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What motivates undergraduate students to read beyond their lecture notes?

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Title: What motivates undergraduate students to read beyond their lecture notes?
Authors: Mkimbili, Selina (AUTHOR), Amani, Jaquiline (AUTHOR), Kalolo, John (AUTHOR), John, Philpo (AUTHOR)
Source: Studies in Higher Education. Jan2026, Vol. 51 Issue 1, p88-99. 12p.
Subjects: Reading motivation, Reading, Notetaking, Higher education, Thematic analysis, Academic achievement, Undergraduates
Geographic Terms: Tanzania
Abstract: Reading is one of the essential skills for a human's social life and economic development. Previous studies have revealed that some students in higher learning institutions rarely read beyond their lecture notes. They rely heavily on detailed PowerPoint slides that are likely to appear on tests or study guides available just a few days before examinations. This study investigated the motives for undergraduate students in Tanzania to read beyond their lecture notes, providing recommendations to promote a reading culture among students in higher learning institutions in a context where many students are averse to such a tradition. Forty-two participants from three higher learning institutions in Tanzania participated in the study: 36 students in focused group discussions and six others in in-depth interviews. The data subjected to inductive thematic analysis revealed factors that motivated the students' reading culture, include the desire to attain competencies in the subject areas, pursuing personal goals, zeal for excellence and attaining self-confidence. Other motivations to reading beyond notes included fear of failing in the examinations, availability of resources and the instructors' guidelines. Both internal and external factors accounted for the reading motivation. The study provides practical and policy recommendations to promote reading culture among students in higher learning institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Studies in Higher Education is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection
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  Data: What motivates undergraduate students to read beyond their lecture notes?
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Mkimbili%2C+Selina%22">Mkimbili, Selina</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Amani%2C+Jaquiline%22">Amani, Jaquiline</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Kalolo%2C+John%22">Kalolo, John</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22John%2C+Philpo%22">John, Philpo</searchLink> (AUTHOR)
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Studies+in+Higher+Education%22">Studies in Higher Education</searchLink>. Jan2026, Vol. 51 Issue 1, p88-99. 12p.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Reading+motivation%22">Reading motivation</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Reading%22">Reading</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Notetaking%22">Notetaking</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Higher+education%22">Higher education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Thematic+analysis%22">Thematic analysis</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Academic+achievement%22">Academic achievement</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Undergraduates%22">Undergraduates</searchLink>
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Tanzania%22">Tanzania</searchLink>
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  Data: Reading is one of the essential skills for a human's social life and economic development. Previous studies have revealed that some students in higher learning institutions rarely read beyond their lecture notes. They rely heavily on detailed PowerPoint slides that are likely to appear on tests or study guides available just a few days before examinations. This study investigated the motives for undergraduate students in Tanzania to read beyond their lecture notes, providing recommendations to promote a reading culture among students in higher learning institutions in a context where many students are averse to such a tradition. Forty-two participants from three higher learning institutions in Tanzania participated in the study: 36 students in focused group discussions and six others in in-depth interviews. The data subjected to inductive thematic analysis revealed factors that motivated the students' reading culture, include the desire to attain competencies in the subject areas, pursuing personal goals, zeal for excellence and attaining self-confidence. Other motivations to reading beyond notes included fear of failing in the examinations, availability of resources and the instructors' guidelines. Both internal and external factors accounted for the reading motivation. The study provides practical and policy recommendations to promote reading culture among students in higher learning institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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  Data: <i>Copyright of Studies in Higher Education is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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      – Type: doi
        Value: 10.1080/03075079.2025.2456603
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      – Code: eng
        Text: English
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        PageCount: 12
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      – SubjectFull: Reading
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      – SubjectFull: Notetaking
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      – SubjectFull: Higher education
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      – SubjectFull: Thematic analysis
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      – SubjectFull: Academic achievement
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      – SubjectFull: Undergraduates
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      – SubjectFull: Tanzania
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            NameFull: Mkimbili, Selina
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              Text: Jan2026
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              Y: 2026
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