Abstract
The vast benefits of reading in both the first and the target language makes reading essential for English Language Teaching Department students who are not only English language learners but also English teacher candidates. This study explores English student teachers’ reading habits and preferences. An open-ended and closed-ended questionnaire and interviews were used to collect information on 88 English student teachers’ reading habits and preferences. The participants’ reading habits were predicted by their attitudes towards reading, reading frequency, and reading material preferences. The findings suggest that although student teachers mostly displayed positive attitudes towards reading and acknowledged the importance of reading, they didn’t really invest in personal reading. In terms of reading preferences, most of the student teachers chose fiction books and online materials as the most preferred reading materials. When it comes to language preferences, most of them preferred to read in their first language (Indonesian) instead of the language they are currently learning (English) for both academic reading and reading for pleasure.
Highlights
In Indonesian context, English student teachers are mostly, if not all, English teacher candidates whose first language is not English
The present study focuses on examining the reading habits and preferences of English Language Teaching Department students and we try to see whether the current digital technology advancements have any effects on what the students read
The theoretical framework used in this study defines reading habits as behavior which expresses the likeness towards reading (Sangkaeo, 1990), time spent on reading, and reading materials (Wagner, 2002, and Shen, 2006)
Summary
In Indonesian context, English student teachers are mostly, if not all, English teacher candidates whose first language is not English. After graduating from universities, they will likely experience a shift from being English language learners to English teachers. These teacher candidates face challenges such as the pressure to be highly proficient in English language because it is expected of them to demonstrate English language skills as good as possible to their students (Snow, 2007). It is important for the English student teachers to make the most of their time to develop their English proficiency.
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