LIBRARY READING CULTURE AND STUDENTS ACADEMIC

PERFORMANCE IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN OYO STATE

By

TUNDE GBADAMOSI (Ph.D)

Oyo Statte College of Education, P.M.B. 1010, Oyo, Nigeria

Introduction

Library is associated with reading, studying and researching. Indeed, the

library article-in-trade which are basically books and journals are adjudged to be well

utilized when users continuously and regularly consult them. For library materials to

attract patrons however, the academic reading audience must have good reading habit

J and good reading habit is a product of good reading culture. Word Book Dictionary

describes reading as the act or process of getting the meaning of written or printed

words. Okiwilagwe (1998) describes reading as reasoning involving the meaningful

interpretation of words, phrases and sentences requiring all types of thinking such as

critical, analytical, creative, imaginative, evaluative, judgmental and problem-

solving. In line with this thinking Regis - Onucha (2003) summarizes reading as

interactive and transactional. Reading as interaction and transaction involves the text,

,.e author and the reader. Dare (2007) observes that a good book opens you up to a

/new world of ideas, enriches and ma~ help to adjustorconfirm your ideas and views on

. specific Issues, may re- focus your mind or even entire life.

For reading to have any meaningful impact on the reader, it requires you to think, feel

and imagine. The basic skills in the learning process involve reading, writing and

arithmetic popularly tagged 3Rs. Olanlokun (1999) described reading as a complex

activity which links the eye with the mind to come up with the interpretation and

evaluation of written symbols. Reading therefore assists the readers to broaden and

deepen th.eknowledge beyond immediate environment. The more we read, the more

we expand our knowledge range of interest and develop our skills (Onifade, 2002).

"'f<.. According to Dare (2007) knowledge brings light, freedom, intellectual, spi;itual and

moral enlargement

42

opens people's eyes to interesting but viable approaches to issues and tasks. Ignorance

on the other ~and, ISpe.rnlclOus, wasting and centrifugal. Ig~iS blindness. The

Pl:ce of reading as an mgredient for performance in school work must have informed~ahunsl (1987) to submit that students however brilliant cannot d . hw'ith . .. ' succee IIIsc 001

tout readmg to gam mformation. Ifidon (1994) opined that an effectiveeducatIOnal system requires systematic use of reading and readi . bTh . mg requires ooks't-- :trend m Our secondary schools and the society at large today is that people see

rea mg as a necessary evil. 'Since reading requires books, it goes to mean that oodreading habit promotes effective use of library book . glib . resources and effective use ofI rary book resources has the inherent advantage of promoting good reading culture.

Statement of Problem

. The complete lack of reading culture among secondary school students is abaSIS for their poor reading habit. The poor reading habit h .h. I among t e students IS

Sowever affectlllg the academic performance of students in secondary schools in Oyotate. "

Objectives ofthe Study

(1) To determine the availability and adequacy of lib .d .. I rary resources Insecon ary schools m Oyo State.

(2) To determine the students' use of lib .. I rary matenals for academicpurposes

To find out the impacts of the use oflibrary resources in promotinggood readmg habit•To determine the role f functi .. s 0 notional library in stimulating studyskill development in secondary schools.

To assess the effects of the use of lib .. rary resources on the students'

academic performance.

(3)

(4)

(5)

43E

Research Questions ...d f l t s provided in1. How adequate are library books an aCI I le

secondary school in Oyo State? .2. What are the academic uses to which library materials are being put

into by the students? .'3. What are the impacts of the use of library resources m promoting

good reading habit? .' .4. What are the roles of library resources in stimulatmg study skills III

students in secondary schools?5. What are the effects of the use of library resources on students'

academic performance.

Literature Review l d .Reading is important for everybody in order to cope with new know e g~ In

the changing world of the technological age. The importance and necessity of reading. . h t e The number of those whowill hopefully continue to Increase In t e years 0 com. . .

know how to read but do not read enough is also increasing. There are still some

l d old Who cannot get access to reading activities and readingpeop e young an ,programs at all and some people who are able to read do n~t get access to such

activities and programs. To some they neither have much initial interest nor lastmg

interest in books and reading. The above ca? best be used to describe the reading

attitude of Nigerians towards book reading~nifade (2002) succinctly descnbed theart of reading in our schools and society today as a necessary evil. Reading accordmg

. . .' d intenonsmg Ideas fromto Dare (2007) involves receiving, critically exammmg anprinted materials. The human mind is made and kept responsive through constant

Prompting that results from engaging in dialogues With books. . .. . d tt tude amonaReading culture is the process of building up positive rea mg a I I:> .

