Trends in aliteracy among secondary school students in Ilesa, Southwest, Nigeria

Abstract

There had been a lot of concern among stakeholders about declining of reading culture among secondary school students in Nigeria. Secondary school students demonstrate different dispositions towards reading, while some are favourably disposed to reading and enjoy it, others do not have interest in reading. Aliteracy describes the lack of interest in reading. This study examined the trends in aliteracy and the implication of gender as well as parental involvement on aliteracy among secondary school students in Ilesa, Southwest, Nigeria. Focus Group Discussion was used to elicit responses from the 25 participants who were identified as aliterates. Content analysis was used to analyse the response of the participants to self-designed questions on aliteracy among the secondary school students. All the participants affirmed that they were aliterates, thus confirming the prevalence of aliteracy among the secondary school students, Findings showed that gender played no significant role in the choice made by the participants to be aliterates. The participants also affirmed that aliteracy could have been contained if their parents had been involved in helping them to develop the love of reading while they were younger. The study recommended identification of aliterates by teachers just as parents were encouraged to support their children in developing reading attitude and behaviour, establishment of functional and well-equipped school libraries with wide range of reading materials and properly staffed by qualified librarians to curb aliteracy among secondary school students.