The Effect of Stress Factors On the Reading Habits among Gen-Y students

Abstract

The complexity in teaching the generation Y students is a challenge faced by academics in many higher institutions. This includes the evolution from conventional reading to reading using the ever expanding web based resources. This quantitative study was undertaken to examine the relationship between stress factors and reading habits among Gen Y students. The purpose of this study is to identify the type of stress which affects Gen Y students, the effect of these stress factors on the Gen Y reading habits and the moderating effect of gender on the relationship between stress factors and reading habits. The data was collected from 206 business students in a private higher institution of education using a structured questionnaire after a prior pilot test of 76 samples. The data was analyzed using reliability, factor analysis, and multivariate General Linear Model. The use of factor analysis identified four constructs for readership and two constructs for stress factors. An association between stress factors and reading habits was established. It was discovered that stress affected the knowledge and the exam purpose readers. Further investigation showed that gender moderates the effect of stress on the Gen Y reading habits. These findings will be of value to educators as they seek a better understanding of the needs and priorities of the millennial students. It is hoped that these findings will enable educators to establish a good understanding of the Gen Y students and their distinct needs so as to promote the use of more innovative teaching methodologies to further encourage a healthier learning environment.