Impact of Poor Reading Culture among Selected Secondary School Students in Owo Local Government Area of Ondo State, Nigeria

The study identified reading as the ability to obtain meaning from words. Reading culture refers to habitual and regular reading of books and information materials. Hence, the study investigated the effects and remedies of poor reading culture among secondary school students in Owo Local Government Area of Ondo State. This study was a descriptive survey design which involved the use of questionnaire to obtain information from teachers and students from four selected secondary schools in Owo Local Government Area of Ondo State, Nigeria. The population of the study was one hundred and twenty while the sample of twenty five students was randomly selected from the students and twenty teachers were also selected from four secondary schools in Owo Local Government Area of Ondo State, Nigeria. The data collected were analyzed quantitatively using simple percentage. Results of the findings of the study indicated that majority of the respondent were of the opinion that students from educated home read fluently than students from uneducated home, it also revealed that 80% of the respondent believed that parent’s inability to set high standard for students affects their reading performance, it also indicated that students do not read as much as they are expected to read, and also students do not have well-equipped libraries to aid effective reading performance. The study confirmed that reading habit has influence on academic performance and there is a relationship between reading culture and academic performance. In view of this, the study recommended among others that parents should be active and establish libraries at home where early reading culture can begin and also set high standard of reading for their children and also motivate them to read on daily basis, government should equip the libraries in the secondary schools and stock them with up-to-date books, particularly on reading, provision of more public libraries in all nooks and crannies of the country where reading can take place. Keywords: Poor Reading, Culture, Students, Secondary Schools