How Reading Can Benefit Our Knowledge Education Essay

Proverb says reading is warehouse of knowledge. By reading we can get a number of knowledge and information that is being developed or have evolved though. Anyway, all is never separated from the act of reading. In particular, the student or students for these jobs require them to read. That is read, read, and continue readings. As a hunter of science, the book is a major source of knowledge for them. Hence, reading something that is very important in our lives if we want to succeed in life.

There are lots of understanding about the reading by some of the figures. Among Klein, ddk (in Faridah Rahim, 2005: 3) that make the definition of reading includes: first, reading is a process. The point is the information from the text and the knowledge possessed by the reader has a key role in the form of questions. According to Harris and Sipay (1980) described the process of reading as a process for the interpretation of the meaning of the symbols printed or written. In addition, Kenedy (1981) also defines reading as the ability to detect a visual form (graphic symbols that represent the language and the writing or words), connecting it with the form of sound or meaning of the note and then based on past experience, understand and interpret its meaning. For Mohairaini Yusoff (1989), has concluded the process of reading as a complex treatment and cannot be observed. Only two components of the agreed key skills inherent in the reading skills of skills to recognize and condemn the words and the skills to understand what is read. Reading is something that should be in our lives as human beings as long as we live on this God’s earth. Reading is the roots strength of an individual, but of a nation and a country. Without someone to read that there would be no knowledge or experience, without the knowledge and experience of how someone is able to govern or to lead a country and family. Therefore, reading is something very important in life if we want to succeed.

In addition, reading is a science which is important to us. Many forms of knowledge can be gained by reading habits, but the reading can improve a person thinking and enhance their skills or expertise in any field of endeavor. Reading also benefited as the reading we can fill the free time and with these we will not waste time with things that are not useful as is happening now is like illegal racing activity, loitering, and so forth. In fact, reading can calm the mind and reduce the burden and to read, we can disseminate the knowledge gained from reading to others. Now we can also read and heard through the mass media in our country Malaysia, the ministry tried to set up various programs to encourage people to read because we are Malaysian government is aware that people are not reading less knowledgeable, and this will affect the performance of our country. Among the programs are held at each school talks about the importance of reading to enhance knowledge, sales day books, NILAM program at the school, the program’s readers and many programs have been organized. This program is held by the ministry in collaboration with the NATIONAL LIBRARY OF MALAYSIA and also the school.

From here we can see the importance of reading to the individual, especially the students and students of higher education. To get a good future they must have a high knowledge and to get the high knowledge they must reading and have reading habits inside them. They must think reading is not just to fulfill their field in their study but they must think reading is to make a knowledge that is really treasure for them.

Here we will know the higher education student skill in reading. This means that how they read, for what they read and how they interpret their reading into study or their works. Beside that we also can know the important of reading for the higher education student. How the faculties keep their student in reading habits and what programs that already being handled to keep the student reading.

ORGANIZATION BACKGROUND

The research of mine will be conducted in Universiti Teknologi MARA, Campus Puncak Perdana, Shah Alam. My research scope will be among student of Faculty Information Management (FPM). UITM was establishing on 14 October 1967 by Tun Abdul Razak and by the mid-70s, but at that time the campus was already in full operation. Now UITM have 26 campuses. It is including UITM Campus Puncak Perdana. Campus Puncak Perdana was establish in the year of 2005.There are 3 Faculty in this campus, it is Faculty Information Management, Faculty Account, and Faculty Technology Creative and Artistic.

Faculty of Information Management, UiTM, takes pride in being the pioneer in providing professional education to fulfill the manpower need of the country in three very important fields, namely: Information Management, Library Management, and Records Management. Our academic programmes, supplemented by industry attachments, equip graduates with knowledge and skills to take on the challenging demands of managing information in various forms and in various types of organizations. Our graduates become the main driving force for the development of a knowledge-based society, transforming Malaysia into a developed nation, ensuring that the country’s rich reservoirs of knowledge are systematically organized, maintained and enhanced for optimum value. To achieve this aim, the programmes consist of the blended components from four main areas: Information Technologies, Professional and Technical Aspects of Information and Records Management, Public Relations, and Users’ Needs and Services.

To achieve the goal of the Information Management Faculty, the student must active reading and they must have the skill to manage their reading, information, knowledge, information literacy, become the information proficiency and many more. The student must have good reading habits to become the skilled persons. Having good reading habits will make them professional in this field. The students also know how to handle the information from overload because they have skills because of their habits in reading. Although, Faculty of Information Management produces good workers on manage the information and they also produce the librarian. So, here they need to produce a program to increase the reading habits among students. Before they can conduct program, they must have the reading habit. From this they can conduct and handle student and people to have reading habits and they can give their experience on reading habits.

PROBLEM STATEMENT

Reading habits is very important to students especially student in higher education. They need to read more than other people. This is because students have to read to broaden their knowledge. Not to read just for school assignments, but read to give them knowledge. With this knowledge, they can complete their tasks quickly and have knowledge of their contents. In addition, reading can also prepare students to stand up and speak in front of the class, especially in the presentation works. Without reading difficult for them to speak fluently to describe the contents of their hard work and also to answer questions raised by colleagues and lecturers. Therefore, we have the knowledge to read high.

