Effect of Poor Study Habits on Students’ Academic Performance
CHAPTER ONE
OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY
The reasons that prompted the study of this phenomenon are:
- To bring out those factors that are responsible for study habits
- To bring out the effects of poor study habits on individual and the nation.
- This study also examined various factors that have contributed to poor study habits and their effects on academic performance.
- This study also looked at how socio-economic background family constellation, peer group influence, societal influence, political problems have contributed to this dangerous trend in our nation.
CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
Introduction
Academic performance generally refers to how well a student is accomplishing his or her task and studies, but there are quite a number of factors that determine the level and quality of students’ academic performance included grades, attendance, standardized test, extracurricular activities, Behavior, Individual differences in academic performance have been linked to difference in intelligence and personality. (Von Stumm, Sophie Hell, Benedikt, Chamorro premuzic, Tomas 2011).
Sometimes the student maybe spending a lot of time in studying but they may not be successful in attaining desired effects or good results. This may be due to the poor development of study skills. In a society which places emphasis on academic work proper, inculcation of good study habits and learning skills increases academic performance in schools. Many students do badly academically, due to factors other than low intellectual capacity. One such factor is poor study habits, which often result in poor academic performance even among the naturally bright students. Habits are true indicators of individuality in a person. So study habits are the behavior of an individual related to studies. In the process of learning, learner’s habitual ways of exercising and practicing their abilities for learning are considered as study habits of learners. The pattern of behavior adopted by students in the pursuit of their studies is termed on study habits. Study habits reveal students personality and functioning. Learner’s learning character is characterized by his study habits.
Study habits serve as the vehicle of learning. It may be seen as both means and ends of learning. Study habits play a very important role in the life of students. Success or failure of each student depends upon his own study habits. Of course, study is an art and as such it requires practice. Some students study more but they fail to achieve more. Others study less but achieve more. Success of each student definitely depends upon ability, intelligence and effort of students. No doubt, regular study habits bring their own rewards in the sense of achievement of success. (Nuthanap, 2007). Study habits play a very important role in the life of students. Success or failure of each student depends upon his own study habits. Of course, study is an art and as such it requires practice.
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Introduction
In this chapter, we would describe how the study was carried out.
Research design
The study employs quantitative descriptive research design to examine the effect of poor study habits on students’ academic performance.
Research settings
This study was carried out in Benin city, Edo state .
Sources of Data
The data for this study were generated from two main sources; Primary sources and secondary sources. The primary sources include questionnaire, interviews and observation. The secondary sources include journals, bulletins, textbooks and the internet.
Population of the study
A study population is a group of elements or individuals as the case may be, who share similar characteristics. These similar features can include location, gender, age, sex or specific interest. The emphasis on study population is that it constitute of individuals or elements that are homogeneous in description (Prince Udoyen: 2019). In this study the study population constitute of 400 students from selected private and public secondary schools.
CHAPTER FOUR
DATA PRESENTATION
Discussion of Findings
The Table 5 shows that the t -value is 14.830 (p=.000<0.01) which revealed that there is significant difference in the study habits of students from high and low socio-economic status.. Hence, null hypothesis is rejected.
In Table 6 the t-value is 3.855 between female and male students which is lesser than p value 7.988 (p=.000<01) highlighted that these two gender differ in their academic performance. Thus null hypothesis is not accepted.
In the above Table 7, t-value is found to be 19.383 (p=.000<.01) between Higher class SES (Mean=64.78) and Lower class SES (Mean=50.2) of Senior Secondary School students which further highlighted that there is significance difference in Academic Achievement between Higher class SES and Lower class SES level of Senior Secondary School students. Therefore, null hypothesis is rejected.
CHAPTER FIVE
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
Conclusion
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. Study habit is the behavioural styles that are systematically formed by students towards learning and academic achievement. Valuable time should be spent on studying. Good teaching method and good peer groups should be encouraged to bring out good reading culture in the students.
Recommendations
Based on the findings of this study, the following recommendations are made
- In order to improve the study habit of the students in the study area and their poor academic achievement, government should endeavour to make funds available for the provision of standard libraries and structural facilities with required up-to-date text books, a conducive learning environment with proper equipment to aid study habits that will translate to improved academic achievement.
- The school authorities should enforce reading culture or “prep time” into the curricular and equip the school with reading desk, efficient power supply and facilities that will motivate them to form good study habits.
REFERENCES
- Atkinson, J. W. (1966). Thematic a perceptive measurement of motives within the context of a theory of motivation.In J. W. Atkinson (Ed.), Motives in fantasy, action, and society (4th ed., pp. 596-616). Princeton, NJ: Van Nostrand.
- Biehler, R. F. and Snowmnan, J. (1986). Psychology Applied to Teaching (5th Ed.) Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. Butterweck.(1957).See C. 7 Morgan and J . Deese, How to study. McGraw –Hill Book Company, New York.
- Coleman, M. F. (1993). The role of parental interaction in achievement motivation. The Journal of Social Psychology, 133, 859-861.
- Connell, J. P., & Wellborn, J. G. (1991). Competence, autonomy, and relatedness: A motivational analysis of self-system processes. In M. R. Gunnar & L. A. Sroufe (Eds.), self processes in development: Minnesota symposium on child psychology (Vol. 23, pp. 167-216). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
- Dececco, p. (1971).The psychology of learning and instruction. Prentice Hall of India Pvt .Ltd.
