Senior Project Dr.

Adeel Zaffar
Dr. Adnan Zahid

Hammad M Pai M Ali Nasir Sabahat Zubair

Fall 2016
Contents
Abstract ..................................................................................................................................... 3
Literature Review .................................................................................................................... 4
Research Question ................................................................................................................... 6
Methodology ............................................................................................................................. 6
Qualitative Research ................................................................................................................ 8
Tier 1 -Age 10-13 ................................................................................................................ 10
Routine............................................................................................................................. 10
Motivation ....................................................................................................................... 10
Usage Behavior ............................................................................................................... 12
Differentiating Factors ................................................................................................... 13
Tier 1 - Age 16-18 ............................................................................................................... 14
Routine............................................................................................................................. 14
Motivation ....................................................................................................................... 15
Usage Behavior ............................................................................................................... 16
Differentiation factors ........................................................................................................ 17
Tier 2 - Age 13-15 ............................................................................................................... 18
Routine............................................................................................................................. 18
Motivation ....................................................................................................................... 18
Usage Behavior ............................................................................................................... 20
Differentiation factors .................................................................................................... 21
Tier 3- Age 10-12 ................................................................................................................ 22
Routine............................................................................................................................. 22
Motivation ....................................................................................................................... 22
Usage Behavior ............................................................................................................... 24
Tier 3- Age 16-18 ................................................................................................................ 25
Motivation ....................................................................................................................... 25
Usage Behavior ............................................................................................................... 26
Differentiation Factors ................................................................................................... 27
Conclusion ....................................................................................................................... 27
Quantitative findings ............................................................................................................. 29
Descriptive........................................................................................................................... 29
Factor Analysis ................................................................................................................... 30
Cluster Analysis .................................................................................................................. 34
 Prediction Model ................................................................................................................ 44
Appendix ................................................................................................................................. 48
Focus Group Protocol ........................................................................................................ 48
Questionnaire ....................................................................................................................... 51
Motivation................................................................................................................................ 53
Usage........................................................................................................................................ 56
Activities ................................................................................................................................... 64
Abstract

I was a great thing once. My presence was venerated all over the world, and there was a time
when I was omnipresent. Universities, schools, libraries, homes- you name it. People aspired
to understand me and to learn from me. They sought comfort and knowledge in my every
facet. There was no age limit to my companionship and I was a great means of reflection for
all. Alas, times have changed since then and like the white rhinoceros, I am an endangered
species now. The very places I was revered, I am now shunned. Yet there are still those who
seek me out, try to come my way and still understand me. Who are they?

This paper aims to discover various factors that affect the leisure reading habit of children
across different age groups and income tiers, and after conducting several analysis
techniques, visualize distinct consumer profiles that define categories of readers.

Literature Review
According to a study conducted in by Wilum Knust in 1998, “recent international research
describes a diminishing interest in leisure reading for almost all western countries”. It
measures the independent variable of leisure reading relative to factors such as gender, age,
culture and level of education. Even almost two decades ago, there was a decline in the book
reading population, and that too in developed countries. This article explores several causes
for it: increase in multimedia substitutes, increase in complexity of workplaces (demanding
more time and hours from an average individual compared to 50 years ago). Another study,
also in the context of a more developed country, mirrors this hypothesis; this one however
chose to classify the limited pool of remaining readers into three categories based on leisure
reading materials: books, comic books and newspapers. One can logically assume that if all
of this holds true for the more developed world, then a similar trend can be mapped out in the
context of a developing third world country like Pakistan. Unfortunately, not much research
has been conducted, and that is where this paper aspires to fit in. We hear and assume that
reading habits in children are declining. We want to see whether this holds true in the
Pakistani context, and if it does, then what are the factors affecting this. Existing literature
has done all kinds of experiments and holds many different viewpoints. Sandra Hughes
argues in Leisure reading habits of urban adolescents, that there has actually been an
increase in the number of students who “read for fun”, where magazines were also
categorized as reading material. The author also argues that these reading patterns are
corrigible in certain time periods- fall months like September, October, November see more
students engaging in reading activities whereas summer holidays do not. Another such study,
Psychology for Reading for Pleasure, set the baseline for what we will build upon in our
project. In the entire study, they were
trying to identify factors that affect the
needs and gratifications of a particular
reading segment they had identified
(lucid readers). A model has been built
(Figure 1) which explained motivation
for lucid readers, but it spoke nothing of
classification of readers, which is what
aim of this research is.

One last very relevant article, Leisure

Reading habits of Urban Adolescents,

asked numerous open ended questions

and used basic frequencies to tally the
responses. The primary classifier was
the gender. Open ended questions asked
basic details such as what they like to
read, where they read and where they get their books from. Factors were included to measure
encouragement and activities. The end results of this study were recommendations to
librarians and teachers, emphasizing the importance and inclusion of students‟ preferences.
Research Question
It can be clearly inferred from the abstract and literature review that leisure book reading is
an activity with distinct advantages, therefore having social implications. The classification
of leisure reading is primarily book reading, and not comic books and magazines. That leasds
us to our research question

“What are the factors that affect the leisure reading habits of individuals aged 10-18
years and can they be used to predict to reader profiles?”

Due to time and resource constraints, we will be limiting the scope of our study and focusing
on school-going individuals aged 10 to 18 years. Focusing on this age category will help us
understand why and how students get involved in reading habits, whether it is the result of
parent /teacher‟s encouragement or a matter or of children‟s own interest, and help answer
other such questions.

For our research, we have chosen the city of Lahore, Pakistan. The city is an established
urban hub with a variety of social and economic activities and a large population. This will
provide a base for generalizing studies across other urban centres and can have significant
impact on identifying trends in the children leisure reading.

Methodology
The main aim of this research project is to classify the readers into different categories. Data
will be collected through primary research and the main method of data collection will be
focus groups that will form the basis for designing questionnaires used to carry out the final
survey. Since we are conducting research on those who read for pleasure, we will only survey
those people who read non-academic books.

Due to time and resource constraint, the research will be limited to the city of Lahore. Within
Lahore, surveys will be conducted in different areas to portray representative samples.
Students aged between 10-18years, will be interviewed and then surveyed about their reading
habits. For this purpose, we will visit the different schools in Lahore.
The procedure of identifying factors is as follows:

1. Focus groups conducted with individuals, with the aforementioned age groups, will be
classified into three categories-
a. 10-12 year olds
b. 13-15 year olds
c. 16-18 year olds

Four focus groups were conducted, consisting of minimum of 6 and maximum of 8

students each, along with six individual interviews. This was replicated across all
schools that we have identified for our sample.

2. The factors which were identified were then utilized to design a detailed survey
instrument which served to capture the variability and importance of these respective
factors.

The list of the schools actually represented in our sample is the following:

*Classification of tiers was based on fee structure, which incorporates Socio-Economic class

Tier 1: A large majority of children who go these are not reliant on scholarships and fee
structure is not a crucial factor in choosing a school. These schools are renowned for quality
of education, extra-curricular and have a brand name.

Tier 2: These schools offer good quality of education, and give decent amount of
scholarships to bright students. Fee structure IS a factor, but people value education more and
are willing to pay.

Tier 3: These colleges are towards the lower end of the fee spectrum, and do not go out of
their way to strive for academic excellence.
Qualitative Research
Focus Group # Age Category School Tier No of
Participants
1 10-12 years Learning Upper 8
Alliance, Mall
Road
2 13-16 years APS Boys, Middle and 6
Cantt. Upper Middle
3 17-18 years KGS, Lyceum, Upper 5
Nixor
4 17-18 years LUMS NOP Middle and 6
Lower Middle

From October 2016 to November 2016, focus groups were conducted across Lahore in
different schools/colleges, amongst 3 tiers, with the participants being children aged 10-
18.The objective of this research was to identify what factors directly and indirectly affect the
leisure reading habits of children.

We have analysed the focus groups in detail tier wise, and have identified three major
variables that affect reading habits: Motivation, Usage Behaviour and Daily Activities.

