Academic Reading Engagement and Associated Challenges among Second-Year Social Science and Humanities Undergraduate Students at the University of Gondar, Ethiopia

Abstract

Academic reading engagement is a fundamental determinant of success in higher education. This study investigates the status of academic reading engagement and its related challenges among Ethiopian higher education, second-year undergraduate students. To address this goal the researchers employed a descriptive cross-sectional survey study design; a total of 200 students were also participated by a census sampling, with a response rate of 91.3%. Data were also collected through closed ended questionnaires and following the assumptions check, the collected data were analyzedusing descriptive statistics and the Friedman Test via IBM SPSS version 27. The findings reveal that overall academic reading engagement was relatively moderate (M = 2.98/4.00). Among the academic reading engagement dimensions, cognitive engagement reported as the most frequent (Mean Rank = 2.13), whereas social engagement was the least frequent (Mean Rank = 1.86). This difference was statistically significant, χ² (2) = 8.09, p = .018. Regarding perceived challenges, Emotional (Mean Rank = 2.73) and behavioral challenges (Mean Rank = 2.70) were significantly impactful than social barriers (Mean Rank = 2.05), χ² (3) = 39.01, p < .001. Based of the findings, the study concludes that students prioritize an independent academic reading engagement style. This lack of social interactionshows that collaborative reading is neither an established practice nor widely recognized as a viable strategy among students. Accordingly, the researchers suggested practical recommendations for instructors, university administrators, students, and researchers aimed to enhance a more integrated and resilient academic reading culture in the context of tertiary education.