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THE READING HABITS OF THE SCHOOL OF 
ADMINISTRATION lINDERGRADl'ATE STUDENTS. 
lINIVERSITY OF GHANA. LEGON. 
BY 
VINCENT KWltUr.MEWQ 
A DISSERTATION PRESENTED TO THE DEPARTMENT OF 
LIBRARY AND ARCmV AL STUDIES, UNIVERSITY OF 
GHANA, LEGON, IN PARTIAL Ft:LFILLMENT OF THE 
REQl 'IRE\lENTS FOR THE AWARD OF MASTER OF ARTS 
(LIBRARY STJ:DlES) DEGREE. 
SEPTE\1BER. 1999 
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DECLARATION 
I, Vincent Kwami Afenyo. hereby declare mat this dissertation is my original 
work. with the exception of quotations and ideas borrowed from other authors . I fully 
accept responsibility for any mistakes in this study _ I undertook the study under the 
supervision of Professor A.A. Alemna whose true signature appears hereunder in 
conftrmation of my dcclaration. 
Q~~ . 
Pror. A.A. Alel1\t14. 
(Supervisor) 
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DEDICATION 
To 
The Almighty God 
For His 
Favour and Mercy 
University oAf CGKhNaOnWa hLtEtpD:G//EuMgsEpNaTc e.ug.edu.gh
First and foremost , my sincere thanks to God who provided all that was 
needed to accomplish lhis research 
I very much thank Professor A.A. Alemna. my supervisor. for his considerable 
help. advice and encouragemem, The Almighty God richly bless you Prof. I also 
express my sincere thanks to the entire staff of the Department of Library and 
Arcbival Studies for their numerous contributions during the course . 
I would also place on record my profound gratitude to Prof. I .A. Ayee: Dr . 
Bluwey; Dr. F. Gockel and Dr. K. Tutu for their encouragement in my intellectual 
development 
My thanks also go to Prof. S.A. Nkrumah. the Director of the School of 
Administration. who was "touched" to grant a study leave for the course . 
I am also grateful 10 Mr . Jasper Akumeh and his team for the computer work . 
Also on record of gratitude is Mr. M.T. Odjer-Bio who did the typing . My thanks 
also go 10 Mr . G . Cofie the Librarian of SOA and all the staff for their assistance. 
My grateful thanks are also due to my Better Half - Joana. for ber love and 
encouragement . 
Finally.l sincerely thank all other people whose direct and indirecteffon bas 
made the writing of this disserta[ion a reality 
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Page 
DcchcallOn iii 
Ackno .... 1odgemeOl 
TabkofContents 
Lilt of Tables vii 
LiJlofAPI><Ildices 
Abstral:l 
CHAPTER ONE: BACKGROlr.'<D l~mRMATI()N 
Introduction 
12 Statement of the Problem and HypothesIs 
I.l Scopc oftbe Study 
t .4 Specific Ai.msa.ndObjecti.ves 
I.S lusrifiCltion of the SfUdy 
1.6 Sigruficanceofthe Study 
1.7 Methodology 
CHAPTER TWO: LITF.RA TURJ:: Rl::VII::W 
2.1 DefinitionofReadlllg 
2.2 Importance of Reading 10 
2.3 1be Need fOf (ntcTest 
12 
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2.4 lnhibitions 10 Good Reading Habits 
16 
2.S The: Language Faclor 
18 
Refereoces 
CHAPTER THREE, THE SCHOOL OF ADMINISTRATION 
3.1 Brief History oflbe School of Administration 22 
3.2 Management of the School of Administralion 23 
3.3 Courses and Programmes of lIle School 25 
3.4 The School of Administration Library 27 
Refertoce 29 
CHAPTER FOt:R, DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS 
S:a..roplingTechniques 30 
4.2 The Queslionnaire 32 
4.3 Problems Encountered 33 
4.4 DescriplionofSample 35 
4.5 Data Analysis 37 
4.6 Data Presentation 45 
References S5 
CIlAYfER FIVE, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATION 
S. I ConclusiollS 56 
S.2 Recommendalions S7 
Appendix 
Bibliograpby 
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Page 
GeDderCharacteristicsofRespondeoo 35 
4.2 Aj.e Cbaraclerislics of Respoodents 36 
DismbutlOn of Respondents by Course ~vel 36 
Educational Backj;round of Father 37 
45 EducaaionalBackgroundofMother 38 
4.6 Library Facility al Home 38 
47 Public Library Facihty in Town of Residence 39 
48 Whether Students Read Outside their Subject Areas 39 
4.9 Books of inkrest Outside Subject Areas 40 
4.10 Wbether Students have Difficulty in Obtaining 
R.eadingMateri.ls 40 
Why Respondents Read 
4.12 Number of Te"abook bough! in the Academic Yc ar 42 
4. 13 Number of N~J.tbook boughl in the Academic Year 
4.14 Frcqueocy of Pteasure/Leisure Reading 43 
4.15 Improvement in the Reading Habits of Students 43 
4.16 QuaJiEy of Boob and other Reading MaterQls in 
The SOA Libruy 44 
4.17 Use of other libraries 45 
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LIST OF APPENDICES 
4.0 Ques<ioonaire. 
Frequency for Reading for Pk:asureby Gender. 
4 2 Disttibution of Frequency of Reading for Plea..ure by 
CoorseLeveI. 
4 .3 Frequency of Pleasure: Reading and Education 
Background ofFlthee. 
Frequency of Pleasure Reading and 'Library at !-Iume ' 
4.5 Gender analysis of Course book buying behaviour. 
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ABSTRACT 
The study examined the reading habits of the: undergradUite srudents of the: 
School of Administration, Legan. The sample consiSted of 217 students compnsing 
165 males and 52 fcnuJes randomly selected . QueslUmnalre method was adopted to 
elkll Information from the sampie . Simple percc=ntages . Chi square aDd Correlation 
were the stallSllcaJ methods applied . Three out of four hypotheses fonnl1lated wen: 
accepted. The research found no signifICant difference between the male and female 
students in pleasure reading. Posilive correlation has been c:stabllsbed between the 
srudems' plea~ure reading and kvel of courses . The study also discovered a positive 
correlatioa.berweenstudems' pleasure reading and educallonal backgroundoffathcn . 
The research also reveak:d a positive correlation between library provIsion at home 
and me students' pleasure reading habilS . It has been observed that me sCUdents do 
achle\cmc:rw. reading most . These: and other findings were discussed in lhe main text 
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CHAPTER ONE 
BACKGROl'!'ID INFORMAT IO:>! 
1.1 INTRODLCTIO~ 
lbc Sc.boo& of Administration holds: a faculty status within the University of 
Gr... Lep. nus in5ciuioa is (be major business school in Cbe caUDU)'. Gradu.ants 
of the instirullOft Irc enga,ed as rDII1qcrs, ac:counllntS and other mlnapmenl ra.d 
profcuioGals . 1bus courses offered arc In manillgc:ment and ilS allied r.ekis. The 
Scbool bu • library thaI acquires, orpnises and disseminates the rcading materials in 
...... diI<:iplines . 
SNdc:nu of Ihe School at Adnum~uallon ; as readmg in its h)(alu)" contributes 
immeniCly to the devetopmelll of human bemgs . Reading is a buic tool for learniDi 
and (or cnjoymena; and these are the two cumponents of good lire . As 1UCh, the 
Impnrt..:e of radirIJ, to the individual and to the conurwrul)' at Iar,e. bas never been 
questIOned. To this end major uMemauonal organisalK>nS such as United Nazions 
EduatIo.I, Scicnrifac and Cultural Organisation (t 'NESCO) have aeared many 
actlv"a in the area of proDlOting readme among commumhe!o For instance. Unesco 
programme of ~Boob for All" was I. plan of action launched dwing lnlcmational 
Book Yar 1972 specifICally directed toward the: promotion of rcadina habit world-
wide The prOJrammc cooccms tbe concepr: of readership and me oeed to CDCCJIUr'IIIr: 
!be "*iaI bibb Also the Uoesco World Cqreu 00 Boob, be)d ift London in JIIne 
1982. adopt.ed l set of six tIIJeU f()f ~ 1980'5 with the main lim or movilll 
"Taa-ards a readina Sociely· with IllUCb cmrhasis 00 the ~ to Crc:a1C l readaDl 
I rypcs and 1I aIIleveb of society. Bestda tbe provision 01 read •• 
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matenall>, much anenlion has been paid to improving methods and techniques for 
lnCbing tbe skill of reading All these activities arc aimed it developing and 
SUStauun~ the reading habll among. I.:ommumtlcs In general and educational 
tnSluutiOn.. . in particular. Developing CQUntrll:S , such as Ghana, hav!.! had their fair 
share In thIS crusade ror the promouon or guod reading. behaviour . This has been 
indicated In massive efforts bemg made by these countries 10 spread literacy in lheir 
cooununitlC::!i . Tile impact of these efforts have bC'en recorded .t various levels due 10 
me problems of reading materials anc.l la~k of motIvation . I 
Therefore the author examined imporlant ingredient of intellectual 
developmeru, reading habirs, among the students of the School of Administration: that 
is. of Glwla. Smith and Roblnsonz view reading as an aCllve attempt on the part of 
the reader to WKierstand a writer's message. Ogunrombi and ActioJ state lhal habit can 
be descnbed as a learned sumu!us- response sequence. Readmg habit can therefore be: 
considered as a learned slImulus·response sequence on the pan of the reader to 
understand a writer's message. Ogunrombi and Adio go further to explain that 
reading lS an indispensable tool for achievang !.!TTlotlOnal stability, enjoying leisure 
boun. shanng the difficult eltpt:flt:nces whICh are encountered in books ao:I for 
keeping abreast of bappenings U1 the world al large 
Oowubiko' on the other band summarised the purposes of reading into four 
main types namely, reading for p~$Ure. leisure and relaxation; ruding for 
lDformauon; readmg for knowledge: and reading for any combination of the above. 
He ell:p1amed thai reading for information and reading for knowledge are Cbe two 
purposes most demandl", ID terms of me lOI.a.lity of aCI1VilleS involved in the radinc 
University of Ghaanmaoo ha ttp://ugspKo&el et aJs discovered other thm~sa ce.ugthat lb.cered u.ghwas a POSIlJYe 
relationship between reading habits and the level of ooc', social IDd ecooomic: 
developnlt'OI CUrreR( soclo-cconomic Indic.tors have shown that many African 
countncs. mc1udina Ghana, have undergone dramatK: changes . 
The present INdy therefore critically exarruned the situation wuh regard co the 
beholvlour of Ghanaan StudclllS toward books and reading habits. It looked at the 
generaJ problems asSOCLa[£d with reading behaviour of yOWlJ Africans of which 
Ghana forms. part 
1.2 STATEMENT OF Tilli PROHLt:M AND HVI'OTIIESIS 
There has been a general observation that b a result of irueraclion of cultural. 
50Ciai and phystcal environmental ISSOC:~ which Influence the African. he generally bas 
&ow Interest tn readma aod evcn when he reAds II IS achK:vemeIU oriented (Unoh'. 
1989) 
Factors responsible for thlli ~lIuahon IIldude African culture5 and specifaUy 
elemt:rus of it JUCb as tbe authorilanan nature oflhe society. traditionllismand lbewc 
of oral medium for communication and emerlainmeru. Aho included are the ruJtural/ 
pbyslCal condition of the envltOnmeN, the narure of readm~ materials available and 
muhl-!inpallsm 
On the basis of the Iik'rarure rev;cw and the objecuves of the study the 
followUlg hypothe$es "'ere Curmulated 
UnTibvceTer siitsy  DoOf  Gsighraufntcaan th tdtpiff:e/r/eungces pbaectwee.eun g.meadleu .agnhd female 
(i) 
undergradulte S(JJdetlts of the School of Administration in readm. for 
p&f:asW'e 
(ii) 'There iSllo positive correlation between the frequency o(reading for 
pleasure and the level of COUTf>C with the Schoal of AdmlOistn.uon 
(SOA)undergraduatesrudent!l 
(Iii) There is. positive correlallon between the frequency of reading for 
pleasure and educational background of fathers 
(iv) There is a positive correlation between the frequency of reading for 
pasure and library In lhe home 
1.3 SCUPE OF THE STUDY 
The investigatiop was confmed to some a~p«t of Ihe reading habits of me 
SOJdew of the School of AdmiJllstrahon and their percepuon of the slate of the School 
ofAdmlftlSlr:lIIonhbrary 
1.4 ~PEUI'IC AIMS A...'iD 08JEt'TIVES 
llul survey IOUgIu. Information on the readmg habits and imerests of the 
stUdents. Also wbetber they read ouuide their subject aras The study idenlifted the 
type5 ot maaerial SNdew read outside their subject areas. The in\c:;ugalion found 001 
lIIo'hcthcr students ftnd 11 d,ffu.:ul( in obtaining lhelr readmg materials. The smdy also 
elWTlmoo me reasons wby they reael. such as pkuurC'. leisure. relaulioa; ror 
InformalioD and for kDow&edgic or studies. Alio iDcluded is 10 fiDd OUI how oftea 
IDIdaD .., boIb teJ.1books and ~utxllJl.' Another aun or the study was to 
discover ~ ot'1en Scbool or Adnurustrahun studenb read for plUSUfC' The srudy 
also aimedU Itn iversity ofre<XIVLIl& sugge sGtiohnas nfraom h tthtep s:!O//Oucg:ntss pasa 1c0 eho.uwg r.eeaddinug. ghahbits may be 
unproved 
The study also SCI our to elicit me views of the srudents 00 the state of s.ervices 
in the School of AdJmRlstrallon library . Respondeol.i were abo asked to give 
suggestions 00 how to improve me servIces ID me library . Anotber area of SlUdy wu 
tbeuseofowr libraries by tbestudenLS . 