Within each tier, there were three distinct categories of readers that were identified, based on
our qualitative findings: Enthusiasts, occasional readers and non-readers. These
classifications were made on the basis of frequency and timing of reading habits, from what
we understood from our qualitative findings. A brief synopsis is provided in the table below,
but following that is a deep-dive into the qualitative part

Enthusiasts Occasional readers Nonreaders

 Read at least  Enjoy reading, but  No influence from
twice a week do so in spurious siblings/parents
 Generally have a patterns.  Very actively involved
favorite genre,  Measured their in extra-curricular
but will read enjoyment in reading (sports, chess, snooker)
 anything in terms of utility  Very social and
Some element of based on academic extroverted ( especially
creativity excellence etc. in lower middle and
(sketching,  Recommendation middle tier)
instruments, based reading  In the higher tiers, kids
writing, arts and highest for this group like this are forced to
crafts, sports)  Most of them read only and only to
 Heavy influence unwilling to spend do to the limit that is
from own money from absolutely necessary.
parents/siblings lower tier 
 High degree of  As their age
intrinsic increased, they left
motivation the habit of reading
 Ownership/ due to schoolwork
personal (Compared to
attachment to enthusiasts,
hard copy whose workload
 -Consistent did increase, but
preference, but they still
most willing to managed to find
explore other time)
genres.  If they watch the
 Books take movie, they will not
precedence over read book i.e
movies and other unwilling to waste
leisure activities time on BOTH
 Only ONE mediums
enthusiast was  Not much
from a joint involvement with
family, but she extra-curricular
was highly
introverted and
did not interact at
 all with family
 The only ones
who were willing
to spend money
on hardcopy, but
not softcopy
n.b ALL
candidates said
no to spending
money on online
versions

Tier 1 -Age 10-13

Routine
The overall day-to-day routine of these children was similar in nature. From 8 am to 2 pm,
they spent their hours in school and playtime. 3-4 pm was resting time for most, which
corresponded to having lunch and watching television. After that, ALL of the children said
that their parents forced them to read with the "qari sahab"or "qari aunty" for an hour. At a
lower age, parents take the honing of their children's' habits very seriously. They are worried
about their image in society and as a result exercise a great deal of control over their children.
After resting, all children attended academies for further studying.

Right now, it has become a trend to send your children to an academy. Again, because this
particular socio economic class is so worried about society and living up to those norms that
social protocol dictates, a lot of parents fail to see the overbearing burden on their children by
sending them both to 8 hours of school in the morning, and then again to a minimum of 2
hours of academy after that.

Motivation
Out of 8 students, 2 were classified as enthusiasts, 3 as non-readers and 3 as occasional
readers.

Gender
The level of conformity and peer pressure was higher in this age group, and girls were shyer
in a mixed focus group than boys. As posited, the boys were louder and more expressive, for
wishing to stand out and show off in front of their classmates. Out of the four girls, only one
was genuinely answering our questions, whereas three out of the four boys were speaking
comfortably.

Family

Out of eight students, only two students lived in a joint family and both of them were non-
readers. Intuitively, that made sense because they have so many family members around
them, they do not get the solitude required to indulge in reading. Everyone else belonged to
single families, with a smaller number of siblings (maximum 3) and hence a smaller number
of family members. One of the respondents, who lived in joint family with 21 members, said
they simply “had too much noise around them” (Respondent 5, FG1)*. In between the
amount they had to study and the number of people surrounding them in their home, they did
not find enough alone time to sit and read.

Both of the two avid readers came from single families, and had elder siblings who were also
fond of reading, and consequently they played an important part in motivating them to read.
This shows us a certain family “trend”, of smaller individual families that has become a norm
in the higher tier that is directly affecting the reading pattern of children.

Parents for the most part were seen as aspirers, and were very conscious of their children's
schooling and activities, and the need to "be the best" or have children that were "the best"
came out very strongly. One young boy, aged 11(Respondent 3, FG1), said that “my mother
forces me to read half an hour every day or else I will not get to watch television". When
asked, the majority of the respondents mentioned a parent and/or a sibling trying to control
their reading habits. This is done mostly through negative motivation, and these children
abide simply to avoid being punished or have their television/PlayStation time taken away.
This is supported by Kohlberg‟s theory of moral development, where children are more
influenced by negative punishment than by positive punishment.

Intrinsic motivation

Despite our ice breaking session, girls were still more shy and reserved. Within the 8, only
two of the students showed solid reading habit with mostly intrinsic motivation. One was a
girl of age 12(Respondent 5, FG 1) living in a single family, with an elder sister whom she
was close with. According to her, her elder sister had a lot of influence on her, and she saw
her reading habits as expanding her imagination and giving her a means to unleash her
creative energy. When asked what other activities she thinks spark her creativity, she
answered she likes to play the violin and actively participate in swimming lessons.To her,
these were activities she could partake on her own, and the autonomy she enjoyed from them
made all three of these things similarly motivating. The other boy, aged 11 (Respondent 2,
FG1) was another similar case. He said he enjoyed reading books and read every day before
bed.

Extrinsic motivation

Most of the respondents in this age group saw the benefits of reading as very tangible and
extrinsic in nature. Things like how reading would improve their vocabulary increase their
grades, help them in essay writing etc. were some of the answers shared. This was an
interesting finding because one does not expect children aged 10 to be that conscious of essay
writing or English vocabulary. When probed further, one child said that he "had to speak
better than my Aunt's son, Raza"(Respondent 3, FG1). Aunt's son Raza turned out to be the
son of his mother's best friend, who was also of a similar age group going to a rival school.

Usage Behavior
Time/place

Only the two enthusiasts read regularly, and mentioned that they had a specific spot where
they liked to read. Both occasional and non-readers said they are indifferent. Respondent 2
FG1 even went on to say that he cannot read peacefully if he is not in his "zone", whereas
Respondent 5, FG 1 said that she loves reading so much, that she can "read anywhere in the
world", despite having a preference for her bed and her living room couch. This shows us that
even within the category of enthusiasts, there exist preferences which children as young as 11
years old can pick up.

Language

Within this socio economic class, we could observe a very strong post-colonial influence,
English was the chief medium of communication for all these children, both at home and at
school. Only Respondent 5, FG 1 said she had read something in Urdu, and that solely
because when she was younger, her maid used to read the Urdu newspaper. She mentioned
reading "naw nihal". When probed further as to whether anyone else in her household read
Urdu or if she had read anything else, she replied in the negative. This shows us that
accessibility to reading material in different languages is strongly correlated to lifestyle and
language.

Genre

Children this young had no specific genre that they preferred, and majority of them simply
read books that their elder siblings suggested. Common books in science fiction and detective
novels was promoted by their school, so most of them liked books like Harry Potter , Nancy
Drew, Hardy boys, Percy Jackson and Goosebumps.

Differentiating Factors
One of the most important differentiating factors amongst all three tiers is the accessibility to
books, which decreases at lower socio-economic and lower age groups.In the higher tier
accessibility is limited to the books that are popular or in vogue. The knowledge of literature
they have is restricted to a bubble, which has predefined boundaries- that which their parents/
social class defines. This limits their source if acquisition of books.

Reading is considered a form of building status and an image in front of peers. Reading for
mere passion or leisure is not any source of motivation for the vast majority in this class. Out
of the eight respondents, only two enjoyed reading, and because their family setting was
entirely like all the others, we can infer that it was based on their personality.

Children in this tier were very encouraged to spend money on books. They seemed
enthusiastic in channelling their pocket money for books. The respondents in other tiers did
not have that much money at their disposal, and it makes sense because income is an overall
limiting factor for them. Here, we can see a clear gap in the market, because right now in
Pakistan a venture which relies on a regular book scheme, which involves
sharing/renting/exchanging is not prevalent in SCHOOL settings. For kids this age and this
SEC, it would be feasible because they seemed very eager and inclined.

