A Study on Reading Culture of Students in Birjand City

Amount of study is of utmost importance in the communities because it is considered one of the most important indicators of development. So investigating the factors and components affecting the amount of study have been noticed by researchers in the field. Hence, one of the factors affecting the amount of study is the reading culture. This research was designed to investigate the reading culture of students in Birjand city in terms of gender, parental education and place of residence. This study is a descriptive survey. The statistical population consisted of all male and female students in fifth and sixth grades of Birjand city in academic year of 92-93 which a total of 300 subjects were selected and evaluated as sample from among them based on Morgan table and by random cluster sampling,. The tool used in this study was a researcher-developed questionnaire of reading culture. For data analysis, the independent T-test and variance analysis were used. The results showed that a significant difference was observed in the study of reading culture in terms of gender in aspect of norm, male students compared to female students, were at a higher level. In terms of parental education in aspects of norm and family, statistically significant difference was observed, students with parents with higher education, had higher levels of reading culture. In terms of location in aspect of value a significant difference was observed. Value to reading component was valued at a higher level by downtown students compared to uptown students. According to the results in the study of reading culture by gender, paying attention to the girls’ reading culture is necessary. Also according to the results of the study on the role of parental education in students reading culture, it seems essential to pay attention and hold workshops for this purpose.