CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

This is a university-based study basically aimed to identify how far reading habits

among students can affect their academic performances. The study was conducted at

Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD), Brunei Darussalam. The study was selected for

some reasons. Firstly, it is to identify that reading habit is the most fundamental skills

that affect the students' academic performance. Secondly, it is to provide the

undergraduate students to attain a form of consistency toward understanding academic

subjects and passing examination through the cultivation of lifetime reading culture

among the undergraduate students. Thirdly, it is to assess and boost students'

commitment in reading culture.

His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah addressed about the importance of reading

during the Knowledge Convention: 'Education shapes the Genuine identity of the

people' on 26th, July 2011 (as cited by Nellie Sunny, 2012),

"Orang berilmu ialah orang yang tidak habis menuntut, mendengar, melihat dan

membaca bagi memperolehi ilmu'’

People with knowledge are those who never stop learning, listening, seeing and

reading to gain knowledge.

His Majesty, the Sultan also added in his Titah that reading is one of the most

fundamental aspects that need to be included in Brunei's national development

programme. In order for the next generation to possess and develop the culture of

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knowledge, society needs to possess the culture of knowledge starting from inside as

well as outside home for instance, workplace, schools and religious halls.

Brunei Darussalam is known as an Islamic country, hence, the Islamic culture is

ubiquitous in Brunei which is included in the Brunei education system; religious

schools, and government system. A writing done by Yahya Othman (2004) regarding

the Islamic perspective on 'reading' stated that it is an obligation for Muslims to

acquire knowledge through reading and writing and in search for knowledge. It was

mentioned in the first revelation in the Qur'an in Chapter 96 verse 1; "Iqra" which

means 'read'. He also added as mentioned by Allah Subhanahu Wata'ala in another

chapter of the Qur'an regarding the importance of intellect in Chapter 6 verse 32; 'So

will you not reason?' (as cited by Norallizah Ishak, 2013). These command words

from the religious perspective, Islam, provide a motivation for human beings to

reform themselves in gaining knowledge and making the holy book as their important

source of knowledge in life (Noriah Hamid & Norhanizah Said, 2016).

To support the above statement, it shows that one can develop its way of thinking

from empowering the culture of reading in lifetime. According to Muhammad Muhd

Taib (1997), with the development of community's intellection, it can produce an

advance nation that takes the nation more further with determination to ensure that the

knowledge they possess can safeguard civilisation of the nation (as cited by

Norallizah Ishak, 2013). It is believed that through reading we can have a good

quality of knowledge that can help the development of an individual, community and

countries. This is compatible with Brunei's National Vision 2035; 'Wawasan 2035'

2
which aims is to enhance the competitiveness of its citizen in a knowledge-based

economy (Nellie Sunny, 2012).

Background information of Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Universiti Brunei

Darussalam

Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences is the largest faculty in Universiti Brunei

Darussalam in terms of staff and student members offering various types of major

programmes at undergraduate level as well as PhD and Master's level. It includes

Bahasa Melayu dan Linguistik; English Studies; Geography, Environment and

Development; Sociology and Anthropology; History and International studies;

Kesusasteraan Melayu; and Design and Creative industries.

1.1 Reading Culture in Brunei Darussalam

Reading culture can be fostered in a community. It is believed that reading plays an

important role in developing a literate society in this world as well as helping in

thriving proper thinking methods and create new ideas for an individual (Palani, 2012

as cited by Acheaw & Larson, 2014). Based on the National Vision 2035 which aims

in creating a knowledge-based economy, there has been many initiatives done by the

government of Brunei in promoting the reading culture to its community. The

Language and Literature Bureau Library under the Ministry of Culture, Youth and

Sports (Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka), which is located in Jalan Elizabeth II in the

capital, is one of the knowledge hub in providing information and knowledge for

public. It then spread its branch to Kampung Sengkurong and later on to Brunei

Muara District; Tutong District, Belait District and Temburong District.

3
Taken from the local experts, Pelita Brunei, according to the Acting Director of The

Language and Literature Bureau Library, Dayang Hajah Nortijah Hj Md Hassan in

conjunction to Bandarku Ceria, the institution is participating in preserving as well as

nurturing the reading culture in Brunei Darussalam starting on the January 29th, 2017

to uphold His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah and the Crown Prince Haji Al-

Muhtadee Billah's Royal addresses about the importance of basic skills such as

writing, reading and counting in producing a knowledgeable, informative, competitive

and quality Bruneian societies in addition to support the National Vision 2035 (Aimi

Sani, 2017).

The Language and Literature Bureau Library (DBP)1

It was opened on 29 September 1968 under the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports,

Brunei Darussalam and it is responsible for language and literacy development and

propagation, cultural research and documentation and local literary works as well as

providing library services to all over the country.

Mission: Providing library services and information to empower the reading culture

to people and residents in Brunei provided by the skilled staff, comprehensive and up-

to-date collections.

Vision: To be the main knowledge hub in Brunei Darussalam

Objectives of DBP:

1. To promote and expand the use of books, information and library materials

through loan, reference and mobile service library,

2. To obtain a complete collection and other library materials specific to Brunei

Darussalam regardless of where and when it is published,

1
Taken from: Perpustakaan Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, Negara Brunei Darussalam’s website
http://www.dbplibrary.gov.bn/Themed/Misi%20dan%20Visi.html

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 3. To collect, compile and publish indexes and bibliographies, and

4. To have full utilisation of information, technology and communications.

Other initiatives that the Bruneian government does to foster the reading culture

among the community, especially the youth, is by participating in World Book Day

(celebrated annually on April 23). DBP organises several activities under 'Library

Open Day Programme' since 2012. The celebration is aimed to empower reading

culture in the society especially the Bruneian in realising the Vision 2035 which is to

produce a knowledgeable, informed, and competitive society and also to liven up the

institutions of libraries (Nabilah Haris, 2015). Earlier this year on March 2017, a

school community; Awang Semaun Secondary School participated in the World Book

Day event. During the occasion school members including staff and non-teaching

staff as well as the students were gathered at the school hall and did a silent reading

with their own chosen reading materials ranging from fiction to non-fictions like

books, comics, magazines and more in various languages (Syafiq Bakar, 2017). The

aim of World Book Day is to encourage "all communities, especially youths, to read"

as reading helps to develop the social and cultural development of society (as cited by

Nellie Sunny, 2012).

