A STUDY ON STUDY HABITS AND ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF STUDENTS

Mahwish Rabia¹ --- Naima Mubarak² --- Hira Tallat³ --- Wajiha Nasir⁴⁺

^1,2,3,4 Department of Statistics, Govt. College Women University Sialkot, Pakistan

keywords:Study habits Association Academic performance Family background.

ARTICLE HISTORY: Received:13 September 2017, Revised: 20 November 2017 Accepted:27 November 2017, Published:30 November 2017.

Contribution/ Originality: This study contributes in the existing literature of study habits and academic performance of the students. This study used to investigate the study habits of students in different institutes of Sialkot.

1. INTRODUCTION

Study habit is; buying out a dedicated scheduled and un-interrupted time to apply one’s self to the task of learning. Without it, one does not grow and becomes self –limiting in life. Study habits tell a person that how much he will learn and how far he wants to go, and how much he wants to earn. These all could be decided with the help of one’s study habits, throughout the life. Stella and Purtshothaman (1993) opined that the researchers have analyzed the pupil’s achievement with reference to the classification high, average and low achievers, in this conventional classification, the point of reference in the average score of group or a standard norm, but study habits differ from person to person , hence in an attempt to help the learners progress by developing suitable study habits, we need a different set of parameters that takes into account of the individual capabilities.

According to Palani (2012) reading habit is an essential and important aspect for creating a literate society in this world. It shapes the personality of individuals and it helps them to develop proper thinking methods, and creates new ideas. However, the developments in the Mass Media had continued to influence interest in reading books, magazines and journals, among others.

Issa et al. (2012) recommended that everyday reading activities in which students engage influence their studying skills and subsequent academic performance. There is a general sense in which one appreciates the link between good habits of reading and the academic performance of students generally.

Singh (2011) examined academic achievement and study habits of higher secondary students. The study was conducted on hundred higher secondary school students, randomly selected from higher secondary schools. The results indicate that girls and boys differ significantly in their study habits and academic achievement.

Bhan and Gupta (2010) conducted a study for academic achievement and study habit among the students belonging to scheduled caste and non-scheduled caste group. The result revealed that sex has no significant impact on academic achievement and study habit of students.

Ogbodo (2010) examined that parent send their children to school to learn. In the school, children are exposed to various experiences which influence their behavior. Therefore, learning is a change in behavior. Such a change is seen in their mental reasoning, physical growth, manipulative skills and development of values and interest. The change may be easy or difficult depending on the home and school environment. Reading for recreation or relaxation very common among the educated elite. Students, who read magazines at intervals learn to relax, cool their brain and avoid mental fatigue and also makes them live a disciplined life in the school. In most cases, its effects in inducing sleep and rest after tedious reading in the classroom or the library adds to good health habits.

Dadzie (2008) reading is the ability to understand words contained in a document and make use of the knowledge for personal growth and development. This implies making meaning out of recorded information either printed or non-printed in the life of an individual. People read for different reasons and purposes, some of which includes for pleasure, leisure, relaxation, information and for knowledge.

Gallo (2007) “Books yield their best to you, if you read them at the age at which each particular masterpiece can ideally be chewed and digested.” There is little knowledge about everyday reading practices of tertiary education students and how these practices affect their academic achievement.

Guthrie et al. (2007) believed that “reading” is the act of getting meaning from printed or written words, which is the basis for learning and one of the most important skills everyday lives.

Vandamme et al. (2005) carried out a study to find out the factors that influence student performance and explore prediction methods. The main aim of this study is to classify students into three groups: ‘low’ students, ‘medium risk’ students, and ‘high risk’ students. Neural Network decision tree and discriminate analysis was used to predict the achievement of freshmen.

Deavers (2000) believed that reading is a process of thinking, evaluation, judging, imaging reasoning and problem solving. Reading is an essential tool for knowledge transfer and the habit of reading an academic activity that increases skill in reading strategies. To know about the world and its environment a child helps himself through reading book, newspapers and other magazines. Once the child has been taught to read and has developed the love for books, he can explore for himself the wealth of human experiences and knowledge through reading. Children, who miss the opportunity of getting in touch with books in their early stages of life, find it hard to acquire good reading habits in their years. Higginbotham (1999) examined the reading interests of middle school-sixth, seventh and eighth grade students in a metropolitan, public school located in a southeastern state Atlanta, Georgia. The result of this study showed differences in interest by gender, which are congruent with many society, stereotypes and females reported a stronger interest in friendship, animal stories, adventure and historical, fiction. While the males reported stronger preferences for the categories of sports and science. Also, the male respondents had a stronger preference for non-fiction than did he female’s respondents. Also, Ward (1997); Agbezree (2001) conducted research in Ghana to primary and secondary levels of education.

