Tendency to Steal Books: Insights from Cultural Influences and Reading Habits

Abstract

This study examines the influence of cultural factors and reading habits on the propensity for book theft among users of tertiary institution libraries in Nigeria. Utilizing a questionnaire-based methodology aligned with the study’s objectives, 316 questionnaires were distributed, resulting in a robust response rate of 97.8%. Data analysis employed frequency counts, percentages, and binary logistic regression to test two hypotheses. The findings revealed a predominantly negative perception of book theft among students, with a mean perception score of 3.29. A significant majority (74.4%) of respondents recognized the impact of cultural biases on book theft, while reading habits were reported to be notably high (45.6%) among Nigerians. However, contrary to expectations, the binary logistic regression analysis showed no significant association between beliefs about book theft and actual engagement in bibliokleptomania (B = .847, p > .05; 95% CI[.481, 1.823], p = .847), leading to the rejection of the primary hypothesis. The study concludes with recommendations based on its findings.

Keywords

• Bibliokleptomania
• Nigerian libraries
• cultural tendencies
• book theft
• reading habits

Kitap Çalma Eğilimi: Kültürel Etkiler ve Okuma Alışkanlıklarından Çıkarımlar

Abstract

Bu çalışma, Nijerya’daki yükseköğretim kurumu kütüphanelerinin kullanıcıları arasında kültürel faktörlerin ve okuma alışkanlıklarının kitap hırsızlığı eğilimi üzerindeki etkisini incelemektedir. Çalışmanın hedefleriyle uyumlu ankete dayalı bir metodoloji kullanılarak 316 anket yapılmış ve %97,8’lik güçlü bir yanıt oranı elde edilmiştir. Veri analizinde frekans sayıları, yüzdeler ve iki hipotezi test etmek için ikili lojistik regresyon kullanılmıştır. Bulgular, öğrenciler arasında kitap hırsızlığı algısının ağırlıklı olarak olumsuz olduğunu ve ortalama algı puanının 3,29 olduğunu ortaya koymuştur. Katılımcıların önemli bir çoğunluğu (%74,4) kültürel önyargıların kitap hırsızlığı üzerindeki etkisini kabul ederken, okuma alışkanlıklarının Nijeryalılar arasında oldukça yüksek (%45,6) olduğu katılımcılar tarafından bildirilmiştir. Ancak, beklentilerin aksine, ikili lojistik regresyon analizi, kitap hırsızlığına ilişkin inançlar ile bibliokleptomani (B= .847, p > .05; %95 CI [.481, 1.823], p = .847) arasında anlamlı bir ilişki olmadığını göstermiş ve birincil hipotezin reddedilmesine yol açmıştır. Çalışma, bulgulara dayalı önerilerle son bulmaktadır.

Keywords

• Bibliokleptomani
• Nijerya kütüphaneleri
• kültürel eğilimler
• kitap hırsızlığı
• okuma alışkanlıkları

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