Informauon gathered from thIS research presented the curren! state of readl~ 
beba\ lour amon8 University studems in Ghana 111 ~t:oc:ral hence the need to justify the 
1.5 JUSTIFICATION FOR THE STUDY 
1.1I~r.JlUr~ available indicate: WI sNdies in lhis area on Ghana are few. For 
ex.ample. Bedllko'~ srudled reading habus of the University of Cape Coast students 
His variables included authoritarian. traditional. reitgious and parental factors . Kotei 
et aI~ partially refUced the authoritarian theory as an inhibitor of reading babit 
formation In their srudy on Ghanaians. Adabla' ·) studied readlOg habits of elementary 
Scbool tc:achers 10 selected sub-dlstrlclS of Accra Metropolitan area. The preSCDl 
SCUdy is a specific work on readrng habits of business students of the Univer!<>IlY uf 
Ghana 
1.6 SIGNIFICASCE OF THt: "TDY 
Generally. the outcome of the 5tUdy will conuibute 10 the explanauon of 
readIng hablli of young Africans by IndlCalmg whether or not the trend. is 10 the 
bypoiheslseddlreclion. 
EdUucnatiiovnealr saiuttyh oorifti eGs hcaann uas eh tilt pa:s/ /au gvasrpiaablce ew.ubego. eindvues.tgighating fallen 
standards of education. The: resulls will also serve as a guKk to school autborities OR 
thcimportaaceoflibrary provision. Counsellors ineducalionalll15ututlOns will find it 
useful ill tbeir work. h will also aid lhose engaged in the: production and dislributlon 
of readiog IDlterWs. The study will provKle mformatlon on how the srudenll view me 
library and its servu:e5 . Suggestions offered by srudenls will help the lulhorities to 
correcc any deficiencies identified iDtbe library servtces 
1.7 METHODOLOGY 
The data for the: research was located from the School of Adminislration 
undergraduate srudedS. Questionnaire method of data collection was adopted . The 
questions were framed 10 clear and concise language 50 thai they would not create an)· 
ambiguity. The questions covered social characteristics; reading habits: the state of 
die Scbool of Adminh.tratlOO Library and the use of other librartes 
Tbr study iJ strucrured into five chaptt!r~ Chapter one contains t.:kgroond 
mfonnatlOn of the study. Chapter two reviews literature on the subject of read 109 
behaviour. Chapter three involves a brief hisfOry of the School of Administration ud 
the rn.anqcmenr of the school. DaU: collection aocl analysis form chapleT four. 
Cbaplerfivecow.iDlconclusionsandre\:\Immendations 
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REFERENCES 
Smllh. N and Rohmson. H 
Reading instruction for loday's children. Quoted in "Factors 
.treclm, the reading habits of secondary s~hool ltUdenu". by 
S.A. Ogunrombi and G Adlo .~w. Vol. 44 
Opnrombi, S.A. and Adio, G 
"Factors affecting the reading habit!> of secondary scbool 
studen[."~Vo144(4).l99S.p.SO·S7. 
Onwublko, M.e 
a..Q'Tllr.1t.11jve sudv of reading jnlests of limry Muc.alors 
end prJClisjop lihrariaN at 'be IJojVCirsjty pf Ihaslan 
Dissenation. Jbadan : UnivcrsilY of Ibadan. 1985. p.6. 
Kotei,SI,A 
~ Some culNral and social factors of book reading and 
publishing in Africa-. In Publishing in Africa' II dialogue for 
~,edited by Oluwuasarunict al. IIle-Ife: University 
of 1I1<:·lf• • 1978, p.lSO. 
UooII,S.O, 
-MOYlng towards the Great Intellectual \lIlestones: a 
psycholmguistic view of learning to read and reading to learn,-
Fin' Annual Conference of the reAding aS$ociltjon of Nigeria 
Zaria: Alunadu Bello Unl\'crsity. 1984. p.l--6. 
Benge, R.C 
CuIIY,.1 cruis and librarlC\ in the tJtJ~d. London: Clive 
Bingl<:y, 1970, p. 103·106 
<>mo1_,M. 
".Adult readers in .NigenUl. Ii~ia. 19~2-1960: • study of 
library UK tD colool.1 Niger. ... Nlgen,p Ilmdp. Vol. 18 (2). 
1974,p.33·35. 
Wreo,O 
Openinc oddres, by Dr. O. izireD, Chainnan, Bendel S .... 
~ of Education. QUOled 1ft -Facc.ors affettma lbe reading 
babnsof Secondary School srudem,· by S.A, Ogunrombi and 
G . AdIO.~' Vol. 44(4).1995. p .S2 
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10 Alemna.A.A. 
"Factors .ffeenng the reading babits of African children" . 
~. voI.3O(2), 1982, p.1l 
Fayose. P.D 
"FCK:lOrs militating against the developmenl of the reading 
habits of some Nigeria children ." Nigerian I ibrarjes and 
JnfQlTJI.3tionScisnceRevtsw Vol. 7(1) , 1989. p. 31-45 
12 Bediako.O 
Reading babilS of students : a survey of students at University of 
Cape Coast. Quoted In ReAding babjls of Ghanaians. by S.I .A. 
Kotei and P.A. Twumasi . Legon: University of Ghana. 1979. 
p.2. 
13. Adablab. E.N.A. 
The [l!Hdin. hahjls of leach en: a case srudy in the Ablekuma 
and Dkailcoi Educational Sub-district Dissertation. Legon' 
University of Ghana. 1992. p . 14 
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CHAPTER TWO 
LITERATURE REVIEW 
DEFlSlTlOS OF READING 
Reading bas been defined in vanous way~ to SUit many purposes . ]be 
Oxford English Dicllonaryl deHnes reading as peruSIR~ of wnlten or pnmed 
materials. Therefore reading consislS of human activIty characterised by lranslation of 
$ten or fell symbols into specth or action. ConsttJucntly the reader perceives graphic 
symbols. transnutlmg the image 10 lhe bClin from the respective sense; that IS sense of 
SIght or looch. The sighted USe$ the eye and the blind uses touch - Braille system. In 
any case the reader must be able to u)e the record of the weiler's thought processes as 
ma1c:riaJforhisthougtu 
Smith and RobinsonJ vIew r(' ... dLn~ as In active attempt on the part of the 
re~cr 10 understand I wfIler's message. Emerging here are twO essential issues in 
learrung how (0 read . The first Issue involves leammg to correlate speech sounds of 
the language to the written symlxtls used to present the speech sounds. Tbe second 
ISSue ea&ai1& more sophislicaLCd abiliues of analysing, reasoning, thinking, imagirung. 
andjud,iDgas one reads 
AJJ lbese activities require iii suffKu::nll} good knowledge of syntax or 
l.a.nguage structure as well as of semantics or word-meaning correlation. The: degree: 
and level of reasoning. imqining and judging required In the n:iKling procCiS depeods 
largely oatbe p;;anK:ular purpose of reading . 
i 
Ogunrombi and AdlO VleW habit as .Ieamed stimulus-response sequeocc. It 
lS after fmnioa the reading habit tbal studenu can be expected to develop i.rUrest and 
""'I.....,.. . Scaiger.' lias poiNed out that tt.b,lS grow over. period~ da~mo!1lbs 
(U9 
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aDd years. Thus aulOm'UC rapoaiC of a habu !;aft come only with 10lIl practICe. 
Habil IS Ulcu1caledand aurtu.red . 
2.2 L\fPORTANct: OF READING 
AccordiJlB lO Staiger aDd Casely5. reidin, is the basic tool for leamina ud for 
enjoyment. Il IS Ibe means by which lkerale perwm caD gain acccss 10 the vasa a.t 
varied supply of koowJalgc and ellpenCntes tbat has been preserved in wrinen (orm. 
Readinc can bc used to fulf,1 man) purposes 
Opnrombi apd Adia' state that readina IS an indispensable tool (or achieving 
emollOnallllbiliry . CDJOying klliure hours. ,barina: the difficult experiencei which are 
encOUnlC'fed In books and for kccptng abreasl of happenings ill lbc world II larac. 
There(ore teachers . parClllS. librarians and a.II c:oacemed With shaplDg the emoci<JIm. 
cuJtwal IDd educaliunal a:rowth and development of chil4ren and yauna &dullS IllIW 
tncuUIC and nunure ID them • good readi", habit which. in 1Un'I. will arouse lbeir 
In Gny's6 view. an awareness has developed among aU nations of the world. 
oflbc impor1a.IK.e of literacy ua factor mpromotiaa tndividual welfare: audsocial 
prOitellaud &I a meaN of lmprovln, intemarionll uodef!wxlina. Ability to read tbea 
II the: key to know'-:dJe. It is the means to SUQ;e5S in all academic endeaYours and 
pcnoaaISllisfactiOD 
Fayase' riihUy swed lhaI iDcefttivCI far readiaa in NiJcna are purely 
-merccoary'" 1WDe1y to pia aa euaUIUon &ad tbereby possess a un.fute whK:h 
CaD fetch. s:ood job lzirm.' , similarly indll:atcd lbat in Nieeria most people '0 to 
libnrieltol&UdyforeUJlUDilllOn 
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Mann'. SummariseS II In his statemelll [hal reading is a skill which opens many 
doors . II remams a fact that a studcDl who finds readmg difficult is seriously impaired 
in almost all spheres ofbJs academic work 
In furtherance of the above assertion. Bond and Wagner" have listed lhe 
following benefits of reading' 
a) that reading broadell!!l the vision of readers , makmg their lives f1cher 
and more meaningful. 
b) it enables readers to meet the needs of practical life more effectively. 
c) it develops SOCial understanding 
d) II develops thc:irability lOuse reading in the mtelhgem scarch for truth. 
e) itpromolesbroadconunonculrure. 
it promote5 a growing appr«lalion for the finer elemenu in life . 
Oowuona" on his pan stales mal the: advancement of mankmd has been made 
poISibLe in the way it is today because of the means of conununicalion provided by 
books . Olber forms of mass media. In his view. made thc:ir respective contribulions; 
001 It IS douhtful whether in terms of direct individual development and lasting 
experience they can replace the IRllnlaCY of expression and reflections which the 
readi.ng of books provides . 
Conu:nenting on the rapid increases of human knowledge and expanding 
curncula. Pappas ll . states Iha1 000ts have become pivot for much of the lI;tlVlty 
conducted inscboob UoohlJ• also stales that reading plays the fIlQ$l crucial role in 
formal l~ SltwlUOns WhKh demand effective use of hook.s and other wriacn or 
prin1cd mIIaiab for intelkctuaJ development Tt.ls the period durin& whkh an 
UJd.",dual k:ams 10 read can be regarded u a preparatory stage In his quest for 
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inteUecwal development and die IDIIIa')' of the difflCUll process of learninI 10 read 
rcpraca&s a sigDiflCaDl hallmark iO his [011.1 development. Hence the need for readilll 
2.3 THE NEED FOR INTEIlliST 
The meIhods and techl~ for telCbilll! the skills of reading is viw an its 
nurture Kina''', aptly states lbaI interest in reading develops wilh Ihe skills and 
abilities of leamiua: to read. and li gcuerally proponionate to the meanina one derives 
from readan~ Uoob13 commeots that reading for phrase or thought and thereby 
~tbepropcr"'aestallS"wiIlinvarilblyleadto8rellCrreldingefficiencytban 
woed-by-woed irrespective of the ru.ture of the rC<ldmg material. Tbe word--by-word 
readmg metbod is the ICCbnique applied in the primary schools and some adu.Jb; never 
grow OUI of it. So many M:lults readers are slow becluse they are word-by-word 
readers. 11 implies dw u they re~ they see word Ifter word and sometimes even 
visua.hse mc spelling of each word they read. However. word-by-word reading is 
suiaable in siruations where proof reading to check. for IypOgrlphical errors IJ1d in 
certaiDscicmiflcreadiDewbitbneediDcensivereading 
fry". recommended Ihree readinJ speeds namely. study speed; Ivenae speed 
and skimmiDg 10 be applied as occasion demands. The ability to apply tlae speeds 
appruPNtely will make readlD& imereItinJ and susIain this habit. 
Broam. 1et &1 • came OUI willi four types of reading speed wh.cb are: study-
type. which is very slow and aims al high comprehension; careful readina. wbitb is I 
biII_cbc slow side but little faster than the audy type; the rapMl type which is fasa but 
lit. ,lwnnung and IS u.:d for ,.,..1 .....i ng or ..... mg for pleasure; UId fiaall) 
.lbcb is the fastest radq fale used when COmprcbtnslon is the InIin aim 
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of rcadmg. All these speeds arc e~scnlial to make readinJ flexible and hence form a 
SUSUlncd uuernt in the Individual. 
