The role of internal and external factors in the cultivation of life-long reading habits of tweenagers in Accra
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Date
November, 2016
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Abstract
The inculcation and development of good reading habits amongst adults and children is
fundamental to the realisation of quality education and improvement in literacy in Ghana and
other African countries. A good reading habit, especially one that includes reading for
pleasure, is an essential life skill. It does not only increase our knowledge; it also helps in our
mental development, develops our maturity and character, sharpens our thinking skills and
widens our consciousness in societal and worldly issues. The reading culture in Ghana is on
the decline. The general lack of reading interests among Ghanaians is evident in our
lifestyles. The advent of mobile phones and other technological devices have brought a more
attractive mode of reading. However, these devices are used fo r other activities aside reading.
It is against this background, that this study was founded. The study sought to find out the
role internal factors such as oneself and external factors such as parents, peers, the school and
modern devices play in the cultivation of life- long reading habits of tweenagers in Accra. The
study reviewed literature relating to the general overview of pleasure reading, life- long
reading habits and factors that influence life- long reading habits. The study was quantitative
in design. Questionnaire was used to collect primary data from 187 tweenagers from three
basic schools in Accra. Their ages ranged from ten (10) to thirteen (13) years, with a mean
age of eleven point five (11.5) years. 28 questions were set to collect data from respondents.
The results indicated the following: Tweenagers read for pleasure; they read for information
and learning purposes rather than for recreational and relaxation purposes; parents of
tweenagers are the main group of people who provide their reading materials but their
teachers, the availability of a school library and their peers encourage t hem to read most.
Tweenagers are also internally motivated to read. In sum, all the factors, that is, themselves,
peers, parents, the school and modern devices play a significant role in shaping and
influencing the cultivation and development of reading ha bits among tweenagers. It is
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recommended that, parents of tweenagers must spend time reading to and with their children
from a tender age; tweenagers must be encouraged to discover the value and essence of
reading for relaxation, recreation and enjoyment; teachers must be reading models to
tweenagers; schools, the government and stakeholders must ensure that they provide libraries
in schools and communities, furnish the libraries with books and make them accessible to
tweenagers.
Description
A thesis submitted to the Department of Publishing Studies, Faculty of Art, College of Art and Built Environment in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Art Publishing Studies.