Authors
1 Faculty member of the Library Department of the Faculty of Educational Sciences and Psychology, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz
2 Master of Library and Information Science, Shahid Chamran University, Ahvaz
Abstract
This article aims to study the degree of free reading of high school students (first, second and third grades) in the province of Mazandaran to recognize and identify the encouraging and inhibiting factors of their free reading behaviors. It was an explanatory survey, including 382 high school students which were selected according to Crejeci and Morgan formula and using a multiple stage sampling method. The instrument was a questionnaire with a reliability coefficient of 0.796.
The results of this study displayed that, the average of free reading of the studied students was 48.5 minutes per 24 hours. This study also showed that there was a difference between the degree of free reading in the boys and girls. The factor analysis of items showed two essential factors in this study. The items related to encouraging factor (factor 1) displayed that, encouraging the students to free reading by parents, existing a library in the place of education, and organizing book reading competitions were the most important items in this factor. While, the most inhibiting items in the factor 2, were high cost of the books, economic problems, and having not enough spare time for free reading. In other words, these items were the most effective in declining reading in students. Some suggestions were also offered.
Keywords
)