TITLE PAGE
POOR READING CULTURE AMONG NIGERIA
TERTIARY STUDENT
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TITLE PAGE………………………………………………………………………..i
TABLE OF CONTENTS…………………………………………………………..ii
DEDICATION………………………………………………………………….…iii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT………………………………………………….…….iv
PREFACE………………………………………………………………………..…v
INTRODUCTION………………………………………………………………...vi
CHAPTER
ONE
Need for Effective Reading Culture…………………………………………..…1
CHAPTER
TWO
Poor Reading Culture…………………………………………………………..…4
CHAPTER
THREE
Role of the Library in Reading Culture…………………………………...…….7
CHAPTER
FOUR
Promoting Reading Habits……………………………………………………...10
CHAPTER
FIVE
Conclusion………………………………………………………………………..15
References………………………………………………………………………..17
DEDICATION
This work is dedicated to God Almighty and my
entire family.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I wish to
use this opportunity to acknowledge my able lecturer
Mrs for her teaching towards this course.
PREFACE
This work
is comprises five chapters, page 6 introduces the work, with definition, Poor
Reading Culture among Nigeria
Tertiary
Student. Chapter one
is talking about Need for Effective Reading Culture. Chapter Two discusses the Poor Reading Culture. Chapter Three four is on the Role of the Library in Reading Culture. Chapter
Four talks on Promoting Reading Habits Chapter
five concluded the topic with summary and reference.
INTRODUCTION
Comprehension is at the centre of
reading. Collins and Cheek (1999) describe reading as a process that requires
the use of complex thought processes to interpret printed symbols as meaningful
units and comprehend them as a thought unit in order to understand a printed
message. According to Rubin (2002), reading is a total integrative process that
starts with the reader and includes the affective, perceptual, and cognitive
domains.
The paper examined the reading culture among students in tertiary institutions in Nigeria. Following the general feeling that reading culture had become a missing link in the Nigeria's educational development. A stratified random sampling method was used to select the 10 universities that participated in the study. The federal government owned four of the universities, three were state universities and three were private universities. The instrument used in gathering the data was a questionnaire titled Student Reading Habit Inventory (SRHI) designed by the researcher. The experts in the area verified the validity of the instrument. The reliability was done using Pearson Product Moment Correlation that was .67 and the final Spearman-Brown formula yielded 0.80 which showed the instrument was reliable. A Z-test and common percentage were the statistics used. The major findings were: that there was a high decline rate in the reading culture among the students in the tertiary institution; that 60% of students read prescribed textbooks only during examination period; that browsing and watching television have taken most of students' time for reading and that only 21 % of students buy novels to read for knowledge and pleasure. Based on the above, a major recommendation that a compulsory course for all students on reading should be introduced in the university.
Okebukola
(2004) affirms that, through reading, humans have the tools to transmit
knowledge to each succeeding generation; it allows one to listen to the
wisdom and people of the ages. This is emphasized by many different religious
traditions. The Apostle Paul admonished Timothy “study to show yourself
approved unto God (11 timothy 2:15). Islam holds acquisition of knowledge
(literacy, reading, etc.) in high esteem. The holy Qur’an reveals that the
first communication (injunction) between Allah and Prophet Muhammad was
knowledge-based, -Iqraa, meaning “read” or “recite” (Qur’an 96:
1-5).
Douglas (2000) asserts that every child must become fully
competent in reading to succeed in school and discharge responsibilities as a
citizen of a democratic society. Reading is the foundation of much enjoyment in
life and is closely related to vocational efficiency. Students and employees in
every field must read to keep abreast of what is happening in their fields.
They must rely on written or digital words to convey information and data. The
ability to read well is absolutely critical to success in life. According to
Tracy (2008), reading is the only form of entertainment that is also an
essential life skill. Reading is a skill that must be nurtured from a child’s
earliest years. Once children know how to read, they still need support to
reach their full potential as readers. Most children with learning disabilities
have problems with reading and related language skills. The decline in reading
among children is an offshoot of technological advancements that have brought
about overall changes in family, social, and economic conditions. Poor reading
habits occur in children and young people because reading is not considered a
relevant leisure activity as it does not form part of children’s social
interaction and reading is considered a solitary pursuit and is not attractive
compared with interactive activity on the Internet. There is also an
overriding desire amongst young people to spend more time with their friends than
to remain at home reading. Adults and children alike may enjoy television and
films as a way of enjoying their leisure instead of reading. There is
unprecedented rise in the price of books, while DVDs are becoming more
affordable.
