Seminar Kebangsaan Pustakawan Malaysia, Melaka, 25-27 Ogos 2013 1 UNDERSTANDING OF READING HABITS AMONG STUDENTS IN ROYAL MILITARY COLLEGE, MALAYSIA 1 Mohamad Azri, A., 2 Mohammad Fazli, B. & 3 Wan Mohd Hafiz, W. H. Lecturers Faculty of Information Management, Universiti Teknologi Mara, 40150, Puncak Perdana, Shah Alam, Selangor, MALAYSIA azri7178@yahoo.com.my ; fazli811@puncakalam.uitm.edu.my ; wanmohd@kedah.uitm.edu.my ABSTRACT Reading is an aspect associated with literacy. However, the reading process is not simple in its nature. It does not merely involve recognizing a single character and pronouncing it correctly or to recognize and pronounce a few characters that are arranged in particular manner, but more importantly it is the ability to understand the meaning of these arrangements. In spite of government initiative to inculcate reading habits, not very much known about how much students read and what they read. This paper is focuses on reading habits and reading interests of students in Royal Military College, Malaysia. The questionnaire was distributed to 75 students who were classified into three groups based on their academic achievement. Data analyses were done using SPSS version 18. The result of the study revealed that students are interested in three main types of materials: newspaper (75 respondents or 25.1%), magazines (74 respondents or 24.7%) and novels (63 respondents or 21.1%). They are preferred current issues, military, sports and health. Most of the students read due to their own interest, followed by having examination and curiosity. Several recommendation and future research on school resource center and services were suggested. Keywords: Reading habits; reading interests; library services; Royal Military College; Malaysia ABSTRAK Membaca merupakan salah satu aspek yang berkaitan dengan literasi. Walau bagaimanapun, proses bacaan tidak semudah sebagaimana yang kita tahu. Ia bukan semata-mata mengenal huruf atau karektor dan menyebut dengan betul sahaja, tetapi yang lebih penting ia adalah keupayaan untuk memahami makna atau maksud bagi setiap pembacaan yang dilakukan. Walaupun terdapat pelbagai inisiatif yang dilakukan oleh kerajaan untuk memupuk tabiat membaca, tetapi tidak diketahui tentang berapa banyak pelajar membaca dan apa yang mereka baca. Kertas ini memberi tumpuan kepada tabiat membaca dan kepentingan membaca pelajar- pelajar di Maktab Tentera Diraja, Malaysia. Soalan kajiselidik diedarkan kepada 75 pelajar yang telah diklasifikasikan kepada tiga kumpulan berdasarkan pencapaian akademik mereka. Analisis data dilakukan dengan menggunakan SPSS versi 18. Hasil kajian menunjukkan bahawa pelajar- pelajar berminat dalam tiga jenis bahan-bahan utama iaitu akhbar (75 responden atau 25.1%), majalah (74 responden atau 24.7%) dan novel (63 responden atau 21.1%). Mereka lebih cenderung kepada isu-isu semasa, ketenteraan, sukan dan kesihatan. Kebanyakan pelajar membaca kerana kepentingan mereka sendiri, diikuti persediaan menghadapi peperiksaan dan rasa ingin tahu. Beberapa cadangan dan kajian masa depan berkenaan perkhidmatan pusat sumber sekolah telah disyorkan. Kata kunci: Tabiat membaca; minat membaca; perkhidmatan perpustakaan; Royal Military College; Malaysia 1. INTRODUCTION Reading is an aspect associated with literacy. However, the reading process is not simple in its nature. It does not merely involve recognizing a single character and pronouncing it correctly or to recognize and pronounce a few characters that are arrange in particular manner, but more importantly it is the ability to understand the meaning of these arrangements. While it is important to encourage a love of reading in reluctant or struggling readers, an effort that has been focus of a