Richards et al. (1999) carried out a study to predict the success in a first year engineering course. In this study, researcher explored the factors that affects the success of engineering students in their first year courses and considered the role of study habits on their success. Student’s success was predicted by using students study habits.

Christian (1983) observed that there were no sex differences in the study habits of students.

2. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

In this study population size of 10,000 is considered taking two colleges Govt. Allama Iqbal College for Women, Sialkot and Govt. Technical College for boys, Sialkot. As there are 5000 female students in Govt. Allama Iqbal College for Women, Sialkot and 5000 male students in Govt. Technical College for boys, Sialkot. A sample of 270 has been drawn using stratified sampling technique.

3. RESULTS

From Table 1, respondent are equally divided males and females, 62% of the respondent are of the age of 18-20 years, 54.1% of them are from urban area with 62.2% people have English and 37.8% have Urdu as their medium of study.  31.9% of the respondent has less than 20,000, 25.9% have 21,000-40,000 and 42.2% have income more than 40,000 annual income.

We can observed from table 1, 5.9% are strongly disagree , 10.7% are disagree, 13% are neutral, 32.6% are agree and 37.8% are strongly agree that they feel stress or anxiety leading up to examination time. 6.7% are strongly disagree, 5.6% are disagree, 8.9% are neutral, 31.1% are agree and 47.8% are strongly agree that good study habit is key to get high grades. 7.8% are strongly disagree, 6.3% are disagree, 8.5% are neutral, 48.5% are agree and 28.9% are strongly agree that reading textbooks or notes, slides before coming to class is a way to improve studies. 5.9% are strongly disagree, 11.1% are disagree, 11.1% are neutral, 34.8% are agree and 37% are strongly agree that according to them the school environment, student personality and poor group affect the reading habits of students. 14.1% are strongly disagree, 11.5% are disagree, 8.9% are neutral, 37.4% are agree and 28.1% are strongly agree that late night studies are harmful to student health. 22.6% are strongly disagree, 19.6% are disagree, 23.7% are neutral, 20.4% are agree and 13.7% are strongly agree that bookworms are better than other students. 8.5% are strongly disagree, 7% are disagree, 21.1% are neutral, 32.2% are agree and 31.1% are strongly agree that studying alone is better for performance. 8.9% are strongly disagree, 10.7% are disagree, 18.5% are neutral, 30.7% are agree and 31.1% are strongly agree that family background is also reason for student performance. 10.7% are strongly disagree, 5.9% are disagree, 14.1% are neutral, 40.4% are agree and 28.9% are strongly agree that more participation in class is also a reason for good performance. 30% are strongly disagree, 26.7% are disagree, 15.6% are neutral, 15.6% are agree and 12.2% are strongly agree that they usually come late to class. 53.3% are always, 17% are generally, 6.3% are rarely, and 23.3% are sometimes study the toughest subject in the morning time.  29.6% are always, 17% are generally, 14.8% are rarely, and 38.5% are sometimes carefully make their study plan for week at the start of first week. 42.2% are always, 16.3% are generally, 9.3% are rarely, and 32.2% are sometimes view their notes within one day after their class. 53.7% are always, 20.4% are generally, 11.5% are rarely, and 14.4% are sometimes do their assignment on time. 44.1% are always, 24.1% are generally, 6.3% are rarely, and 25.6% are sometimes make the schedule of their study. 30.7% are always, 10.4% are generally, 26.3% are rarely, and 32.6% are sometimes use the time during classes for study. 24.8% are always, 16.7% are generally, 27.4% are rarely, and 31.1% are sometimes thinks that their area is free of noise and distraction. 46.3% are always, 14.8% are generally, 7.8% are rarely, and 31.1% are sometimes can predict the types of questions that might be on the test. 64.8% are always, 14.4% are generally, 7.8% are rarely, and 13% are sometimes finish their test on time. 50.4% are always, 20% are generally, 3% are rarely, and 26.6% are sometimes take the notes during studies efficiently during lecture, 56.7% are always, 17% are generally, 8.1% are rarely, and 17.8% are sometimes read the headings and chapter outlines. 39.6% are always, 27.8% are generally, 13% are rarely, and 19.6% are sometimes have good communicate efficiently in writing. 44.4% are always, 25.6% are generally, 9.6% are rarely, and 20.4% are sometimes help other students in studies. 37.4% are always, 17.8% are generally, 32.6% are rarely, and 12.2% are sometimes think that library is their first favorite place for study. 45.6% are always, 23.3% are generally, 8.5% are rarely, and 22.6% are sometimes start the preparation before one month of examination.