Children with poor reading skills receive poor grades at school,
get easily distracted and frustrated, have behavior problems, seem to dislike
school, and often fail to develop to their full potential. According to Rubin
(2002), children with poor reading habits have a higher chance of anti-social
behavior. Delinquency; school violence, bullying, hacking computers, and even
examination malpractices have a correlation with poor reading habits. This does
not mean that those with poor reading habits display such behavior; however,
poor reading habits are associated with such behavioral patterns while good
reading habits help develop a steady and constructive mind.
CHAPTER ONE
Need
for Effective Reading Culture
The
acquisition of reading skills has a beneficial effect on all school subjects,
including social studies, science, mathematics, and so on. Poor reading skill
can make a child develop a poor attitude toward school and can create
self-esteem problems later in life (Fosudo, 2010).
Oke
(1996) gives reasons why people read, including self-improvement, pleasure and
relaxation, and a feeling of pride and prestige. According to Antwi
(1985), studies show a relationship between reading/early literacy and a
child’s emotional, mental health, and social behaviour. According to him, a
study done in the US showed that reading was correlated with delinquency,
independent of neighborhood, ethnicity, and family involvement, and was the
same in both ethnic groups sampled and constant over the age range
studied. The degree of seriousness of delinquent act was directly correlated to
the degree of severity of reading problems. The study also showed that early in
the primary grades, children who are struggling with literacy begin to
experience failure and related negative effects in interpersonal skills. These
effects can include task-avoidance and acting out, lowered levels of personal
regard, and seeking of personal validation in venues that are anti-social.
In
Nigeria, a study carried out by Henry (2004), reveals that 40 percent of adult
Nigerians never read a non-fiction book from cover to cover after they finish
school. The average Nigerian reads less than one book per year, and only one
percent of successful men and women in Nigeria read one non-fiction book per
month. The same study showed that 30 million Nigerians have graduated from high
school with poor reading skills. Some Nigerians may not read because they are
not working in the right field(s). If regular reading and studying is a
required condition of your job or profession, this in effect means you read,
even if it is under duress. The magnitude of this problem jeopardizes the
future of our public schools. What is most frustrating is that much of this
reading problem can be prevented if government, libraries, and teachers apply
what is known as reading instruction or techniques. The vast majority of the
world’s information today is not digitized; it is in print form, mostly in
books. Reading per se among young adults is not exactly on the wane, but the
delivery mechanism has changed. Communications with words is thriving, but in a
new format, reading online (Okebukola, 2004). For many years, especially in the
West, there have been doubts whether the written medium of narration would
survive the onslaught of technology. Will children and adults who spend most of
their time in front of a television or computer continue to read books? Similar
fears were expressed at the end of the 19th century with the emergence of films
and cartoons. Books survived that era and maintained their position as a
parallel “technology”. Topo (2005) affirms that the need today is the
thoughtful integration of book reading with high tech, i.e., the integration of
multi-media activities such as photography, printing and drawing, sewing and
crafts, 3-D and digital art, hip-hop, claymation, and online services in our
libraries. This will reverse the decline in book reading among children and
adults. Oke (1996) affirms also that a conscious effort should be made by all
stakeholders in the educational system to promote the reading habit. According
to him, equipping libraries is the first practical step in these efforts.
CHAPTER
TWO
Poor
Reading Culture
The
way of life of a nation is influenced by the percentage of its citizen who are
literate. Cuba, for example, is adjacent to the US and has the highest rate of
literacy in the world. This is among the reasons why Cuba has a vibrant economy
despite decades of diplomatic conflicts with the strongest nation in the world
(Henry, 2004). Tracy (2008) asserts that being a former British colony,
Nigeria’s literacy culture ought to be as standardized as that of the Britain.
