International Teacher Education Conference 2014 1

International Teacher Education Conference 2014
information. According to Tella and Akande (2007) the ability to read is at the heart of self education and
lifelong learning. Olaofe (2013) posits that reading is the most effective weapon against intolerance, under
development and ignorance. Civilization according to him is tied to investment on reading. It is central to
academic and intellectual development of learners at all levels. Reading is basic to literacy and personal ability
to attain self education and self confidence in tackling problems associated with diverse human experience.
The most important skill teachers can develop in their students is the ability to read fluently. This is because
once students can read, they will be able to cope with the academic demands associated with schooling. Reading
is the tool they need for a lifetime of learning and growth. Reading is a fundamental part of existence. There is
absolutely no day that one does not read something such as street signs, signboards, handbills, billboards,
reports, emails, medication labels, newspapers, magazines, text massages etc. Reading is the not only a
fundamental part of the world but a fundamental part of education and also a fundamental factor in language
development leading children to the good skills and habits necessary for lifelong achievement and success.
This study aims at analyzing Nigerian Secondary Students’ reading habits with implication for teacher
education curriculum for English as a second language.
Statement of the Problem
Researchers such as Odumuh 1997, Oyetunde 2009, Yusuf 2010, and Olaofe 2013, have expressed concerns
over the poor reading habit of Nigerian students and how kids and young adults are not reading. This situation
calls for close examination with a view to finding out what accounts for the poor reading habits in our youths of
today. Reading habits of Nigerian students are a matter of concern in our educational and national development,
stating further that in a developing country like Nigeria, the concept of reading habits should be relegated to the
background. It has a role to play in the development of the individual. Reading habits should be promoted from
an early age. Students should imbibe good habits during their formative years. Many questions have been raised
by teachers, parents and students themselves as to why students perform so poorly academically. Even the
Federal, State and Local governments have shown concern over this in recent times by introducing free and
sometimes low priced books for primary and secondary schools. Although this was meant to create the desire for
students to read, it has not helped the situation much because students do not read these books. Many of the
students complained of lack of time and conducive environment to read. Others who try to read complained of
lack of understanding. There is no doubt that these complaints evidently point to one fact, that is, lack of good
reading habits. It is this problem that has motivated this researcher to carry out this study, as it appears to be one
of the root causes of the dwindling educational standard in Nigeria.
Review of related literature
Reading according to Oyetunde (2009) is the ability to obtain information from print, that is the ability to
make sense of the content of what is read. Reading goes beyond being able to pronounce the words on a page,
memorise words or recite the letters of the alphabet. Evidence of reading includes the ability to answer questions
on what is read, the ability to retell what is read, the ability to explain in one’s own words what is read, or the
ability to apply or use the information obtained from what is read.
Reading has been described by Anderson (1982) as the act of translating symbols or letters into words or
sentences that have meaning to an individual. It is also understanding of what is seen in a text, which is the
ability of a reader to take incoming visual information, process that information and obtain meaning from it.
Reading requires strong and efficient skills to make learning successful because students require cognitive skills
to process information properly. Academic activity such as school work, homework become frustrating if special
attention is not given to factors affecting the reading habits of students.
The significance of teaching students to read in order to develop their potentials cannot be over-emphasized
even in the era of information and communication technology. It is widely believed that the enterprise of
developing reading behaviour has to start at an early part of one’s life and there should be a conducive reading
environment to stimulate lifelong reading.
Secondary school students according to Adetunji (2007) most often associate reading with academic task and
not for knowledge and pleasure. This does not enable the students who have reading skill to maximise the
activity for self and social development.
Sanacore (1990) emphasised that the reader’s interest and behaviour is determined by a number of factors
such as social values of their society, school, family and environments, each factor has its own function and
promotes the development of reader personalities. Alarm over secondary school students reading habits in the
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