Reading Interest in a Digital Age

Abstract

The present study examines the dimensions of reading interest that may predict undergraduate students’ reading behaviors in this digital age. The a priori framework in conceptualizing the sub-components of reading interest is based on two modes of reading (printed-text based and Internet-based), two purposes of reading (academic and recreational), and three types of psycho-behavioral motives/intentions of reading (affective, cognitive, and behavioral). Participants in this study were students (M = 20.14 years old) from an Indonesian university (n = 993). Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses showed the salience of 15 factors across reading modes, purposes of reading, and psycho-behavioral domains of reading. It was shown that the primary source of the 15 factors was interpreted as psycho-behavior dimensions rather than reading modes or purposes of reading. Analyses of variance confirmed that student interest in reading differs mostly by university year level, study major, and self-expected education. The most acceptable SEM models that explore the relationships among the sub-components of reading interest had the student reading interest in the print mode related to interest in reading online, and interest in recreational reading is linked to the development of academic reading. Four distinct groups that characterized student pattern of reading interest were identified with latent profile analysis. Implications of these findings are discussed for theory development and practice.