About 99% of British citizens can read and write. The same cannot be said of
Nigeria. Henry (2004), states that out of the 814 million illiterate people in
the world, developing countries, especially in Africa, represent a huge
percentage. However, Latin America, Asia, and others are making frantic efforts
to drastically reduce the illiteracy rate, but owing to the following reasons,
the same cannot be said of Africa.
Tracy
(2008) asserts that being a former British colony, Nigeria’s literacy culture
ought to be as standardized as that of the Britain. About 99% of British
citizen can read and write. The same cannot be said of Nigeria. Henry (2004),
states that out of the 814 million illiterates in the world, the third world
countries, most especially in Africa, have a huge percentage of these illiterates.
However, Latin America, Asia, and others are making frantic efforts to
drastically reduce illiteracy rate, but owing to the following reasons, the
same cannot be said of Africa.
Poverty: In sub-Saharan Africa, the impact of
poverty is deeply felt. Only a few people live above the poverty line. About
80% of Africans live under hazardous conditions. The per capita income of an
average citizen in Nigeria, “the giant of Africa” with its abundant natural
resources, is two dollars. This, in no little measure, affects the reading
habits of Nigerians. Many are too poor to send their children to school. They
lack money to buy books and pay school fees.
Corruption: Corruption has a profound effect in
Nigeria. The government is trying to fight corruption, which has drastically
affected Nigerians reading culture. Corruption is present everywhere in
Nigeria, from government institutions to private organizations. In schools, for
instance, many students prefer to indulge in immoral acts rather than face
their studies diligently. Situations like trading sex for grades, sales of
ungraded textbooks to students at high fees, using money to buy examination
grades, and cheating in examinations abound in our institutions of higher
learning. Those who engage in these infamous acts consider reading a waste of
time.
Noise culture: A learning environment requires places
for quiet study. Most schools are in densely populated areas, where
distractions prevent the smooth flow of learning. Moreover, the “illiteracy
syndrome” has an adverse effect on the psyche of many Nigerian citizens. Most
people perceive noise to be an integral part of their culture.
Undue
importance attached to wealth: Many Nigerian people celebrate mediocrity at the
expense of intellectuals. This is manifest in our rush for material things.
Some people abandon their educational careers for the pursuit of money. Many
have abandoned their education in search of “quick money,” which they believe
can be gotten in business or politics. Many people run away from the village
schools to take up jobs in Lagos.
Lack of reading language: In many homes, the language of reading
is introduced late; the first contact point of some children with this language
is in school. As children grow older, reading and its associated activities
become herculean.
Dearth of libraries: libraries play an important role in
the promotion of reading habits. However, these libraries (school and public)
are either non-existant or not playing their expected role. State and local
government, and proprietors of schools (government and individuals) have not
complied with library provisions in the National Policy on Education (NPE).
Public libraries are not being established where they are needed. The few
existing public libraries are neither adequately funded nor stocked with
reading resources that can affect the lives of citizens.
CHAPTER THREE
Role
of the Library in Reading Culture
The
need to promote effective reading habits among the general populace of Nigeria
has been receiving attention from organizations such as the National Library of
Nigeria, the Reading Association of Nigeria and the Nigerian Book Development
Council. Since 1981, the National Library of Nigeria has been sponsoring the
readership promotion campaign in the country. This is done as part of the
strategies to ginger up the reading culture in Nigeria. The objectives of the
readership campaign includes:-
(i)
To encourage more reading Nigerians
(ii) To
promote the increase in production of reading materials in Nigeria, both in
quality and variety and
(iii) To
identify the major obstacles those inhibits reading in the country and find
ways of eliminating them.
The
problem with the above objectives is that the readership promotion campaign has
been restricted largely to Abuja, Lagos, and some few state capitals. The
impact has not really been felt in other parts of the country because the
National library has not been adequately funded to put the campaign in prints
or electronic media.
