Students’ academic reading format preferences in Croatia

Abstract

Purpose This research is a part of an international study about the academic reading format preferences among students. The study aims to determine the preferred format among students considering the study materials used for different academic activities. Design/methodology/approach An online questionnaire was used to collect data from the students of the University of Zagreb. The students were approached through official library websites and were asked to answer 24 questions, out of which 16 were Likert-style statements. Findings The research presumes that students still prefer the print format to electronic, but with a slight variation in their choice when it comes to the purposes of reading and length of text. The results are discussed across various variables, e.g. language, number of pages and studying techniques. The variable of academic major was analysed using a chi-square test to check for possible associations with the students’ responses. Conclusions are made about the students’ general format preferences. Research limitations/implications Not all university libraries agreed to participate in the research. Therefore, the student population sample is not evenly distributed across all academic fields. Future research should aim for a more evenly distributed sample. Originality/value As part of an extensive international study, this research gives comparative results across multi-national student populations. The findings can also be used as the basis for further research on academic reading preferences in and outside Croatia.