Scientific readings at university: Analysis from the materials used

Abstract

Reading is an important indicator of the academic achievement, especially at university, where there is a tendency to use scientific texts as curricular material. The purpose of this study was to analyse the reading of scientific texts and its relation to sociodemographic and reading habit variables among university students. The sample size was composed of 277 university students (20.7% male; 79.3% female) who completed an ad hoc questionnaire, validated by the interjudge reliability. The results highlight that females read more journals than males; there was a positive correlation between age and academic level with articles, books and manuals and between the reading by pleasure and the reading of articles. Articles, books and manuals had a positive relationship with lessons acquired from reading, while journals correlated with a decrease of imagination. A further promotion of reading from formal education (compulsory and university) was observed.