The
above observation notwithstanding, the library can play an important role in
the promotion of reading habits among Nigerians. Libraries, especially school
libraries, are fundamental to the design, implementation, and attainment of
educational excellence. Libraries are an integral part of the educational
development of school children and youth. Without the support of efficient
libraries, schools cannot successfully achieve the goals of education, which
are:
- The inculcation of national consciousness and national unity;
- The inculcation of the right type of values and attitudes of the individual and the Nigerian society;
- The training of the mind in the understanding of the world around, and
- The acquisition of appropriate skills and social abilities and competence as equipment for the individual to live and contribute to the development of the society. (NPE, 2004).
Libraries
provide access to reading materials through which school children and youths
can gain and improve their skills. Libraries help introduce the use of reading
for information, pleasure, passing examinations, and personal growth through
lifelong learning. Libraries provide materials that offer more extensive and
varied information than classroom study alone. Voluntary reading helps develop
reading skills and mastery of language, extends students knowledge, and assists
them in their academic work. Students and youths who read are likely to
have background knowledge, familiarity with new topics or subjects, and
thus, find learning easier and interesting.
In
Nigeria, literacy is recognized as a basic tool for personal and national
development. The National Policy on Education (2004), places inculcation of
permanent literacy and numeracy, and ability to communicate effectively as one
of the objectives of school education. The library must provide resources to
complement education. These resources can take children and youth far
above technical literacy to developing reading culture which makes permanent
literacy attainable.
The
role of the libraries in promoting reading is especially crucial in developing
scientific, reflective thinking and creativity. Librarians can help children
and youths develop critical and independent thinking through their
exposure to a wide variety of instructional resources and learning
opportunities. Apart from the development of creative and critical
thought, the role of the library in the promotion of reading culture can be
seen in the readers’ development of values, attitudes, and appreciation. These
are difficult to teach in the classrooms.
In
the process of encouraging or inculcating the reading habit in children and
youth, stakeholders (parents, teachers, schools, librarians and other library
staff) should avoid nagging, bribing, judging, criticizing reading choices, and
setting unreasonable goals.
CHAPTER FOUR
Promoting
Reading Habits
Having
considered some of the factors responsible for poor reading culture in Nigeria,
it is pertinent to suggest strategies that can be adopted to turn the country
to a reading nation and her citizens a reading people. Imbibing the culture of
reading can assist in finding solutions to socio-economic and political
problems.
Improved
Funding: Fund is crucial to the development of education and libraries; it is a sine
qua none of performance. Therefore, the Nigerian government has to
improve its funding of the education sector, by increasing funds allocated to
schools. This would affects provision of school library services. Funds should
be earmarked for establishing, equipping and maintenance of libraries (public
library inclusive). Sufficient fund should be provided to acquire adequate,
current and relevant library materials – books, magazines, charts,
transparencies; photographic slides, and computer instructional packages.
Concerted effort should be made by the appropriate supervisory body to monitor
effective utilization of funds allocated to the library.
Establishment
of libraries: Efforts must be made by government at different levels to
establish more libraries in their schools and for the private, club,
communities, Religious bodies, organizations (NGOs and CBOs), Old Students
Associations, professional bodies, and individuals should be encouraged to
assist in the promotion of reading by establishing libraries or supporting
already established school and public libraries. This can be done through
stocking libraries with good reading materials that can impact on the lives of
Nigerians. These libraries should also be provided with professionally
qualified personnel to render services to the users.
Continued
provision and access to books: provision of a varied collection of enjoyable and
information-rich books is a major contribution of the library towards reading
promotion. Availability and accessibility of instructional and pleasurable
books stimulate development of reading and attainment of permanent literacy. It
has been found out that school libraries are the principal source of books for
supplementary instructional resources and voluntary reading. It must, however,
be pointed out that many schools do not have libraries at all. Where they
exist, the stock in these libraries is grossly insufficient to play the
expected role.
Associating
reading with pleasure: Children and students can be motivated to read and thus
form good reading habit through storytelling, reading together (shared
reading), formation of reading/book clubs as well as provision of conducive
reading environment devoid of unwarranted noise and distractions. Storytelling
is a basic and enduring form of literacy expression in Nigerian cultures.
Librarians should encourage the integration of storytelling and the oral
literacy tradition with the school curriculum especially in primary school.
Telling children interesting stories encourages their attention and focus,
develops their listening skills, and helps stimulate voluntary reading.
