Özet:

This study aims to determine the relationship between students' book reading attitudes and their views on the effect of their reading attitudes on values. In the study, both the level of the reading attitudes of the students was examined, and the extent to which the students' reading attitudes affect the values in the curriculum of the Religious Culture and Moral Knowledge (RCMK) lesson taught from class 4 to 12 in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) was investigated. In particular, the study examined the effects of reading attitudes on students' values of "justice, sensitivity, solidarity, compassion, kindness, honesty, patience, love, respect, responsibility and solidarity". The reason why these values are the subject of the research is that they are the main values that are aimed to be taught in the TRNC RCMK program. In addition, compared to the values selected as research subjects and the ten values (justice, friendship, honesty, self-control, patience, respect, love, responsibility, patriotism, and benevolence) determined by the Ministry of Education of Republic of Turkey in 2017, both groups largely seems to overlap in a large extent. The research was conducted in 2020 with 464 students studying in 11 schools selected from 53 secondary schools and high schools in TRNC with the maximum diversity method from purposeful sampling methods. The schools selected as sample consist of public/private schools from each region/type for the reflecting the demographic structure of the TRNC. This study was conducted with quantitative research method and the “Book Reading Attitude Scale” developed by Sarar-Kuzu and Doğan in order to determine students' attitudes towards reading books, and the “Effect of Reading Books on Values Scale” developed by the researcher to measure the effect of reading attitude on values were used together. According to the research results; it was found that although both 15.9% of the students never read a book at all and 51.2% of them read less, they have a high attitude in the factor of "contributing to their personal/social development" and have a moderate attitude in the factors of "interest/love" and "finding important/valuable". The students' opinions about the effect of reading books on values are at a high level. It was determined that the reading attitudes of female students were higher than male students. The views of students about the effect of reading books on values do not differ according to the gender variable. Both male and female students have a high level of attitudes towards this issue. When the data were analysed according to the variable of school type, it was determined that Anatolian High School, Theology College and College students scored are higher than other students in the factors of "the contribution of reading books to personal/social development", and "finding important/valuable". It can be said that the positive correlation between academic achievement and reading books is the reason for this result. In the "interest/love" factor for reading books, it was determined that the students of Theology College had a higher attitude than the students in other schools. It can be said that the reading activities at the school, the competitions and the easy access to the library played a role in the interest/love of the students of the Theology College. In addition, other variables such as "grade level, number of books they read in a year, having a study room/library/book corner at home, buying books from the school library, going to a library outside of school, buying books out of textbooks and reading digital books/magazines" caused to differentiated into the groups. It was determined that there is a positive and significant correlation between the students' reading attitudes and their views on the effect of reading books on values. Accordingly, it is possible to say that as the reading attitudes of the students increase; their views that reading books affect values also increase. According to these results, the books to be selected according to their ages for students can gain them national and spiritual values. In addition, both the attitudes of reading can be increased and national/spiritual values can be taught through reading projects, competitions and activities to be organized in schools. In addition, qualitative research can be conducted to reveal how reading a book effects on which values.

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