MODERN FICTION AS FACTOR OF STUDENTS’ READING CULTURE DEVELOPMENT

Abstract

Nowadays there is an urgent need for the formation of students’ reading culture in a modern university. It is necessary to enhance the educational value of a book in students, who are losing their interest in reading. Fiction is gradually becoming less popular among youth (as compared to cinema and music, it ranks third). This was confirmed by the results of the research conducted in 2012 and in 2016 at the Pedagogical Institute of Vasyl Stefanyk Precarpathian National University (PNU) and Pedagogical Faculty of Mukachevo State University (MSU). 78 students (majoring in Primary Education) and 30 students (majoring in Social Pedagogy) at PNU and 96 students at MSU were involved in the research. Most of the students were females. Applying such methods as questionnaires, conversations, interviewing and observations, we studied the place of fiction in the system of students’ inquiries, its role in education, as well as students’ knowledge of educational fiction. The whole complex of the methods used ensured the reliability of the research results and confirmed that students’ reading culture is an integral part of the job profile diagram of a qualified teacher/educator. The level of students’ reading culture may be enhanced in the case of implementing a specially organised system of teacher education. This system should enable students to acquire an awareness of the works by modern writers; introduce popular fiction books into students’ extracurricular activity. In our opinion, student involvement in literary societies and research centres of modern literature may facilitate the formation of literary interests among future teachers.