A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF READING INTEREST OF SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS AND PREFERENCES BY GENDER OF STUDENTS IN NIGERIA (EDUCATION PROJECT TOPICS AND MATERIALS)
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY
Reading Interest
In the field of education & psychology, learning has been discovered all over the world to be a highly complex problem. Several researchers have tried to explain it differently and the description of each is partially true. Over the years, researches on factors that influence academic performance of students have attracted the interest of not only researchers but concern of teachers, counselors, psychologists, and school administrators as well. Study method is the knowledge and application of effective study skills or techniques by students. The term study habit refers to the way in which students’ study either systematically, efficiently or inefficiently. In line with what has been said above, we can deduce that good study habit will definitely yield positive academic performances and achievement and also inefficient or poor study habit leads to academic failure. Students’ attitude and study habit towards any subject has been described as a function of passion coupled with their belief on that particular which has a long way to go on their academic performances.
In Nigeria, many factors have been highlighted to influence the ability of students to cultivate effective and efficient study habit. Such factors include; state of health, motivation, anxiety and state of mind, conducive and suitable environment for studying, availability of textbooks and well equipped libraries. In a research carried out by (Nuthana & Yenagi, 2009) the causes of poor academic performance among Nigeria students were thoroughly examined. In which some of these factors identified include; low student’s intellectual ability, achievement motivation, lack of goals, low self-esteem, low socio-economic status of the family, poverty and poor study habit as a major factor.
A survey was carried out in some selected schools in Nigeria to identify some major causes of low academic performances in students. Some of the problems identified include inadequate teachers, problem of inadequate facilities in the school, problems caused by poor parental background, unfavorable government policies and low educational sector funding (Ajila and Olutola 2007). Likewise, Ichado (1998) also dispute environment from which the student comes from play a major role in influencing study habits which invariably affect academic performance. The concept of study habit is broad as it combines nearly all other sub-topics under it such as study attitude, study method, and study skill. In a research conducted by Allport (1960), it was argued that attitude toward study by drafting a good study pattern can greatly contribute to students’ academic performance. Successful learners all over the world are said to have adopted positive attitude towards study and are time conscious over what they have to do.