Brodbeck et: aJl1 discovered mat a child's experiential background in die 
properleCtuUqueS of acquiring language or his experlcnce oftbe esseOOiI stimulus of 
his IIngulsllc potenti.als. wough play and exercises in thinkmg and conccpc 
developmeol will affect DOl only his command of lilfIIUIIe. but al50 bis ability to 
develop aDd utilise concepts developed from that language. The &evel of acqul!ition 
of linguistic habits and tectuUques by an mdivldual will depend on how well one 
employed me necessary facilities for the: expeneDiial background and development. 
Experience in usage and concept development of any wrttten language which aD 
indivlCluaJ wt11 use in future should be emphasised from the childbood so that be can 
eveDIlLI11,. bave the command of lhe language and ability to develop and utilise 
concepts frum that language 
Another issue raised by me above author is that bilingualism and 
multllmguahsm. which is the ability to speak or conununicate in two or more different 
language!.. may also give rise (0 poor reilding habits. This mily be a!'!locialed with 
poor comprehension of fact in the particular language . The linguistic habits and 
l£Chn.ques of one language a lways mterfere wllh the other and this will result in poor 
comprebenslon of what is read. 
In addillOO. poor WldenlaDdi"l of IIle structural CSIeIIliah of IIle SC<OIld 
language may also affect reading habits. It is imponam that the mdividual should 
blve tborou,h undeatandlRji! of the essentials of lbh particular lancuaae. lese his 
rcadmg and commURlCat lon may be: very poor 
On internt. 18mtding Snuth • comments that It may be regarded as the initial 
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not only tbt .re. within whICh. person will make his choices in reading. bUI more 
CTUCl.llly il dctemunes bow mucb be will read or even whether he becomes a reader al 
all. Kopell •. pointed out: thai what makes an activity interesting 15 not that it i.s 'euy' 
but rather that il is challengm,: . with obstacles. thai CJ.tl be subdued netenarily 
throup cffon In fact lack of knowk:dge: and sktll are the .source of frustraLion in 
Again on the need for uuerest. GetzelslO indicates that reading happeru to be 
self ~cl'I(faliOJ As such. children who like (0 read do read . Comequent1y. they own 
books and enjoy talking about books. whereas, ch.ildren who are capable readers bul 
do not rcad. do nol own books 
In • similar vein. Dobryn2L • claims that the inte~sl of a reader encouraaes him 
to read and influences his choke of books . He wtnt further to explain thai the iJerest 
begu'll at a narrow subject area and his .bility to comprehend is an essc:nllal mcenllve 
for broadenin& the subJecl $COpe 'The author of thiS study has Visited some of the 
vanous literature thai have dealt with the Deed for mlerest in reacH", activity, it IS now 
the lUnltolook.lsomewrile1'S' views on the obstacles lO readina habits 
2.4 I~""BITJONS TO GOOD Rt:ADlNG HAUITS 
Many writers have Identified ~ne~ of mlubilors 10 100d reading behaviour 
lhallhcpresenl m"t'!>tlplOrvisited. Their findings helped loa largeextenl in shaping 
lilt "'tucture oftlk L:urrem study 
la. study on factors affa.:lmg the: JOOd reading habits of Nigeria Secondary 
School srudenu. ()gunrombi aad Adicl state illueracy of parents u one major ISsue 
Tbry explain tbIl iD aacb I siDMltioo where pamws \:annot read or appreciate the value 
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of reading, ctuldrtn who are trying to fonn meamngful reading habits cannot obu.in 
help or uodenunding . Conscqueotly wch children are confromed with diftkullies 
!Ike assisllng with housebokl duties, hawking parents' merchandise, working as sales 
clerks In parents' shops or rushing to (he farms a( the close of school work everyday 
TIley wenl further (0 .slate that !:he attirude of parents and other adults (0 children who 
~ making efforts to read is very important In helping them to form the reading habit. 
In some homes children woo make the efforts to read are often scolded and branded 
lazy. Their findings further reveal that the acquisition of good reading habits depends 
largely on the availability of the right type of bo(\k~ It has been observed thlt the 
creative reading materials produced by tnCilgernM, publishing houses in Nigena are 
prohibitive and out of the reach of an average Ni(!t:nan family 
ADrwI.!: also Slates that many children tn Nigeria do not come from book 
readmg homes In rus study FayoselJ reported that over two-thirds of his sample 
lacked reading skills . The prescm study examined some of these facmrs in relation to 
GhanaWiSlUdenu. 
Bengel-4SUggeSlS that reading is foreign to and unapprecialed by the traditional 
Afncl.ll 'Who regards il as an anti-stx:ial ItCtlVlty . Alemnalj. sees the problem as the 
difficulty for an individual socialised imo the oral medium of communication to 
transfer to rtadtng medium 
COIICCTtlin& rampant child labour in Nigerta, Ogunrombi and Adio" also 
meuioaed mal most students live in crowded, noisy and poorly lit homes. Theae 
activmes work against the cultivllton of good reading beha..-iouc. In the same vein 
14 
8enge found m his study that crowded homes and lack of electricity are some of the 
factors lbIt militale apimt nurturin~ rcadina babiu. Climatic condilions such IS heat 
aDd lauaidity were dlsco..-ered by Uooh 1fl as unpieasam stale in formioa a good 
I"Udini haUbitn. ivTheer scUiJtTyef lol: fs tUGdyh afonuand  hotuttp h:o/w/u tghessep afaccteor.su Ignf.leuednuce. grehadina habits 
among the Uruvenlty of GhanI business srudentS. 
• A swdy on Ghana, KOlel: fo • shows truu people who in more recent yurs have 
ealered io&o ~booklsh" profeSSIOns, read occasionally because they have 10; but hardly 
any one of them have a compulsIve intellecrual curiOSity or that cravmg Cor the printed 
word DOr was nurtUred on hooks when they werc much younger . In his VICW the 
prlntcd word can have a ~lgrufiCanl unpaci on human behaVIOUr. He Stated that me 
Gilanaiansoclalsiruciuredoes IlOI give enough inccntives to aspiring readers . 
z.s THE LAl'iGI:AGE FACTOR 
medium through whK:h one cxprC!Sses his (houShls Many writers have rnIde the 
lSaenioo thai: the major obstacle to acqulTlfii read In(/: habits In Africa has been the 
difficulty of tnnderrin, one's WJderstanding and thinking into a foreign language 
Reading makes morc sense when the lingUistic. psychologicat and cultural 
expenences of the writer and reader overlap. However, modern trends suggest thai II 
ispossibk: to adopt tesu:d and trted methocts to teach thc mechanics of reading cven in 
'leCoMorforela:nlafll!:~ae,n. 
KMkt and Lewsey29 suggcsi thai a carefully planned. s)'stematlc readmg 
programme bas more positIVe and lasting e((eels on later reading achievcmcQ( tbao 
does an lnCldental readmg progranune . Chamhcr5JO provtdcs • COncise: VieW that 
'readers are DO( born' ; whteh imphes that readcr~ ca." be made or deveioped . 
Accardina to Staiaer' -habits grow over a penod of days, months, aDd yean .. 
Tbc a.utomahc response of a habit can come only With IODI practice. Effective 
...., fIg" !bere!ore UlCUIcaIed and JUnured ia!be ind"od~:~o)~~ on !be o!ber 
'6 \f. \~. ." ... 
hand statesU dnWiv aeariwsditeys  otofw aGrdh raeandain gh atntpd :t/h/eu: gwsayp oafc leife. uthga.te rdeaud.inggh creale5 are 
learned by cbildren from both tbe conscious and subconscious actions of adults who 
surround them from meir earliest years . (nother words, the social envirorunent has 
great anfluence on children 's development ; including ~in& habits . 
Touchulg on the Ghanaian scene AddoJ) discovered thai a good many 
educated Gbanaians are DOt interested in reading widely and this unfavourable 
behavIOUr is 10 be blamed on tbe educatIOnal system which has IiUle or no reprd for 
de\'e1oping and sUstalrung the reading habit Similarly. Do\Wol\ll1 states tbIt the 
-IedIOUS and slow way in which many people serving other people at pubhc centres 
read and understand, or is it misunderstand , account for the slow pace of work and 
output in this cOWlU)' . -
00 these premises the present. study set out to probe the reading habits of 
business students of the University of Ghana. who are being developed 10 rise 10 lop 
fRlRlgeria1 positions 
University of GhRaEnFaE hRtEtpN:C//EugSs pace.ug.edu.gh
Tht; Cb;ford Pns1ish Dictionary Oxford . Claredon Press. P. 196-197 
Smilh. N. and RObimo~:ing insuuction for today 's children. Quoted in 
- FaclOrs affecting the rading habits of Secoodary 
School Studems". by S.A. Ogunrombi and G Adio 
~. Vol . 44(4).1995. p.50 
Ogunrombi. S.A. and Adia. G . 
.. Factors affecting the reading habits of Secondary 
SchooiSrudents" .~. Vol. 44(4), 1995 . 
Staiger, R.C. 
~ Roads to reading" In PJanmnr and orram?i" !$Mjnl! 
camnaigos" i guide [or de\'elomog countries. Paris ' 
Unesco. 1983. p. lO 
Stalgcr.R.C . andCa.sey . C . 
Plaoojos and nrganjli08 read;"' Cfmmigos' .a guide for 
devc:lopjns couQ[rles . Paris : Unesco, 1983 
6 . Gray. S.M. 
-Ttle leaching of reading : an iruernationaJ review" 
QUO(ed in The reading habits of reachers, by E.N .A . 
Adablah, Dissertation. Legan. University of Ghana. 
1992.pI6 
Fayose. P.O. 
- Factors mililaling against me development of lhe 
r~1I1g bahiu of some Nigerian chHdren". ---1iim!Jn 
! ibory and Information SCtellC!1 Review . Vol. 7 (1). 
1989. p.31-45 
lziren. O . Opernn!! aLlLlre~~ by Dr , O. Iziren, 0., Chainnan, 
Bendel Stale Board of Education. Quoted in "Factors 
affecting the readmg habits of Secondary School 
SIUdeDIJ" . by S.A. Ogunrombi aad G. Adio. --1.iIIIIry 
~. Vol.44(4).1995.p.S2 
Mann. P ,H, and Burgoyne. J.L 
Boob and reading QUOIed in The £eldin' tyhjg of 
~ E.N .A. Adablah. DISSeNtion. l..eeon: 
UruversityofGhanI . l992,p. 
University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh
10. _. G.R. and Wagner. E B 
"Teaching the chlkJ (0 read~ Quoted i~g 
~. by EN,A AdabJah.DissetUlion. 
Legan: Univenity of Ghana . 1992. p. l7 . 
Dowuona. M 
"The role of libraries m education" . Quoted iI\sJ)Ie 
reading hlbj(:; of ICICheO, by E.N.A. Adablah 
Dissenalion. LeJon: University afGhana. 1992. p.15. 
12. Pappu.G. - Re.w.ing in the prtmary School~ _ Quoted In....J]Ie 
reading h.bili of leachers. by E.N .A. Adablah. 
Dissertation, Legan: Uruvenity afGhana . 1992. p. IS. 
13. Uooh.S.O. 
-R.eadingproblemstnSecondaryScbools:some 
ob~rvalioruandresearchfindings . ~f 
Language Am and Cnnynunk:atjoM. vOl . 1(1), 1990. 
p.30-41 
Kil18.E.M 
·Critical appr;usaJ of researth on children's reading 
imerests. preferences and hab,ts" Quoted in--TIle 
reading habits of teachers. by E.N .A. Adablah. 
Dissertation. Legon: University of Ghana. 1992, p.ll 
Fry . E 
"TIle study of reading : an introductory survey·. Quoted 
in The reading hahits or tbe lln!\'er"lty of Maadugun 
m&dmti. by S.E. 19un Dlssenation. Maiduguri 
University of Maiduguri. 1984.p.22. 
8namelal 
"Reading problems in Secondary Schools" Quoted in, 
The rqdjnr heMs of lbe University of MaidY'''ri 
~ by S.E . I~n . Disscrtalion. Maiduguri 
UmversllY of Maldugun. 1984. p.22. 
17 Bond. G .R. and Wagner. E.8 
"T~hingthechildtoread"_ Quotedln~ 
. by EN.A. Adablah Diucrwion 
lqono Uni ..... ity of Ghana . 1992. P 17. • 
University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh
18 Smith.D.V 
~Current issues relating to developmet'lt of readmg 
ioo:reslS and taStes recem ltends in reading" Quoted 
in. The; reading habits of reachers. by E N.A. Adablah 
Dissertation. Legon: University of Ghana. 1992. p.1l 
19. Kopel . D. 
"The narure of interests" . Quoted in The re.djpg habitS 
~. by E N.A. Adablah. Dissenation. Legon: 
UruversityofGhana.1992.p . 11 
20 GelUls. J W 
"The nature of reading interests : aspects" . In 
Developing "woe"' jmeJljsl in rs:adjog , edited by 
Hellen M. Robinson . Chicago: University of Chicago 
Press, 1966. p.7 
Dobry. N.E. and Slel'Nah, V.D. 
