RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN STUDY HABITS AND ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN IKA NORTH-EAST LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF DELTA STATE
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CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study
In every school setting, learning and studying is one of the most important responsibilities of students. Maintaining good study habit will help them study their materials to succeed.
Study habit is the tendency of a student to learn a systematic and efficient way when opportunity is given. It is also defined as the devotion of time and attention to acquire information or knowledge especially from books or in other words, it is the pursuit of academic knowledge by a detailed investigation of a subject or situation (Oxford Dictionary and Thesaurus of English Language, 2000).
Study habits tell a person how much he will learn and how far he wants to go and how he wants to earn. These all could be decided with the help of one’s study habits throughout the life.
The importance of study habit in student’s life is that it plays a major role in their academic achievement because without studies no one can be successful. However, poor study habits will make it hard for learners to excel in their subject (Standford, 2012).
As we all know, students are perpetually in search of academic success which is their ultimate goals. The credit of an educational system depends on the learning of its students or learners. Academic performance are affected by many factors which includes; personality, intelligent quotient, gender, age as well as learning style otherwise called study habits (Grede and Kuncel, 2008).
Furthermore, numerous studies have been carried out which focused on cognitive factors as predictors of academic success, recently, there has been a growing interest on the non-cognitive factors. A number of research have examined the role of non-cognitive variable such as study skill (Fazal, 2011, Demir, 2012; Awang, and Sinnadurou, 2011). Study motivation (Tella, 2007; Nonis and Hudson, 2008; Yana–Yang, 2011; Crede and Kuncel, 2008; Nuthana and Yenagi, 2009); Kurshid, 2012; Mutsotso, 2010) and attitude (Sarwar, 2010 and Yu, 2011) on academic achievement. Some argued that these factors have strong relationship with academic performance of students while other concluded that it was the combination of different factors that could explain students’ academic performance.
Recently (Crede and Kunical, 2008) found out that non-cognitive factors like study habit skills, study motivation among other attitudinal constructs account for incremental variance in academic performance beyond standardized tests and grades.
Moreover, a literature review by Nagaraju (2004) pointed out that for a good academic success, good study habits and attitudes are important, hence, it is important and desirable that a probe into the pattern of study habits and attitude of students be made.
Studies in the field of cognitive psychology have shown that learning and study strategies improves the academic performance. Students’ academic performance occupies a very important place in education as well as learning process. It is considered as a key criterion to judge one’s total potentialities and capacities (Nuthana and Yenagi, 2009). It is also used to pass judgment on the quality of education offered by academic institutions.
The task of learning is not dependent on teacher alone, but on the learning procedures adopted by the learner. Efficient learning depends upon the learners’ ability to schedule his time, the plan of the study, the habit of concentration, note taking, mental review, over-learning, the judicious application of whole and part methods, massed and distribute learning and so on (Yang Yang, 2011).
However, most teachers come across students who appear to have above average scholastic aptitude, yet they are doing very poorly in their course of study. A great majority of them seem to have faulty study habit (Yang Yang, 2011). Whereas, proper guidance to the students is expected to change their faulty study habits which is believed is a prerequisite for educational success.
A good efficient study requires flexibility in study speed, clear perception and memory retention, concentration, planning and evaluation since the world is becoming more and more competitive (Nagaraju, 2004 and Rajashakha, 2014). Quality of performance has become the key factor for personal progress, parent’s desire that their children climb to the ladder of performance to as high a level of academic achievement puts a lot of pressure on students, teachers, Schools and the educational system itself. In fact, it appears as if the whole system revolves around the academic achievement of students through various other outcomes are expected from the system.
Statement of Problem
Despite all the efforts made by both parents and the government, there has been a drastic decline in academic performance of students at different level of education as it deteriorates every year (Umara, 2013). The low level of understanding accompanied by discouraging performance of the students at the secondary school level has become a course of great concern particularly to counsellors, educationists, parents, government and even the non-professionals. The situation applies to all field of learning and education.
Purpose of the Study
The purpose is to investigate the relationship between study habit and academic performance of secondary school students in Ika North East Local Government Area of Delta State.
Specifically, the study will:
- Examine the relationship between students study habit and academic performance of secondary school students in Ika North East Local Government Area of Delta State.
- Predict the relationship between study habit of male students and female students towards the academic performance of secondary school students and female students towards the academic performance of secondary school students in Ika North East Local Government Area of Delta State.
- Find out the relationship between study habits of students from rich home and students from poor home towards the academic performance of secondary school students in Ika North East Local Government Area of Delta State.
Research Questions
The following research questions were raised and will be answered in the study:
- What is the relationship on students study habits and academic performance?
- Is there any significant relationship on study habits and academic performance of students from rich homes and poor homes?
- What is the relationship on study habits and academic performance of male and female students
Research Hypothesis
- There is no significant relationship on students study habit and academic performance of students in Ika North East Local Government Area of Delta State
- There is no significant relationship on study habits and academic performance between students from rich homes and poor homes in Ika North East Local Government Area of Delta State.
- There is no significant relationship on study habit and academic performance of male and female students in Ika North East Local Government Area of Delta State.
Significance of the Study
Those to benefit from this study are:
- The students
- The schools (i.e. school heads and proprietors of schools
- The government
The Students
This study will help students to know how they can earn the achievement in academic performance and will also improve their attitude towards studying which can be done through:
- Attending lecturers regularly
- Paying attention in class
- Note taking
- Studying materials provided by the lecturer
- Writing assignment given to students by the lecturers
The school (i.e. school heads and proprietors of schools)
The outcome of the study will enable school heads and proprietors to prioritise their prep time for students effective study habit rather than lazying about during prep.
The Government
The government will benefit immensely from the study since it will give them better understanding on how to make available resources to the building of libraries in school which will eventually increase the students study habit visa-vis their academic performance.
Scope
A research of this nature is expected to cover as many secondary schools in Nigeria. But the researcher wish to limit the scope of this work to some selected secondary schools in IKa North East Local Government Area of Delta State.
The limitation of this research work is due to the following:
Time: The time earmarked for the completion of this work was so short that there is no way the researcher would have covered many schools in Delta State and other states of the federation
Attitude of Respondents: Most of the time respondents give answers that will favour researchers instead of being objective
Distance: since the distance between the researcher and other school in other Local Government Area and states is far, the researcher will find it difficult to always reach those schools.
Finance: the researcher is expected to cover other schools in other Local Government Area and states but was constraints by lack or insufficient fund.
Definition of Terms
In the context of this study reports, the following term were used for the meaning written below:
Study Habit: This is a behaviour style that is systematically formed by students towards learning and achievement.
Academic: This has been variously defined but for the purpose of the study it is school studies or learning, in other words, designate the intellectual, a subject of education particularly the final subjects deals with organised knowledge.
Study Skills: There are peculiar strategies developed by students in studying or for academic work.
Students: A person who is learning or studying at a places of higher or further education
Variable: Any entity that can vary e.g. study habit and academic performance
Sex: Everything that differentiates a person as either male or female. Sometimes the word gender is used to replace it.
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