Exploring reading habits and attitudes among undergraduate students at Malaysian public university / Nurhafizah Azizan and Yusnita Sokman

Reading in the 21st century is not limited to print based as new information and communication technology (ICT) media with the advancement of electronic gadgets offering numerous accessible online in electronic format. Therefore, reading habits have changed. This study explores reading habits and attitudes among undergraduate students at public universities in south Malaysia.130 respondents were chosen across different faculties majoring in Business Management, Information Management, Computer Science and Mathematics, Accountancy, and Engineering. The survey was designed in the form of a structured questionnaire and adapted from the Adult Survey of Reading Attitude (ASRA). Findings stated that students' reading habits on the spending of reading time is 1-2 hours per day and students are most likely to choose a book as their main reading, however, novels/comics and social media are included as the top three reading materials. It also shows students have a positive reading attitude with a mean score above 3.00, as they read to obtain the latest news and agree reading is the best to learn new things despite having reading anxiety. For the peer influence, 60 % agreed they exchange material with peers and the majority find the library as a place to complete assignments rather than use it as a place for leisurely reading.