Effective Study Skills and Academic Performance free essay sample

Introduction Effective study skills are necessary for a college student to excel academically. The student must develop these skills in order to retain information learned in the present for their future benefit. Study skills can be a combination of several techniques, including time management, note-taking, self-testing, and test-wiseness, to name a few. There is no one best way to study, therefore, techniques can be tailored to the needs of the student to achieve the most optimal result. However, diagnostic testing is also available to assist students in assessing their weaknesses in their learning behaviors and study habits. Research has shown that effective study skills lead to improved academic performance. The habits that students develop during their college years will remain with them long after graduation and will be reflected in their performance in the workforce. This paper will provide insight into the different techniques that improve study skills, and in turn, improve academic performance. The Merriam – Webster Dictionary defines the word study as the application of the mental faculties to the acquisition of knowledge, which can be in a particular field or to a specific subject. The dictionary then defines skill as the ability to use ones knowledge effectively and readily in execution or performance. A rather general combination of the two terms would yield, learning and motivational strategies considered essential in being successful in college (Tuckman, 2003 page). A more in depth conceptualization of the term is the competence in acquiring, recording, organizing, synthesizing, remembering, and using information and ideas, and are among the skills that can be modified for learners of all ages (Harvey, 1995 page). In other words, study skills are systemized approaches to learning and retaining knowledge to apply to academic and non-academic progression in college and beyond college (White, 2004). Gettinger and Siebert (2002) concluded that effective study skills lead to positive results across multiple academic fields. Research has even shown that study skills yield benefit[s]†¦in areas beyond improving their academic performance (White, 2004, p. 38). Study skills are vital because they help to improve one’s retention of information, aid in strengthening one’s performance in classes and in evaluation, and to assist in applying information in real life or in work setting. Effective study skills can take the form of a range or combination of various learning strategies and techniques. All, when performed properly, increase the possibility of improved academic performance. Additionally, the amount of time spent studying in class can also increase a student’s likelihood to perform better academically. Research shows that it is unclear whether the amount of time spent studying is more important than having effective study habits. While a majority of college students lack the skill sets for effective studying, many researchers argue that it is the time spent studying that will have the greatest effect on performance. One study shows that upon entrance to college, most students are less prepared than their counterparts from decades ago (Nonis and Hudson, 2006). As the demands of college-level work increase, the motivation and time spent studying must also increase to maintain or improve academic performance. However, since 1987, time spent studying outside of class has steadily been on the decline (Higher Education Research Institute, 2003). Surveys taken by college freshmen from 413 of the nation’s colleges showed that only 34 percent of these students spent six or more hours per week studying during their senior year of high school. The assumption was made that study habits were carried forward into college and explain the lack of preparedness for students completing college-level work. In another study of college freshmen, the correlation between time spent outside of class on academic activities and the student’s grade point average was tested and found no evidence proving a direct relationship between the two variables (Nonis Hudson, 2006). In contrast, research was conducted with college students and found a direct relationship between amount of time studied and exam scores (Barbarick and Ippolito 2003). While the amount of time spent studying may have an unproven impact on academic performance, it is very important to acquire good study strategies to enhance the productivity of any time spent studying. According to Adams, Hurst, Petscher, Prevatt, and Proctor (2006), there is a link between study skills and academic success that has been supported by various studies. Although most educational structures are based on the assumption that students possess good study habits, many college students exhibit difficulty with various skills including: note-taking, ability to select main-ideas, test-wiseness, information processing, and self-testing (Kuhn, 1988). Going further, difficulty in school and poor performance on evaluations should not be attributed to lack of ability; but lack of the knowledge and application of these techniques. While students have been expected to possess certain study habits since grade school to complete homework and prepare for evaluations, little class time has been appropriated to cover techniques that enhance these skills. Whether it be a lack of emphasis on these skill sets from teachers or a lack of concern on behalf of students that leads to poor performance, it is essential to understand the proper use of these skills sets before combating other factors. Study skills should first be differentiated from other forms of school learning (Gettinger Seibert, 2002). To begin with, studying requires active involvement by students. Most lectures require listening and receiving of information with little room for processing and regurgitating. Study skills only become effective when a student is actively participating, analyzing, making inferences, and comprehending. Secondly, studying is personalized. Classroom learning is paced by the teacher’s speed and style and is guided by the needs and interaction of multiple students. Effective study skills are tailored to a student’s learning style and preference and should be paced according to a student’s ability to comprehend and apply the information. Finally, study skills require practice. While student’s get only one opportunity to learn a particular lesson in the classroom, effective studying thrives upon the premise that materials should be read and reread, homework should be done and redone, and notes should be written and remembered. Only when these factors are in place will the following techniques prove successful. Four important strategies to enhance the productivity of study time include: note taking, reading textbook material, self-testing, and test-wiseness. Contrary to popular belief, preparation for an exam should not begin when the teacher announces the exam. The importance of note-taking is to highlight certain topics that will likely appear on a future test. Holding consistently to this thought, preparation for an exam should begin when a student first takes the notes or listens to a lecture. Since most college professors use a lecture style of teaching, possessing great note-taking skills is critical to success. Different teachers lecture at different paces, cover different amounts of materials, allow different amounts of discussion time, and vary immensely based on several other variables. Nonetheless, a student must learn to capture the main idea of the lesson within their notes. Rereading notes immediately after class also increases the probability of retaining the information written. Students can then identify topics in the lesson that were unclear and either focus on these when reading the text or consult the teacher or a peer for further clarification (Kiewra, 1989). It is also necessary for students to study their notes throughout the semester. Though many believe that underlining and highlighting enhance memory of concepts, these techniques often include excessive information and eliminate critical components of the lesson. Students should focus, rather, on reading, remember, drawing inferences, and summarizing key points in the notes. These strategies should help embed the information in the student’s long-term memory. Since most information is comprehensive, it is also advisable to re-read notes prior to an upcoming class session and seek help on concepts that are unclear. Many times students fall behind when teachers build upon topics that have been taught but not understood. If a student can understand and remember more material when moving from topic to topic, it will be easier to prepare when an exam is announced. Textbooks are not only supplements to in-class lectures, but they elaborate in detail to concepts that have only been briefly covered during the lecture. In order to capture lecture information better, students should read assigned text materials prior to coming to class. By doing this, a student can gage what is important, organize the information into the concepts outlined in the text, and will find the lecture more meaningful. ( Ormrod, 1995) When reading, the student should pay close attention to the main points and titles within the text. According to Myron Dembo (2000), the uthor of Motivation and Learning Strategies for College Students: A Self-Management Approach, individuals learn best when they recognize or impose patterns of organization on content rather than studying isolated bits and pieces of information. (pg 248) These main ideas will probably be tested. Reading requires active thinking and participation. The reader should summarize material, draw inferences to inform ation the author may have omitted, apply the lesson to real life situations, ask and answer questions, and monitor comprehension of what is being read (Dole, Duffy, Roehler, and Person, 1991). The amount of information understood will determine a student’s ability to analyze and answer contextual, thought-provoking questions on examinations. There are numerous supplementary materials available to students to enhance their learning experience. Besides the library filled with books, there are textbook quizzes and assessments, homework and practice questions, online resources and tutorials, instructor’s handouts, prior exams, and a mass of other alternatives for students. Studying should not be limited to note taking and reading textbook materials. To maximize success, students should use all the resources available. Amongst these listed, self-assessments are most important. After each chapter, most textbooks or online supplements offer quizzes to ensure the information has been comprehended and remembered. By utilizing these resources, a student should be able to identify areas of weakness prior to the real examination. If the student cannot successfully complete these materials, it is highly probably that the student will perform poorly on class examinations. On the other hand, by utilizing these materials, students can maximize their study time and ensure they have effectively studied (McWhorter,1996). Students often perform poorly on examinations due to their inability to focus on material that will be covered on tests. While textbooks and notes hold an abundance of information, students should be able to pinpoint main ideas and major concept and focus the most attention on these concepts. A test-wise student understands certain techniques to successfully perform on exams and completes these steps prior to the examination. First, the student should find information that the teacher stressed heavily in class. Teachers will ften repeat concepts that are of major importance (Dembo, 2000). Secondly, the student must understand these concepts thoroughly and commit the information to memory. Cramming is not an effective study strategy to prepare for college-level examinations (Dembo, 2000). While it may prove successful for tests that require regurgitation of simple questions, students must fully understand the concepts and be prepared to analytically apply them to more complex situatio ns. Effective study skills are essential tools that directly affect a student’s academic performance. It is important for students to develop and utilize wide range of study skills and strategies in order to maximize the learning process needed for the particular material to be studied (Cukras, 2006). Most likely, the most efficient, or simplest, way of acquiring study skills is to enroll in a study skills course. Generally, study skills courses are offered at universities and colleges to equip students with the necessary tools to be able to handle the rigorous course work required by college programs. Research has indicated that there is no one best type of study skill. A study conducted by Grace-Ann Gorga Cukras (2006) at the Bronx Community College supports this statement. Nineteen students enrolled in the Reading and Study Skills Course were selected for the study. In a thirteen-week course, the study processes of encoding, organizing, monitoring, and employing a study plan were taught. Subjects would learn to use the most suitable process based on the text and the assignment (Cukras, 2006). During the course of the study, students were given reading assignments and were evaluated by examinations and review of their study strategy method. The results of the study emphasized the importance of identifying the task before selecting a study strategy, however did not conclude one effective method of studying. A strategic combination of the methods resulted in higher exam scores. The study however, did conclude that the choice of study strategy is also contingent upon the student and their personal preference of study strategy and their learning style: auditory or visual (Cukras, 2006). Another method of acquiring and enhancing study skills is by taking a diagnostic test like the Learning and Study Strategies Inventory, or LASSI. This test is a self-report tool designed to assess 10 areas of study skills and strategies including anxiety, attitude, concentration, information processing, motivation, selecting main ideas, self testing, study aids, test strategies, and time management (Adams et al. , 2006). This test identifies areas where students are strong and weak in their study skills and strategies, which then allows them to identify where improvement is needed. Additionally, Kras, Strand, Smith, and Mathesius (1999), suggest that study skills can evolve and originate in the classroom setting. Instructors can facilitate the learning of study skills in the classroom by focusing on five areas that teach students to take responsibility for studying and learning. These stages are: understanding and using study aids in a textbook, preparation and participation in class, critical thinking, displaying knowledge, and learning for learnings sake (Mathesius et al. , 1999). Effective study skills are an important tool in enhancing academic performance. Enhancing these skills can be acquired through many different avenues. Taking a course, self-monitoring, and learning study skills while in the classroom are effective ways of doing so. Students must be actively engaged in the learning process. Procrastinating can be detrimental to academic improvement. It can also result in unforeseen delays that can limit the amount of study time, resulting in sub par performance (Jackson, Weiss, Lundquist, Hooper, YEAR) The result of effective study habits include retention and understanding of material assigned and higher test scores, as seen in the study by Grace-Ann Gorga Cukras (2006). Academic performance is a measurement of a students learning effectiveness (Chong 1999) and mastery of a subject area. Previous studies in education and psychology have measured academic performance through classroom and exams (Chong 1999), standardized testing, homework assignment completion and quality (Bryan 2004), and grade point average (Sulaiman 2006). Academic performance in the undergraduate setting measures a student’s ability to master a subject area and its related pool of information. (Enright Powers 1987). Similar to performance measures at the high school level, students earn grades based on test scores and homework assignments. These tests and assignments are oftentimes based directly on information the student must commit to memory from a textbook or class discussions. However, in the college setting, students may also be evaluated more often on group assignments and presentations as well as participation. These added dimensions provide a more complex means of evaluating students than they may have experienced at the high school level. Academic performance in the graduate setting measures a students ability to critically analyze existing information available relative to a particular area of study and to provide value-added research and new contributions to the area of study. (Enright Powers, 1987). Although academic performance in the graduate setting can still be measured by quantitative measures (test scores, assignment scores, grades, GPA), the means by which these values are derived rests on more qualitative evaluation. In the graduate arena, more emphasis is based on the ability of a student to apply the knowledge learned in his or her undergraduate studies to critically analyze problems (Enright Powers, 1987). Therefore, performance may not necessarily rest on getting the right answer, but the students ability to exhibit a rational thought process using the information learned to arrive at a conclusion. Thus, academic performance in the graduate setting differs from that in the undergraduate setting in that students cannot rely singularly on regurgitating information, but they must exhibit an understanding of the information be able to apply the information in a practical environment (Sulaiman, 2006). In order to maximize academic performance, students may need to revise and enhance the techniques previously used at the undergraduate level. As stated previously, studying is essential to a student’s academic success. Research has shown that good study skills minimize failure, and enable students to take advantage of learning opportunities(Gettinger Seiber, 2002). By enhancing the use of effective study skills, students can expect to improve their overall academic performance. In a study conducted by Adams et al. (2006), where study skills of college students were compared using the LASSI system, the group with the lower grade point averages displayed weaknesses in their study skills. One effective study technique that is critical to academic success is note taking. Adams et al. 2006) stated that there is research showing that the quality of student’s notes is related to academic achievement (p. 38). This technique is effective in improving academic performance because it gets the student more involved in class by focusing their attention on the teacher, highlighting information that may not be covered in the textbook, and creating an outline to follow during personal study time (Bishop, C arter, and Kravits, 2002). Notes may also serve as a study guide when preparing for an exam because the student can identify the information that may be more important than others. Bishop et al. (2002) stated that note taking †¦builds critical thinking skills (p. 234). As previously mentioned, students are expected to use more analytical skills in graduate school; therefore, notetaking proves more effective when notes are written, reread, and analyzed thoroughly. Barbarick and Ippolito (2003) identified another effective technique in studying that leads to improved academic performance. The study claims that a minimum of 1. 5 to 2. 1 hours of studytime outside of class is required for each credit hour enrolled, to score at least a 90 on an exam.