There is a strong correlation between the motivation to read and perception of academic
success for both parents and children. As far as audio books go, there is affordability and the
younger age group is also interested but has very little knowledge. From the focus groups, we
inferred that it could quickly catch up as trend.

Distractions in the forms of digital medium exist as a paradox: because of its ubiquitiousness,
it serves as a distraction and an alternate leisure activity. However, it is also used as a primary
source of information for young readers. The enthusiasts quite often turn to Google to search
for things like book ratings and to discover new books.

In this tier, some semblance of reading pattern exists, but it does not exceed thirty minutes.
This tells us that parents in this tier think of reading as something worthwhile to be included
in a daily routine, as opposed to lower tiers, who encouraged things like praying and reading
religious books

In terms of usage, the household environment is important. Parents like to discuss things with
their children, and reading habit hit high amongst factors that were discussed, along with
study-related things. They go even so far as to read books to their kids, and take interest in
what they are reading. In tiers 2 and 3, parents focus more on other activities like household
chores, or merely pushing their kids to strive more academically.

Parents are relatively considerate of their children's choices, but still try to exercise a degree
of control to really build the habit in (especially at this younger age). In tiers 2 and 3, parents
try to inculcate religious and cultural values. Habits should be "good" despite exactly what
activity is required.

Contrary to intuition, school libraries are not a preferred source access to reading material
because children place a higher value in the book buying experience and because libraries
were perceived as having “outdated” and old books. Respondent 2, FG1, said that “Harry
Potter and the cursed child came out four months ago and our library still does not have it”.

School libraries may not be such a hotspot for reading, but school activities in vacations are
very important for this age group. Schools assign holiday readings and ask children to submit
book reviews, so that the child is bound to read. Parents also ensure that children meet the
requirements by investing extra money into the books their children need.

Activities partaken with siblings involved very less board games and more console gaming
and internet games/browsing, compared to tier 2 whose children were slightly more
physically active.

Tier 1 - Age 16-18

Routine
Respondents‟ weekly routines revolved primarily around their class schedules. There was no
particular trend of going to academies, because most of them came from affluent schools that
gave them guarantees of being well-prepared. This was an interesting observation, because
parents associated a lot with the brand name of the school. At this stage, weekends were
taken up mostly with extracurricular activities, like debating and MUNing. When probed
further, respondents revealed that at this stage they realized that in order to get into the "top
universities" they needed to build their portfolio with more extracurricular activities as well
as decent grades.

As a result, on weekends respondents had minimal interaction with parents and family
members. Travelling was a very common factor that arose for vacation activities, along with
developing skillsets that would set them apart. Abbu (father) comes home late from work, and
ammi (mother) usually sleeps early, so my sister and I just take food to our room"-
(Respondent 6, FG4).

Again, subtle shifts in routines like these affect the daily routines of these young adults and
that deviance in turn motivates them in different ways.

Motivation
Out of six respondents, two were enthusiasts and three were occasional readers. Only one girl
was a complete non-reader.

Family

The habits seen in the younger age group across tier 1 saw a strong influential role of parents
and siblings. As they grew elder, the roles of their parents declined and we saw clear patterns
that cause children (who were avid readers) to continue reading and those who were fond of
reading who left it along the way. According to Alan Miller, personality types and traits play
an important role in the retention of habits picked up in childhood. (Personality Types,
Learning Styles and Educational Goals)

Simply put, the respondents belonging to this tier and age group who used to read when
young and who continued to read were generally extroverted, and creative. They undertook
painting, creative building, arts and crafts, learning languages and other activities like these. 2
out of the 3 avid reader respondents said that they felt these things "improved their
imagination" and solemnly believed that this lead to a better reading experience.

Another common trend was smaller families with a lesser number of siblings, and generally
both parents working.

Extrinsic motivation
Majority of respondents saw extrinsic motivation as a major reason to continue, even the ones
who loved reading just for the sake of it. A possible explanation is that at this age, it was
more important to build a college portfolio with things that really set one apart, as well as
passing exams like the SAT and college essays and personal statements. The value addition
that continued reading had to that surpassed individual pleasure for most respondents.

There was one major exception. Respondent 5, FG 4 was a unique case. Unlike other avid
readers, she was extremely introverted and said that she "preferred the company of books to
that of people". When further questioned, she said that although she lived in a joint family
with 11 members, she never used to gel in with any cousins or siblings, and her mother used
to turn her to books for lack of anything else to do. As a result, because she developed this
reading habit as the only activity in leisure time and was not attracted by anything else, she
continues to read passionately and does not choose to have many friends. Because of many
years of only engaging with books, she feels like the company of most people is not enriching
enough for her liking.

Usage Behavior
Time/place

In addition to the favourite spots they had as children, 4 out of 6 respondents said that they
did not mind reading anywhere. They could do so at school, at home and even in the car.
Their routine obviously had an impact on the time of day that they read, but no such
particular time of day could be picked up. Respondent 5, FG 4 said that she spent "every
waking minute not eating or studying with a book".

Language

The few young adults in this tier who used to read Urdu in their childhood did not continue to
do so now. English continues to be primary communication medium of communication at
home.

However, because wanting to stand out based on one's own merit and skills was so strong, 3
out of 6 respondents said that they liked to explore languages, like French and Persian. When
further probed, one respondent (Respondent 6, FG4) said that it was interesting activity for
him because when he read in another language, he did it primarily to learn it. He had a
passion for learning languages and he would completely submerge himself in it. For instance,
when he was learning French, he started to listening to French music, reading beginner
French books and trying to carry it our in conversation as much as possible. "It becomes a
very nice pass time for me.

Season

This age group and tier was the only one within whom we observed a specific reading pattern
that had anything to do with seasonality. 2 of the occasional readers said they thought they
read more in winters than in summers. This was because it was colder outside, and according
to some, the fog made “hanging out with friends” less enjoyable. Parents were also more
reluctant to let their children go out because of safety reasons.

Differentiation factors
Quite contrary to intuition, the young adults in this age group actually had a relatively more
free time on their hands. We would expect them to be busier, with the tougher and higher
levels of studies. However, that was not the case. There was only one respondent
(Respondent 4, FG 4) in this tier who was from the FSc. stream. When asked why he chose
it, he said his grandfather made those decisions for everyone in their house. Only his routine
stood out in contrast to everyone else's, because FSc. focuses a lot more on rote learning
unlike the standard O levels and A levels. We can see only one respondent who claimed that
his family still upheld values like elders making the decisions for the household, and
selecting a different stream of education than the one that is the most common practice.

From their parents‟ perspectives, the need to stand out and "be better" than others was not
that strong as compared to respondents who fall in the same tier but younger age group.
People tried more to gel in with their peers, despite minor differences in upbringing.

The respondents in this particular age group showed more autonomy and greater power over
their routine. It showed us that cultural, traditional values are not being upheld in the majority
of households that exist, and this very shift is an important factor that effects their daily
routine. For example, only one respondent (Respondent 4, FG4) said that she continued to
eat dinner with her family at the table on a daily basis.

As is evident from the discussion, innate personality traits that were not fully developed at a
younger age, play the most important role in shaping the reading habits of this particular age
group in this tier. Factors like family, gender, conforming to peers, and parent‟s perception
(which we saw as very strong in the younger age group) take a backseat in terms of
importance.
Tier 2 - Age 13-15
Routine
The routine of most 13-15 year old school going children displayed similar patterns with
some differences across the group. Overall, in the weekdays they had a tight and demanding
schedule with limited flexibility. Their routine affected their abilities to peruse leisure
reading. The general impacting factors are discussed as follows. Most of the students in tier 2
woke up at 6 a.m., which is roughly two hours before school time. Prayer or recitation of the
Holy Quran, a habit enforced by the parents from a young age, follows this. The 14-16 year
old, have demanding study patterns with board examinations round the corner which they feel
are important determinants for a successful future. The school day typically lasts up to 2 pm
with only one break of roughly 30min between classes. This shows the level of structure in
almost half of the day. Following school, children tend to rest from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m., which
may include sleeping or watching television, but there is hardly any tendency to read right
after school. From 4 pm onwards, they have to attend academies, which generally consume
up to 3 or 4 hours of their time. 8 p.m. onwards students did have some leisure time at their
own discretion. Most of the children enjoy watching television and some are actively engaged
in sports while others choose to read. However, out of the six respondents, only 1 was an avid
reader, 2 were occasional readers and the rest were non-readers, which tells us majority of the
kids preferred watching TV and playing sports to reading books.

