An Exploration of Reading Culture Among Contemporary Students in Institutions of Higher Learning, South Africa

Abstract

Ostensibly, South Africa has long been troubled by a perennial crisis that confounds the achievement of an adept reading culture among their students across all levels of education. This article, therefore, explores reading culture among contemporary students in institutions of higher learning in South Africa. Traditional literature review method was utilised as the study’s methodology. Reviewed articles were accessed from recognised scientific databases such as EBSCOhost, ERIC, Scopus, Science Direct, the Web of Science, Wiley Online Libraries, and Google Scholar. The study established and thematised the following findings: The need for strong advocacy for reading, the enforcement of plagiarism policy, active or direct guidance on using artificial intelligence, and the perfidy of a poor reading culture. This study suggests the following strategies and recommendations as the way forward:  National prioritisation of reading culture as a recreational activity, Offering hybrid reading and writing supervision services to students in Higher Education Institutions, Radical advocacy for a reading culture-friendly meta-universe and Initiating relations with countries possessing a globally rated reading culture.