. f ti D (2007) opined that when anchildren and students over 'a pen od 0 time. are .. t ssarily required for

. divid I habitually and regularly reads books that are no necem IVI ua . . . Ire Libraryhim to advance in his profession or career, he ISsaid to have a reading cultl. . .' I

. I d I when mdlvldua sreading culture from the foregoing will unconSCIOUSy eve op .

.' . thout necessanlyregularly read books or printed matters m a library settmg WI _ . ivid I

.- . Bv so doi sucf an indivi uaP

reparing to advance his profession or career. Y so oing, .lb I and regulatIOns./1/cultivates a positive attitude towards obeying the I rary ru es d

J. . f d for personal anAbsence of or poor reading culture is both a Sign 0 an reason . .

. . ous With Ignorance,national backwardness. Lack of reading culture IS synonym

\44'

which is closely associated with backwardness, poverty and selfishness. In a keynoteaddress delivered at the 2007 National Educational Research and DevelopmentCouncil (NERDC) National Book Fair (South Western Zone) reading is described as alife time exercise which makes you distinct from others and it is one of the major skillsof learning that would keep you going on in life, even at old age. For reading todevelop to become a culture of a society, it must be entrenched into the children rightaway from pre-nursery and nursery age. Because there is lack of reading culture.:?among the students from elementary to primary level, the poor reading culture iscarried over to secondary schools. This situation is further compounded by non-provision oflibrary facilities. Literature has revealed that Nigerians still regard booksas a means to an end. Mental and nervous energies can be liberated in abundancethrough regular reading and writing. The process of shaking the mind out of itsslumber, quickening its responsive potentials is one of reading: According to Onifade(2002) book reading is used as a means to get an educational qualification and oncethis is satisfied they forget about books and reading.

The low level of reading habit among Nigerians and secondary school studentsin particular is caused by multi-varied factors. The value system of Nigerian societyhas changed over the years. The quest for material wealth has eroded the interest forsearch for knowledge. This is telling much on the youths who are virtually searchingfor certificate that will fetch them their daily bread.

Another reason is the economic hardship prevalence in many homes. Mostparents only manage to pay their ward school fees and forget about buying books forthem. In this vein, Adesanoye (1989) opined that "the Nigerian environment-economic, social, cultural, political ... is patently inhospitable to the development andfostering of a virile reading culture". Many parents are more concerned about makingends meet as well as maintaining their source of income than bother about reading.Whereas the world of books is one that is full of real potentials that can make all thedifference between mental slavery and backwardness on the one hand. Indeed, whenwe read, we receive ideas that belong to other persons, other places other tunes andperhaps other cultures. Awoniyi (1985) opined that if adults are not reading children.,!can not be motivated to read. The book crisis in Nigeria has greatly undermined thequality of education. and reading attitude. However, the situation is not hopeless as,Olanlokun (1999) was optimistic that Nigerians are potential readers if given a goodenvironment for reading. To further compound the problem is the high cost of books.Onifade (2002) observed that the astronomical prices of books have put them out of thereach of the masses. He stressed that government policy is also negatively affectingthe publishing industry in Nigeria as a result of tariff barriers and high taxes. Gillani(2003) observed that the decline in the reading habit could be attributed to shortage ofup-to-date reading materials. He pointed out that material available was expensiveand beyond the reach of the common reader. Coupled with high cost is pooravailabi lity of indigenous books owing to the fact that local authors are not encouragedto write books. Indigenous writers are not mot1~ated as they may not be able to financethe rising cost of book publishing. The government can protect the indigenous bookpublishing as Onifade (2002) says such a step can bring about positive improvement inthe reading habits of the youths.

