English Majors' Perceptions of the Effectiveness of English Reading Habifor Academic Achievement and Personal Development

Abstract

"English reading habits have long been regarded as a cornerstone of English-major education, yet their perceived contributions to students’ academic achievement and personal development remain underestudied in the Vietnamese context, especially in relation to program learning outcomes (PLOs). This study, therefore, investigates English majors’ English reading habits and their perceptions of how these habits relate to academic outcomes and personal growth, drawing on the PLOs of the English Studies (high-quality program) at School of Foreign Languages, Can Tho University. A sequential explanatory mixed-methods design was adopted. Quantitative data were collected from 123 junior and senior English majors through a Likert-scale questionnaire aligned with the PLOs. Subsequently, semi-structured interviews with eight volunteers were conducted to clarify and elaborate on the survey patterns. In terms of statistical analysis, quantitative data were analysed using Excel and SPSS, while qualitative data were examined through thematic analysis. The findings indicate that students generally maintained good English reading habits and overall perceived English reading habits as highly beneficial to their academic pursuits. In addition, students report that regular English reading habits are advantageous to personal development. In general, the results suggest that English reading habits should be more explicitly nurtured and integrated into coursework to support both academic achievement and holistic development in English-major programs. The study also offers practical implications for curriculum designers and instructors who have inspirations in centering extensive reading as a means of achieving PLOs."