International Journal on New Trends in Education and Their Implications
April, May, June 2012 Volume: 3 Issue: 2 Article: 04 ISSN 1309-6249

READING ATTITUDES OF HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS:
AN ANALYSIS FROM DIFFERENT VARIABLES
Gökhan BAŞ
Selçuk University
Educational Sciences Institute,
Curriculum and Instruction Department
Meram, Konya, TURKEY

ABSTRACT
The purpose of this research is to determine the reading attitudes of high school ninth and twelfth grade students based on some variables. The researcher used ‘general survey method’ in the study. Totally 426 students from six public high schools, chosen according to random sampling method participated in the research. In order to answer the research questions in the study, “the Attitude Scale Towards Reading” was used. In accordance with the purpose of the study, percentage, mean, standard deviation, independent samples t-test, ANOVA and Tukey-HSD tests were employed in the study. For the statistical analyses SPSS 17.0 was used. According to findings of the study, it was seen that high school students had moderate level of reading attitudes. It was also understood in the study that high school students’ reading attitudes differed significantly according to gender, grade level, school type, father’s and mother’s educational level and the financial income of the family variables.
Key Words: Reading, attitude, high school, gender, grade, education level, income.

INTRODUCTION
Reading plays a very important role in our lives. It is so much a part of everyday living that one can hardly imagine a life without it. In the age of the Internet and information technologies, reading retains its importance as an essential skill for learners of any language (Alderson, 1984). Reading is amongst the most crucial determinants in developing an individual’s vision that shapes his or her personality and that makes him or her become closer