumukwu, 2023).

In like manner, a study conducted in the Federal Capital Territory indicated that students who use school library facilities on a frequent basis perform academically better than those who hardly use the facilities. This study highlighted that the availability of appropriate books, skilled librarians, and good reading environment is instrumental in boosting students’ academic performance and their reading habits..

Reading comprehension is yet another crucial area when it comes to the success of the students in their academics. As recent research done in public secondary schools in Abuja has indicated, the use of collaborative teaching approaches enhances the performance of the students in reading comprehension tasks compared to the traditional forms of teaching..

Even though there is much emphasis placed on reading, it is alarming to note that many students at the secondary school level in Abuja still show bad reading attitudes. Poor library facilities, lack of parent support, poor motivation of teachers, reliance on social media, unavailability of reading material, bad study attitudes, among others, have all contributed to the above problem. In this modern age, many students only read books in preparation for their examinations but not to get information or develop themselves..

In addition, environmental factors like too many students in a classroom, poor school facilities, lack of the latest textbooks, and lack of proper reading programmes have made students even less likely to develop good reading habits. These problems can be seen quite clearly in a lot of public secondary schools that still don't have enough educational resources for the increasing number of students.

Due to reading's vital role in helping students excel in their studies and acquire knowledge throughout their lives, we should look into the issues that lead to a decline in reading habits of secondary school students in Abuja. Getting to know these problems will be a source of valuable information for teachers, school administrators parents curriculum planners, and policymakers in coming up with measures that will change students' reading culture and, by extension, their academic performance for the better.

As a result of this, through this research, we want to find out the problems that lead to a decline in reading habits among secondary school students in Abuja.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

Besides being a fantastic way of gaining new knowledge, reading also helps students improve their language skills and attain academic excellence. Still, it has been noticed that a large number of secondary school students in Abuja have poor reading habits. As a consequence, they suffer from poor comprehension, limited vocabulary, low academic achievements, and unsatisfactory exam results.

A number of issues seem to cause this trend, which include; the high level of social media addiction, poor state of the library in the school, lack of good reading materials, poor parental supervision, inefficiency in the reading programs, and lack of motivation to read outside classroom. While past studies have shown that library in the school and proper teaching methods can help in enhancing reading culture, most secondary schools in Abuja continue to face problems due to poor educational resources and poor reading culture. Failure to properly tackle these issues will ensure that they remain an impediment to students’ academic achievement and education. There is need therefore to look at the challenges facing reading behavior of secondary school students in Abuja. This study intends to make recommendations on how to solve these challenges..

1.3 Purpose of the Study

The primary objective of the research is to identify the issues of reading habits among secondary school pupils in Abuja.

In particular, the study aims to:

1.     Ideograph the issues causing poor reading habits among secondary school pupils in Abuja.

2.     Find out the impact of school library facilities on the reading habits of the students.

3.     Identify the effects of digital diversions on the reading habits of the students.

1.4 Research Questions

The study will answer the following research questions:

1. What causes secondary school students in Abuja to read poorly?

2. How does the availability of school libraries affect the reading habits of students?

3. How do digital distractions affect the reading habits of students?

1.5 Research Hypothesis

H₀: There is no significant impact of  reading habits on the  academic performance of secondary school students in Abuja.

1.6 Significance of the Study

The results of this study will prove useful to learners, educators, school managers, parents, curriculum planners, educational policy makers, librarians, and scholars. The research will provide information about the problems that are contributing towards influencing the reading culture of the students and offer ways to enhance the reading culture among the learners in the secondary schools located in Abuja.

1.7 Scope of the Study

This research centers on issues related to reading practices among students of secondary schools in Abuja, Federal Capital Territory. Issues that will be explored include the influence of school libraries, parents, technology, reading materials, and their impact on students' reading practices and academic performance..

1.8 Operational Definition of Terms

Habit of Reading: The continuous act of reading academic and non-academic content for acquiring knowledge and learning.

Secondary School Students: Students who are studying in junior and senior secondary schools in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

Academic Performance: Performance of students in their exams, test, assignments, and other forms of assessment conducted at school.

School Library: Learning resources center providing books, journals, and other academic content to help teaching and learning processes.

Digital Distraction: Smartphones, social media sites, gaming and other internet-related activities distracting students from reading and learning.