45

Nigeria is bedeviled with multiplicity of language. This is a factor that isaffecting reading habit in Nigeria. Nigeria is a multi-lingual country with some 390languages with greater number of them at the formative stages. (Adesanoye, 1989).

The implication of this is that only few books are being published in manyNigeria languages. Tesu (1981) and Jam (1996) emphasized the importance ofreading in local languages which they claimed can be fun and more meaningfulbecause the images usually relate to local experiences. This implies people may beencouraged to read more if books are published in their local languages.

The advent of home-video and film houses is gradually eroding the readinghabit among the youths in igeria. This has become a serious competitor to readinghabit in Nigerian youths. More time is now spent in watching various home-videoswhich is a dangerous threat to reading (Onifade, 2002). The lure of electronic mediahas been identified as one strong factor militating against the reading habit andchildren performance. He noted that TV's potential effect on children's readingperformance has become an issue of growing concern among education experts andoften cited as a cause for the decline in reading. This is so because children spent areasonable amount of their viewing time only on programs, which entertain ratherthan educate. Gillani (2003) agreed that the use of an internet had greatly reducedreading among youths but quick to point out that the foreigners who were pioneers inusing the internet were still reading.

One major cause of school failure among secondary school students in Nigeria. has been linked to poor reading habit. It is therefore necessary to promote readinghabit among Nigerian Youths, This is so because reading according to Taiwo (1989) isthe lubricant of the educational machine.

Literature has established that the ASEAN society is not a reading but chattingsociety. The cultural habit of the people prefer listening and chatting to reading. Thelibraries are not well equipped with reading materials occasioned by limited budgetaryallocation coupled with shortage of educated library manpower.

The students academic performance is hinged on a number of interwovenfactors. One of such factors is the regular use of library resources. However, the

!effective use of library resources is predicated upon how' well the library is stockedwith relevant books and journals. It goes to mean that the effective use of libraryresources by students has the inherent advantage of improving the academicperformance at secondary level. The use of library and library resources by students isnot yet appreciated at both primary and secondary levels. The I4.Qn~provisionof libraryfacilities at secondary schools particularly by the government is a pointer to the degreeof library neglect. ~)~The students performance in both internal and externalexaminations can not be adequately assessed without considering the availability oflibrary and the degree of its utilization in secondary schools. , ,L.":.,.~

. • r- l f.:,. ~lLiVQJ.jT--.p ~ Jc;"J 1;1-( ~7-h~\'-7' 0" .,t"h~ Vlut;.-- c.V'l.~~_ , -1 ~0.~'v~~ "--<>..>-t\ ~ \-:. V 4-6~ ~ ~~ 'f'- ~--'" ~ !-

Nigerian society is not a reading audience. It has been observed that the best

way to hide something from Blackpeople is to put it ina book. The Stake-holders in the

education sector should accord library its place of pride in the education development.

The result is partly the lack of reading culture leading to poor reading habit among both

the youths and adults. To promote reading culture in order to enhance performance in

our schools efforts must be geared towards promoting reading. Reading habit

according to Onifade (2002) can best be instilled in children when they are still in the

formative stage of their lives.

The promotion of reading among the students is a task that must be taken up by

all stake-holders. To this end, the f~y, the lilx1lries,.libr~s, te~,. mass

me~ pri~and gove~nt have a role to play in promoting reading and instilling

good reading habit in our youths. Along this line parents as socializing agents who

spare time reading to their children are giving them the best possible start on the road to

literacy. Librarians should help create in readers pleasant and positive attitude

, towards reading. The librarians role on education will first address the books and what

he does with books. Library should be made attractive to public and schools. Radio,

TV, newspapers and magazines can help advertise reading projects, village libraries,

seminars, training workshops, interviews of reading authorities, writers, teachers and

organizations involved in the reading activities to promote reading. Professional

bodies such as The National Language and Literacy, National Book Development

Council Committee, Reading Association, Library Association, Parent Teacher

Association have a role to play in promoting good reading habit.

•

47

Igy

: study population is made up of students in Senior Secondary Schools in

es of The Post Primary Teaching Service Commission (TESCOM) in Oyo

) schools were randomly selected from schools in each TESCOM zone.

