The Impact of the Reading Habit on the Writing Skills of Primary Students

Abstract

Rosli et al. (2018) suggested that reading is an attempt to comprehend the writer’s message, while Alnahdi and Aftab (2020) stated that it is a gateway to all other information, which may lead to understanding the world outside the text. Hence, Al-Jarf (2021) and Dadzie (2008) asserted that reading is a multifaceted cognitive process of comprehending words written in a textual form that allows readers to enhance their knowledge for personal growth and academic success. This study investigated the impact of the reading habit of the Grade Three students of a selected English Medium Private school, in Kandy, on their writing skills. Since reading lays the foundation for all the other skills in the English language, it is important to inculcate the reading habit from a young age. The research was carried out with a sample population of 30 students (from 03 classes), selected under the random sampling method. The class teachers of the three classes were also included in the study. The students were given a questionnaire that included 10 questions, under 4 criteria which would assess their level of reading habit. A separate questionnaire was given to the teachers that would assess the writing skill of the students under 04 criteria. Each questionnaire was then given scales to identify the level of reading habits as well as writing skills. The major findings of this study were that the students who have a good level of reading habits, have a good level of writing skills. The students who have a low level of reading habits, have a poor level of writing skills. It can be identified that reading is important to improve the writing skill of students. Inculcating reading habits within the student at a young age would help to create better writers for the future. Therefore, teachers should encourage students to improve their reading habits.