Motivation
Family

Family dynamics for tier 2 include a larger number of siblings and a greater proportion of
joint families compared to tier 1. They tend to have 3 or 4 siblings and some cases even more.
The occupation of fathers as small business owners is also larger proportion compares to tier
1, where we saw more bankers and doctors. The parents are generally not very pushy about
what their children should read compared to tier 1 but the children generally enjoy the
recommendations of their siblings more than their parents do.

"Brother said, you must read Hardy Boys, which got me to start reading" (Respondent 6,
FG2)

One student, when asked about his view on recommendations from parents said, "yes, my
mother recommends books, mostly Urdu and a lot of Islamic books but I don‟t really like
them" (Respondent 1, FG2).
Family background also affected what children chose to read; in the case of children with
military background or some other defined field, they tended to develop an interest around
the field of study. A student with father and brother in the army said: “I enjoy reading sports
news and anything military... my grandfather has a huge collection of old military books I
used to go through them as a child" (Respondent 5, FG2)

Library

Libraries have proved to be a more important medium for access to books as we go down the
socio economic classes. In tier 2, almost all children have access to school libraries and like
using them. They also believe there is a sufficient collection of books but also complain that
there is a huge red tape in issuing books and that "the librarian does not facilitate them"
(Respondent 3, FG2)

Religion

Religion is a main focal point of this tier and we found it to directly affect motivation for
reading. The parents are more inclined to recommend books in this genre and students in this
tier are more inclined to read them compared to tier 1.

Book

An important factor affecting motivation to read is the book itself. This was slightly different
from tier 1, where they paid more attention to what people were saying about the book, and
that motivated them more to read a book.

The respondents in this tier tend to look at ease of language and, despite studying in English
medium schools, do not prefer to read complex English for leisure purposes. They prefer
Urdu. They also do not like to look for meanings and said that they would prefer if the
meanings of difficult words could be given in the margins. This shows us lack of wanting to
put in the extra effort into reading, and that extrinsic motivation is the lower than in tier 1.

They also believe that the title of the book should be catchy and interesting and is the most
predominant factor in selecting a book. However, it must be kept in mind that in a lot of the
cases the book was chosen by parents / siblings, so the reader does not have the discretion of
choosing their own books, but items such as preferred author can be conveyed be conveyed
successfully.
Usage Behavior
Time

The most important factor affecting usage is the time. It is more abundant on weekends but
students believe that they get so tired by the time the weekend approaches that they have to
rest. The male children are expected to help with outdoor house chores such as buying
groceries or carrying out minor tasks around the house. This was very different in tier 1,
where most households had help in the form of cooks/domestic helpers and drivers and
children were not encouraged to do household chores.

The female members are expected to help around the house and with siblings, especially in
vacations when school. Those who manage to make time for reading, mostly read on
weekends for an hour or two but then have to study, and said that even when they are reading
for fun, they are weighed down by the thought of all the studies they have. This shows us
exactly how deep rooted the issue of stress on school kids nowadays is. When probed further,
majority of respondents in this tier replied that they felt such anxiety while taking part in
other activities too, like playing with siblings and watching television.

One excited participant remarked, "I can even read 4 books in one go if given time"
(Respondent 2, FG2)

Place

The children mostly like to read in their bedrooms. If those are not available, they at least
prefer a quiet place to read. According to them, the quiet place helps them concentrate on the
story, but often-private rooms were not available because of the larger number of family
members, so they tend to read when siblings are out playing or asleep.

Language

Tier 2 prefers Urdu novels to English. The boys generally like to read simple Urdu literature
such as short stories in the magazine "Nau nihal, and other novels like “Umroo Ayaar” and
the “Imran Series”. They prefer Urdu because they find it easier to understand and there is a
higher relatability within the family to Urdu books. In essence, the same trend that was
visible in tier 1 in English was observed in tier 2 in Urdu.

However, English is not uncommon if the parents or older siblings hold an interest in reading
English literature:
"My brother reads a lot of books and tells me to read English books... he sometimes brings
them for me" (Respondent 6, FG2)

Genre/Preference

The main findings for this group have been largely history related books or adventure books.
As a young age group with limited exposure, they seem to sway towards a feel of adventure.
Colour and illustrations seem to attract this tier and preference for online readings is
negligible.

Accessibility

This poses a barrier for this sector and age group. They have no private source of income at
this age and are bound in movement, as most of their outdoor activities are dependent upon
parents. School library is the most frequent source of access but is limited due to strict
regulations. Most of them go to government and semi-government schools, and reading for
leisure is not promoted for the most part.

As one student reported, “My mother is a residing teacher but when her job changed the new
school did not have a good library so I don‟t borrow books anymore." (Respondent 1, FG2).
The culture of sharing books among peers seemed to appeal to them but was not prevalent
and there was no structure in place at the schools to promote such activities.

Here again, we see an opportunity that can be cashed on for students. If accessibility is such a
problem, then schools can be made aware of this and use their power to facilitate their
students

Differentiation factors
This tier is more active compared to tier 1 since there is limited technological infrastructure
available to them. The family usually jointly owns laptops or computers. The important thing
to note here is that there are however, multiple smartphones in the household although not a
personal one for the participant. Therefore, there is greater access to the internet through
applications rather than search engines and they prefer mobile friendly stuff, which is quicker
and easier to access. Since they are engaged in outdoor activities such as football, they also
have a greater inclination to listen to recommendations of friends and peers compared to
parents and similarly a desire to be more socially aligned with them.
Tier 3- Age 10-12
Routine
The children in tier 3 have school going routines similar to children this age in other tiers,
following with a strict schedule. Their parents are very interested in their children‟s education
but do not control the routine after school ours as stringently as those in tier 1. These children
return home around 3 pm and go to learn the Holy Quran because private tutors for Arabic
are less prevalent: it is more difficult for the families to afford them. After school, the
children may play board games with sibling or parents and sit together at lunch. Load
shedding has led to more free time for conventional board games and reading. “We get to
watch 2 hours of television everyday” (Respondent 1, FG 5).

“I get to watch TV one hour after school and one hour at night. I watch dramas and cartoons”
(Respondent 2, FG 5).

Some of the participants tend to spend time at family businesses or with cousins due to
closely-knit families. Academies however, are still prevalent and almost half of the children
tend to have some form of tuition. This is contrary to our belief because we expected the life
of children in this tier to be a lot more relaxed and burden-free, at least in terms of after
school education.

“We play games such Ludo, badminton either out on the street or on the roof” (Respondent
1, FG 5). On weekends, they play cricket with neighbours and relatives often visit on
weekends. The “mohalla life” was very prevalent in their routine as opposed to the kids in
tier 1 and 2.

Due to limited speed and access of the internet most of the use revolved around random
browsing for pictures, and they did not play games online or on consoles, unlike the kids in
tier 1 and 2.

Motivation
Family

Some have been introduced to reading by their parents and others through school or friends.
“My mother read me stories before sleeping and when I grew up I started reading.”
(Respondent 1, FG 5). Parents are not generally themselves avid readers but rarely may
make the effort for their children. However, elder siblings tend to encourage younger ones to
read and even discuss books with them that they have liked.
Children in this tier were seen to be the closest knit to their parents and siblings. This can be
attributed to their lifestyle and how they continue to adhere to traditional values and how they
are unable to afford to change their situation. For example, they spend more time with each
other because of load shedding.