.ave six TESCOM zonal offices, then the number of schools used in this

twelve secondary schools. For each selected school, twelve (12)

ires were administered on students in Senior Secondary classes making a

hundred and forty- four (144) questionnaire.

!study made used of questionnaire instrument to collect data from the study

. The questionnaire instrument was validated with comments and

ns harvested from two experts in school and children librarianship. The

of the instrument was measured using Cronbach alpha method which gave

lity co-efficient level to be 0.74. The questionnaire were personally

and administered in each of the selected school with the assistance of Head

In all, one hundred and twelve (112) questionnaire were retrieved out of

ionnaire distributed representing 77.7%. The table below shows the

n of schools selected for the study.

stribution of selected schools in Six TESCOM Zonal Offices in Oyo State

TESCOM Zonal OfficesNo of

Selected Schools QuestionnaireESCOM Headquarters 2 24.adanESCOM - Leaf Road 2 24>ffice Ibadan

ESCOM - Oyo Office 2 24

ESCOM - Ogbomoso Office 2 24

ESCOM - Saki Office 2 24

IESCOM - Eruwa Office 2 24I

II ~otal

12 144

. 48

Analysis of Data and DiscussionAs much as possible, the data were analyzcd by providing answers to the

research questions raised in the study which were based on the objectives of the study.

The analysed results were interpreted and discussed as presented below.

The demographic characteristics of the respondents showed that the bulk of

students involved in the study are between the ages of 15-21 years with 32. (28.6%) of

them in 17 years age bracket. Out of one hundred and twelve (112) students involved

in the study 47 (42%) were male while 65 (58%) were female. In order to determine

their study habit out of school, the study tried to find out whether they had reading

tables and chairs at home and the status of private study to them. Findings show that

84 (75%) ofthe study population had reading chairs and tables at home while 28 (25%)

had no reading facilities. That 28 (25%) ofthe study population had no reading tables

and chairs at home implied that they do not create time for private reading and studyingat home. This assertion was corroborated with 9 (8%) of the study population

claiming to have made reading and study at home optional.

At Senior Secondary Level students are grouped into arts, commercial, science

and vocational and technical groups. The study reveals that 52 (46.4%) were in

commercial, 36 (32.1%) in arts while 24 (21.4%) were in Science and none in

Vocational and Technical education. In line with this, library book resources were

acquired to satisfy these three broad areas. The study revealed that the bulk of books

, available in secondary schools were in art subjects. Books were least provided forI Vocational Technical education and Commercial areas with 1 (0.9%) and 15 (13.4%)

respectively.

Table 2: Students' Frequency of Reading and Consulting Reading Materials

Days Per week % of students Reading Materials % of Students

Once a week 42.9 . Comic books 40.9

Twice a week 24.1 Newspapers 22.1

Novels 19.9Four Times a week 19.6 Magazines 21.6

Newsletters 20.6

Everyday of the 13.4 •• Journals 15.4week Literary Works 12.5

Lecture Notes 13.4,

49

The information gleaned from the questionnaire (refer to Table 2) reveals that

while substantial number of students (42.9%) visit library to read once a week yet

(40.90%) of the students consult comic books i.e (children magazines, pictorial and

folk stories) The table also reveals that 24.1% and 19.6% of the students visited

library for reading and consultation twice and four times a week respectively. For

effective and maximum utilization of library for reading and consulting, students

should cultivate the habit of visiting the library at least once a day. To the contrary,

only (13.4%) of the students visit library for purpose of reading and consulting library

materials on daily bases. Table 2 also reveals that students displayed a very low

patronage to other library collections. For example, only (22.1 %) and (19.9%) consult

newspapers and novels respectively. The students frequency of reading and

consulting other library materials show 21.1 % on magazines, 20.6% on newsletters,

15.4% onjournal, 12.5% on literary works and 13.4% on lecture notes. The report of

structured interview conducted on the same subject matter did not show much

variations. All the senior tutors and heads of schools that were interviewed agreed that

students' frequency of reading different library materials were rated very low.

