Reading Habits and Preferences among Students in a Malaysian Public University: Exploring Opportunities for Developing Global Citizenship Dispositions

Abstract

This study explores how voluntary narrative engagement, which refers to reading beyond academic requirements is influenced by disciplinary background, academic seniority, and reading frequency, and how these inclinations can potentially be harnessed to shape Malaysian university students' dispositions toward Global Citizenship Education (GCE). Despite the systematic integration of GCE frameworks in Malaysia, research indicates a “stagnation point” where higher education students demonstrate only moderate global citizenship awareness. Survey data (n=200) cross-tabulated with qualitative student accounts revealed that while voluntary reading frequency is lower among senior level students, an underlying interest in global themes is still present. Findings also demonstrated that disciplinary identity had a role in determining how students preferred to engage with complex sociopolitical issues. For instance, Arts and Humanities cohorts exhibited strong preferences for long-form prose (novels) and visual media (documentaries) to deconstruct human narratives, whereas Science and Engineering, and Social Science students favored discursive, pragmatic, and highly interactive pedagogical formats such as group discussions and peer exchange. Furthermore, qualitative analysis uncovered that narrative engagement could serve as a safe, non-threatening mechanism for students to practice perspective-taking, allowing them to navigate topic of "difficult differences" such as systemic inequality and historical prejudice without the perceived risks of overt political activism. Finally, students tend not to prefer engaging with traditional, lecture-based dissemination and formal research tasks in GCE. To nurture greater interest in this area, university teachers may need to consider students’ disciplinary backgrounds and preferred teaching and learning activities as they strive to shape dispositions towards global citizenship.