Parents as a means of discussion may listen to what their children have read. Due to more
time in vacations, females tend to read more while boys read less. A male participant
responded to this by saying “In vacations I play with my friends and that is more interesting
so I don‟t read”. (Respondent 5, FG 5)

However, a question arises here. Why do girls read more? It can be observed that gender
roles are taken more seriously and young girls are pushed to stay home and not participate in
outdoor activities. They end up helping around the house a lot more and hence readership was
more common for them. “My parents do not let me play outside. My mother says I should
stay inside the house” (Respondent 1, FG 5). This is positively affecting their reading habits,
but we believe that such stereotypical roles should not be promoted. Young girls should be
given as many opportunities as young boys.

Parents do not tell their children to read for leisure and consider it entertainment, instead
telling them to focus on schoolwork.

Books

Children are more fantasized by books in this tier due to lack of other individual
entertainment alternatives. As a result, colour, illustrations and more vividness serves as the
important source of motivation. “When I first read a book brought by my father I got so
involved in it that I started issuing books from the library, I also read a book „Merchant of
Venice‟ which I like a lot.” (Respondent 5, FG 5).

School

The school at this level is not only important as a source for access to books but also to
encourage reading. A lot of reading is linked to the schoolbooks such as respondent has
reported reading books in leisure time, which had been recommended by the school. The
books in the school library are somewhat educational such as history books and students have
been seen to develop this interest. “I borrow historical books, such as one on Salah Uddin
Ayyubi” (Respondent 4, FG 5).
Titles such as Harry Potter are not easily accessible and participants tended to watch movies
of such famous titles as elder siblings or parents have brought the movie which costs much
less. Overall, the movie-watching trend was the lowest for this tier.

Our interesting finding for this age is that they think of things very simply. They do not
identify with things, as did children in tier 1, in terms of personal benefit or just for the sake
of creativity. There reasons and motivations are very simple: their school, their families and
what their parents have to tell them.

Usage Behavior
This age group, due to restricted mobility, tended to depend either on their parents or the
school library for books. As with tier 2, the source of books is the school library. Tighter
financial constraints and times of rising inflation are seen ad factors indirectly affecting
reading habits.

“When my father used to go to Urdu bazar he used to get books but not anymore.”
(Respondent 6, FG 5)

Computers are not available in every household for this tier and even if they are available,
they have to be shared. The availability of internet and its speed is severely limited. However,
all households have a at least one smart phone. Online reading as result is not an option and
they respondents seemed unclear about their own views of online reading. Another
distinction here on the gender basis is that female students tend to spend a portion of their
pocket money on books while males tend to spend it with friends. However, a participant
reported “I once collected Rs. 300 before a book fair and bought a book I liked for myself
and my friend from my own money at the fair” (Respondent 5, FG 5).

One possible reason for girls‟ special attachment to books is that that is really the only
allowed medium of activity that it permitted to them. TV, online computer games and
personal cell phones are inaccessible to them, and outdoor activities are nor encouraged, so
they associate a lot of ownership with the activity and hence are willing to spend more on
books.

A quiet place is considered essential for reading but is hardly available. “I like to read quietly
and alone so I send my sister away when I have to read but this is not always possible, so
sometimes I read in the library.” (Respondent 3, FG5)
Tier 3- Age 16-18
Routine

The daily habits of these young adults was very different from other people coming in this
age bracket from higher tiers. That is because their chief stream of education was FSc.

According to one participant who changed his mode of education from O level to FSc “O
level had more flexibility and exposure, matric is very focused at a set pattern” (Respondent
2, FG 3). Those towards the latter end of this age group have more leisure time at their hands.
Participants, those who are interested, on weekends and in the evening have enough time to
play a sport that they like or engage in an activity they like. The most common sport among
females seems to be badminton, which they either played as a child in their neighbourhood or
in school. Those with joint families were less inclined to find individual activities.

“I had a joint family till the age of 13 and I always played with my cousins there was no need
to play with muhala children” (Respondent 4, FG3). In vacations, the participants spend
more time with family either at home or at the family business. “I used to go with my father
to his shop at 9 am in the morning.” (Respondent 2, FG3)

Motivation
Family

Family is a much weaker influencer on this age group, despite family members being
occasional readers. “My mother and sister read, but my habit developed from my school”
(Respondent 3, FG 3). Most of the students have had access to and enjoy reading Urdu
books, but not so much English books. Reading almost under all circumstances is bolstered
by a base collection of books, which was either of the parents or of elder siblings. None of the
participants said that their parents demanded them to read but considered it a good
constructive hobby. However, it must be noted that parents tended to consider reading purely
entertainment and preferred that their children read schoolbooks instead. This trait seemed
common to parents for all age groups of their kids.

Books

Books are an attractive commodity, possession in this tier and the students tend to take care
of their books and like holding on to them after they have read them. Ownership is strong
amongst these young adults.
Therefore, the characteristics of the book itself are the most significant in this segment. One
participant replied on the importance of the book cover by saying,“There is this famous quote
that don‟t judge book by its cover but I do judge it by its cover.” (Respondent 1, FG3)

Books are preferred because they are more detailed but with the movie, I am able to visualize
all that I have been thinking. As discussed, this sense of association with the book causes
them to like books more than movies but limited time and the visual appeal of a movie is
distracting. To the kids in this tier, illustrations were identified as very important, but their
importance seemed to diminish, as they grew older.

Genre

Most of the participants have well-formed tastes by this age which are varied. Some read
poetry while other history but the male members still show some tendency towards science
fiction or fiction books. “I like abstract, sci-fi books” (Respondent 1, FG 3)

School

Up until matric, schools actively encourage students to read. Competitions on writing

reflection essays and issuing the greatest number of books from the library are rewarded and
the participants agree that this encouraged them to read. School libraries become increasingly
important when accessibility is an issue. Females even in this higher age group reported that
either their books were bought by their parents or most of the ones that they have read are
from the collection of an elder sibling.

Usage Behavior
Almost half of the respondents had read online but preferred hard copies none the less.
Additionally, they felt that online versions were a medium to get the feel of the book which
you can then physically buy.

None of the participants ever bought any books from their own money. “If someone
recommends a book I ask them for the book for reading” (respondent 5, FG3). This tells us
that even as they grow, children in this tier are still sensitive to money.

There were no avid readers, but 4 out of 6 of the respondents were occasional readers. As a
result, movies are always preferred over books because the participants wanted a quicker
alternative. However, once participant reported that once they start a book they have to finish
it in one go “ When I start reading I finish the book in a day or two and don‟t study or do
other forms of entertainment during that time “ (Respondent 5, FG3)

Differentiation Factors
The importance of visualization in books including the attractiveness of the cover and the
back summary of the book as well as any illustrations are the most important for this segment
with decreasing importance given increasing age.

Respondents have complete Independence in what they choose to read other than some
religious books, which might be enforced by parents or other family members. The choice of
books they read is more affected by availability compared to any other factor, such as a fad
around a popular title, which we saw as the most common in older age groups. Family
influence is relevant from the point of view of availability but not about choice.

Several budget constraints make the book a prized possession and attaches emotional appeal
with the book. If the book has a nice cover or a hard cover, these things add to the
endowment effect of the book. Budget also limits associability because there is hardly enough
money that children or young adults have to buy a book from their own money. Old
bookshops is an idea, which they are largely unfamiliar with, especially those living in areas,
which do not have them.

As a result, the school library becomes very important, but in tier 3 its is of very low
standards and only has a basic collection of books, some history books, encyclopaedias and
classic titles which were famous some average 20 years ago. Students have the option of
asking a teacher to fill out a procurement form for a specific book but requests are less than
more often approved.

The internet is somewhat available, especially with the launch of 3g in Pakistan. All
households own one smartphone, if not more, but computer access is not prevalent, especially
lower age groups in tier 3. Therefore, online preference formation is negligible and so is
online reading. They would only be willing to read online if it were free and it was something
new that they wanted to get hold of immediately.

Conclusion
The subthemes we have picked up in the broad themes are as follows:

 Motivation: Extrinsic, Intrinsic, family members, family readership, and influence

and control.
  Usage Behavior: Genre, time, place, season, accessibility, source of acquisition
 Routine: Vacations and weekends.