Table-1. Univariate data analysis

Variable	Categories	Number	Percent
Gender	Male Female	250 250	50 50
Age	15-17 18-20 21 or above	100 168 2	37.0 62.2 0.07
Area	Rural Urban	146 124	54.1 45.9
Medium of Study	English Urdu	168 102	62.2 37.8
I feel stress or anxiety leading up to exam time.	SD D Neutral Agree SA	16 29 35 88 102	5.9 10.7 13.0 32.6 37.8
I think good study habit is an important key to get high grades.	SD D Neutral Agree SA	18 15 24 84 129	6.7 5.6 8.9 31.1 47.8
According to me the school environment, student personality and poor group affect the reading habits of students.	SD D Neutral Agree SA	16 30 30 94 100	5.9 11.1 11.1 34.8 37.0
I think that studying alone is responsible for student’s better performance.	SD D Neutral Agree SA	38 31 24 101 76	14.1 11.5 8.9 37.4 28.1
According to me bookworms are better than other students:	SD D Neutral Agree SA	61 53 64 55 37	22.6 19.6 23.7 20.4 13.7
I feel that the family background of students is also responsible for good or bad results.	SD D Neutral Agree SA	24 29 50 83 84	8.9 10.7 18.5 30.7 31.1
I consider that participating in class, such as contributing ideas, answering or asking questions is good for better performance.	SD D Neutral Agree SA	29 16 38 109 78	10.7 5.9 14.1 40.4 28.9
I usually come 5 minutes late to the class.	SD D Neutral Agree SA	81 72 42 42 33	30 26.7 15.6 15.6 12.2
I study the tough subject when I am most alert (for most students will be during the morning).	Always Generally Rarely Sometimes	150 43 15 62	53.5 17.0 6.3 23.3
At the start of the week I carefully plan my study schedule for the week.	Always Generally Rarely Sometimes	79 43 38 110	29.6 17.0 14.8 42.2
I view my class notes within one day after the class in which they were taken.	Always Generally Rarely Sometimes	120 41 23 86	42.2 16.3 9.3 20.4
I always do my assignment on time.	Always Generally Rarely Sometimes	151 52 29 38	53.7 20.4 11.5 14.4
I make a master schedule for each semester before each semester or each term.	Always Generally Rarely Sometimes	125 62 15 68	44.1 24.1 6.30 25.6
I use the time between the classes for studying.	Always Generally Rarely Sometimes	89 25 69 87	32.9 9.3 25.6 32.2
My study area is free of noise & distractions.	Always Generally Rarely Sometimes	66 42 72 90	24.8 16.7 27.4 31.1
I can predict the types of questions that might be on the test.	Always Generally Rarely Sometimes	124 37 19 90	46.3 14.8 7.8 31.3
I finish my test in the allowed period of time.	Always Generally Rarely Sometimes	181 36 19 34	64.8 14.4 7.80 13.0
I take the notes efficiently during the lecture.	Always Generally Rarely Sometimes	142 51 6 71	50.4 20.0 3.0 26.6
When I am reading a good, first I read the heading and chapter outlines.	Always Generally Rarely Sometimes	153 46 22 48	56.7 17 8.1 17.8
Being a student, I have the ability to communicate efficiently in writing.	Always Generally Rarely Sometimes	107 75 35 53	39.6 27.8 13.0 19.6
Being a student, I have the ability to explain another student how to solve all the problems on a test.	Always Generally Rarely Sometimes	120 69 26 55	44.4 25.6 9.6 20.4
The library is my favorite place to study.	Always Generally Rarely Sometimes	101 48 88 33	37.4 17.8 32.6 12.6
I start the preparation for my examination one month before the examination	Always Generally Rarely Sometimes	123 63 23 61	45.6 23.3 8.5 22.6

Sourse:SPSS

4. HYPOTHESIS TESTING

x²-test is frequently used to check the association between two attributes for data analysis. In this paper we use this test to check the association between different attributes and the results are summarized in the table 2.

