Reading in leisure time: Students, future professionals of education, as readers

Abstract

The article finds its theoretical, methodological and empirical arguments in the explanation and interpretation of diverse circumstances that concur in the reading practises of young university students in their "leisure" time. Invoking the creative and recreational potential of reading in their personal, academic and professional development, the text emphasizes the importance of competences and capacities that could acquire as students as future education professionals. With the objective of knowing the reading habits of the university students and if reading is among their leisure time activities, a questionary was given to 733 pupils studying degrees in Infant Childhood Education (IED), Primary Education (PED), Social Education (SED) and Pedagogy (PDD) in the Universidad de Santiago de Compostela. The results prove that one third of them all consider themselves as 'frequent readers"', with a high percentage of students lacking reading habits (a 50.6% in IED and a 41.5% in PED). The students who are frequent readers perform more diverse and satisfying leisure activities, transcending the ludical and recreational areas to delve into a more cultural and environmental-ecological leisure. Hence the importance of a leisure education to promote and consolidate the readership duties in everyday's life.