Book Club Culture and Leisure Reading as Professional Development Among Nigerian Educators

This study examines the role of book club culture and leisure reading practices in the professional development of Nigerian secondary and tertiary educators, exploring how voluntary reading communities contribute to teachers' and lecturers' literary knowledge, critical thinking, and classroom practice. Reading for pleasure is recognised internationally as a contributor to professional growth among educators, and book clubs in particular offer structured environments for the collective interpretation and contextualisation of literary texts. However, the relationship between leisure reading culture and professional educator development in Nigeria has not been empirically studied, despite growing evidence of active book club communities in Nigerian urban centres. The study employs a qualitative research design, conducting focus group discussions with 40 educators who are active members of book clubs in Lagos, Ibadan, and Abuja, supplemented by in-depth interviews with 20 educators. Thematic analysis examines the kinds of reading participants engage in, the connections they draw between book club discussion and classroom practice, and the professional learning they attribute to regular literary community engagement. Findings reveal that educators in book clubs report greater confidence in facilitating open-ended literary discussion in their own classrooms, stronger awareness of contemporary African and global literature relevant to their students, and enhanced personal reading motivation that carries over into their advocacy for student reading. Recommendations include institutional recognition and support for educator book club participation as a component of continuing professional development in Nigerian educational institutions. Keywords: book clubs, leisure reading, professional development, Nigerian educators, reading culture.