Reading Habits and Academic Performance

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background to the Study

It is axiomatic that few years back a family that produced a school certificate graduate had course to rejoice. This was because the school certificate holder was not easy to come by in those days. The products of the missionary and government schools were better compared to the secondary school learners today. The skills of reading and writing demonstrated then, by secondary school leavers made them essential commodities in the various fields of work under government and private establishment. Their fluency in English language and their reading and writing dexterity were evident to the stuff of education received then. Patronage of school libraries incorporated to secondary school system becomes highly affected because students of to day have poor reading culture.

However, this has turned out to have a multiply effect as most university graduates are ill-equipped and half-baked. Secondary school learners cannot take minutes at meetings while primary school leaving certificate is no more accorded recognition. The performance of students nowadays is attributed to their poor background in the reading culture which is a carryover from their primary school through the secondary level. To read is, to get ideas from print or written materials. Reading is a way of acquiring knowledge. Oyeyemi (2005) observed that reading is a means of tapping knowledge from superior minds.