"Research on reading and readers' iruereslS in the 
USSR- Quoted In, The l'Siading babi'S of Ielcbers. by 
E.N .A. Adablah . Dissertation, Legan: University of 
Ghona.1992.p.12. 
22 Antwi. I.K 
-The reading halms and interests of Secondary School 
SrudcntsinBauchiMetropolis : acasesrudy".~n 
~. voI.21(2) . 1985.p.50·60 
23. Fay=.PO 
"Factors mililating against the development of the 
readin&habilSorNlgerianChi ldren- .~
and Information Science Review. Vol. 7(1), 1989, p.3l· 
45 
24. Benge. R.C. 
~Cultu.ra1crisi.sand librafJes in the third world" . Quoted 
In, The Mine habus Qf reAchers. by E.N.A. Adablah. 
DisseNtion. Legon: LJrtiversilY or Ghana, 1992, p. l3 . 
25 Akmna. A.A. 
University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh
26. Kooei. S.I.A 
Some cuJruraJ and socw flClon of boot readinl and 
publi5biDe an Afnca: Quoccd in. The: ua4jnr hahN of 
~. E N.A. Adablah . Dissertation. Legoo: 
Uoiversity orGIwuo . 1992. p . 12. 
27 Adablah, E.N.A. 
Tb!; MiN MbjtS of teachers : a case study in thr 
AhlekuOll a nd Okajkoj Edyc"imM' SUb=4iwict. 
Disserution. l...egon: University afGhana , 1992. p.14. 
28 . Klljd. V and Lewsey . R 
R~ for reading - teacber resource book . Quoted 10 . 
The reeding hahjl\ of lei'h!;rs. E.N.A. Adatllah 
Dissertation. Legan: University of Ghana. 1992, p . 14 
2'J Chambers . A 
Ir.mdw;.ing boob to children London: Heimarm. 
1973. p.65. 
JO Adablah . E.N.A 
IlK; rr;wIjoB bah;" of "ICbm • me gudy ig the 
AbkkwN Objlsm F4uqrjOlyl rub-diWiG' 
Dissertation, Lqop- University of Ghana , 1992. p. ll . 
31 Addo. S 
-Re.admg for enJoyme", - . Glyna '[.:ache" Journal 
No. 2. April . 1964. p. IO· IS. 
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THE SCHOOL OF ADMINlSTRAT lON 
3.1 A BRIE.' HISTORY OF TIlE SCHOOL OF ADMINISTRATION 
The departUre of the British ColoniaJ Admiruslralion created many gaps to be 
nned. especWly, in the awmmslrauvc SCClllf in the rapidly growing newly 
indepeodeDl Ghana _ The need thus arose (Q establisb an mstitution to develop 
manpower for O\iInagcrial posilions in am c:ou.nuy. tn January 1960. the Department 
of Commerce of the Kumasi CoUege of Technology was uansferred to the Western 
CompouDd. Achimota, to form the College of Adnllnlslralion I 
1'he eSliblishmert SUNlory in.str'UDlmt -E I. 127 dated 4111 day of June 1960 -
stites : "There is hereby established a body to be known as the College of 
Administration" It states turther that there shall be appointed by the Governor-
GeneraJ. Chairman and a Principal of me College,l 
1be main ide. behind the transfer wa~ Ihat the new College would servt as a 
comprehensive Institution which would provide the vanous (rammg programme!ii 
required to meet the need for administrative and accouruing personnel i.n Ghana . It 
was also inlcoded to give the College scope: for e)l,pansion wilhin the relatively mon:: 
marured buaiDess environmeru of Accra and afford both (Ilculty and studenu 
opponunities for close COJllact with the BusinessCornmunity3 
10 order (0 give this discipline its proper place in the country's higher 
eduullOnal system, and to 3nr3~1 the besl candidain. it was decided thai courses run 
by the College shookt be upgraded 10 Unjversuy level. It was resolved. thererore, dw 
tile CoUqe of Administration should be associated in some form with the UnivcrsllY 
of Ghana, aDd its courses developed to the llni\'crsity's Degree standard. Hence in 
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1962. the Colkre of Admuustrall<m was fully LOtellrlled Into the University of Ghana . 
The CoUege W15 given a staWS comparable to lhal of a faculty in the University and 
was redesignated School of Administrallon , That broughl the School under the 
JUrISdiction of the University Council and liS Academic Board. Its SrudeDlS were 
gradually moved trom Achlmota to the t'llIversity's students ball of re\ldence al 
Legan 
There was a signiflCanl development in 1967 when. the BuslIlcss House . the 
DeW buikling of the School. cenudll), Sited at Legon was Opened,l 
Though now fully integrated into the University, it continues 10 receive 
eannarked grants from the Govt:rnmem and maintains a degree of freedom to develop 
115 own asSOCiations and schemes. cspedally with respect to oon·University 
Programmes. It has a mandate to orgaOl~ courses and seminars from time to time. 
either on its own or in conjunclion with other bodies 10 satisfy identified areas of need 
mthefu:ldofbuSlIltss.ndpublicadmiDlSITauon , 
3.2 MANAGEMENT OF THE SCHUUL OF \1l~1I"ISTRATION 
Currently. the School of Administration is fully integrated with the University 
of Ghana and is governed by the sta(utt:~ 1)1 Ihe University and control~ by the 
University Council and the A!.:ademlc Board, Ilowever. the School is I semi-
autonomous josliNlion, receh m~ an cannarked t!callt from the Government 
The Director i~ the ('tiler heculI\(, of the: School and has both academic and 
admiru.strative functions. The a!..lmlDl\trallve control of the School lies with lbe 
Director IDd through him co the V.ce·Chancellor of the L'Dlversity 
The Executive Secretary I~ in overall charge of the School and serves I.!I 
Secretary to c;omnlluees and meetmgs. These bodies include. the School's Advisory 
AdvisoUryn Ciovuencrisl:i t!yh eo Bf oGarhd aofn Aadm lhntut~pL:r/a/uuong sStpudaiecse: ~.ug .Sechdouol.'gs hFlnance Board: 
Academic Staff Meeting and Appointment Review Comnliltec, just to mention a few. 
The Secretariat liaises with the main Administration of the Uruversity and the outside 
world 
1De AdVISOry Council is charged Wlt:b responsibili£y for eduational policy of 
thcSchoolmrelationrorequtremeJUSforadmlOlmalOrsinvaOousaspectsofoattonai 
life Ju recommendations were 10 be made from time to time to the Board of 
AdminisuarionSrudies . 
The Board of Adminislrallon Studies exercise~ control over all courses offered 
in the School. Duector of the School is the ChalflTWl. It is responsible to the 
Uruveniry Counclllhrough the Academic Board of the Universiry . 
The Finance Board of the School administers and controls the funds of the 
School. The Chainnan is the Director of the School. The School operates on annual 
budgets indicating sources of income and how expendirure is envisaged . The Director 
is the sole controller of the budget and is fully responsible for its opentions . lbe 
Annual Estimates of the School are prepared by the Bursar in consultation with the 
Director , The EstImates now receive the Dtrtclo(, approval before it is submined 10 
Government . l1lt Registrar of the liOlvcrslly of Ghana normally receives a copy of 
the Estimates for the infonnation of the Finance Committee of the Universiry . 
Academic Staff Meetings is wbere all the al.ademlc staff of the School meet 
and deliberate on academK ISsueS The Chairman IS the Director of Ihe School. 
Finally the Appouwnem Review ConU11IIIee is lhe inilial stqe for proces.smg 
appomaaelu of Senior members of the School. It is then forwarded 10 the main 
UniversIty AdminisIrationforfmalprocessing .4 
In Umen iversity of Ghana http://ugspace.umaID, the School of Aamllll!ilrauon I.:ompnscs theg .edu.ghfollowing Units : The 
Director's Office; The: Secretariat ; The Library, Accounting Unit; Management l'nit; 
Publk Administration Unit and Ht:illih Adminislfation Unit 
J,J COLKSES AND PROC;RA:\I\ IP, OF THE SCHOOL 
In order to provide the needed manpower in the field of business managemenl 
and public admlnistratioo. the School uf Admmistration offers a series of courses . 
Records available in the Academic Sa:uon show thaI srudeQI enrolment for Bachelor 
of Sctcnce (B.Sc.) Degree in the 1964/65 academIC year was twenty-seven (27). The 
enrolmelll grew over the years and stood at One Thousand. Six Hundred and Ninely-
si,,(1696)studentsi.ncludinr:aJlthecour~sm 1998 
Tile School offers two-year Diploma courses in Accounting and Public 
AdmmlSU"ation. Middle level manpower is developed for the public and the privace 
Next, Bachelor of Science (B.Sc., Degree In Administration is offered. Areas 
of ~peciali.salion include: Accounung; Finance; health AdministratIOn. Human 
Resource Management; insuranct:; Marketing and Public Administration. (Insurance 
bas been suspended for sometime now I. Bachelor of Am (BA) administration is also 
bemgoffered. 
Two courses are offered at the posl-graduate level namely: MaSier in 8uiineH 
Adollmmallon (MBA) and Master in Pubhc Admimstration (MPA). Each of lbem is 
oftwoycarsduration. 
The Ma~ter of Busmess AdmanLstralion has the following areas of 
spa;~lisatioo: Accounclng. Fillaocc. Health Administration; Human Resource 
Managcmem; Manaaanenr. Infonnalion Sy~tem anJ Marketing 
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DoctoraJ PrOf!rammc~ h~ research was introduced in the 1985186 academic 
There exists in the School a research unil charged with lhe task of promoting 
and co-ordinating rese4lrch activilles of lhc facully . A publtcation known as : Journal 
of Maoagenxnt Studie~ serves as the medium for dlssemmauog research findings 
The Scbool usually organises seminars on a general theme in areas of management : 
and execulives of comparable Su.nding in different firrm are invited to participalc 
The pubilcanon emanating from such semmar!> IS known as "Working Paper Series". 
Another interesting progranune in the School which attracts the attention of 
the business community i~ "Managemt'nt U~y". Ooce in each acadcnw,; year, the 
normal teaching programme is suspended for a day, and top managers of reputable 
firms are invited to spend the day at the School. The activities involve giving talks 
and Ilolding discussions with faculty members and students on different aspecb 01 
their work iD the field of milnl.gcmenl . In this way. students are given the opponunity 
to meet lop cntrcprCllI:ur:- at close ranl!c and receive first-hand infonnation on the 
prat:tlccofbusinessadmmlStralion. 
Plans have also been prepared 10 IIlllkllll an Executive Developmerw 
Prograrru:ae for both Public and Private ~t."Ctors b~ prOViding high level non-award 
courses at die School lor lOp Executl\les anti Middle-level Management aDd 
SupervIsory Level personnel. It is meall1 (0 link them with the ICcbniques and 
technological development in the conlcmporary bU'IJlCSS world. \ 
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3.4 THE SCHOOL OF ADMINISTR.nIO:-lI.lBRARY 
The transfer. according to the librarian ', NoteS for Readers. of about One 
Thousand (1000) books and pamphlets from t~ Departmcm of Commerce section in 
the Kumasl College of TecbnoJocY library to Achlmola. formed the oocleus of the 
hbrary of the ColleJe of Admtnl\lrali,.n F.stahhshed in 1960. the library of the 
StbooI of Adfmmstrallon has been built up maml) :1\ a specilhsed library for students 
amresearthenofadmiruslratiOn 
Even though students of the Sehoul were ~raduilly moved from Achimotl to 
the Halls of residence of the Um\'er~lly hetWttn 1965 and 1967. the School Library 
rc:nulined in Achimota until 1967 when it moved (0 the: new buHding - Business 
House,oot..eaonCampus 
Howevcr . the movemem dMi not affect the Jlutonomy of the School Library 
lu services. orgamsatlon and administratuln rutvc nol been lmegrai:ed with those of the 
Balme Library: the main Uruverslty Llhrar) 
The COUtcl101lS of the School of Admioiwillon Library reflect the courses and 
programmes til the School. II IS maanl~' nch In Accounting: Computer Science: 
rmance:. Hospital AdmlnlstrallOn. Mal\lg~mcnt . PolitIcal Science and Public 
Admmlstrauon Also covered by the collection are lilted subjects like Economics. 
StalLslits and Psychology Every effon IS made 10 acquire all Ghana Government 
publi.:,ations. for (be study of and rrsean:h lOll) (he problem areu of lbe Ghanaian 
Tbe obJOCIIVCS of the School of AdmlRistratlon Library. amana others are (0 
provtde services of reference and lendin)! f1l.;IlCI L,lh dpprupriate to the ncccb of me 
srudenu. fxulty and managemenl. Thc:-.e 1lCed!o reflect the l:OUf"IeS and research 
programmeU5 nofiv meer Sscihtyoo ol. f IGt ish tao nenag ahgtet pin: /th/ue gsusppplay coef a.uctgiv.ee idnfuon.gnAhlion service 
to users OD Its fteldofspeciaJisalion .' 
