Özet:

Reading is one of the most important factors affecting the mental development of individuals. This study aims to examine the relationship between pre-service teachers’ attitudes towards reading habits and their levels of curiosity and exploration. The participants of the research are 243 teacher candidates studying at seven different universities in Turkey. As a data collection tool, the Teacher Candidates' Attitudes towards Reading Habit Scale and the Curiosity and Exploration Inventory-II was used. In addition, the Personal Information Form was used. In the study, it was determined that the attitudes of female participants towards reading habits differed from male participants in a statistically significant positive way. In addition, no significant relationship was found between the economic and educational level of the families of the participants and their attitudes towards reading habits. A positive and significant relationship was found between the attitudes towards the habit of reading books and the variables of curiosity and exploration, the home library owned by the individuals and the leisure time. It was found that as the level of the home library of the participants increased, their attitudes towards reading habits also increased. Also, as the level of leisure time of the participants increases, their attitudes towards reading habits also increase. In addition, it was concluded that the level of curiosity and exploration of teacher candidates predicted the habit of reading books by about 28%. The results of the research show that there is a significant relationship between the levels of curiosity and exploration and the attitudes of pre-service teachers towards reading habits. As a result, in the present study, curiosity and discovery, the level of leisure time individuals have, the level of home libraries owned by individuals, and gender were determined as variables that affect attitudes towards book reading habits.

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