A Qualitative Case Study on Reading Practices and Habits of High School Students

Abstract

Reading has been identified as an indicator of successful academic achievement. The present qualitative study explored reading literacy practices of Omani adolescent students. Three high school students participated in semi-structured interviews. The findings revealed four main factors that determined their reading practices: motivation to read, home literacy practices, students' reading rituals, and digital literacy practices. These four factors were discussed in light of other related topics which included reading interest and school reading activities as they influenced students' motivation to read, and parental involvement and availability of home library as examples of home literacy practices. Furthermore, students' reading rituals were discussed considering their quest for meaning, pre-reading preparation tasks, and preferred time of day to read, whereas the digital literacy factor encompassed the sub-topics of internet and mobile applications and the role of other devices provoking reading interest. Understanding the reading literacy practices of adolescent learners offers insights into how to develop effective strategies to improve those practices. These insights can subsequently aid educators and parents in their reading instruction and ability to be productively involved in their children’s reading literacy development, respectively. Moreover, other students may learn from their peers’ successful reading practices.