Reading habits of university students in Slovenia : challenges and the future of reading culture

Kovač, Miha (author), Kovač Šebart, Mojca (author), Mažgon, Jasna (author)

The article explores the reading habits of Slovenian university students in teacher education and library science programs, comparing data from two cohorts (2017/18 versus 2024/25). Despite being future educa-tors, around 16% of these students reported not having read a single book in the past year. While a slight increase in reading frequency and English-language reading was observed over the seven-year period, the shift toward less demanding genre fiction raises concerns. Students now predominantly read lighter, popular titles, with significantly fewer individuals engaging in complex literary texts. This shift has cognitive implications: studies indicate that the reading of complex literature enhances abstract thinking and attributional complexity, which are traits of high importance for educators. The rise in English-language reading – though intellectually beneficial – may also reduce exposure to syntactically complex Slovenian texts, potentially weakening native language competence. The findings suggest a troubling disconnection between the reading behaviours expected of educators and their actual practices. As reading complexity strongly correlates with critical thinking, the lack of engagement with demanding texts may hinder the cognitive development of students and their future pedagogical effectiveness. The article concludes by emphasizing the need for higher academic standards and stronger encouragement of deep reading within teacher education programs.

• Language: English
• Keywords: reading habits, teacher education, literary complexity, attributional complexity, reading literacy, Slovenia
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FF - Faculty of Arts
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Publication date: 27.01.2026
• Year: 2025
• Number of pages: Str. 227-245
• Numbering: Vol. 85
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-178672
• UDC: 378
• ISSN on article: 2345-0053
• DOI: 10.15388/Knygotyra.2025.85.7
• COBISS.SI-ID: 266605315
• Publication date in RUL: 29.01.2026

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Knygotyra : Book science
• Shortened title: Knygotyra
• Publisher: Vilniaus universitetas
• ISSN: 2345-0053
• COBISS.SI-ID: 55207778

Licences

• License: CC BY-NC 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
• Description: A creative commons license that bans commercial use, but the users don’t have to license their derivative works on the same terms.

Secondary language

• Language: Lithuanian
• Keywords: bralne navade, izobraževanje učiteljev, literarna kompleksnost, atribucijska kompleksnost, bralna pismenost, Slovenija

Projects

• Funder: ARIS - Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency
• Project number: P5-0174-2022
• Name: Pedagoško-andragoške raziskave - Učenje in izobraževanje za kakovostno življenje v skupnosti

• Funder: ARIS - Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency
• Project number: P5-0361-2017
• Name: Modeliranje bibliografskih informacijskih sistemov