A Survey of Online Reading Habits of Rural Secondary School Students in Malaysia

Abstract

This study intends to determine if online reading has an impact on Malaysian rural secondary school students’ reading habits. It employed a quantitative approach and the survey method was used. The sample consisted of 200 secondary school students. The respondents’ gender, preferred language, access to the internet, place of access, frequency, duration, interests as well as websites accessed were investigated. They were also interviewed to verify the findings. The findings revealed that online reading is a highly potent strategy in enhancing reading habits among these students. Concerning gender and hours spent on online reading males appeared to read more hours than females. The gathered data provided interesting insights into online reading habits. The results are discussed and recommendations are finally provided.