Reading habits of most students fragmented - survey

Kelly Kong

Local secondary school students' reading habits are showing a "fragmentation" phenomenon, as 43 percent of students think they don't need to finish a whole book or article, while two-thirds of students read less than 30 minutes per day, a survey has found.

HKEdCity - a company wholly owned by the government that provides education information and resources to schools and students - surveyed 7,432 secondary school students and 156 teachers between May 1 and June 20.

The survey found that 28 percent of secondary school students read one to three times a day and spend 16 to 30 minutes reading each time, while 13 percent of students do not read daily and only spend less than 15 minutes whenever they do read.

Just 17 percent of students think it is important for them to read a whole book or article.

"Most teachers think reading fragmentation will lead to decreased reading coherence, a lack of patience and inadequate learning depth, which has a negative impact on students," said Ngai Yuen-keung, executive director of HKEdCity.

The survey also found that 30 percent of students will read for a short period of time, as they would only read during the school's reading class or when their parents force them to do so.

Ngai also said the survey found that most students like reading short articles or books with pictures.

Lee Ka-kui, chairman of the Hong Kong Publishing Federation, said the survey showed that students' reading has become fragmented due to mobile phones.

But Lee said schools and parents should not force students to make reading a daily habit.

"We should instead pay more attention to how to make students interested in reading," said Lee, adding that films, multimedia, and exhibitions can be good channels to encourage students to read.