There is one quaJifted librarian. Ihree sub-professionals and eighl non-trained 
staff. One of the sub-professionals is currently pur~uJng a course leading 10 Master of 
Arts in Library Srudles in the UniversilY of Gbana . The Siock of me library is aboul 
45.000 vol~ of books and monographs ; and 100 periodical dlles . Presently . there 
are aboulcwenly rcgular pcnodical titles mosl of which are donations 
Plans have been prepared lO r«lasslf) [he stock; that is. change from Bliss 
Classifacation (0 Library of Congress Classification Scheme to conform to the popular 
classiftcalton ~hcmc on the University of Ghana campus and also to facHitale 8 
proposed Union Catalogue on the campus. Other fUlUre plans are to automale the 
library and create an extension at the Graduate Block of the School (0 provide 
specialised services for graduate sruderus and researchen . 
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REFERE!'ICES 
L'm\'cnjry gfGhaoa Cate'l'kr 1978-80. 
Legan: Uruve~ity of Ghana . 1980. p. 255·263 
Instrument of lncorporation of the College of Administration 
Exe.c.lltjve InstrumeO!s - 127 1960. Accra: The 
Govemmentprinter , 1960, p. 17l 
Tnjnjng for Public Enremrj~e Management: A Directory of 
Commonwealth Resources , London: Commonwealth 
Secretariat. 1981. p. 223 
R£pon of AdvjsOry Committee appointed hy the Vice·ChanceUQ( (0 
Review !be imegrarjoo of the School of Admjni$t[jtjoD 
with !he Unjvenirv of Ghana . Legan: Universicy of 
Ghana . 1968. p . 1·38 
School of Mmjoj$l[J'joo Sjlvc;r Jyhilee Celebrations - 1960 _ 1985. 
Legon; School of Administration, 1986, p. 1-5 . 
Afenyo, V K 
The organisation and services of the Schonl of 
Admin;:straljon I jbrary Undergraduate Diploma 
Project Work . Vni .. er~i(y of Ghana. Legon: DLAS. 
1987 . p. 17-19 
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CHAPTER FOl'R 
[lATA COLLECTION A.ND ANALYSIS 
4.1 DATA COLLECTIO!l; 
TIle population of the study, made up of male and female studenlS. comprises 
all the levels 200. 300 and 400 degree srudenlS of the: School of Administration who 
have been malCiculaled into degree prtlgrMnlIlC by the 1998199 aCOiIdeffiU; year 
Records from the academiC section of the School of Administration showed a rotal 
enrolment of 1061 degree srudents including Bachelor of Science (8Sc .) and Bachelor 
of A,b (SA) Students 
From Ilk :oLrata of level 200, level 300 and level 400 a quota sampling method 
WIS adopted in selectmg !.he members of the sa mple for the srudy. The writer had to 
reson (Q this method due [0 some problems discussed later an lhis research 
Quota sampling may be regarded as a special case of stratified 
random sampling in wltich the numbt=r of members 10 be selected from 
each stratum is fIXed by a predetermined quota rather than 
proportlonatt:represemallon. ' 
Nmery self-admml~tcred survey 4uc~lIunn;lln:' 'Acre admlOlstered to eacb of 
theSlrata 
Qucstionnairesweredistributed 10 studems al lhecntranc:e of their lecrure halls 
about dUrty mJnutc~ prior 10 lechlres. The writer tden.r.ir~ the core subjects for each 
of lhe three levels where all the SWderu~ were expected to attend the I~. For 
IJUtance. Commercial Law k:ccure ror level 200; ManageriaJ Econumics lec:tu.rt (or 
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level 300. and Business Policy k:cture for level 400 TIle iCheduJe tUne (or these 
Iecaua: to begin fell be[Ween 1.3Opm and 2.00pm. The rupective iectu.rers In-charge 
wert! given poor mformalion wim regard to (be administration of the questionnaires to 
the srudena . The wnter began the distribution of the questionnaires lhirty mlOOI.eS 10 
the lecture time. The distribulKm was done at the entrance to the lecture hall. Due [0 
the brae number of srudenu involved in these lectures, most of them would like to 
come ~rly enough to occupy the front seal>; . Thai facilitated the distribution and 
compktioo of the queSlionnai.re5 Without affecung their lecture lime 
e..:bsrudetn was served with a qucstionnaire as he or she entered the 1ecrure 
ball aDd polde.ly requested by the writer (0 complete aDd retum It beforc the IecCure 
began. The presence of the writer enabk:d few sNdents 10 seck clarifiCltioD abow 
some of the questions. All the lecturers co-operalcd by offering about ten miDules for 
the completion of the qUCSIiOMlirel before lectures bepn. Students who could 001 
return their que51l0MalrCS before k:ctures were requested to deposit the completed 
quesllOnnlttn at the School of Administration Library ,ounter wlthm five days. 
A total number of 217 questionnaires were completed and returned out of 270 
questionnaires distributed. The returned questionnaires constituted 20 perceDl of the 
population. Accordmc 10 Nkpal -for populatIOns WI run in thOUlaMs, SS to lOS. 
sampLes Ny be dnwn" _ CODICqUCntly. the present sample of twenty percent of the 
populatioa formed adequate represeJUalion fur the curreRI srudy 
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4.2 THE QU';STIONNAIRE 
n.e queslioDDaire melhod was applied m this survey ce5Carch . Havine 
considered me large population involved. the lime schedule and other meagre 
resources Ivailable for the reseatcb. questionnaire method of data collection bad bceD 
found feasible . The questionnaire conlamcd thirty structured and unstructured 
questions . Wnh regard to its orgamsatlOn. the queslIolllllire consisced of au 
Ultroducuonand four SectiOns . 
In the introductIOn to the questionnaire. the purp05e of the srudy was declared 
IS beinR comucted to find out the reading: hlbits of the studenu of the Scbool of 
AdnllmslrallOn Also it was to discover whether their reqUiremenl!l arc adequately 
catered for by me School of Adnurustratlon Library . SrudenlS were encouraged to 
8QJwcr aU questions and reNIn the questionnaire to me researcher. Assurance WIS 
expressed tbli informatioo provided in the study would be treated as confldemial 
Studern ~ instructed to mark a lick (v1 where required . 
Scctioa A of the questionnaIre dealt with the Social Characteristics of thC' 
students It Included gender. Bge, nationality , coun;e of study and the level anained. 
Next Item was tbe parenu' educational background and occupation. Also included 
was whether there is a library in the studen!:'s home The fmal part of thiS section 
enql.l1I'Cd If mere wu a public library in the town where the sNdent lives . 
SectioD B of the questionnaire was centred on Ruding Habits. Under this 
section students were &5ked if they read outside thC'lr normal subject areas. lbose 
woo answered an the affmnatl\e were to indICate their preferences, such as story 
books &lid textbooks. Otben who proVided negative responses were 10 gIVe reasOr\) 
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Seclion C of the questionnaire dealt with the issue on the use of the School of 
AdmumlratiooLibrary 
Finally. Section D of the survey quesllOnnaire enquired about tbe use of other 
librarieI by me studenu . The purpose of using other libraries were (0 be Il3ted and 
dle vanous libraries used listed . This area WlS, to some extent project any 
inadequacies in the holdings of the School of Administration Library . as well as the 
state of the present services rendered to students . (Please see Appendix 4.0) 
4.3 PROBLEMS ENLOU"TERt:D 
10 this invesliplion, the writer was confronted with numerous prob~ The 
original researcb plan of this study was 10 use the enrolment lists of Ole sNdent and 
ipply systematic sampling . However. inspection of the lists revealed thai quite a good 
number of me students were given non-resident statuS and there were no reliable and 
effective means of cOnlacting sucb llUdelU. Also. considering the lime frame within 
whtch lhe survey should be wmpleted and lhe closeness of the second semester 
eWntnatloD, the milial plan was abandoned; for it was not comidered to provide a 
good return rate for the survey questionnaire 
The researcher dus decided to adminisler ninety quesuonnaares to each level; 
a fonn of quota 'amphng It was realised thai this system was the most effective and 
efficienl way of actue\"lDg a good return rate . Also. thiS wu the period when SUIdenb 
were preparing to write their iMerim a!>'>ClIosmcm teM!> after which the second semester 
examiDatioowould bqin 
Tbc- IOvestlptor made an anempt to administer the questionnaire to IIUdetU in 
tb: School of Admiaistratioa Library . Two problems arose : the first issue was thai 
very poor rewrn rale was recorded. OW of tweftl) quesllonnalres dlstribulCd only five 
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were completed and rerurned . Secondly . II had come to IIghl thJt not many StudenlS 
palrorused the library during that perIOd. Thus the method would exclude a sigoifrcaol 
number of swdenlS in the srud.y. FlnaIly. me writer f;onsidered. the lecrure balls 10 be 
I:be most effective and efficient venue for the administration of the survey 
qUCSIionnaare 
ConsequemJy,tbewriterldentitiedthecoresubjecuforeacb level where every 
studem was expected 10 ancnd the lecture . 1bese consist of Commercial Law for 
Level 200; Managenal Economics for level 300 and BUSiness Policy for level 400 
1be general obiervatioD by the writer revealed that mOit students were 
reluctam 10 complete the survey questionnaire . It appeared dley did PO( seem CO 
realise any direct galos accrumg (0 them (or doing so While some expressed lack of 
dlr"ect beneflls to them from the study, others demanded compensation in casb. lbe 
writer on many occasions had to explain to them that the results of the study would 
enab~ the: authorities unpro\"e the services and the collections of the School of 
Adrmnisualion Ubrary . ThiS explanation mellowed a great number of the students 10 
adopt a positive anirude toward completing the survey questiormaire . Few otben out-
ngbdy rejecled the questionnaire with die reason that lhey were not prepared to 
complete any qucstionnaire . II is the writer's VteW that students al all levels should be 
infonncd. on the: imponance of adopting positive attitude to providing mfonnahon to 
rcsearchersasthelrsocialresponsibility 
Another problem which needs menuomng j, lbe availability of curreN 
literature on the topic under study. Matenals available in the University Library were 
old and. imdequate The wnter thererore had lO depend mostly 00 put disaen.ationa 
rorthelileratur~ review 
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4.4 DI-:SCRIPTION OF SA.\iPLE 
The sample coverage took into account all the three levels of uooergraduate 
degree students of the School of Admimstration. These include ' level 200; level 300: 
am level 400. Quota sampling was applied in selecting members of the sample from 
each level : mal IS sU1lifled random umpling . The sample size of 217 students 
cODStituted 20 perccntoflhe populalion o f 1061 undergraduate Stude-nlS oflhc School 
of Administration. From eacb stratum the wriler sampled both male and female 
studelllS . Tbe overall coverage satisfied the main aim of me srudy; that is eliciting 
informatiOD 00 the reading behaviour of the undergraduate srudents of the School of 
Admillistration. 
TAB!. 4,1 GUiDER CHARACTERISTICS OF RESPONDENTS 
I ~':?~ 
r- -Male -
~ __ ~male . 
_ . .L1_-=2,,-,,16_ _ ' ~ __ : 
The Table above (Table 4 .1) shows the gender characteristics of respondents . Male 
students represeDl 75 .9 percent of the members of the sample. The fell\lJe members 
of me I.IDlp&e conslltule 24 I percent. These arc: made up of 164 and 52 male and 
female srudcu.s respectively Only I member of the sample failed to Indicate rut Of 
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TABU: 4.2, AGE CHARACTERISTICS OF RESPONDEl'o"TS 
AGE GROl"P (YEARS) FREQUENCY PERCENTAGE 
----Uptoi9 : ~ -- L -~5--
20 to 24 102 -'j4'jf 
~:~ i: r= 5~ - 2~~ 
35(039 T ~M 7.5 
401044 --'"'6 3.3 
. 451049 _ 1_1, __ j 
~6f~ ~---.J 
The characteristics of ages of members of the sample above (Table 4.2) indicate that 
the ages of the respondents faU between up to 19 years and 49 years. However. 
majority of me respondents fell below 30 years . It is not surprising that most of the 
members of the sample are in this age group as they are students . This age group 
represents about 85 percent of the members of the sample; that is l58 students. The 
age group of 40 years and above forms only 4.3 percent of the sample which is made 
up of 8 students Tbirty-one students . or l4.3 percent of the sampte , failed to Slale 
lheirages. 
TABLE 4.3, DISTRIBUTION OF RESPOl'oJlE~TS BY COURSE LEVEL 
COLRSE 
LEVEL 
Universitys t'oloWf SG hana http://ugTabk 4 _3 above the distributio n of resspponadcenets. ug.eduby coone. ghlevels. Level 
200 rcprcsenu 30 pen::eDl of the respondents; that IS 65 sNdents . Thlny-scven percenl 
of tbr: sample repre&eots level 300. made up of 81 SlUdenli . Level 400 forms 32.3 
pt:rCeDC of the sample: CODStlNtlng 71 sNdenls The toIa1 coverage is 217 
respondcrus 
4.5 DATA ANALYSIS 
The data obtained by the !tNdy have been analysed The resulls are prc~enlcd 
by Tab~s . StitisltcalleChniques adopted an dle srudy mclude simple pen.:entagcs. cbi-
square and Correlation. In testing the hypothc!OCs . chi-sequare and Correlation were 
applied . 8elow arc the various resultsotnainedby lhequesllonnaire 
TABLE 4.4, EDLCATIONAL BACKGROl"' D OF FATHER 
I LEYEL OF EDUCATION . FREQl!:'IICY _ PE!!_C~NT 
University 73 33 .6 
No Fonnal Educauun - ~ ~9~ 
~Ol -39--- 18.0 
seconaary/COfficn: lal ~ ~ _ 15 _~ l~ . l 
1 1'o'~~ndary-=_ ----t----ri}--- ~ 1c:J~ 
The educal.ional background of the respondeoo ' fathers are shown an Table 4 .4 
above . Seventy-three sNdents or 33.6 percent of the ICtal sample reported that their 
(albers bad wuversi[)' education; 42 or 19.4 percent said their fathers had no formal 
education; 39 or 18 perccN; staled thai their falbers had only elementary school 
educ.ttioo; 35 or 16.1 pen:cm ~Jd their fathers anamed up to Secondary/Commercial 
educ.auon. and 28 or 12.9 percem said their falbers had post secondary education. 