Table 3: Availability and Adequacy of Library Materials/Facilities in Secondary

Schools

SIN Materials/Facilities Very Fairly Not -- StandardAdequate Adequate Adequate Adequate X Deviation

1Books properly arranged

62 31 18 01 3.37 0.78on the shelves

2 Reading space 50 32 22 08 3.11 0.963 Access to the book 48 31 08 25 2.91 1.18

materials4 Availability of borrowing 57 16 10 29 2.90 1.28

service to students

5 Number of books 31 39 33 09 2.82 0.93available in your subjectarea

6 Size of Library Building 30 32 37 13 2.71 0.997 The currency of the 27 37 33 15 2.68 0.99

books whether thebooks newlypublished or not

8 The quality of books in 13 55 ._ 32 12 2.62 0.83terms of relevance andphysical conditions

9 Provision for Library 28 35 17 32 2.53 1.15use period on thetimetable

10 Quality of Reading

I 24 22 37 29 2.37 1.09Furniture & otherfacilities e.g. Fan

50

Table 3 above tries to assess the availability and adequacy of library resources

and facilities. Findings reveal that the reading space provided in secondary schools

was adjudged to be adequate with mean score of 3.l1 and standard deviation of 0.96.

The size of library building according to the findings was assessed to be fairly

adequate with mean score of2.71 and standard deviation of 0.99. In order to sustain

the interest of students in using the library, the furniture and other facilities such as fans

must be adequately provided. Findings reveal that reading furniture, available book

resources, relevance and currency of the books available were aggregately assessed to

be less adequate with their mean scores of 2.37, 2.82, 2.62 and 2.68 respectively. It

must be pointed out however that based on the outcome of the structured interview,

the facilities in the school libraries under study, the reading furniture, available book

resources, the relevance and currency ofthese books fell short of expectations.

In assessing the library services available in the school libraries, findings

reveal that access to books, borrowing and provision for library use period on the time

table were rated fairly adequate with their mean scores of 2.91, 2.90 and 2.53

respectively. It was further revealed that books were adequately arranged on the

shelves with mean score of 3.37. With proper arrangement of books on the shelves,

book retrieval from the shelves was made easy.

51

Table 4: Assessing the students' academics use of Library and Library Resources

SINLibrary Resources Strongly Agree Disagree Strongly StandardUse Agree Disagree X Deviation

1 Use when assignments 35are to be carried 48 12 '17 2.90 1.012 Use when completing 28 62 11 11 2.96 0.86

lecture notes

3 When carrying out further 534 40 11 08 3.23 0.90studies

4 Use when light reading 31 47 12 22 2.78 1.06materials are consultedfor relaxation e.g novelsnewspaper

5 Usewhen they want to 40 28 15 29 2.71 1.21borrow

Table 4 above shows the academic use of library and library resources. Findings

reveal that students adequately use library resources when carrying out further studies

with mean score of 3.23. Findings also reveal that respondents use library when

assignments are to be carried out, when completing lecture notes, when light reading

materials are to be consulted and when they want to borrow books out. These

assessment scales were rated with mean scores of2.90, 2.96, 2.78, 2~71 respectively.

With these ratings, respondents ranked the assessments low.

Table 5: Impact ofthe use of Library Resources in enhancing good reading habit

SINLibrary Resources Strongly Agree Disagree Strongly StandardUse Agree Disagree DeviationX

Availability of library buildin1 IS critical In encouraging 55 39 11 07 3.27 0.88students to develop good

reading habit

2 Conducive atmosphere 43 51 08 10 3.13 0.90promotes in the Librarypromotes good readinghabit

3 Silence as a library rule 57 26 19 10 3.16 1.01enforces self reading skills

4 Availability of adequate -and relevant materials 38 59 11 04 3.17 0.75gives room to wideaccessibility to books

5 Independentstudy skill is 49 42 20 01 3.24 0.77enhanced

52

In assessing the impact ofthe use oflibrary resources in instilling good reading

habit, table 5 graphically shows the respondents' reactions. In table 5, all the

statements raised were ranked between 3 .13 3.27 mean scores. By these assessments,

the study audience agreed that availability oflibrary building is critical in encouraging

students to develop good reading habit with mean score of 3.27. This could beachieved with the conducive atmosphere prevalence in the library. Self-reading skills

could be enhanced with the enforcement of "keep silent" rule in the Library, which wasrated with mean score of 3.16. The availability of adequate and relevant materials

I gave room to wide accessibility with mean score of 3.17. By this, students could.

consult books widely, thus elongating the reading and studying time of readers. The

development of independent study skill as a derivable benefit of using library

resources was rated with mean score of 3.24. The aggregate of the rating in table 5shows that wide accessibility to library resources is capable of enhancing good reading

habit.

