Abstracts Category : Other

The role of internal and external factors in the cultivation of life-long reading habits of tweenagers in Accra

by Kezia Agbenyega

The inculcation and development of good reading habits amongst adults and children is fundamental to the realisation of quality education and improvement in literacy in Ghana and other African countries. A good reading habit, especially one that includes reading for pleasure, is an essential life skill. It does not only increase our knowledge; it also helps in our mental development, develops our maturity and character, sharpens our thinking skills and widens our consciousness in societal and worldly issues. The reading culture in Ghana is on the decline. The general lack of reading interests among Ghanaians is evident in our lifestyles. The advent of mobile phones and other technological devices have brought a more attractive mode of reading. However, these devices are used fo r other activities aside reading.It is against this background, that this study was founded. The study sought to find out the role internal factors such as oneself and external factors such as parents, peers, the school and modern devices play in the cultivation of life- long reading habits of tweenagers in Accra. The study reviewed literature relating to the general overview of pleasure reading, life- long reading habits and factors that influence life- long reading habits. The study was quantitative in design. Questionnaire was used to collect primary data from 187 tweenagers from three basic schools in Accra. Their ages ranged from ten (10) to thirteen (13) years, with a mean age of eleven point five (11.5) years. 28 questions were set to collect data from respondents. The results indicated the following: Tweenagers read for pleasure; they read for information and learning purposes rather than for recreational and relaxation purposes; parents of tweenagers are the main group of people who provide their reading materials but their teachers, the availability of a school library and their peers encourage t hem to read most. Tweenagers are also internally motivated to read. In sum, all the factors, that is, themselves, peers, parents, the school and modern devices play a significant role in shaping and influencing the cultivation and development of reading ha bits among tweenagers. It is ivrecommended that, parents of tweenagers must spend time reading to and with their children from a tender age; tweenagers must be encouraged to discover the value and essence of reading for relaxation, recreation and enjoyment; teachers must be reading models to tweenagers; schools, the government and stakeholders must ensure that they provide libraries in schools and communities, furnish the libraries with books and make them accessible to tweenagers. A