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lbl' iI _ indication thai 62.6 percenl of the respondentS f.thers bid at kut 
SecondMy/CommerciaJ educatIon 
TABLE >.s, EDLCATIONAL BACKGROLND Of MOTHER 
Table 4.5 sbows educational bad:'lround of the molhers of the respondents 
One hundred and sixl)'-eighl or 31 3 percent of the mmhers' of the respondems had no 
(onnaJ educallOn; $3 or 24.4 percent of the total sample stud their mothers attended 
oo!yelemeotaryscbool;38orl7.5percento(therespondenlSrepon.edthattheir 
mothers had post secondary education ; 36 or 16.6 percent of the respondeN.S staled 
thaI their mothers' had 5CCoodaryJconunerclal education; and 22 or 10.1 percent saId 
thai their motht'f! had. up to uni\'crsil)' education It shows that 96 or 44.2 percent of 
the roomers of the respondents bad at least Secondary/Commercial educ.tion. 
TABLE 4.6, I.IBRARY FACILITY AT HOME 
~~NSE . FREQl'E~C~ . PERCEST 
~._IS_3_ 1~ 
. Yes 64 
r- ._- ~. ~ r~ -. I~ I 
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Table 4.6 abovc pruenu the rc,"ults of the survey quesuonnalJ'e on lhe library 
f><ilily in !he rapoodeDlS' "","",. One hundrod and fifiy-Ihree or 10.5 percelll5 of !he 
respondents SaKI lbere were no Iibranc.s In their homes but 64 or 29.S perceoa iCated 
that they bid libr~flcs In their homes. This IS an Indtcatlon thai more than two-thirds 
of tbe respondents have no IIbnry ID thetr homes 
TABLt: 4.7: PLBLlC I_IBRARY FACILITY II'; TOWN OF RESIDENCE 
-~ ~ ~ 
Yes 61 I 2~ 
Toul 216 100.0 
Table 4 .7 illustrates the distribution of public library facility in Ihe town of 
resMJencc of rrspondc:lti . One hundred and fifty ·five or 71 .8 percent of the toW 
respondeus reponed tbil they bid no public lihral)' facility in thCtr town of residence; 
61 or 28.2 percent stated thai they had public library facility in their town of 
residence . However . 1 person failed to answer the qucSlK)D. TIle results above show 
tbal more tban two-thirdi of the respoodents hid no public library in their town of 
TABL 4.8: WHETHER STl"DESTS READ OLTSIDE TIIEIR 
Sl·BJECT AREAS 
~ 
(~ 
-~ 
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Tbe above TabLe (Tabic 4.8) preteRlS the panem of reading outside srudenu' 
oormal subject areas. Two hundred and five respondeOU or 94.5 percenl reported lh.al 
lheyreadouuidelheirnorma.l subject areas; only 1201" 5.5 percent of the respondeDlS 
staled they did not read outside their DOnnal subject areas 
TABLE 4.9: BOOKS OF INTEREST OUTSIDE SLBJECT AREA 
, ~~()F~()OKS ! .... RE~t:I<:NCY .. PERCENT j 
~Books._ .-~,~ 
Text Books 1--_64_-
-~-
Total ~6.--L 100, 0 
Table 4 .9 illustrates the type of books which are of interest to studeDlS apart 
from books in their ftelds of scudy. One hundred and twenty or 55 .6 perceoI of the 
respondents said they were interested in story books ; 64 or 29.6 percemreponed they 
were interested in text books whIle 32 or 14.8 percent respondents mentioned other 
materials as their area of inleresl . Ooly I student did not art. ..... eT the question 
TABLE 4.10: WHETHER STUDENTS HAVE DlHKLL TV IN 
UBTAINI~G READING MATERIAL 
RESPONSE .!REQl'E~CY _ PERCE!,;T 
No ~ ~_ • ~~ 
I Yes ~ 45.1 
Toul ~.IOO~.> 
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In Tab&e 410 the results on srudents' diffkully in obtaining their reading 
materials are tabulated . One hundred .nd eighteen or 54 .9 percent of the respondents 
reported tbaI they had ditflCuity in obtaining their reading materials; 97 or 45 .1 
perceDC said they did 001 e:lpeflt."occ difficully In obtainm[t their reading maltrWs. 
ODly2studerxsdad nOlaDSwer 
TABl.E 4.11: WHY RESPONIlNTS READ 
. .__ RESPONSES FREQl'ENCY _PERCE~T. 
.~ure/Leisure(elC . } 
I 
; For lnfonn.lion 
. !orknowledge(studtt:~) _ 
~---
The Tabk above (Table 4.11) presents the results of why the respondents read . 
They were gl\len the option to rick more than one reason. One hundred and twenty-
three or 28 percent of the total score was awarded to pleasure/leisure reading; 153 or 
35 percent was awarded Mreading for information: 161 or 37 percent was awarded 
·readmg for knowledge": and no point was awarded ·other purposes" of reading. 
Achievemcm reading accounts for 72 percem of the respondents purpose of reading . 
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TABLE U2, Nl "HER OF TEXTBOOKS BOUGHT IN TlU: ACADEMIC 
YEAR 
rrwo R-E-S-P-ONSES 
F;~ None '-TO~I 
R.eportmg on the number of textbooks bought in the academic year, in Table 
4.12. SO or 23 percent of the respondenlS said they bougru lWO textboob each; SO or 
23 percem bou,ht four or more textbooks each: 46 or 21.2 percent bought thrft 
textbooks each; 36 or 16.6 percent bought one textbook each ; lDd 35 or 16.1 perceru 
bou,ht DO te.llitbook in me academk year 
TABLE 4.1),:>;l \IIIER (W NUNTEXT8UU,," 80Ll;HT IN THE 
ACADEMIC VEAR 
FREQl' EM: V PERCE,,'I 
. 10 - 32.6 
-~-w- 18.6 18T .. , 
I ;;- L :t! J 
~. ·I()().oj 
Table 4 .1, bows the mlmber of nontextbooks bought by the respondtnu Om 
academic year Seventy or 32 .6 percem of the respon4enb did rlOI buy any 
nonk .. tbook In the academK: year; 40 or 18.6 percem bougbl three nontexlboob 
durIng the year; 39 or 18.1 bougtu two nonIelltbooks each; 35 or 16.3 perCC* ~ 
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four or I'QOfe ooOlexlbookseacb: and)! or 14.4 percenl bou,hl one non&eJ.lbookCKb. 
OoIy 2 SClIdeas failed to respond to lbe quesuon 
TABLE 4.14, FREQl E~CY OF PLEASlllElLEISl!RE READING 
RESPONSES 
· Week.1y 
. Oii:ea munlh 
· DII~ 
• Fo nmghtl) 
rNoiaiill 
.~. 
Table 4.14 presents the results of the frequency of pleasure/leisure reading by 
(be respondents . Six.()' or 27 .9 of the respondents read for pleasure/leisure weddy: SO 
or 23 ,) pefCenl of the respondenlS said. they read for pleasure/ le isure once a month: 47 
or 21.9 pefCenl s~led the)" read for pleasurellelsure daily : 31 or 14,4 pecteN of the 
respoOOeIltS reponed thai they read forpleasuredc lsure fortnightly; and a lota l .-.unber 
of 27 or 12.6 percent of the respondents said they dKl not read at a.1l for 
pleuurelleisure . TIle que:snon was not answered by 2 srudero 
TABLE 4 , 15: IMPRO\"~ \UJ\ I IN THE REAOI NG HABITS OF STUVENTS 
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Table 4. 15 pre$C:DlS suggesOOr'6 by respondents for me improvemeu of 
readmg habtt!l amoog srudeoo. One hundred and fifteen or 53.2 percell( o f the 
respondenl5 n:ported tbal decongestIOn LD scudenu' rooms would lead 10 improvina 
their readLRi! habll5 ; 52 or 24 .1 percent said (ormallon of reading clubs wouLd improve 
the readine habits of srudefti; while 36 or 16.7 percent reponed mal prICes of books 
shouLd be moderale to (aclhtate the: cultlvallon of reading habits amona students: II or 
5.1 percCR( of the re5pOIldents stated that a work.shop shoukl be: urgam!otd co impfui 
upon srudents to cultivate reading habits : 2 or 0 .9 percents of the respondents said 
Book.!ihops un campus would enhance reading habiu of the students Only I srudent 
(aUedto respond 10 this questton 
TABLE 4.16: QUALITY ot· HOOKS AND OTHER READING 
MATERIALS l]'o; SOA UBRARY 
fllliQlE~t\ PERCENT 
><4 38.9 
81 37.5 
i9 18.1 
-r-" 4.2 
"~ 1.4 
•. 216 - ~OO .O 
Tab~ 4 . 16 shows the assessment of the quality of books and other readi.Dg 
nwerialI of thr School of Administration (SOA) library by the respondents . EiIbIY-
(our Ilr 38.9 petcenl o( the rcspoOOeuts rated tilt books and other reading material. ~ 
SOA library -.ood": 81 or 37.5 percent of the respondents rated the: stock "fairly 
good"; 39 or 18.1 percent said the reading materials were "very load" ; 9 Of 4 .2 
perccm of the respondents rl1Cd the Mock - nol good" ; 3 or 1.4 pertenl of the 
respoo:IeaIs rated the Ilock of lhc: SOA library "cxceIlCU" 
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TABLE 4.11 , US.: m-OTHER LmRARlES 
Table 4 17 indicates why some of me respondents use other libraries apan 
(rom the SOA library . Seveoty~ight or 46 .7 percent of the respondents reponed lbe:y 
used other libraries to read their course nores ; SS or 32 .9 percent slated they used adler 
libranes 10 read some of their course textbooks. 24 or 14.4 percent said they used 
other hbranes for read11li r«rational materials . 10 or 6 .0 percent of the respondents 
gaveo(ber reasons forusln, adler libraries . 
4.6 DATA l'tu:SENTATlOl\i 
!be study WA.\. conducted on the reading habits of the undergraduate students 
of the School of Administration. Legon. Some hypotheses were staled and teMed in 
the: scudy . The fmdings presented were based on the objectives of the research 
The hypolheses tested in the ltudy included ' 
There IS no signiflCallt difference berween oWe and fe:mate 
under~radu.lte students of the School of Admini.stration in rcadina for 
pleasure 
~ .. 
~'1 
' " ';~ .:,,.i 
_~~~r" 
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There is no pG$itive correl.atlon between the frequency of reading for 
prAeaaaR and tbe level of cour!Ot! with the School of Admirustratlon 
(SOA) undergraduate swdents 
iii) There is a positive correlation between the frequency of reading for 
pleasure and educatIOnal hackgroundoffatherli. 
iv) There is a poslllve correlatIOn between the frequency of readiDs for 
pleasure and library in the home 
The presentation of the findings of the srudy has been based on the following 
objectives 
WhetbertbestudcnlSreadout:mktheir~ubJCCtare.as 
2) Types of matenal students read oUllllde their subject areas 
3) Whether students find " diffiCUlt to oblain their readlDl nwerials. 
4) Studeotl' PUrpose$ rorreading. 
5) WhetherlbeSlUdenlsbuytexlhooks 
6) Whetherthe~tudentsbuy nontexlbooks 
7) Students' frequency of read in&: for plea~ure 
8) StudcJVs' views on how reading habits may be improved. 
9) The studems' assessment of lhe SOA Library uock. 
10) Suue~tlOns for the improvement of the SOA library services. 
tl. TbepurposesoftbeUleofotberJibrancs 
The resultl of frequc:ocy of reading for pleasure by seuder of me ItUderas IS 
prcloCllICd m Appe:DIiiJ. 4.1 11 indlCaleS that 22.1 percent oftbc male studems read 
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dally for p~e while 19.6 percent of the female 5tOOem read daily for pasure 
The results show that male rather than female studentS are in the maJonty for daily 
pleasure reading. A cbi-square teSI on the first hypothesis that there is no sigmf.cant 
difference bc:rween male and fel1Ulle students in the frequency of reading for p~. 
wll hypothesis, ba5 been accepted; (Xl = 8.537. df = 4, p> .05). This result implies 
there is no significamdifference berweenmale and female ~lUdcnts m their frequency 
of pleasure readmg, any difference observed is due to chance. The rewll deviaaes 
from a previous findina by StOll(' and Wu) thai more young female than yauns maJes 
read books for pleasure . [t also negates Schultheis" view that females spend more 
lime reading than males . Cultural differences, on the part of the subjects studied. may 
be respollSibl,e for the variation 
Pre\'ious studies were conducted in advanced countries probably wilh high 
i!ender issues . In Ghana, the existence of a pre-dominant co-educational system 
appears to dilute any gender influence on the pattern of reading for pleasure . 
