734 Vol 14, Issue 01, (2025) E-ISSN: 2226-6348 Investigating Online Reading Habits and Attitudes among ESL Tertiary Students Noriah Ismail, Suhaidi Elias @ Alias, Deepak Singh Ratan Singh, Rafiaah Abu, Wan Nor Hafidzah Wan Mohd, Zarina Razlan, Che Khalilah Mahmood Universiti Teknologi MARA Cawangan Johor Kampus Segamat, 85000, Johor Malaysia Email: noriah135@uitm.edu.my, suhaidi27@uitm.edu.my, deepa205@uitm.edu.my, rafiaa844@uitm.edu.my, wanno995@uitm.edu.my, zarina1260@uitm.edu.my, chekh121@uitm.edu.my To Link this Article: http://dx.doi.org/10.6007/IJARPED/v14-i1/24599 DOI:10.6007/IJARPED/v14-i1/24599 Published Online: 27 January 2025 Abstract Online reading has become increasingly important in the digital age, transforming how people access and engage with information. Moreover, online reading can significantly improve students' reading habits and attitudes by providing a more accessible, engaging, and interactive experience. The study investigates online reading habits and attitudes among ESL students from a local university in Malaysia. This research is a descriptive study in which the sample students were chosen by a purposive sampling. The population of the study is 115 undergraduate students taking an ESL language course. A 4-point Likert scale survey was used as the method for collecting the data. The survey consists of two main parts; the first relates to students' online reading habits and the second on their online reading attitudes. The major findings reveal that the tertiary students have a favorable attitude towards online reading. They find online reading to be more engaging than traditional print reading. Moreover, they frequently read educational materials online for their studies, use online reading tools to enhance their reading experience and believe that online reading improves their critical and analytical thinking as well as academic performance. Keywords: Students’ Online Reading Habits, Students’ Online Reading Attitude, ESL Tertiary Students’ Online Reading Preferences, Critical thinking, Analytical thinking, Online Versus Traditional Reading, Online Reading Materials Introduction As digital technology continues to advance, online reading is poised to play an even more central role in education, professional development, and lifelong learning, making it an essential skill for success in the modern world. The shift towards online learning including online reading, driven by technological advancements and the widespread availability of digital content, has transformed how students engage with texts (Ismail et al, 2021). However,