All of the following factors will be explored in detail in the quantitative section.
Quantitative findings
Descriptive

To start off basic visualization plots were used to see how the data was distributed. The fnal
number of respondents is 113, out of which 73 answered that they like to read.
Factor Analysis
In order to find out if the factors of motivation could be combined to give us underlying
dimensions, factor analysis was run on the 15 variables of motivation for reading. Bartlett‟s
Test has 0.00 significance which, being less than 5%, tells us that variables are correlated and
KMO statistic, being greater than 0.6, tells us that sampling size is adequate and factor
analysis can be used.

The results suggests 5 dimensions that explain 71.5% of the variation, which being greater
than 60%, is significant. These dimensions can be classified as External, Internal, Forced-To-
Read, Occasional and Influential.

Factor 1 has been given the name External because variables like writing skills, vocabulary,
and education load highly on it. This shows that external/materialistic reason is one of the
motivation. Factor 2 has been given the name Internal because variables like associating
reading with a mental movie, relaxing, and ownership load highly on it. This shows us that
one the motivation for reading is to get inner satisfaction that. Factor 3 is called Forced-To-
Read because the chief reason for reading is just that: they are forced to read by their
parents/teachers. This factor also has high loading for dictionary because parents who force
their kids to read also encourage them to look up new words in the dictionary. This confirms
our findings from qualitative research. Factor 4 is called Occasional because this factor
identifies the motivations such when people have nothing to do. Factor 5 is called Influential
because this identifies the motivation that comes when the reader is most influenced by
his/her siblings or teachers.
To get a holistic picture, factor analysis was run on both 15 variables for motivation and 6
variables for deciding which book to read. The results are shown below.

Bartlett‟s Test has 0.00 significance which, being less than 5%, tells us that variables are
correlated KMO statistics, being greater than 0.6, tells us that sampling size is adequate and
factor analysis can be used. The analysis extracted six factors that together explained 64% of
the variance, which being greater than 60%, is significant.

The figure below shows the extracted factors. Although membership of some of the variables
changed due to inclusion of more variables, the essence is the same as that of the previous
analysis. Here again there are 6 different motivational factors. However, based on the
qualitative research it seems appropriate to club factor 3 and 6 as one factor which again
reduced the underlying dimensions to 5. Moreover, having run the motivational reasons
together with the variables for deciding what book to read presented some very interested
findings. It showed us how the method and effort put in deciding the book to read varies from
different types of motivation.

The first one is again External, because variables that measure materialistic gain like
language improvement, vocabulary etc., load highly on it. Second factor, is again Internal
with the same reasoning behind the name as that in the previous analysis. However, this
analysis further goes on to tell us that some of the behaviours involved in deciding what book
to read can also be explained. We can see that internally motivated reader will not just look at
the cover page or the name of the author, but he/she will make the effort to look at the
summary before choosing a book. Factor 3 is influential as it involves people who have been
influenced by friends or teachers. Once these people are influenced, they will read because
they love reading. So in order to decide what book to read they will make an effort and look
at online reviews, and even the first page. Having watched a movie, which they like, they will
also read its book and vice versa. Factor 4 can be called occasional because this type of
motivation comes when a person has nothing to do. The further analysis we run backs our
theory by showing us that not much effort is put into selecting a book. The author and the
title page suffice under such motivation. In the factor 5, it is interesting to note that under
such motivation, EFA suggests that, there is no clear-cut way of choosing a book. This can be
explained from our qualitative research; students who were forced to read by their parents
were either given a book by their parents to read, so they had no choice in the first place, or
the students were so disinterested in reading that they read the first book they came across
just to get it over with. In some cases, they did not even read unless told to do so.
Cluster Analysis
Having identified the various types of themes within motivation, mean scores were calculated
for each factor and cluster analysis was run to see how respondents were distributed. This
would help us understand the exact profiles in much more detail.

Through exploratory cluster analysis, 4 clusters were deemed to be appropriate. The tables
below show the distribution in each cluster. Respondents in cluster 1 are highly motivated by
external reasons therefore they can be called „Externally Motivated‟ readers. Respondents in
cluster 2 do not have a clear and strong motivation although the table suggests that internal
reasons are perhaps the strongest. They can be called „Multi-factor‟ readers. Respondents in
cluster 3 are highly motivated by external reason and internal and they were also forced to
read. This behaviour can be explained in the light of the qualitative research. One of the key
findings of it was some
children who were not fond of reading at the early age and were forced to read, develop a
habit of reading overtime and become avid readers as they grow up. Cluster 3 most likely
includes such people. These people can be called „Converts‟. Cluster 4 consists of people
who read for various reasons, but top reasons come out be occasional and external, especially
when they have nothing to do. We can call them occasional readers.

Externally Multi-factor Converts Occasional Readers

Motivated
Highly motivated by Although they read They were once They read whenever
the reasons like but they do not score forced by their they get time and
improvement in highly on any of the parents to read but when they have
vocabulary, motivations for over time they have nothing to do.
language, writing reading- They are developed a habit of Research suggests
skills. confused reading and are now that for them reading
avid readers might also have to do
with external and
internal motivations

In order to create a profle of these people and understand how they differ from one another,
demographics, and other such data was used and mapped against the cluster, thorugh cross
tabulation.
Gender

The above table shows that the Multi-factor readers (Cluster 2) and Converts (Cluster 3)
predominantly consists of males while the other two groups, although having a majority of
one gender, are relatively gender balanced. Therefore, it is safe to say that males are less
inclined towards reading on their own and have to be forced by their parents to read. Even if
they do read on their own, they might have no clear motivation for doing so.

Age
Efforts were made to collect a large sample. However, due to time and resource constraints,
sample size was not large enough to determine if clusters are differentiated on the basis of
age. The research is inconclusive in that aspect.

Joint Family

It was hypothesized that respondents living in a joint family system might have different
reading pattern. But the above table shows that it is not true, these external settings are not as
important as we assumed them to be.

School

The above table shows that clusters 1, 2 and 3 are dominated by student from Tier 1 schools
while cluster 4 is relatively balanced in that aspect. Again, due to the time and resource
constraints, we were not able to get a very even spread of school/college going children to
represent all tiers adequately.
Parents Who Read

Although parents of the majority of all 4 clusters read, clusters 1(Externally motivated) and
4(Occasional readers) have a little higher number of people whose parents do not read as
compared to the parents of respondents in clusters 2 and 3.

Household

Clusters 1 and 2 have majority of respondents with a high number of household members, 6
or above, while clusters 3 and 4 have moderate to small family sizes with 5 or less members.
This again is interesting because we thought more family members would mean less leisure
reading time for children in this day and age, but that does not seem to be the case.
Reading during Vacations

While reading habits during weekdays and weekends do not differ much across the clusters,
reading habits during vacations varies significantly. The table above shows that generally,
respondents in cluster 1 and cluster 2 do like to read during vacations but respondents in
cluster 3 and cluster 4 do not like to read during vacations at all.

Reading Time per Session

The above table shows that majority of people in cluster 1 read for 1-2 hours per session but
people in the rest of the cluster read 2-3 hours in per session. That may be because people in
clusters 3 are readers that gradually picked up the habit of reading, and hence like to do so at
longer stretches. People in cluster 1 are externally motivated and do it only to gauge the
external benefit
Time to finish a book

The table shows that majority of people in cluster 1 finish the book in one day. This is
somewhat in tandem from our literature review. Children who said they were given books
assigned material from school or parents wanted to finish it as soon as possible. People in
cluster 2 can take up to 4 days. Because this cluster is motivated for intrinsic reasons, they
perhaps like to savour their reading time and enjoy the book and take all the time they need.
Majority of people in cluster 3 take up to 4 days and while majority of people in cluster 4 will
take either 1 or 3 days.
Sources of book acquisition

1. Borrow

The table shows that respondents in cluster 1 use borrowing as a source very often.
This shows possible inclination NOT to spend money on books, as people in this
cluster did not load highly on the ownership aspect. Respondents in cluster 2 are quite
the opposite while respondents in cluster 3 and 4 use it at a moderate level.
2. Buy from Store
 The table shows that majority of people in cluster 1 buy from stores very often
whereas people in cluster 3 are quite the opposite. Majority of people in cluster 2 and
4 use store on
a moderate level.