ConsequeotJy, this study was conduclt:d among llm\'er!>ity business students who 
!Cern co nne Similar aim and Jive in the same envirorunent . Another explanation iI 
that the. curren! fight for gender equality by women may be catching up fast with these 
female SOJdenlS and thai seems 10 reflect In their patlem of reading (or pleasure . 
The distribution pauem of frequency of reading for pleasure by level of course 
is shown in Appendix 4.2. The results show that 26.6 percer'll of level 200 students 
cad for pJeasuredaiJy; 18.5 perccru of level 300 studenu read for pleasure dall} . 100 
21.4 percem of level 400 students read for pleuure daily. Pearson's Product Moment 
Com:lalK>n Co~fficinl test fC)CCtS the second hypothesis thai there is no positive 
correlallon between the frequency of readmg for pleasure and the level of c:.oune of 
the swdems; (r "" .(0666). However the result Ind~1t:$ a very low positive correlatton 
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between frequency of reading for pk'asure and level of course by the students. Ir 
implies that the mcrease In C\lurse level slighlly affects me increase in !.be frequency 
of readinJ for p1eaiure. Guthr~ and Seifen: illustrated a similar trend lhat lower 
eduealton group read books 9 minutes per day. whereas the higher educalional group 
read lhem 44 minuteS per day wlUc:b is nearly a SOO per cent increase, a trend wruch 
sbows thaI education strongly increases reading volumes. The very low correlation m 
!.he presem srudy may slem from the fact thaI lbe sample was laken from university 
u.ndergraduate students where the intellecrual gap among the levels are oot vcry greal . 
II may also be suggested tha1 the students' common quest for achievemem reading 
seems to be the contributing faclor for the vel") low correlation between frequcocy of 
pleasure reading and course level 
AppendIX 4.3 depicts the frequency of pleasure reading and educational 
background of father With the undergraduate students of the SOA. The re5UJ.a: 
indicate that 29.3 percem of students who reported that their fathers had 00 formal 
edocauon read daily; 15.4 percent of ~rudcnu who SlIted thaI their fathen had 
elementary education read for pleasure daily; 14.3 pen.;~nt of students whose fathers 
had Secondary/Commercial education read for pleasure daily; 29.6 percent of sludenls 
who stated their fathers had Posl·Secondar) education read for pleasure daily; 21.9 
percent of SrudenlS who reported that the ir fa!.hers had University education read for 
pleasure daily . It appears. therefore, Wllbere IS a growing awareness among illitctale 
fathers to woogly encourage their children (0 lave a good education which lhey lack 
This may be Ibe contnbullng factor that has reflected In me ,rudents' reported 
falfOW"lbk': pleasure read.ina: babilJ However. Pearson's Product Movement 
Coefrlciem test on tbt h)1XltheslS lhat lbcre is a pus ilive comlallon berween 
frequency of read inc for pleasure and edocatKma! background or fatber baa shown a 
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modnl POSitive corrdaUon. (r =- .58228). It II an indication tbal fathers' educalionaJ 
b.cJq!:round positively iaf'luenccs the srudents' frequency of readmg ror p5easure. In 
Other wonts, increase in rathers' educallonal background leadSlO increase in the 
1IUdeICs' daily pkasure reading habits . This resull IlCgates BliCkwood',· view thai 
parenls ' educauonaJ level had no sigruficanl effeel on the su.bjecu' pleasure readinl 
habib TIlCdlfferencecoukl be explained thai theprevioul study was conducted In. 
social enviroomcnl where children bad less physkal coruact witll their parents and 
coukt 00( learn much from them as their role rtKXJels In Ghana. the reverse IS «be cue: 
lnd It seems this social relallon has reflected in the current result ; that is f1then' 
frequent use or books has positively influenced me student'" Irequency of reading for 
plcasun: . 
The results In Appendix 4.4 show the pattern for the HUdenc.s frequency of 
reading for pleasure and 'library In your home ' t-=rom the results. 25.8 percent of the 
srudenlS who reported they bad a library at home read for pleasure dally; while 20.S 
ptr'CC1I( of the studerul witbou.t I library It home read for pkasurc daiJy. Pearson's 
ProduclMomenICoefficienlCOl'T'elaliontesl resull supports the fourth hypothesis tmt 
there IS a posl1Ive correlaJion between the frequency of readina for pleasure and a 
'library In your bome'; (r • . 33877). The result, however, indicalea a low poslli\'e 
correlltioo. h means that Increase of librarit~ In homes will lead to a slight increase 
in the frequency of reading (or pleasure by the SrudelUS. The cumrw result iI ill Hoe 
wiIh Kcxei and Twumasi' thai -II is from hhranes thai one can acquire posulve 
readmg hablts- Coaaequcmly. II may be concluded that libraries al aU levdI 
positively U1I1ueoce good reading babits; and frequency for pleasure readmg u well. 
Abo 10 be. dilcuued in this essay lre thr nhtecli\lCS Kt out Ln me present 
SIDdy Tbe I1n'CSl1plJon coveted. the SOA UDdcrJn.duate stu 
o 
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wilJiDpeu to read outside thelf sub,teC1 areas _ The results in Table 4 ,8 show that 94 .5 
perttnl of the rcspoooeocs read beyond their subject areas . Leu than 6 percena do noc 
read oUDide their subject areas . This report in the results is a good indK:atioa thai the 
sruderKS read to brCMKleo their horizons . Oftbe sNdents who said they read beyond 
their subjeCt areas. 55 .6 pen;:ent had preference for SlOry books: 29 .6 perceDI prefer 
~)(tbooks , and 14.8 percent would read newspapers and maJazlJ)e~ 
WiIh regard to diffICulty in obtaining reading materials, Table 4 . 10 sbows tbat 
54 .9 pen;:eRl of !.be respondcnrs reported. they had diffICulty in obtaining their reading 
materials ; but 45 . 1 percent said they did not face difficulty in doing so . It ntly be 
suggested that the Itbranes on campus and the SOA library in panicuiar are no( able 10 
adequately provide the studeoo ' reading needs . Also the university bookshop has not 
been able to complement the effons of the libraries on campu!> tn the provision of 
requisite reading needs of the students . However , a reasonable size of 45 .1 percent of 
the studelllS reported 00 diffICulty in obtaining their reading materials. It SWJdJ CO 
rason thaI the diffICUlties expressed by some of the students in obtaining their reading 
rDllmaiJ may be subject oncored. Some sul:ljC(t areas may lack the requIsIte reading 
materials aD the university campus. Another possible reason for IOlDC srudenu ' 
dlfflCU.ity in ob&aining their reading malenals could be due 10 the fact that some 
5lUdeau fail to either parttclpate or take semlUsly «he hbrary user educ.itlon 
~ramtne!.andtbu&couldoolU5etoolsinthelibrariesetrcctivcJytofindlbetr 
reading matenals Any of the above is.suei Iwnpen srudents ' Iil:lraT)' UK, cheir use of 
books in geaeraJ and thu!o negallvcly affed good readlDl habits 
TbcIlUdy alJoexamiDed lOIDCofthc: purposes for which the respondenb read 
from Table 4.Jl the results sbow thai 37 perceru of the f"e5pondcnu rad 10 acquire 
kDowlcdp; 3S pen:cot read ror iDformarion: and 2i pen;en: of the respoadems read 
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rot pkasurc Combinin8 reading for knowledge and readin& for informalion can be 
constdered acbicvemem reading: and Ihat conslllUtes n percent of the respondclllS ' 
H 
purposes for reading. This resWl supports Fayose thai - the inceDliw::s for readilll iD 
Nigena are to pass an examlOllion and thereby possess a certificate whicb caD 
retch a good job" , The presc:nl result portrays acbievemelll miooedness In the 
respondenu readmg habits Low placement of pleasure reading, 28 percent. &mODI 
the respondenu does DOl seem to be encouraging In their readina: behaviour. For. 
pleasurelteisure reading is \'oluntary and can lead (0 the development and sustenance 
of good readina habits . Pleasurelleisure reading benefits the individual throup 
ac1UeYiJl& emotional stability and prudent use of leisure hours . Also it enabaet one (0 
developspeedaodprecisloninreading. 
Anolher aspect of the stUdy invesligated how frequently the studenu of SOA 
read for pleasure . The results, Table 4 . 14, show that 27 .9 percent of the studeru read 
for plealure weekly . 21 .9 pen;enl read for pleasure daily ; but a lood lize of the 
sample , 12.6 percent did not do pleasure rndlng Pmsure of course y,llrk may be 
responsibte for this pattern of pleasure reading among the responderu . 
Gender differences in the frequency of r1easure reading (Appendix 4 .1) was 
analysed in the study. The results show dill 2~ I percent of male respondents read 
daily for pteasurc while 19.6 percenl of the female respondcnas read daily for pleasure 
- an md.catton of male majority . A statistical test in previous discussions showed thai 
the difference is ootlignirlCanl 
The scudy also sou .... the views of the respondents wilb respect to ~rovin& 
the reading habil5 amonc the students . The results (Table 4 IS) prescot lhrec' major 
....y s ; 53 .2 percent of the respondents IUggested deconaestioD in their rooms; 24.1 
pcrcenl said Reading Clubs sbould be orpniaed on me Campus; and 16.7 percent 
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..- II1II !be prices of books should be mad< modera. . to ..... !be pod. ... 01 
s&udenu. 1be issue of deconaeslion which had the hi~hesl score OQ me lis&: $UggcltS 
thai there may be a problem of over-crowdmg In the respondelKS' rooms 0panr0Jabi 
and Adioll discovered among others thai crowded. noisy and poorly lit homes milill.le 
Ig.1iosl ,000 readinl behaviour Bcn!!c. cired elsewhere in the study. also stated mal 
crowded homes work agaUlS( good ~adiDJ hlbiu. II appears the present situation on 
the University Campus where four or more "Iudcm~ arc allocated one room negatively 
affcc&s Cbeir reading behaviour. This condition appears to be prone to noisy 
tQvironmcDl that promotes onl conversation and discourqa the use of leisure hours 
forplasun:rcadina· 
Also covered by the INdy is Ihe book buy IIIg behaviour of the respondents. 
Table 412 depicts thai 23 percern of the respondents reponed lhey bought four or 
more textbooks each in the academic year; .nd 16.1 percent did not buy Ill)' textbook. 
iD. the year. With rep.rds to nolll£xtbook. aable 4.13), 32.6 perceru dMi nol buy any 
nonlc:xlbook in the acadcmll: year - the hl~hc:sl pen.:entage: and 16.3 percent orebe 
respondelUS reported they bough( four or more noruextbooks each in the a.;ademic 
year. The rewlts above show low buyinj: behaviour of book'\ among lhe rcspondelllS. 
It OiIppc.tn the hiah COSI of books in ,(TlCrOilI i .. the contribullnl'! factor to thiS low book. 
buying beba"lour OiImong the rcsporxknts. Commentmg on the high cost of readina 
m..terials as an inhibiting fal;lor or good readlllg habits, Ogunrombi and Adio. ciled 
above. stated tl1at £be costs of readin, malCrials in !'\lgcriOil were prohibitive and ow or 
racb of an averaae Nigenan ("mlly 
Gender lIIIlysis of coun.e book bu)Ulg behaviour of the respondcDIs !bows 
(Appendix 4.5) that 21.3 pen;cru of the male .. rudcn1S said they bouaht rour or more of 
their c:ounc ICxtboc:* ~h, wb.de 26.9 perl,;CRl of the fcmak studenu did so. 1be 
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resuhs suagest lhaJ. female rcspoodems shgtuly dormnate In course lextbook buyiDI 
bc:blViour, a diffc:rence of 5.6 percem. It may mean lhat the fema1e respoodcta are 
prepared and willing to ipend more: money on ,oursc: textbooks than the: male 
respondc:ntsdo. 
Another Importanl area examined in the study i.i the respoodesu' opiruoo 
about SOA library stock with regard to their readlfll requircmeDlS . Table 4 16 
pmenlS the comments on the quality of (he SOA library stock. . The results .bow thi.t 
for 38.9 percent of the respondents the library stock is "Good"; 37.5 percent said the 
library stock is "Fairly Good"; 18 I pcn.:c=nt fllUnd the library stock -Very Good"; 4.2 
percenl of the respondents Slid the library $lock is "Not Good"; and 1.4 percent 
reported tbaI: the library stock is "Excelleru" II sums defICiency in certain sub,teCt 
aren of the SOA library )Iock may be a problem reflectmg in this results . This must 
be a serious concern for the SOA authorities to cntic.lly examine. The fact lhai.boul 
80 perceDl of the respondents called on the School of Admmistration (SOA) library 10 
make av.llaMe more of the lecturers' recommended reading material, appears to 
proJeCt some u\adequacte!o III the library slock . As libraries arc agentS of t.be 
development and 5ustcnan'e of good reading hahHli. any inadequacy in the Slock may 
dllCourage sbJdc:rus from the Uit of the SOA library and thus have a negative effect 00 
Finally the research probed into the rClipomleDlS' use of OIber libraries apan 
from the SOA library . The results (Table 4 . 17) show that 46.7 pcru.oc of the 
respondents use other libraries to read their 'OIJr~ note!; 32.9 pertcnt usc other 
libnnes to find their tnlbo('lk,. 14." percent use other libraries (or recreational 
ma1CIUls such a~ story hook5; and 6 percent use other libraries (or various reaeons 
~··-·"-··~~--·(or-
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lecture notes seelIl5 to suggest the lack of enough seiuing space for the students at the 
School of Administration library. Agam Inadequate stock (Q cater for the reading 
needs of the students is depicted by the 32.9 percent of respondeDlS who use other 
libraries to find their course textlxx)ks Consequently. the School of Administration 
library appears 10 be lagging behind in contributing immensely. its quota, to the 
developmeru and sustenance of good reading habits of the students. 