However, the students reading is just to finish their assignment not for keep their knowledge. They think that finish their assignment is more important than reading for knowledge. This can give impact to the students and also to the faculty. This is because the faculty of Information Management wants to produce the workers that have a quality and having knowledge in manages information, without reading is it hard to produce this kind of workers. After the student finish their studies, they will go for works, if they not works as what the employer want this can give impact for Faculty. Employer would dispute the ability faculty in produce are capable students in the world of works. In this field of studies, need the student read more than often because from reading student will know about the management of information and what they need to do.

The first problem in this area is lack awareness about the important of reading. Reading habits can give them more knowledge not only in studies but also knowledge about worlds.

The second problem is students are always narrowed in reading minds. They can only be read if asked or to complete their assignment. In fact, they prefer to read scientific material about such gossip.

The third problem is the limited collection materials in the library and the lack of Internet services. When there are limited collections of materials in the library so students refer to not go to library and also they will read this limited collection and this will occur problem on student reading habits. Lack of using the internet or browsing internet the student will get not enough information and they will get limited information and this will make they have a limited knowledge.

The forth problem is student easy to feel bored in reading especially read books and article without any picture. They refer to read the visual form of reading materials. This kind of reading concept would not make the student feel bored easily. Besides that, visual material of reading will help the student to faster remember their readings.

RESEARCH OBJECTIVES

The objectives of this study are as follows:

To investigate the student awareness about the important of reading.

To investigate frequency of student go to library.

To investigate the materials of the student often to read and borrowed from library.

To investigate the using of the internet by student; is that they use the internet to learn, reading or something else.

To investigate is there any program being handle at the faculty to attract the student to go library and read; is it the student attend the program.

RESEARCH QUESTION

The research questions of this study are as follow:

What is the purpose of reading for student?

What is the frequency of the student come to library?

How often the student come to reading program handle by the faculty and library?

How much the materials that student read per day and how many material they borrowed from library?

What the material the student often use to read and study; internet or printed materials?

SCOPE OF THE RESEARCH

The scope of this study is about the reading habits among student of Faculty of Information Management. How important reading habits in order to fulfill the career as a student, need of the student and ths will plays a big rle to produce the quality works and leading to successful academic person. This research is being conduct among student in Faculty of Information Management, Universiti Teknologi MARA, campus Puncak Perdana.

The scope of this study are limited to two main areas, which is the contents of the study that is base on the title and the location of the study which is I have chose in Faculty of Information Management Campus Puncak Perdana, UITM, Shah Alam.

The study of this research covers several elements. The elements are how often student go to library to make a reading for them self, how much materials they read per day, what kind material they read, and their ability in reading.

The respondents for this study comprises of the students in Faculty Information Management and in this faculty there are four courses, IM220 (Library Science Management), IM221 (Information Systems Management), IM222 (Records Management), and IM223 (Resource Centers Management). This faculty located at University Teknologi MARA, Campus Puncak Perdana, Seksyen U10, Shah Alam.

CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

Independent Variable Dependent Variable

Reading Skill Reading Habits

Material

Library services

Reading Habits Program

FIGURE 1: THE CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

RELATIONSHIP INDEPENDENT VARIABLES AND DEPENDENT VARIABLES

The conceptual framework indicates the relationship which consists of the dependent and independent variables. The framework denotes the four variables which causes to single variable which were affected by the independent variable.

Reading habits is dependent variable, variance in which to be explained by the four independent variables which are reading skill, materials, library services, and reading habits programs.

The independent variables in this case are reading habits skills, materials, library services, and reading habit programs. Thus, it is very important of the reading habits in produce the good future and ability in works, also can make a higher knowledge.

On the other hand, the dependent variable is the reading habits. It can be seen clearly that the independent variables have influenced the dependent variable. This research indicate and elaborate clearly that the reading skill, materials, library services and reading habit programs in student life as an independent variables that will affect and support the student life, works and student futures by having the reading habits among themselves as a dependent variables.

OPERATIONAL DEFINITION

Reading Habits

According to North Regional Education Laboratory, definition of reading is, for many years, three basic definitions of reading have driven literacy programs in the United States (Foertsch, 1998). According to the first definition, learning to read means learning to pronounce words. According to the second definition, learning to read means learning to identify words and get their meaning. According to the third definition, learning to read means learning to bring meaning to a text in order to get meaning from it.

But, according to the free dictionary, reading is the act or activity of one that reads.

The definition of habits according to dictionary.com is, habits are an acquired behavior pattern regularly followed until it has become almost involuntary: the habit of looking both ways before crossing the street. Habits also can be define as a particular practice, custom, or usage, a dominant or regular disposition or tendency; prevailing character or quality.

From both definition we can understand that reading habits is the act or activity of one that reads acquired behavior pattern as regularly followed until it has become almost involuntary.