Another
way of introducing pleasure or fun to reading is by reading together. Reading
together can take place in the classroom, library, or at home. Parents, school
librarians, teachers, and children can read aloud to themselves at home, in the
class or library, getting to an exciting point in the story book before
stopping. The interest generated will inspire many students to continue the
story on their own. In the course of shared reading, the passage read aloud can
be discussed and a new book can be introduced to the students before its shared
reading commences. The experience of reading and hearing increases speed;
facilitates comprehension, good pronunciation; develops reading and critical
thinking skills. In addition, shared reading puts confidence in some timid
children and encourages them develop a voluntary reading habit.
Excursions
to libraries and exhibitions: Children/students in schools where there are no
libraries can be taken on excursions to libraries in other schools or in their
locality. They can also be taken to book exhibitions/fairs. During such visits,
children would be introduced to the library and its resources. They will also
be educated on the importance of books and reading to their education and
future lives.
Encouragement
of library usage: Teachers should encourage maximum use of the library and its
resources by giving pupils/students assignments/projects that would necessitate frequent
visits to the library. Such assignments/projects must be practical. They may
entail reading a novel and summarizing it, or using the library resources to
solve an environmental problem.
Appropriate
legislation: It has earlier been pointed out that the National Policy on
Education NPE statements on the provision of libraries have not been
implemented by the stakeholders. Non-implementation stems from the absence of
appropriate legislation to back up these statements. It is, therefore, been
suggested that appropriate legislation be enacted to enforce compliance with
the policy statements. Such legislation should stipulate stiffer penalties such
as closure of school(s), for non-compliance with the policy statements.
Resuscitation
of mobile library services: Promotion of reading habits should not be confined
to students in the classroom or the physical library alone. Rather, consideration
and extension of library services should be given to children and youth who,
for one reason or another, are out of the normal school or library environment.
This can be done through mobile library service, a formidable service provided
by the public library. In the 1970s, Nigerian populace in the rural areas –
farmers, nomadic fishermen, and cattle rearers, used to enjoy this service.
Regrettably, since the 1980s, this important library service has become
moribund.
To
attain the objective of the universal basic education as well as carry out the
goals contained in the NPE, states and local governments in Nigeria must revive
the mobile library service. Once revived, the library would carry reading,
vocational, and instructional materials to remote communities. The library
would be able to serve the needs of school children, dropouts, adult
illiterates, semi-literates, nomadic fishermen and cattle rearers, and other
categories of people who wish to be associated with reading and education.
CHAPTER FIVE
Conclusion
Education
is a continuous process. It can be acquired formally through attendance at
schools, workshops, seminars, or other forms of training. Traveling has been
recognized as an important form of education. People can become educated by
traveling to lands far away from them through leisure reading and thereby learn
about other people, culture, and environment.
A
reading nation is an informed nation. Nigeria can not be regarded as a reading
nation because the younger generation of Nigerians does not consider reading a
leisure activity. The poor reading habits of these younger Nigerians affect
their performances at school and during examinations. Children/students with
poor reading habits may engage in anti-social behaviours such as school
violence, bullying, and examination malpractice.
To
redress this anomaly, several organizations and institutions, including
the library, have taken steps to encourage and promote the reading habit among
Nigerians. Library been the nerve centre of any academic institution, is
charged with the responsibility of acquiring and providing access to a variety
of instructional and information-rich materials in different formats. The
library continues to discharge this responsibility and employ other strategies
that can promote reading culture. Other stakeholders - government at different
level, communities, organizations, parents and individual proprietors have
their roles to play. All hands joined together, would lift Nigeria from her
present state to becoming a nation consisting of people with very high reading
culture.
The
habit of reading should begin at an early stage and should be imbibed
throughout one's lifetime. The complementary role of the library in inculcating
and promoting reading habit in Nigerians should be appreciated. According to
Douglas (2008), “The library becomes increasingly important in the new
teaching, for not only does it supply enactment materials in all areas; it also
supply materials at all levels of difficulties. It stores books, pictures,
pamphlets, maps, films filmstrips, recordings and all other printed media which
makes it a gold mine for each teacher and each pupil.”
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