3. Library

While majority of people in all the clusters do not use library as often, respondents in
cluster 4 do use it relatively more than respondents in other clusters.
 4. Read Online

While majority of the respondents in all the four clusters are not in favor of reading online,
respondents in cluster 1 and 4 have the most users or the people with the highest tendency to
switch to online reading, whereas people in cluster 2 are strictly against it.

The above showed mentioned statistics and their results have been summarized below to give
a typical reader‟s profile. It is important to note that the characteristics mentioned below have
been generalized to represent the majority of cluster and give a bird‟s eye view of the group.
It does not mean that every individual in a group possess those characteristics.

Readers’ Profiles

Externally Multi-factor Converts Influential

Motivated Readers (Cluster 3) Readers
Readers (Cluster 2) (Cluster 4)
(Cluster 1)
Gender Either Most likely male Most likely male Either
Age Inconclusive Inconclusive Inconclusive Inconclusive
Joint Family Inconclusive Inconclusive Inconclusive Inconclusive
School Tier 1 Tier 1 Tier 1 Balanced
Parents who High Very High Very High High
read
Household 6 or above 6 or above 5 or less 5 or less
Members
Reading High Moderate Low Low
During
Vacation
Reading Time 1-2 hours 2-3 hours 2-3 hours 2-3 hours
per session
Time to finish a 1 day Up to 4 days Up to 3 days Either 1 or 3
book days
Probability High Low Moderate Moderate
(borrow)
Probability High Moderate Low Moderate
(Buys)
Probability Low Low Low Moderate
(library)
Probability Moderate Low Low Moderate
(reads online)

Prediction Model
The attributes mentioned above were used to build a model to predict the cluster membership
of the respondents. The aim of this of was to see if these characteristics of the respondents are
distinct enough to be sufficient to classify respondents. This has a huge application for
marketers, publishing house and schools. Having decided on the target market, they would be
able to identify the reading pattern and through these 12 variables alone.

K-Nearest Neighbour method was used as a classification technique. 73 observations (they

were only those people who liked to read books) were used to make to create the train,
validation and test dataset of 60%, 30% and 10% respectively. Values of K used were 3, 7
and 10.

At k=3, they accuracy of the model was 22.7%, at k=7 it accuracy was 31.8% and at k=10 it
was 40.9%. The graph below shows how accuracy of the model varies with the different
values of k.
The graph shows the highest accuracy is 50% at k=12. This is what we will use for our
model. However, one very important question arises here. A model with 50% accuracy does
not seem like a reliable model since it is as predictable as a coin test- it will be correct half
the time. Therefore, it is the appropriate time to evaluate the number of observations in the
model. There are currently only 73 observations and with relatively very few observations,
the model seems to be doing a fairly god job.
Conclusion and limitations of research
The quantitative and qualitative analysis showed us that four clear, distinct profiles of readers
can be made based on the three broad themes of Motivation, Usage Behavior and Activities.
The trends seen within the categories are based on the sub themes that were identified within
the broader themes and multiple questions were included in the questionnaire (See Appendix
below) to address all of them adequately.

One limitation of this study is that although the total number of respondents was over 100
(n=113), the number of respondents said yes to the question they like to read were 73. That
limits the number of respondents that are used to predict the accuracy of the model. In
addition, difficulty was faced in conducting the qualitative part of the study. Getting in touch
with schools in order to conduct focus groups was a challenge, because schools were majorly
not accommodating. While the limited data is definitely a limitation of the model and the
research, it is a promising start and has lot of opportunities for future research.
Appendix

Details about focus group respondents

Focus Group 1

Focus Group 2

Focus Group 3

Focus group 4

Individual interviews
Appendix
Focus Group Protocol

School:

Point of Contact:

Moderated by:

Age category:

Participants:

Date:

Good afternoon and welcome to our session. Thanks for taking the time to join us to talk
about your reading habits. My name is … and I am senior year student at Lahore University
of Management Sciences. I am part of a student group that is researching the leisure reading
habits of individuals aged between 10-18 years in Pakistan. We are trying to understand the
factors that affect leisure reading habits and to what extent. We are conducting the same
exercise with several other groups.

There are no wrong answers but rather differing points of view. Please feel free to share your
point of view even if it differs from what others have said.

We will be on a first name basis tonight, and we will not use any names in our reports. You
assured of complete confidentiality. However, please speak slowly and clearly so that we
may record responses accurately.

*General icebreaker*

 Let us begin by going around the table. Tell us a bit about yourself; your name, age,
where you live?
 How do you spend a typical day at home and school?
 How is your neighborhood like?
 What role do you think your neighborhood has played in shaping your habits?
 Any activities you take part in with your neighbors?
 Can you explain your family lifestyle? (e.g.: Joint family)
 How do you like to spend time with your family?
  Who reads regularly in the family?
 What extra-curricular activities do you participate in, including sports?

-Leisure reading is the range of publications containing stories, such as novels,

encyclopaedia, biographies, autobiographies, short stories, plays, digests
-These things in both(Urdu and English) languages will be considered.
-Magazines, newspapers, comic books, coursework books are NOT included in this
domain.

1. At what age did you start reading?

2. How did you get in the habit of reading?
 Are any of your friends and family members regular readers?
 (If they answer School) Was it part of your own effort, or was there a session
from the school?
3. What do you like to read?
 Genre (can be one or multiple)
(If multiple) which is your favorite genre?
 Books of which language
(if both English and Urdu then which one do you read more)
4. What is the last book you read?
(When did you read it)
5. What motivates you to continue reading books?
(Why don‟t you watch more TV instead of reading books)
*Our rationale here is to understand that why do readers choose books over
other substitutes like watching television*
6. How often do you read in a week?
 Do you have set reading pattern e.g. every night before going to bed? If yes
then what?

(At what time of day do you read?)

7. How long do you usually take to finish a book?

(Then when do you read the next successive book)
8. Do you prefer to read one book at a time or several books at once?
9. What is your favorite place to read a book?
(Do you have a different preference for when you grow up)
10. Where do you get the book from?
 What are the different sources you have used in the past to get access to
books?
 Why this medium now
 If you buy the books:
 Where do you usually buy them from?
 Do you buy them from your own pocket money or someone else pays
for them?
11. How do you find out about new books?
(Possible answers: Online, word of mouth, school lists in library, bookshop browsing)
*This will help us identify channels that affect reading habits of consumers*
12. What things do you consider before you start a new book?
 Things like critics reviews, friend‟s recommendation etc.
 What influences your decision to read a book? Movies, amazon, friends
13. Who in your family your family or friends reads books?
14. Is there a discussion about new books in your family, friends or school?

15. Do you read books online?

 If yes, are you willing to pay to get a softcopy or do you look for free versions
available online?
 How much will you be willing to pay for an online version?
 How much will you be willing to pay for an offline version?
16. What other activities do you enjoy other than reading?
 How much time do you spend on this other activity?
 Are there any activities you enjoy alongside reading?
17. What are if any, factors limiting your desired reading hours? E.g.: (library access only
in school)
 Do you have any suggestions as to how these difficulties can be overcome?
18. Do you think that reading books has given you an edge or helped you in any way?
  If yes then how? (e.g.: helped make new friends, be known in class, join a
society at school)
 Can you say that this also a reason why you read books?

Questionnaire
1. Age Mark only one oval.

Under 10 years old

10-12 years old

13-15 years old

16-18 years old

19 years or older

2. Gender Mark only one oval.

Male

Female

3. Profession of Father

4. Profession of Mother

5. School Name

6. What is your monthly school fee?

Mark only one oval.

