Pressured or Pleasure Reading: A Survey of Reading Preferences of Secondary School Students during COVID-19 Lockdown

Abstract

The study was a descriptive cross-sectional survey which investigated the reading preferences of secondary school students in Nigeria during the lockdown occasioned by COVID-19 pandemic. A hundred secondary school students in Ile- Ife and Ilesa in Osun State, Nigeria were the study respondents. Close ended self-administered questionnaire was used to obtain data. Of the one hundred questionnaire which were applied to the study respondents, ninety-three were retrieved. Data obtained were analyzed using simple frequencies and percentages. The study established that majority of respondents were not pressured to read but read for pleasure. Preference for a wide range of fiction and non-fiction books which was read for purposes ranging from academic, social, relaxation and information was indicated by respondents. Availability of reading materials determined reading preference of majority of respondents as many could not afford to access electronic books whether free or not. The researchers recommended that different types of reading materials that suit the reading preferences and meet the diverse purpose of reading should be provided for the secondary school students during lockdown to improve their reading habits. Public libraries should function during this lock down period within the guidelines of the appropriate health authorities, while school libraries should be equipped to offer virtual services during the lockdown and the students should be exposed to e-books for their reading pleasure.

Keywords

• covid-19
• lock down
• pleasure reading
• reading preferences