Public also play as a crucial role in fostering the reading habit. The picture below

shows the public supporting the World Book Day by creating an Instagram account in

conjunction to the event.

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Pic. 1 shows WorldBookDayBrunei's Instagram profile in conjunction to World Book

Day

In addition, earlier this year on February 2017, Pehin Datu Lailaraja Major General

(Rtd) Dato Paduka Seri Haji Awang Halbi bin Haji Mohd Yussof, Minister of

Culture, Youth and Sports launched the 10-day book festival at the Hassanal Bolkiah

National Sports Complex organised by the Language and Literature Bureau (DBP).

The aim of the occasion is to educate youths and the young ones to instill a reading

habit (Azlan Othman, 2017). Such initiatives could strengthen the culture of reading

among the Bruneian people.

1.2 Objectives of the study

This study aims to identify how far reading habits among students can affect their

academic performances. Therefore the specific objectives of the study are as follows:

1. To understand the reading habits of UBD students,

2. To find out the conditions that foster their reading habit, and

3. To understand the causes that hindered them from reading.

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1.3 Research Questions

The objectives were achieved based on the findings of the following research

questions:

a. How do UBD students see the importance of reading in relation to their

academic performances?

b. What type of challenges do students face when it comes to 'reading'?

c. What are the conditions that could foster reading among the students?

1.4 Significance of the study

It is hoped that the results of this study will provide knowledge on fostering the

reading habits for students not only for academic performance or passing the

examination, as well as to imbibe the reading culture for the development of one's

communication skills and intellect which could be lasting, effective and beneficial to

mankind (Ilegogie, 2005 as cited by Fabunni & Folorunso, 2010), specifically for

those in FASS, UBD. Not only that, this study may also help students to overcome

some difficulties and also challenges faced in regards to fostering the reading culture.

For instance, university libraries is one of the vital role in providing students

information and knowledge within campus area, hence it should provide reading

materials which are suitable for students' interest and level of comprehension in

helping them to instill the reading habit.

1.5 Definitions of term

Reading

Reading in this study refers to reading printed media and it does not refer to reading

on the internet. Reading as defined by Day and Bamford (1998) from their book

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Extensive Reading in the Second Language Classroom is '...the construction from a

printed or written message. The construction of meaning involves the reader

connecting the information from the written message with previous knowledge to

arrive at meaning at an understanding'.

1.6 Scope and limitations of the study

a. This study is limited to one faculty; Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, UBD. The

result of the study cannot be generalized to other faculties or other higher institution

in Brunei Darussalam but the ideas contained can be used.

b. The researcher focused the study on the connection in fostering the reading culture

and academic performance of students which contributes towards the National Vision

2035 (Wawasan 2035) that is to create knowledgeable community.

c. There was little literature to be used as reference regarding the interrelation of

reading culture and academic performance on the higher institution in Brunei

Darussalam.

1.7 Chapter organisation

The first chapter of this thesis is the introductory chapter that contains different

elements that provide an early framework of the research. These include, as can be

seen above, the objectives of the research, the significance of the research and the

research questions. This section also justifies and explains the initiatives and

strategies done by the government in promoting the culture within the Brunei context

thus providing the rationale of the research.

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Chapter 2 presents the literature review of this research. The review is organised

around the issues that the existing studies have raised, particularly the importance of

an individual to engage on reading, reading habits and academic achievement, factors

that influence the reading habits of students and hinderance to engage in reading

habit.

Chapter 3 explains the researcher's choice of the instrument of methods used to pursue

this thesis. The first paragraph justifies the choice made by this study and the

procedures of data collection are then discussed including the structure of the

interview guide used by this study, the purposive sampling method and the

recruitment strategy.

In the fourth chapter of this thesis, the researcher discusses the findings and analysis

and offers recommendations for improvements on this thesis. Interviewed questions

are contained within the Appendix.

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 CHAPTER TWO

LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 Introduction

This chapter reviews literature on four different areas, namely: Importance of

engagement on reading, Reading habits and academic achievement, Factors that

influence the reading habits of students and Hinderance to engage in reading habits.

2.2 Importance of engagement in reading

"Exposing more students to the joys of literacy reading remains critical to the mission

of higher education...beyond all we are taught in school, the morals we learn from

family while growing up - only reading - can shape our thoughts, opinions as adults"

(Mark Edmundson, 2004 as cited in Raju, 2014)

Reading is the most fundamental way in searching for information and knowledge

(Edina Lanying, 2015) and can contribute to both individual and social life (Tavsanli

& Kaldirim, 2017). According to Ahuja and Ahuja (1991) through reading an

individual could understand and retain facts or details, relationships and learn to

appreciate the histories and modern day (as cited by Edina Lanying, 2015). In

addition, Tella and Akande (2007) believed that reading also helps the growth as well

as the development of an individual through deep understanding and the absorption of

knowledge as Palani (2012) stated; to create a literate society (as cited by Acheaw &

Larson, 2014). Not only that, according to Iheanacho (2007 as cited by Fabunmi &

Folorunso, 2010), through reading, it could help a country to develop and build a

nation which is corresponding with the Bruneian government initiative in aiming to

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create a knowledgeable community through its National Vision 2035 by fostering the

reading culture within the community.

Not only reading is important for the development of nation, those who engaged in

reading could also develop a sight vocabulary especially among the students. Thus,

Strauss (2014) stated that through reading an individual could absorb the essentials of

English grammar and continuously expand their vocabularies (as cited by Whitten et

al., 2016). The development of sight vocabulary can be seen as overlearning words to

the point that they are automatically recognized in their printed form. As Day and

Bamford (1998) called it 'Familiarity breeds automaticity', it is obvious that reading

brought a positive influence on reading comprehension, grammar and vocabulary

which can bring great impact on students' performance. To add, by possessing the

reading habit as Grabe asserts; "the more reading done, of the greatest informational

variety and range of purposes, the quicker the reader will achieve...the capacity for

creating, refining, and connecting diverse arrays of cognitive schemata" (1986 as

cited by Day and Bamford, 1998).

Occasionally, people engage in reading falls under the different categories some of

which include for pleasure, leisure, relaxation, information and for knowledge. Recent

studies conducted by Kidd & Castano (2013) of The New School for Social Research

New York city, suggested that pleasure reading could not only make an individual

understand others' mental state, pleasure reading could also deepened their empathy

towards other (Wilhelm & Smith, 2014 as cited by Whitten et al., 2016).

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2.3 Reading habits and academic achievement

Dadzie (2008) stated that as an individual has the ability to understand words and

contained in a document, they could make use of the knowledge for personal growth

and development (as cited by Acheaw & Larson, 2014). Reading habits determine the

academic achievements of students to a great extent. Both reading and academic

achievements are interrelated and dependent on each other. Some students have good

reading habits, others tend to exhibit poor reading habits. This is why readers with

lower ability tend to see reading in terms of 'schoolwork' (Bondy, 1990 as cited by

Muniandy, 2013) rather than something 'pleasant' and imaginative activity (Elly, 1992

as cited by Day & Bamford, 1998). It is documented by Issa et al. (2012) that as

reading become the main element of studying in an individual life phase from

childhood to adulthood, they could gain and acquire much information, thus,

influencing his or her studying skills and academic performance. To support, Whitten

et al. (2016) also reported that, reading could help students think critically and

improve their reading skills a well as comprehension skills, thus it brings benefits in

every subject area they took. Not only the skills stop within the classroom, students

also could apply the knowledge gain from reading in their adulthood life, workforce

and society.

It is important for students to possess effective reading to oneself as it plays as

effective ways in learning that is educational success (Palani, 2012 as cited byAcheaw

& Larson, 2014). Langer (2000) believed that reading skills play the most

fundamental role in developing "literate thinking, intelligent reasoning and human

sensitivity" (cited in Raju, 2014). However, as Slavih et al. (2014) mentioned, students

who have low level of reading skills tend to have difficulties in understanding the

12
complex texts within their academic context (as cited by Tavsanli & Kaldirim, 2017).

Tavsanli and Kaldirim (2017) also cited Alvermann (2005) where he believed that

although students engage in reading, without the higher level of understanding they

seldom get the important information as such cannot understand the text included in

curriculum. In addition to this, findings in a study done by Fisher, Frey and Nelson

(2012) in 44 schools in a county from very low socio-economic home environment

proved that 'reading skills are supposed to be affect the individual's' academic level'

(cited in Tavsanli & Kaldirim, 2017).

2.4 Factors that influence the reading habits of students

The first factor that influences the reading habit among students is due to the

orientation of examination in our education system. For example in Singapore, the

system tends to measure the achievement of an individual based on their academic

achievements resulting competition within students (Mee, 1998). Based on the study

conducted by M. Owusu-Acheaw and Agatha Gifty Larson (2014) on reading habits

among students in Koforidua Polytechnic and the effect on their academic

performance, out of 1000 respondents, 75.0% respondents engage in reading only to

pass their examination and when quizzed, 5.0% read to gain knowledge, 15.0% help

to improve spoken and written English while 5.0% for pleasure and fun. From the

findings it shows that students are more engaged in reading involuntarily (to pass

exam). However, this situation can have a negative influence on their academic

performance as well as development as the Singapore Director of Education stated,

students, tend to 'lack of initiative and self-confidence so much that they 'infected' with

the 'one-right-answer syndrome' (Yip, 1993 as cited by Mee, 1998, p.199). Thus,

students need to take a risk and initiatives in order to succeed.

13
The second factor contributing to the engagement of reading habit is encouragement.

According to the local experts taken from Pelita Brunei, through the process of

primary socialization, families plays a vital role in moulding a positive reading habit

on their children (Noriah Hamid & Norhanizah Said, 2016). Shahriza Karim &

Amelia Hasan (2007) believed that as children grew in a home of literary conducive

environment by making reading facilities available easily, it could influence the

children positive attitudes towards reading. Not only that, it could also influence their

mental development and academic achievement (Safiah, 1990 as cited by Edina

Lanying, 2005). A study conducted by Partin (2002) of 40 students on the relationship

between positive adolescent attitudes towards reading and home environments, 34

reported that they were being read to often as a child. This proved that encouragement

from family by being read to as a child could create a positive attitude of reading habit

for an individual throughout their life. Peer influence is also one of the factors for

students to engage in reading that is through social network pattern within their

classroom (Cooc & Kim, 2016). This was mentioned by respondent 5, who majors in

majoring in Bahasa Melayu dan Linguistik, based on her experience:

"I used to read a lot of Malay books when I was small until I was in Sixth Form. A

friend of mine gave me an English book, and from there I started to read English

books"

Based on the experimental research done by Peer Assisted Learning Strategies

(PALS), students were put in pairs between those who are able to read and struggling

readers (Fuchs et al., 2000 as cited by Cooc & Kim, 2016). It was a direct-interaction

between students which result in the improvement in early literacy skills development

(Lemons et al., 2014). Cooc and Kim (2016) also cited the work of Mashburn et al.

14
(2009) and Justice et al. (2011), where they believed that peers play a crucial role in

benefitting the struggling reader by exposing them with strong literacy skills.

2.5 Hinderance to engage in reading habits

Education system is one of the factor that leads to poor reading habits among students

as Pandian (1997) mentioned in his study that most Malaysians engage in reading due

to the education system that calculate examination as an individual's academic

achievements. Thus, students only see teachers' reading materials more important to

read other than any reading materials for instance, newspapers, magazines and such

(as cited by Edina Lanying, 2005). To support the statement, a survey conducted by

New Straits Times in 2005 on Malaysian university students, the decline of reading

habit among Malaysians start soon after students graduate from university. Kaur

(2002) proved this in his study and reported that most students in Universiti Utara

Malaysia did not see the importance of reading for pleasure and leisures, hence, their

purpose of reading is towards the academic achievement (as cited by Raju, 2014).

Another study conducted by the Malaysian National Library (2006), among 60,411

respondents, there has been no increase in literacy rate from 1996 which is 93% to

2006 which is 92%. Some of the factors that contribute to the decrease of literacy rate

in Malaysia for the past 10 years between 1996 to 2006 are, due to the lure of

electronic media; thus making television as the number one hobby among the

Malaysian. As mentioned by Sangkaeo (1999) on Reading habit promotion in ASEAN

libraries in conjunction with 65th IFLA Council and General Conference, television

has the potential in affecting children's reading performance as the amount of children

viewing television is to entertain rather than educate. The second reason is, there is no

conducive environment provided for reading. Hence, respondents preferred to engage

15
with other activities rather than reading, having insufficient time as well as having no

interest in reading.

Another aspect that hindered students to engage in good reading habits is their lack of

interest in reading. Based on the study conducted by M. Owusu-Acheaw and Agatha

Gifty Larson (2014) on the hinderance to reading habits on students from Koforidua

Polytechnic. 1052 questionnaires were distributed and only 1000 were filled and

returned representing 95.0%. The highest percentage with the total of 57.0% stated

that the hinderance to read was due to laziness. Whereas, 30.0% indicated home

environment, 10.0% indicated social status and 3.0% expressed they are not interested

in reading. In the ASEAN context, Sangkaeo (1999) believed that the ASEAN

societies cultural habits prefer to listen and chat more rather than reading. This is

because traditional scholars are well known and appreciated as some books are not

available, where they narrate the written words from books to illiterate as well as

animated reading dramatisation or demonstration. Most of the traditional scholars are

elder members, religious scholars, professionals and amateurs. This habit has been

inherited from one generation to another, thus becoming our culture.

In the Brunei context, during the Transitional Kindergarten Conference on reading

event in Thailand, Nellie Sunny (2012 as cited by Raju, 2014) listed some of the

reasons why reading is not seen as an exciting state in Brunei:

• The price of books and reading materials from overseas are high.

• Local books shops do not carry a wide selection of titles and new titles are

displayed on the shelves much later.

• Books and publications are subject to strict censorship for politically sensitive

and religious reasons.

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 • Not many local titles are produced to meet all levels of reading needs.

• Parents have other priorities and do not consider buying books for their

children as necessary.

• School libraries are not equipped to support and promote reading.

• Many consider libraries are for children and students studying for

examinations.

• Young professionals and graduates when they leave universities feel they do

not have a need to read anymore as their jobs do not call upon them to do so.

Nellie Sunny also further added that, "Bruneians in general do not read for pleasure.

Brunei also has a long oral history tradition, so people prefer to chat rather than read

and perhaps this is socialisation to be valued. People who like to read are considered

anti-social. Many believed that reading should be done in private. The benefits and

potential of reading as a key to success is not fully realised. To many people, being

literate is sufficient to make them succeed in life".

Voluntary Leisure Reading Habits of Undergraduates Students: An Investigation

by Christine Jothy Raju (2014)

17
 CHAPTER THREE

METHODOLOGY

3.1 Introduction

This chapter discusses data collection used for this study, instrument of research as

well as sampling method and recruitment strategy.

32. Data collection

Data collection for this study were based on primary data; qualitative method,

whereby each respondent was required to answer questions through a semi-structured

interview. Qualitative data obtained through interviews allows in-depth gauging of

personal perspective and gaining better understanding of description of these

respondent's experiences on their reading habits and academic performances. Student

respondents were given a ten semi-structured interview questions in order to ascertain

as well as determine their understanding and perspective on reading culture and

academic performances.

3.3 Instrument of research

As for the instrument for the research, the researcher used Primary research data

where the researcher conducted a semi-structured interview and respondents were

asked questions such as why they read, since when they started to engage in reading

culture, challenges that prevent them from engaging in reading as well as their

opinion regarding the relation between reading habit and their academic

performances. These are the kind of questions the researcher asked and more related

to the research.

18
A notebook was prepared to gather all of the important information as well as a voice

recorder to record the conversations between the researcher and the respondents. A

permission to audio-record was sought from the respondents before proceeding with

the data collection.