Under Rs. 5,000

 Rs.5,000 - 10,000

Rs 10,000 - 15,000

Rs. 15,000 - 20,000

More than Rs. 20,000

7 How many people are there in your household?

Mark only one oval.

More than 6

8. How many siblings do you have ?

Mark only one oval.

None

5 or more

9. If you have more than one sibling,

who do you get along with more
 10. Do you live in a joint-family system?
Mark only one oval.

Yes

No

11. What stream of education do you

belong to/aspire to belong to? Mark
only one oval.

O Level/A Level stream

Matric/Fsc Stream

IB stream

Motivation
12. Do your parents read books?
Mark only one oval.

Yes

No

13 Do your siblings read books?

Mark only one oval.

Yes

No

14. Do you like to read books?

If your answer is "No", go to section 4
Mark only one oval.

Yes
No

15. I started reading because my parents forced me to

read Mark only one oval.

1 2 3 4 5

Strongly disagree Strongly agree

16. I started reading because my siblings also read Mark

only one oval.

1 2 3 4 5

Strongly disagree Strongly disagree

17. I started reading because my friends also read Mark

only one oval.

1 2 3 4 5

Strongly disagree Strongly agree

18. I started reading because my teachers encourage me

to read Mark only one oval.

1 2 3 4 5

Strongly disagree Strongly agree

19. I started reading because I had no other thing to do

Mark only one oval.

1 2 3 4 5

Strongly disagree Strongly agree

20 I read because reading improves my writing skills
Mark only one oval.

1 2 3 4 5

Strongly disagree Strongly agree

21. I read because reading improves my vocabulary

Mark only one oval.

1 2 3 4 5

Strongly disagree Strongly agree

22. I read because reading books improves my

imagination and creativity Mark only one oval.

1 2 3 4 5

Strongly disagree Strongly agree

23. I read because reading improves my knowledge

Mark only one oval.

1 2 3 4 5

Strongly disagree Strongly agree

24. I read because reading is a good type of

entertainment Mark only one oval.

1 2 3 4 5

Strongly disagree Strongly agree

25. I read because reading helps me relax Mark only

one oval.
 1 2 3 4 5

Strongly disagree Strongly agree

26. I read because reading gives me a sense of

ownership Mark only one oval.

1 2 3 4 5

Strongly Disagree Strongly Agree

27 I read because reading helps me create my own mental movie while reading
Mark only one oval.

1 2 3 4 5

Strongly disagree Strongly agree

28. I read because reading helps me explore the world and learn more about
other people’s stories
Mark only one
oval.

1 2 3 4 5

Strongly disagree Strongly agree

29. I make use of dictionary to check the meaning of new words while I'm reading
Mark only one oval.

1 2 3 4 5

Strongly disagree Strongly agree

Usage
30. At what age did you start reading?
Mark only one oval.
 3 - 4 years old

5 - 6 years old

7-
8
years old

Do not remember

Other:

31. Which language(s) do you read in?

Mark only one oval.

English

Urdu

Both

Other:

32 What genre do you prefer?

Check all that apply.

All/Any

Fiction

Historical

Classical

Action

Mystery

Religious

Other:
33. I look at the summary at the back of the book when
deciding what book to read Mark only one oval.

1 2 3 4 5

Strongly disagree Strongly agree

34. I look for a renowned author when deciding what book

to read Mark only one oval.

1 2 3 4 5

Strongly disagree Strongly agree

35. I look for reviews online when deciding what book to

read Mark only one oval.

1 2 3 4 5

Strongly disagree Strongly agree

36. If you look for reviews online, where do you go

1 2 3 4 5
37. I look at the title when deciding what book to read
Mark only one oval.

Strongly disagree Strongly agree

38 I look at the cover page when deciding what book to

read Mark only one oval.
 1 2 3 4 5

Strongly disagree Strongly agree

39. I read the first few pages when

deciding what book to read Mark
only one oval.

1 2 3 4 5

Strongly disagree Strongly agree

40. Do your parents or friends

recommend books? Mark only
one oval.

Yes

No

41. Do you like the books they

recommend? Mark only one oval.

Yes

No

Sometimes

42. I read whenever I am free Mark

only one oval.

True

False

43. I usually read during weekdays

Mark only one oval.
 True

False

44. I usually read during weekends

Mark only one oval.

True

False

45. I usually read during vacations

Mark only one oval.

True

False

46 I read everyday
Mark only one
oval.

True

False

47. How much time do you typically spending

reading in a given session? Mark only one oval.

Less than an hour

1 - 2 hours

2 - 3 hours

3 - 4 hours

More than 4 hours

48. At what time of the day do you usually read the
book? Mark only one oval.

In the afternoon

In the evening

Before going to bed

Late night

Other:

49. How long do you usually take to finish a book?

Mark only one oval.

1 day

2 days

3 days

4 days

5 days

6 days

A week

More than a week

50. What is your favorite place to read a book? Mark

only one oval.

Any quiet place

Outdoors (garden/rooftop)

My

room
Do not have a preference

Other:

51 Where do you usually get books? Rate the following in the order of importance, 1 being
the most important and 5 the least important Mark only one oval per row.

1 2 3 4 5
Library
Buy from bookstores
Borrow from friends/family
Online
Exchange my old books from new
Ones

52. Do you read books online?

Mark only one
oval.

Yes

No

Sometimes

53. If you read books online, are you willing to pay to

read books online? Mark only one oval.

Yes

No

Sometimes

54. I always watch the movie after reading a book I like

Mark only one oval.

1 2 3 4 5

Strongly disagree Strongly agree

55. I always read the book after watching a movie I like
Mark only one oval.

1 2 3 4 5

Strongly disagree Strongly agree

56. Do you spend your own money to buy books? Mark

only one oval.

Yes

No

Other:

Answer the questions in this section only if you do not like to read books

57 Reading books is tiring because it takes time

Mark only one oval.

1 2 3 4 5

Strongly disagree Strongly agree

58. Reading books is boring because there are no/few pictures Mark
only one oval.

1 2 3 4 5

Strongly disagree Strongly agree

59. I do not read because I cannot wait until the end to solve the
mystery Mark only one oval.

1 2 3 4 5

Strongly disagree Strongly agree

60. I do not read because I get lost and cannot remember what I have
just read Mark only one oval.

1 2 3 4 5

Strongly disagree Strongly agree

61. I do not read because I do not like to read and I do not have time
Mark only one oval.

1 2 3 4 5

Strongly Disagree Strongly Agree

62. I do not read because even though I like to read, I do not have
time Mark only one oval.

1 2 3 4 5

Strongly Disagree Strongly Agree

63. I do not read books because my teachers discourage me to read

Mark only one oval.

1 2 3 4 5

Strongly disagree Strongly agree

Activities
64 What activities do you participate in with your parents?
Check all that apply.

Dinner

Watching Television

Studying

Going out for movies

Dining out

65. What activities do you participate in with your siblings?

Check all that apply.

Dinner

Watching Television

Studying

Going out for movies

Dining out

Playing board games

66. How much time do you spend on watching TV every

day? Mark only one oval.

Less than 30 mins

30 mins - 60 mins

1 - 2 hours

2 - 3 hours

More than 3 hours

67. What do you usually watch on TV? (check all that apply)
Check all that apply.

News

Political Talk shows

Movies

Drama/ TV Shows

Sports
Cartoons

68. How much time in total do you usually spend on social

media every day? Mark only one oval.

Less than an hour

1 -2 hours

2 - 3 hours

3 - 4 hours

More than 4 hours

69 What other extra-curricular activities do you participate

in? Check all that apply.

Sports

Singing

Dancing

Debating

Arts

Other:

70. What activities, other than reading, do you participate in during weekends? (check all
that apply)
Check all that
apply.

Visiting relatives

Going for movies

Dining out
Playing with friends

Other:

71. What activities, other than reading, do you participate in during vacations? (check all
that apply)
Check all that
apply.

Traveling

Visiting relatives (within your own city)

Taking up a new hobby

Playing with friends

Join summer school

Other: