The research of the relationship between high school students reading habits and attitudes towards reading and academic achievements in science, mathematics: Izmir-Buca district sample

This research aims to determine the relationship between high school students? reading habits, attitude towards reading and academic achievements in science and mathematics. The research sample consists of 525 students selected from 10 high schools situated in district Buca, in İzmir, through stratified random sampling.Descriptive study method was applied in this research. Some of the findings of the study: Forty percent of the students were determined to have been found within the range of a reader with less frequently reading habit. The number of books read in a year except school requirements shows significant differences which are in favour of female students according to gender.There is a positive but an avarage correlation between the number of the books read in a year except school requirements by the students and the time dedicated to reading; there is a low and negative correlation between the number of the books read in a year except school requirements and the time dedicateted to watching television. It was detected that most of the high school students have high attitudes towards reading; their reading attitude scores show a significant difference with regard to genders and weighted lessons.there is a positive but an avarage correlation between students? attitudes towards reading and the time dedicated to reading and the number of books read in a year; but a negative and low correlation with the time dedicated to computer/internet and monthly family income. There was no correlation with success in mathematics and physics lessons and attitudes towards reading. There was positive and low correlation with the success of chemistry and ?habit and overcome the fact? subscales but not ?all the scale, benefit and devotion? subscales. Low and positive correlations were found with biology achievement and attitude towards reading all the scale and subscales. It was found that there were meaningful, positive and low correlations with mathematics, physics, chemistry and biology achievement and the number of books owned. Additionally there were positive, low and significant correlations with chemistry and biology achievement and the number of the books read in a year. Moreover chemistry and biology achievement show a significant difference in favor of those who read a variety of publications. Key Words: Reading habits, reading attitudes, achievement in science and mathematics.