The interviews were conducted in both Malay as well as English Languages

depending on the respondent’s situation. It is a direct interview session between the

researcher and respondents. This is seen as one of the advantages of the technique in

obtaining two-way immediate response as well as participants have the opportunity to

present more in answering the questions given by the researcher (Brenner et al.,

1985:3 as cited by Kumpoh, 2011). During the fieldwork, the researcher started with

introducing herself and explain the purpose of the study, the duration of the interviews

and data collection methods to the respondent. The researcher then took a little time to

get to know them by asking their background; name, age and their major. The venues

for the interviews were selected by the respondents to suit their comfort in order to

reduce bias presented by the environment surrounding them. Appointments were

made prior to the interviews in order to establish a convenient time for the

respondents.

Another research instrument used by the researcher is secondary data that was well

defined as an analysis and interpretation of primary research. The researcher used

published books, journals and articles from different authors in relation to the study,

mainly in the concept of reading, the importance of an individual to engage in

reading, challenges faced by by them as well as the correlation between reading habits

and academic performances.

19
3.4 Sampling method and recruitment strategy

The respondents in this study were recruited through purposive and snowball

sampling. The target group has been defined and purposively identified by their

faculty; from Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences representing the chosen major for

this study, secondly, by the year of studying that is ranging from second to fourth year

students and lastly by their age, aged between 20 to 24 years old. The respondents in

this study are currently on their Bachelor of Degree in Sociology and Anthropology,

Bahasa Melayu dan Linguistik, Geography and Development, History, and English

Language and Literature. Ten students were interviewed for this study consisting of

six (6) women and four (4) men. To keep the confidentiality of the respondents, all

respondents will be narrated as Respondent 1, Respondent 2 until Respondent 10. The

table below summarises the background of the respondents being interviewed in this

research.

Respondent, Gender and Age Major Year

Respondent 1, Male (23) Geography and Development 4th Year

Respondent 2, Male (23) Sociology and Anthropology 4th Year

Respondent 3, Male (22) Geography and Development 4th Year

Respondent 4, Male (24) Historical Studies 4th Year

Respondent 5, Female (23) Bahasa Melayu dan Linguistik 2nd Year

Respondent 6, Female (24) Sociology and Anthropology 4th Year

20
Respondent 7, Female (23) Sociology and Anthropology 4th Year

Respondent 8, Female (24) Sociology and Anthropology 4th Year

Respondent 9, Female (22) Geography and Development 4th Year

Respondent 10, Female (20) English Language and 2nd Year

Literature

21
 CHAPTER FOUR

FINDINGS & DISCUSSION

4.1 Introduction

In this chapter, the researcher will analyse the data based on the findings from the

research questions gathered from ten respondents, who are students from Faculty of

Arts and Social Sciences pursuing in different major; Geography and Development,

Bahasa Melayu dan Linguistik, Sociology and Anthropology, English Language and

Literature as well as Historical Studies. The researcher will focus on four main

findings which include; factors influencing students to read, correlations between

reading habits and academic performance, challenges students faced in fostering the

reading habit and conditions that could foster reading habit among students.

4.2 Factors influencing students to read

Based on the data and research that had been made, there are few severe factors that

influence the students to read and will be explained below. From the research that has

been made by the researcher, there are many factors that influence students to read.

This includes parental encouragement, peer relation as well for self-development.

Parental encouragement

The most favorable reason for students to engage in reading is by the encouragement

from parents as well as their family members. For example one of the respondents

mentioned that she was brought up in a family whose father and two sisters are

teachers. She stated:

"At the age of 4 or 5 years old, my sister used to encourage me to

read books especially before bedtime. To be honest, I did not really

22
 like to read books. I hated it. But as you grow older and become used

to it, I automatically engage with it until now."

(Respondent 9, Female, 22, Geography and Development)

Several other respondents also mentioned that specifically their mothers encouraged

them to engage in reading,

"At first, I didn’t have any interest to read. Usually my mother would

just give and ask me to read different kinds of reading materials like

newspapers and such which I usually just read it like that. I started to

engage with reading from a comic book, manga, and from there I

developed my reading habit to others."

(Respondent 3, Male, 22, Geography and Development)

Another stated that,

"My mother encouraged me to read when I was a kid. She always

told me that reading is for my own good, for example reading a

newspapers as well as books...And from reading, I have gained a lot

of knowledge and information and it made me who am I today."

(Respondent 2, Male, 23, Sociology and Anthropology)

Above findings show that earlier exposure of reading habit to children from parents or

family could shape an individual to engage in reading culture in lifetime. Not only

that, a study conducted by Allen & Daly (2007, p.16) found that parental involvement

on children's literacy and achievement shows a greater social impact in later life.

These include in managing stress, social development and adjustment, supportive

relationships and less behavioural problems (Desforges & Abouchaar, 2003).

23
Peer Relation

Other than parental encouragement, peer relation also can drive an individual to the

interest of reading as it involves direct influence through student-to-student

interaction (Cooc & Kim, 2016). For instance several respondents stated that some of

their friends recommended them to read certain books in relation to their interests,

"I sometimes get encouragement from my friends. They usually

recommend me certain kind of books, which are related to my

interest like astronomy, manga and fiction. However, if the book is

not related to my interest, I don't bother to read it. Despite that, if the

book is interesting then I will read it."

(Respondent 3, Male, 22, Geography and Development)

"In order for me to find a good book, I usually ask for suggestions

and recommendations from my friends. I also usually like to borrow

their books like malay novels and more."

(Respondent 8, Female, 24, Sociology and Anthropology)

Another respondent also added that she started to read an English book when she was

in Sixth form,

"I used to read a lot of Malay books when I was small. Until I was in

Sixth Form, a friend of mine gave me an English book. It was my

first thick English book. Since then I started to engage with English

books."

(Respondent 5, Female, 23, Bahasa Melayu dan Linguistik)

24
To support the above findings, another respondent mentioned he was influenced by

his friends to read books. He stated:

"Based on my experience. In university, you should find group of

friends who likes to read, because sometimes we tend to get curious

of what they read and eventually we will read to."

(Respondent 4, Male, 24, Historical Studies)

Referring to the above findings, student interactions within the classroom are often

seen as guidance for students in learning from each other whether through formal or

informal learning space (Hong et al., 2012 as cited by Cooc & Kim, 2016). On the

other hand, according to Ogbodo (2010), within school, children are exposed to

different kinds of experiences which influence their behaviour. Therefore, learning is

a change of behaviour. Such a change is seen in their mental reasoning, physical

growth, manipulative skills and development of values and interests. Thus, based on

the findings, respondents show that their engagement on reading habit is somehow

through their peer.

Self-development

Self-development is one of the factors that influence an individual to engage in

reading. Being a student, it is important for them to nourish their reading skills in life

as it can increase their background knowledge as well as to develop their language

skills and improve the student's ability to write well. Below is an account given by

one of the respondents who believed there is a correlation between reading and

language proficiency.

25
 "I always need to update myself, especially after I woke up. I usually

just grab the newspapers and read it and from there I can say there's a

correlations between reading and language proficiency. It helps to

boost my ability in terms of speaking and writing, broaden my

vocabulary as well as my grammar."

(Respondent 8, Female, 24, Sociology and Anthropology)

Other than that, another respondent believed that he usually reads out of interest,

"The urge of wanting to know more in life, it really helps for

someone like my personality who usually talk a lot. By reading it

somehow helps me to calm and refresh my mind. It also gives me the

space where I can be an introvert for once in while."

(Respondent 1, Male, 23, Geography and Development)

The statement above shows that lifestyle of an individual in nurturing themselves to

engage in reading makes a big difference in language proficiency as well as the urge

of wanting to know more compared to non-readers. Not only that, through reading, it

can broaden their knowledge and perspective as mentioned by Jose Mario dolor De

Vega (2013) in inquirerdotnet "reading not only clears our thoughts, it also widens

our perspective and enlarges our vision. It gives us, not a narrow, limited view of

reality, but a world view of ourselves, of life in general, and of human existence as a

whole."

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4.3 Correlations between reading habits and academic performances

There is no doubt that there is indeed an interrelation between reading habit of

students and their academic performances (Acheaw & Larson, 2014). A study

conducted by Onyejiaku (1987 as cited by Daniel et al., 2017) on reading habits

reported that from reading, student could develop their learning skills, understanding

of learning material and strengthen as well as improve their memory activity for both

test and examinations. The findings of this study reveal that most respondents

believed there is a link between their reading habits and their academic performances.

This is an account stated by respondent 1:

"I do think there's a correlation if he or she is from FASS. If he or

she reads a lot of different kinds of reading materials, it can help the

person to think in a way that is not stagnant but outside the box kind

of thing as he or she can relate to the things that they've read and

apply some points to their discussion."

(Respondent 1, Male, 23, Geography and Development)

Another respondent also stated,

"For the last two semesters, my lecturer seldom entered our class due

to sickness, he then asked the students to read from the slides that he

uploaded via Canvas. However, I'm not the type of person who reads

from slides, hence, I decided to get some books from the library

which is related to the subject and Alhamdulillah during the

examination, I did well."

(Respondent 5, Female, 23, Bahasa Melayu dan Linguistik)

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 "To tell you the truth, you need to read in order for you to get a good

outcome of your essays, good understanding, good arguments and

how to be critical. And you also need to read a lot of articles or

books to help you to answer the exam questions correctly."

(Respondent 4, Male, 24, Historical Studies)

In response to the statements above, most of the respondents agreed that reading

habits of an individual indeed interrelated with their academic performances. In

addition, another respondent also mentioned based on her experience being a student

for her Discovery Year in South Korea,

"I don't usually read. However, when I was in Korea doing my

Discovery Year, I took Politics and it was hard for me to understand

the subject. I have to read the articles before each classes and from

there, I realised that if we read something in relation to the subject,

we can easily understand what is being taught in class."

(Respondent 8, Female, 24, Sociology and Anthropology)

To support the findings, Issa et al. (2012) strongly agrees that for those who engage in

reading continuously, it influences their study skills and academic performance. As

Palani (2012) quoted "educational success requires successful reading habit".

Moreover, through reading students could identify symbols associated with proper

meaning and good comprehension skills to understand the words of the context (as

cited by Acheaw & Larson, 2014).

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4.4 Challenges students faced in fostering the ‘reading culture’

Responding to the question regarding types of challenges faced by students, many of

them have difficulties to engage in reading. In this study, the researcher identified

three different challenges which is commonly faced by the students such as time

constraint, lower level of language proficiency and surroundings.

Time

Time is one the main factors why students have difficulties to engage in reading. This

is due to their busy schedule as being mentioned by several respondents during the

interview session below,

"I am the type of person who like to participate in any kind of social

events. Thus, being an active person, reading is the last thing that is

on my mind. Although sometimes I wanted to read, the feeling after

doing something heavy makes me tired to even open a book."

(Respondent 1, Male, 23, Geography and Development)

Another also stated that,

"Being a student, it is difficult for me to read other than anything that

relate to my study like newspaper, magazines, novels and such. Most

of the time I am bound to the articles and reading materials given by

my lecturers."

(Respondent 5, Female, 23, Bahasa Melayu dan Linguistik)

In response to the statements above, according to Khairusy Syakirin Has-Yun Hashim

(2008) from Utusan Malaysia, time is one of the reasons why people do not engage in

reading which is associated with work and busy life. Other than that, the rising usages

of social media among students also contribute to the inadequate of time. A study

29
done by Acheaw & Larson (2014) on activity done during the leisure time of students

from Koforidua Polytechnic, out of the total respondents of 1000, 62.0% students visit

the social media sites, whereas only 15.0% respondents prefer to watch movies rather

than reading. The latter category of students engage in other activities such as reading

novels - 13.0% and playing music - 10.0%, falls as the least activity done during their

leisure time.

Language Proficiency

Malay language is the native language in Brunei Darussalam. English is the second

language which is however being used in our bilingual education system (Martin &

Abdullah, 2002). One of the main important subject to enter the universities in Brunei

is to have at least a credit and above in English Language during the GCE 'O' Level

exam. This is because in university, English Language is commonly used, especially

in UBD where most of the modules provided are taught in English Language. Based

on the findings, most of the respondents do not usually engage in reading due to their

lower level of English proficiency. Below is an account stated by respondent 2 during

the interview session;

"When it comes to English readings, I sometimes have some

difficulties in understanding them as some English words are too

difficult as well as complicated. You need to read it repeatedly in

order for you to understand the sentences. And I'm the type of person

who can easily get bored if there's too much complicated words in

one page."

(Respondent 2, Male, 23, Sociology and Anthropology)

30
Another respondent mentioned that she experienced difficulty in understanding

certain articles which she then had to read the content slowly in order to understand

and get the correct main information,

"I'm not really good with English Language, so I usually practise

speaking it out loud whenever I read any reading materials.

However, if I don't understand the article, I usually just stop reading

it. Unless it is an academic reading, I force myself to read it although

I don't understand what it says. As long as I have some of the

information regarding tomorrow's subject, then that's enough for

me."

(Respondent 6, Female, 24, Sociology and Anthropology)

Two of the respondents believed that most of the reading materials given by the

lecturers are poetic and hard, hence, it is tough for them to understand the words

which require them to use a dictionary to get the meaning,

"In academic reading especially, the language is kind of poetic. So

these sometimes discourage me to continue reading even though it's

written in English. Some of the words are not common or unfamiliar.

They, the author, stated something else but they mean something

else. It's complicated."

(Respondent 3, Male, 22, Geography and Development)

Another added,

31
 "Whenever I read English reading materials, I must have my google

dictionary with me. And when it comes to unfamiliar terms, I usually

google it and this can take most of my time."

(Respondent 4, Male, 24, Historical Studies)

This shows that students who have inadequate vocabulary as well as low familiarity

with words tend to face challenges in getting the main point of the context. The

finding is in agreement with Liu (2005), who opined that reading is not only about

printed matter, it is also about the one's ability to interpret the context of the readings

in conveying a message or that which is to enable communication.

Surroundings

Another factor that could trigger someone's disinterest to read is based on his or her

surroundings or environment. According to Issa et al. (2012), it is possible that

technological contribution to the disinterest of individual in nurturing good reading

practice. As stated by one of the respondents below during the interview session:

"Whenever I'm in my comfort zone like lying on my bed I tend to get

distracted. I also have a television, playstation, DVD and more in my

room. Those are the kinds of things that make me procrastinate

easily…I also can't read that much or focus that much when there's

air-conditioner as I tend to get sleepy."

(Respondent 4, Male, 24, Historical Studies)

4.5 Conditions that could foster reading among students

The biggest challenge for parents and teachers is simply to cultivate the reading habit

for pleasure onto children or students life. According to the Report of the Commision

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on Reading, it is believed that reading can contribute to a concrete success throughout

the lifetime of an individual as it involves the process of mode of thinking, real

experience and complex skills (Anderson et al., 1985 as cited by Shahriza Karim &

Amelia Hasan, 2007). Being a student, especially university students, we sometimes

tend to experience a hard life balancing between our academic as well as social life

(Stilwell, 2016). Thus, engaging in reading is seen as a problem to nurture for some.

In relation to the findings from this research, below are some of the ways that could

help students to engage in reading taken from edutopia: Ten ways to cultivate a Love

of Reading in Students by Elena Aguilar (2013):

1. Invite authors to speak

This is the most common activity which can be supported by university,

administration and parents. An individual can easily get influenced from hearing an

author talking and sharing about the content of their writing. Below is an account

mentioned by respondent 6 during the interview session,

"Last time the religious club in UBD held an event where they

invited an author of Borak Borak Berisi, Dr Kamaru Salam Yusof.

He introduced and explained the contains of the book to us. It is an

interesting way to bring an author here (UBD), so that we could

engage with him directly."

She then further added after being asked whether she read the book or not,

"Yes, I bought the book after the event and I read it. It's a nice book."

(Respondent 6, Female, 24, Sociology and Anthropology)

Above findings shows that, author-audience interaction is important in building and

strengthening rapport through the 'rhetoric relationship' - where a writer strive to share

33
information and influence particular audiences in a situation (Phares, 2002). As the

authors of a high school writing textbook series, Winterownd and Murray (1985)

drew attention to Phares's work on the importance of author-audience relationship in

which they wrote:

“Written and spoken messages are sent and received through a

“situation involving both writer and reader. That situation, or

context, includes the worlds of both writer and reader, the world

created by interaction between writer and reader, and the larger

cultural and physical world in which writing and reading take place.

What this means is that the writer intends some meaning and projects

that intention through a language structure in a “scene” or context.

The reader interprets the message from the signals sent and, in a very

real sense, cooperates with the writer to construct meaning. If the

writer misjudges the audience of readers, or the reader does not or

cannot enter into the world of the writer and submit to his or her

intention, then communication misfires or is lost.” (as cited in

Phares, 2002, p. 3).

2. Share your reading experiences

Share your reading experience is sharing based on what you have been reading and

gained with your colleagues, friends and students. Tell them the summary of the

articles or any reading materials after reading will help them to boost their confidence

and interest to try and engage in reading. As one of the respondent stated during the

interview session;

34
 "One of the conditions that could foster my reading habit is by

listening to others’ reading experience. I like people who share their

readings with me. From there I get to know the summary of the

books or articles and tend to get curious about it and I so ended up

reading it."

(Respondent 4, Male, 24, Historical Studies)

Another respondent also noted,

"For me, if I wanted to buy a book I usually look-up from people's

review, for example from a website called goodreads or from the

author itself. Other than that, I sometimes share and exchange what

I've gained from a book to other people. From there we get to

summarise what we've read and we tend to exchange books soon

after."

(Respondent 7, Female, 23, Sociology and Anthropology)

In relation to this research, by sharing reading experiences, it provides others to get

familiarised with the context and features of the reading materials (Taberski, 2000 as

cited in “Shared Reading: An Instructional Strategy for Teachers in Grades K-3”,

n.d.) and not only that, we also got to explain using the familiar terms to help others to

engage in reading (Button & Johnson, 1997).

3. Make connections between reading and other issues

According to Aguilar (2013), by making connections between reading and other

issues such as political or historical issues, it will help to broaden the student's mind

and knowledge. Furthermore, it will also increase an individual's level of appreciation

35
towards the historical and political context. Not only that, this could also make the

audience understand profoundly what is being said in relation to the context. As what

respondent 3 mentioned,

"I don't usually spend most of my leisure time reading. But

Alhamdulillah, I recently started to engage more. It's because

whenever I read, I sometimes feel that I have experienced it

somehow in my life. Hence, it lifts my interest to read more. For

me, when you read, you are actually learn something from it,

whether it's useful for you or not, still it helps you in any way."

(Respondent 3, Male, 22, Geography and Development)

4. Just read

"I think I love to read. It started out of interest like I used to read

Mekar or Hidayah magazines when I was small. As I grew up, my

love and curiosity in search of knowledge makes me want to engage

more in reading. For instance, when you read three books about the

creation of earth. I guarantee you not every book has the same points

about it. This actually triggers your mind in wanting to know more

and at the same time you have a lot of things to say in your essay."

(Respondent 10, Female, 20, English Language and Literature)

The above finding indicates that curiosity makes respondent 10 to engage more in

reading. According to Edelman (1997), curiosity motivates an individual in search

and desire for more knowledge. When students are curious, they are more likely to

engage with lecturers in asking questions or seek out resources through reading. Such

36
behaviour could help in widening their mind (O'Donnell et al., 2006 p. 357). Another

respondent also stated,

“If he or she reads a lot of different kinds of reading materials, it can

help the person to think in a way that is not stagnant but outside of

the box kind of thing as he or she can relate to the things that they've

read and can apply some points to their discussion."

(Respondent 1, Male, 23, Geography and Development)

37
 CHAPTER FIVE

CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

The study revealed that most respondents agree and acknowledge the correlations

between reading habit and academic performance. Through engaging in reading,

students are aware of their development in terms of reading skills, language

proficiency levels as well as their writing skills. Other than that, the researcher also

identified some of the factors influencing student to nurture their reading habit. This

includes parental encouragement, peer relation and individual interest in gaining

additional knowledge. In addition, the researcher also indicated some of the

challenges faced by students in imbibing the culture of reading, for instance, due to

lack of language proficiency, time and environment. Lastly, students revealed some of

the factors which could help them to foster their reading habits.

In order to foster a reading habit the results of this study lead us to make some

recommendations. The recommendations are as follow:

1. Students should take a risk in getting more information from different

resources rather than waiting for their lecturer to spoon-feed as this could

expose them to diverge and gain broader views of knowledge. Not only that,

students need to be aware that reading are not only be done for the

examinations. Students should not forget the books when the exam ends or

after graduating.

2. It is best for faculty staffs to engage with students through an active learning

process by doing a group discussion on certain reading materials in relation to

the course. This can be done by exchanging of opinions, clarification and

development of a common approach to the problem between student-to-

38
 student or lecturer-to-student interaction. By doing this, it could enhance

students understanding on the given materials as some students have

difficulties in understanding some words or the content of the articles.

3. Currently, most modules are assessed through 70% of examination

performance and 30% from assignments. It is recommended that faculty staff

should engage students in individual or group assignments and presentations

as these could be their stepping stone within the working world with their

colleagues soon after they graduate. Not only that, this could increase their

level of confidence as students get to learn to be compromised.

4. Based on the findings, the researcher found a remarkable parental influence in

cultivating their children's reading habit. Thus, it is recommended that parents

should instill the reading habit on their children starting at the very young age

suitable with their age and environment. Therefore it could become a habit

throughout their lifetime. In addition, parents can also bring their children to

bookstore and giving them freedom to choose their own reading materials.

Furthermore, by early nurturing, children can easily express themselves well

and could improve their writing and reading skills which eventually lead to

better academic performance in the near future as well as to boost reading

culture.

5. Lastly, the researcher recommends that further research is carried out on other

factors which could affect students academic performance in all faculties in

UBD, as this study is only limited within students from FASS in UBD.

Nonetheless, the scope of this study should be expanded in future studies to

not only within UBD, but covering all the higher institutions in Brunei

Darussalam. Being a qualitative study, the researcher interviewed ten student

39
respondents, therefore the researcher propose that a quantitative study should

be conducted to further explored the issue of students reading habits and

academic performance.

40