Table-2. Chi-Square test for testing relationship between variables

Attributes	x2-value	p-value	Conclusion
Gender and Stress of Exam	62.333	0.000	Significant
Area and effect of family background on result of student	12.573	0.014	Significant
Gender and thinking that late night study is harmful	6.007	0.199	Insignificant
Gender and coming class late	46.764	0.000	Significant
Area and using of time between class for study	0.595	0.898	Insignificant
Area and Library is favorite place for study	18.795	0.000	Significant

Source: SPSS

For finding the association between gender and stress of exam, p-value which has been observed is (0.000), which shows there association between gender and stress of exam. Similarly, p-value for checking the association between area and effect of family background on the result of student is 0.014, which shows there is association between both of them. Now, for testing the hypothesis of association between gender and thinking of late night study is harmful for health, the p-value we observed is 0.199, which is insignificant and both categories are independent. Now, for testing the hypothesis that whether there is relationship between gender and coming class late, p-value which has been observed is 0.000 (significant), so there is association between gender and coming class late. Similarly, area and using time for study during class are independent because there p-value is 0.898 (insignificant). Finally, there is association between area and library is favorite place for study as there p-value is 0.000 (significant).

H_0: Respondents on average have same opinion about good study habits, late night studies and family background.

H_1: Respondents on average have different opinion about good study habits, late night studies and family background.

For testing the test hypothesis, we use Kruskal-Wallis test, the result are given in the table 3

Table-3. Result for Kruskal-Wallis Test

	ANOVA	Df	P-value
Chi-Square	6.812	1	0.009

Source:SPSS

From the table 3, we can observed as our p-value is 0.009, so our result are significant, we can conclude that respondents on average have different opinion about good study habits, late night studies and family background.

Funding: This study received no specific financial support.

Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Contributors/Acknowledgement: All authors contributed equally to the conception and design of the study.

REFERENCES

Agbezree, L., 2001. Library facilities and their use in Ghanaian secondary school case study of St. Peters. Legon: University of Ghana. pp: 70.

Bhan, K.S. and R. Gupta, 2010. Study habits and academic achievement among the students belonging to scheduled caste and non- scheduled caste group. Journal of Applied Research in Education, 15(1): 1-9.View at Google Scholar 

Christian, J., 1983. Study habits as a function of need achievement. Asian Journal of Psychology and Education, 11(1): 6-12.

Dadzie, P.S., 2008. Reading for education: The roles of libraries. Ghana Library Journal, 20(1): 1-14.

Deavers, R., 2000. The effect of instruction on early non-word reading strategies. Journal of Research in Reading, 23(3): 267-286.

Gallo, D., 2007. Reading interests and habits of connecticut students in grades four through twelve. Reading Matrix, 2(3): 1-20.

Guthrie, J.T., L. Benneth and K. McGough, 2007. Concept-oriented reading instruction: An integrated curriculum to develop motivations and strategies for reading. Retrieved from http://curry.virginia.edu/go/clic/nrrc/corri_rlo.html [Accessed November, 28 2013].

Higginbotham, S., 1999. Reading interest of middle school students and preferences by gender of middle school students in a South Eastern State Atlanta Georgia. Master’s Dissertation. Mercer University. pp: 140.

Issa, A.O., M.B. Aliyu, R.B. Akangbe and A.F. Adedeji, 2012. Reading interest and habits of the federal polytechnic students. International Journal of Learning & Development, 2(1): 470-486. View at Google Scholar | View at Publisher

Ogbodo, R.O., 2010. Effective study habits in educational sector: Counseling implications. Edo Journal of Counseling, 3(2): 230-242. View at Google Scholar | View at Publisher

Palani, K.K., 2012. Promising reading habits and creating literate social. International Reference Research Journal, 3(2): 90.View at Google Scholar 

Richards, L.G., H.C. Richards and D.C. Sheridan, 1999. Predicting success in a first year engineering course: The role of study habits. Paper presented at the Frontiers In Education Conference.

Singh, Y.G., 2011. Academic achievement and study habits of higher secondary students. International Referred Research Journal, 3(27): 2. View at Google Scholar 

Stella and S. Purtshothaman, 1993. Study habits of the underachievers. Journal of Educational Research and Extension, 29(4): 206-214. View at Google Scholar 

Vandamme, J.P., N. Meskens and J.F. Superby, 2005. Fresher’s achievement: Prediction methods and influencing factors. Higher Education, Multijuridictionality and Golbalisation Conference, Ateliers des Fucam, Mons, Belgium. Dec 16-17.

Ward, M.L., 1997. A study of reading habits and public library use. Unpublished MA Dissertation, University of Ghana: Legon. pp: 70.