Reading habits determine the academic achievements of students to a great extent. Both reading and academic achievements are dependent on each other. Students often come from different environments and localities with different levels of academic achievement. Therefore, they differ in the pattern of reading habits.
Reading habit is an essential and important aspect for creating a literate society in this world. It shapes the personality of individuals and it helps them to develop proper thinking methods, and creates new ideas.
Reading is a crucial skill in learning and communication. In fact, current trends in education consider reading lessons to be an important early step in the development of mental and linguistic abilities. Reading methods include reading silently and reading orally to oneself.
To enhance the quality of education, it is necessary to improve the reading habits and study attitudes of the students. To improve study habits and academic achievement of students, there are factors needed to be identified which affect these characteristics adversely. These factors lead to the development of good reading habits and academic achievement of the pupils.
Reading is a means of language acquisition, of communication, and of sharing information and ideas. Like all language, it is a complex interaction between the text and the reader which is shaped by the reader’s prior knowledge, experiences, attitude, and language community which is culturally and socially situated. The reading process requires continuous practices, development, and refinement. Reading is an interactive process that goes on between the reader and the text, resulting in comprehension.The reader uses knowledge, skills, and strategies to determine what that meaning is.
Reading is the identification of the symbols and the association of appropriate meaning with them. It requires identification and comprehension. Comprehension skills help the learner to understand the meaning of words in isolation and in context.
Reading is an essential tool for knowledge transfer and the habit of reading is an academic activity that increases skills in reading strategies. To know about the world and its environment, a child helps himself through reading books, newspapers and other magazines. Once the child has been taught to read and has developed the love for books, he can explore for himself the wealth of human experiences and knowledge through reading.
Thus, reading is an intellectual action which is possible only if a man forms a habit of reading and practices these from childhood. Reading habits, therefore, play a very crucial role in enabling a person to achieve practical efficiency.
