Review of Related Literature

“Reading Habits and Its Effect on Academic Performance Among Second

Year Criminology Students of Saint Michael College of Caraga.”

Acheau, M.O., & Larson, A.G. (2003). Reading Habits Among Students and its

Effect on Academic Performance: A Study of Students

of Koforidua Polytechnic

Reading habits are well-planned and deliberate pattern of study which has attained a

form of consistency on the part of students toward understanding academic subjects and

passing at examinations. Reading habits determine the academic achievements of students to

a great extent. Both reading and academic achievements are interrelated and dependent on

each other. Students often come from different environments and localities with different

levels of academic achievement. Therefore, they differ in the pattern of reading habits. While

some students have good reading habits, others tend to exhibit poor reading habits.

Academic achievement means how much knowledge the individual has acquired from the

school (Bashir & Mattoo, 2012).

A creative and pragmatic education involves the habit of personal investigation. The

act of personal investigation requires self-study to be followed by self-thinking and analysis.

Self-study, otherwise referred to as reading at one’s own accord, requires a habit, which is

known as reading habit. Reading makes way for a better understanding of one’s own

experiences and it can be an exciting voyage to self-discovery. “Reading habit is best formed

at a young impressionable age in school, but once formed it can last one’s life time (Green,

2001).

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 Reading and academic achievement are essential for research workers and

educationists to know that every child whether he or she is gifted, average, normal or

backward etc, should be educated in his or her own way but if he or she possesses good

study habits, he or she can perform well in academics and in every situation. It is the reading

habits which help the learner in obtaining meaningful and desirable knowledge. Good

reading habits act as a strong weapon for the students to excel in life (Bashir & Mattoo,

2012).

A lot of researchers like Ogbodo (2002), Bhan & Gupta (2010), and Singh (2011)

have done work on reading, especially how it affects the academic performance of students.

However, most of these works pertain to the international community. Few ones such as

Ward, (1997), Agbezree, (2001) conducted in Ghana were limited to primary and secondary

levels of education. It is against this backdrop that it has become necessary to conduct

similar study in Ghana to examine the effect of reading habits on the academic performance

of students in the tertiary level of education in Ghana with particular reference to Koforidua

Polytechnic.

Daniel, O.C., Esoname, S.R., Chima, OD., & Udoaky, O.S (2017). Effect of Reading

Habits on the Academic Performance of

Students: A Case Study of the Students of Afe Babalola

University, Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State

Retrieved on December 12, 2019 from

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/319153968_Effect_of_Reading_Habits_on_the_

Academic_Performance_of_Students_A_Case_Study_of_the_Students_of_Afe_Babalola_U

niversity_Ado-Ekiti_Ekiti_State

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 Reading is not just about printed matter, but about the ability to interpret anything

that is intended to convey a message or that which is to enable communication. The advent

of the Internet has revolutionized the reading habits of students and its dominance is quite

prevailing among the young people. With the growing amount of digital information

available, people particularly young adults are found spending more time reading electronic

materials.

As this depend on the ability of students to effectively comprehend with high

concentration ability through cultivating good reading habit, further described man as a

creator of habits. Man has the ability to create habits that will enable him achieve pressing

needs hence; he can form habits of study, emotional control, habitual attitudes and habit of

consumption. Therein, “success in college depends to a considerable degree upon students’

ability to engage in strategic reading of extensive academic or informational. The

improvement of academic performance of students is one of the fundamental objectives of

any educational institution whose core vision is to develop human in character and

excellence through teaching and research.

Gaona, J.J., & Gonzalez, E. W (2010). Relationship between reading habits,

university library and academic performance in a sample of psychology students. Retieved on

December 13, 2015 from

https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/67cb/0a57f7500222f5b03cf11255f0a6378f9eeb.pdf

According to several authors, the indicators to determine the presence of reading

habits are: the amount of reading, or number of books read in a given time and space,

usually a year or semester (e.g. Katsikas and Leontsini, 1996), the amount of time reading or

number of hours spent reading for pleasure in a given unit of time, usually a week

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(Anderson, Wilson and Field-ing, 1988: 287), and the frequency of library attendance and

attitudes toward reading, as variables related to reading habits (Gilardoni, 2006: 26; Murillo

et al., 2003: 37). A later study (Mar, Oatley, Hirsh, De la Paz and Peterson, 2006: 1) in which

study habits were examined, it is mentioned that the topic itself is difficult to assess given the

social desirability, and the fact that read-ing is linked to the idea of intelligence and

sophistication. This thought may overestimate the perception about how much you read.

The development of reading habits is a socialization process, determined by the learning that

takes place in different contexts (family and school) (Larrañaga and Yubero, 2005: 43). In the

school context, the promotion of reading not only depends on knowledge or skill, but also

on the student wanting to read (values and attitudes) (Colomina, 2004: 48). The university

library is a resource that promotes reading to a certain extent. In a recent analysis published

in 2008, Orera (2008: 24) stated that one purpose and function of a library is to make its

collections available to society. Therefore, the library as a learning organization is determined

to implement new strategies and ways to find information (Sanchez, 2004: 100). This leads

students to learn a new literary competence. This ability is acquired through the habit of

reading, which allows for greater integration and pragmatic contextualization (surveys,

delineations, references, sensations and associations) that a particular text is able to develop

in the reader (Mendoza, 1998: 170).

In relation to the behavior of where books read come from, library use may relate to

the student’s reading habits (Murillo et al., 2003: 37). To identify the frequency of attendance

and use of library resources it is necessary to evaluate the library services (Escalona, 2004:

13), it is recommended to determine the “level of effectiveness,” which is the extent a

service meets the demands of its users (Lancaster and Joncich, 1983: 1). Today it is known

that high levels of academic performance are dependent on many families, institutional and

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individual factors. Institutional factors include the training of teachers (Arenas and

Fernández, 2009, 15), methods of teaching and the principles for developing a teaching

strategy (Stenhouse, 2003: 53), as well as the campus infrastructure (Flórez , 2005).

Regarding individual factors, Relationship between reading habits, university library and

academic performance 59the findings of Almeida, Guisande, Primi and Lemos (2008: 57)

conclude that the iq is a factor that influences academic performance.

This study investigated the relationship between reading habits, use of university

libraries and the academic performance of psychology students. A survey-type instrument

with Likert responses was modified, tested and implemented to determine the self-

perception of reading habits, university library usage patterns and the academic performance

(grades for the semes-ter) of psychology students. From these data, we predict that students

with more developed reading habits and increased use of the university library will have

greater academic achievement. An analysis of responses to the questionnaire allowed finer

correlations between the components of reading habits, use of the library and academic

performance.

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 BIBLIOGRAPHY

Acheau, M.O., & Larson, A.G. (2003). Reading Habits Among Students and its

Effect on Academic Performance: A Study of Students

of Koforidua Polytechnic

Daniel, O.C., Esoname, S.R., Chima, OD., & Udoaky, O.S (2017). Effect of Reading

Habits on the Academic Performance of

Students: A Case Study of the Students of Afe Babalola

University, Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State

Retrieved on December 12, 2019 from

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/319153968_Effect_of_Reading_Habits_on_the_

Academic_Performance_of_Students_A_Case_Study_of_the_Students_of_Afe_Babalola_U

niversity_Ado-Ekiti_Ekiti_State

Gaona, J.J., & Gonzalez, E. W (2010). Relationship between reading habits,

university library and academic performance in a sample of psychology students.

Retieved on December 13, 2015 from

https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/67cb/0a57f7500222f5b03cf11255f0a6378f9eeb.pdf

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