Exploratory study on the non-reading among portuguese higher education students

Abstract

This article, grounded in the concept of a reading culture as a transformative practice, addresses the issue of non-reading among higher education students in selected Portuguese institutions. It presents data from a questionnaire-based survey conducted in 2023, offering a detailed portrayal of non-readers, including the temporal patterns of their reading habits, the underlying motivations behind this behavior, and the ways in which these students respond to the reading demands of academic settings and engage with contemporary forms of reading, including digital media and social networks. The critical role played by libraries in this context is also underscored. Although the study did not include access to university library loan records due to ethical and legal constraints related to personal data, the findings are based on a thorough analysis of the administered questionnaires. The information obtained not only identifies the challenges faced by students but also provides a solid foundation for guiding initiatives and strategies aimed at fostering a more robust reading culture within the academic environment. The study emphasizes the urgent need for an innovative, holistic, and adaptive approach. Specifically, it advocates for the integration of reading practices more closely aligned with students’ lived realities, both within and beyond the formal curriculum, aiming to create a stimulating and reading-conducive university environment. Furthermore, the study concludes by presenting a set of proposals whose applicability must be considered contextually, as the data reflect the specific perceptions of a delimited sample of students derived from the data analysis. These proposals aim to contribute effectively to the implementation of a meaningful reading culture in higher education settings.