! Table 6:Roles of functional Library and study skill development in secondary school

SIN Library Resources Strongly Agree Disagree Strongly Standard

Use Agree Disagree X Deviation

Good reading chairs and

1 tables promote good sitting 76 29 03 04 3.58 0.72posture which foster goodreading habit

2 Good use of leisure time 51 43 05 13 3.18 0.97

3 Longer reading hours can 31 56 14 11 2.96 0.89be sustained

4 Inclucate academic 48 40 15 09 3.13 0.93self-discipline by reading •beyond teachers' notes

The indices in table 6 above assessed the roles of functional library and study

skill development in secondary schools. The study population agreed that good

reading chairs and table promote good sitting posture, which is capable of fostering

good reading habit. Library was also assessed to provide avenue for good use of

leisure time. With mean scores of3.58 and 3.18. The study population also rated high

the library role of inculcating academic self-discipline by reading beyond teachers'

notes with mean score of 3.13. With conducive environment in the library longer

reading hours can be sustained.

53"

ilations. d di g habit formation has been bedeviled by the

culture of reading an rea III

. effects of human attitude, electronic media and~ ~eM~W ~ .

The library system has been badly affected, as

This islication development.

. di b nd examination scope.:re no longer interested m rea mg eyo

d c. '1'ti s prevalence in our. . d f library resources an tact 1 lewith the ma equacy 0

is being recommended that libraries in secondary schools should be made

. d . (J This could be done by.tive and conducive to learnmg and. stu ying.

. . collection of texts in electronic devices. The, the libranes and encouragmg

iould be exposed to the positive use of the Internet in secondary schools.

. l' k d up to the Internet.d ible if the school system 1S m e, also be ma e POSSl e 1

. h 1 fully automated and,llture could be enhanced if libraries ill our SC 00 S are

\omputers provided.I\

\

References

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Awoniyi, A. (1985) The Attitude of primary six pupils to Yoruba SupplementaryReaders Nigerbiblios, 10 (1): pp 109-112.

Dare, Samson (2007) Reading Culture and the challenges for the future (1).Sunday Tribune, 12 August, p. 24.

Dare, Samson (2007) Reading Culture and the challenges for the future (2) SundayTribune, 19 August, p.24.

Gillani, Syed Z. (2003) Electronic media discourages reading habit, Daily Times,Staff Report 10/20/2003. http: daily times . Corn. Pkldefau1t. Asp?

Ifidon, B.T. (1994) Book Scarcity in Nigeria causes and Solutions African Journalof Library Archives and information Science, 4 (1): pp 55-62

Jam, Z (1996) Promoting Reading Among children in Nigeria. African Journal ofLibrary Archives and Information Science, 6 (2): PP 107-112.

Medahunsi, S.O. (1987) The Problem of Reading and Text Books Adaptation inVocational and Technical Education Nigerian Journal of TechnicalEducation, 4 (1&2): Page 95.

Oki wilagwe, A. O. (1998) A new approach to reading Comprehension for schoolsand colleges; 2"ded.; Ibadan: Stirling Hordon Pubilshers (Nig).

Olanlokun, S. 0 (1999) Sthtegies for effective Reading Environment for the

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Regis Onucha, A. (2003) The impact of story Retelling on children's Reading

Comprehension. Unpublished M.A. Dissertation University of Ibadan.

57

Sunday Tribune, 2 September, 2007, p.7.

Taiwo, Toyin (1989) Knowledge a concomitant to Reading. The Bookworm 3: pp. 9-10.

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Word Book Dictionary (2003) Vol.2 Chicago, World Book Inc. p. 1737.

, ~' ',

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