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REFERENCES l 
Nkpl. N 
F4ucillOO C(g:.trc h for !!lOdc;m $chplw 
.EruI.&Y: Fourth Dimension Publishing . 1997. 
p .17 
Nkpa .~14 
Stone . G. andWu. L 
InflW;pces of pm¥r ,lid .rlg!qcg» plwyre 
hook rciding 00 yoyng alIylr rn;dja ug 
Southern Illinois; Menaplis Slate Universlry. 
1991. p . 25 . 
Schultheis, C. 
A siudy of Ill( [elaho D$hm beIWSc;n gepdt;r god 
reading preferences ID adQlesceQ[s. MlS 
Dissertation Ohio: Kent Stale University , 1990, 
p .l8 
Guthrie,J .T . aodSeifen, M. 
MeasurmgreatJcrsbm, realionaJeandrechmguc . 
Pan". l ' ne~o. 1984. p. 83 
81ackwood, C. Clal 
P1si'SU[S[ rnding by Colle!' 'tudmw fact and 
.Ik!.W:Dl lexington: KY. 1991 . p. 19. 
Kotti . S.LA. and Twumasi . P.A 
Re3djng hAbits pf Ghanaian.. Leaon 
University Ghana, 1919,p. 27 . 
Fay"",. P.O. 
-Factors mIlitating agaiosr the developmeol of 
the readmg habits of lOme Niserian children" 
NIgerian I jbr,a ,00 InfoaDlcjoo Sszjcnq: 
~VoI.7(l). 1989.p3145 
Ogunrombi. S.A. and Adia, G . 
"Factors affecling the readme babiu of 
SecoodarySchoo11lUdenu· . ~.
Vol. 44(4) . 1995 . p . 5().57 . 
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CHAYTER FIVE 
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOM.\IENDATIONS 
The PUJPOiiC of the research was to firx:l. out the Scbool of AdmmisUalJOn 
undergraduate srudems' views. amrudes and habits towards reading . As a result. a 
sample for the scud)' was taken from the Levels 200. 300 and 400 students that formed 
the populOiltlOn. Questionnaire was the instrument used to elicit informatioD from me 
sample . The data so oblamed coDSliruled the basis for the subsequent analysis IDII 
COIItlusions. 
5.1 CONCLUSIONS 
Four hypolheses were tested in the research; oul of which ODe of them was 
rep:led. Tbe following conclusions are based on the results of the study: 
.) No sigrufuru difference has been round between male and female 
SOA srudelllS in pleasure reading . 
b) Course level Iw positive influence on the SOA students· pleasure 
reading. 
c) Fathers' educatIOnal background can have positive effect on the SOA 
swdeDlS'pleasurereadmg 
d) Library .. home un mnueocc pkuure reading in SOA students 
OIberfiDdi.apofthe researcb revealed the followmg 
Acme- readlog domino..,. Ibe PUIJ'O'C of Ibe SOA S1Udem.s' readio&. 
l...a61ban one·tlurd of the SOA student5 wnplcd T"d frequen1Jy for pleasure 
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Low book buying behaviour was observed In the study atDOnI the SOA l 
studenu. especlilly nonteXlbooks . 
Ontbemeasuteiofimprovinareadt01i!habil5l1DOO1swdents.~of 
srudenu ' rooms; formation of reading clubs. organising workshops ; and sellin& boots 
at moderale pnces were prol'1lineDl suggestions th.l were made . 
The study also discovemf thai more lbm one half of the sample had difficulty 
mo btasning their readmg matenals 
Ftnally. the research revealed that the reading space in !he School of 
Atlnunlstration library has bctome 100 small to accommodate me increasina number 
ofSludent Intake: 
5.2 RECOMMENDATIONS 
On the basis of the findings in the srudy. some recommendations are offered 
below wtuch II is boped will go I long wa)' in shaping the readliJi habits of the 
university swdenlS in particular and the Ghanaian reading publIC at large. 
The findings Indicale thai. fathers ' educational background positively 
influenceschiktrcn's reading habits . As suchlhere is the nced for tbe parenu to have 
good educauon . The preseru srudy depicted a high Illiteracy rate amoog mothers in 
particl1lar. For a short-term meuure. adult education programJlltS abould be 
incensiftcd under the luspices of District Assemblies with specIAl emphaslS on fema le 
adu1ls. In order 10 achieve more permanent resultS, vanous DlStricl Assemblies 
should paM I bye· law thaI will make " mandatory for every pareoc 10 NUCIlC the 
chlld II least up to Junior Sccom1aty School The i.mp1emeuatioa of tbe: IOvernmeu', 
proposed Universal Basic Compuliory Educ&llon to the country would be in the riabI 
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Tbe research also eslablisbed WI libraries can induce favourable reading 
habill . However, a large number of the sample of the sNdy had 00 pYblic libraries in 
their 1000Dti of resideoce. The provIsion of libraries is a sood suppiemeOl to any 
meanlOlful education progranune; thus the need for lim: sl~tion 10 be addre5sed . II 
iI lbtrefore recommended tbat the Dlstrict Assembhes should prioriti&e provision of 
conunuruly libranes to caler for the information and other reading needs of the 
commumues. These libraries will not only develop services that will meeliocal needs 
of the people but also induce more community involvement This measure will 
besides deV'doping aD infonncd and enlightened cilizenry, Ilso IUgmenl lbeir readme 
behaviour Individuals are also encoura~ed to develop small hbraries in the homes 10 
promote favourable reading habits which is lhe prerequisite for the family's 
Imc:Uec:tuaI and emotional developmem _ Schools a. all levels should coasider lIle 
proVision of functional libraries as their priority . In this sYMematic way, readin,a: will 
e\"cmually become one aspect of the SOCiety's way of life 
The research also unearthed some shamall! in the School of AdminiatraliOD 
library IlOCk. II is recommended that the librarian should examine the stock: critically 
IUd identify the subject areas that are deficient and replenish them accordingly . In 
View of regular CUls in library funds, il is recommended mat the librarian of SOA 
library vigorously exploit lhe benevo1eoce of donor aSCQCIa such as die Ghana Book 
Trust to save the siculbon. The SOA library sbould also intensify its user educatioo 
programme 10 enable 1lUdera.s use the library effectively. Also, aerious consideration 
sbouJd be given to the automation of the SOA library to facililate morc accurate and 
extensive services 10 UIen . ADDIber area of concern revealed by lhe rescartb is lIct 
of reading space 1ft We SOA libraC)-· 10 me sbon·cenn mon: boob sboukI be 
purcbascd in cmIcr ......i nIroduce lending facility, "' I. ... for........,.. rudina, since 
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almoII all tbelr reading materials for varIOUS COW'SC$ within (he discipline are 
coafined to the SOA library. However. the aulhocities should expedite action in 
deveklpmg anextensiooat lhe Gl1Iduate Block of the Scbool forgradUlIC srudents and 
faculry . Tbcse wdl facilitate access to reading materials and thus encourage readq. 
Wilh regard 10 the concern expressed about crowding in students' rooms, iI is 
reconunendcd thai a way should be found to reduce the oomber of stUdeols per room . 
The more SYSlel1latic solution is to budd more donnitories as srudenl intake mcruses 
Considering me regular em in aovenunent funding of the University, it is 
reconnended thai the University authorities shoukl expedite action in inviting 
private estate developers to slep in by offering them Umverslty land for the purpose. 
1be solution to this accommodation problem on campus would help create a more 
conducive eovirorwnenl in the swdents dom\itortes to enhance favourabLe readiDJ: 
habits. 
It is also recommended that students should be encouraged to fonn reading 
clubs on the University campus. TIus activity should be stimulated by organising 
rqu1ar workshops on reading habits Lectures al such workshops should be made 
public through Radio, TeLevision and Newspapers . This exercise should not be 
confined (Q the Universi(y campus, but should be hosted in schools aDd c:ornIMU1ity 
libraries . This campaign would help educate the public on how reading can enable 
them Improve upon their way of life 
A way shook! also be found to produce reading materials at a cheaper c~ so 
lhal boot prices can be low enough to meet the pocket'i of mosl Ghanaian familie5 
Local publisher!. can acbieve this aim by using cheap materials in pnntina ccnain 
caIegoryofbookstl:w~meantfortbellTgerreadlngpublic;espcciallyllw:youtb. 
Abo die lovmuncnt sbould create incenllves by way of subsidisq tbt pubhshina 
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COSts of local authors. This measure I:'> likely to make more books available at 1 
atrordable prices and can create readlIlg astc among the public . 
Finally. it is suggested that once the University Bookshop is one of the: 
distributing agencies of reading materials besides me libraries on campus. iu stock 
should reflect the reading needs of the University community ; and students in 
",articular 
In sum, good reading habits promote a sound intellectual and emotional 
development of lhe individual which eventually enhance the total development of the 
nation. 
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OUESTIONNAIRE 
This questionnaire is part of a )rudy bemg I,;ond~red ~ fLDd out the readl~ 
=~~~~~;~ra=~!'er~ ~r~~ ~==.; ~:::~) 
whererequirtd . 
Please llmwet aU questions and return lhe queslJonnauc: form as early as 
possible . lnformation provided will be treated as confldenllal 
SECTION A: SOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS 
a) Sex Mil F lib) Age .. 
c) Nationality 
d) Course of study 
e) Level 20011 300 (1400 (I 
Please tick oae of the following thatbesl describe5 the educationaJ background 
of your (ather 
I. No formal education 
2 Elemetury School 
3. SecondarylCommercialeu: 
4. Post Secondary 
S University 
b) What is your fathtr's occupation? 
a) Please tick one of the following that bcM dl'~nhC'l> the educational 
ba~kgrouod of your mother 
1. No forrnal education 
2. Elemenwy School 
3 Secondary/Commen:iaJ <f< . 
4 Post Seeonduy 
S. University 
bl Whalisyourrnother'soccupation? . 
ls tberc:a library in your bome? Yes (I No t I 
bthcreapubhc library intberown wheTeyoo live? 
Veo 1 I No ( 1 
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SECTION B: READING HABITS 
a) Do you read ouuide your nonnal subject areu" Yes I I No ( I 
b) [{yes, what type of books area( Interest (oyou1 
Storybooks 
Textbooks 
Otberspeclfy . 
C) lfno. why don't you read? 
Nareason 
I spend most of my tlmc With fr~nds 
My room IS too crowded 
I often feel tired aftercoursework 
I have no lmerest mreading 
a) How do you obtain your reading material" Please tick. as many u 
apphcabte 
From library 
~hop 
Frieod~ 
b) Do you find it dlff"ult 10 obtain your reading materia1? 
Yes (J No( ( 
c) ((yes. specify your source ofdifftCulllt:~ 
Why do you read? Tick as many as apphcablc 
I . Forpleasure/lelsure/reJaxauon 
2 Forinfomwion 
3 for knowledge (srudM=s) 
4 Odler.pecify. 
How many textbooks on your course have you bought lllls academic year? 
None 
One 
t"", 
Three 
Four or morc 
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How many non-lextbooks have you bought this academic year? 
None 
One 
Two 
Three 
FOUI or more 
1. a) How often do you read for pleasure? 
t Not aE aU 
2. Once a month 
3. Fonnighdy 
4. Weekly 
5. Daily 
b) What types of materials do you read'? .. 
c) Please state your favourate author(s) ... . 
Do you use a dictionary when you read for pleasure'? 
Yes[ I No[ I 
9. How can the reading habits of sNdents be improved? Tick as many as 
applicable 
I. Workshop to impress upon_. ... toculti..., readlngbabils 
2. Book Booksbop on campus 
3. Prices of books should be moderate 
4. Reading club, sbouId be organised 
5. Decongestion in studeoIs' room 
SECTION C: USE OF SCHOOL LIBRARY 
a) WbatisyourviewontbequaiityorbooksandOlberreadlnglllllOrilla 
in tbeScbool of Aclministtation library? 
1. NotGoncl 
2. FairlyGoncl 
3. Good 
4. VayGoocl 
5 I!xoeIlcat 
b) 
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U-n..i.v-.e..r sit.y. .o f Gh.a..n a http://uPegvse plaacte1. ug.edu.ghCOl_ .00 Row I .2 3 Tatel 1 
18,5 
7 •
··
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University of Ghana http://ugspace.ug.edu.gh
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