Study Habits

Chapter I
Introduction

Research Title
The Study Habits of BSOA Students

General Objectives This study aims to determine the different study habits of the BSOA students of Bacolod City College.

Specific Objectives
1. To categorize the profile of the BSOA students in terms of gender, year level, secondary school attended, number of siblings, educational attainment of parents and their monthly income.
2. To find out the different distractors in studying.
3. To adopt a conducive place for learning.
4. To determine the techniques they use for studying.

Conceptual Framework Dependent variables Independent Variable

Study Habits

Time Management
Conducive Environment
Learning Skills

Independent variable influence the dependent variable of this research based on the theories of the people who studied it.
According to Carmen Ramsey and Aly Witter (2010), some students prefer complete quiet, while others like soft background music or ambient noise. To create your ideal study environment, start by choosing an appropriate location to work. The environment around you is just an important is to know the type of learner you are. The general theory that most children hear growing up is to find a nice quiet place to study. While this type of environment may work for some, it won’t for others. As with learning styles, different people find different environments more suitable to their needs. If you are the type of person that finds that “too much” silence is more distracting than a little background noise, then studying at a library is not for you. The opposite is also true.
According to Cynthia Clumeck Muchnick, MA (2010), if you are preparing for only one exam and you have plenty of time to study, you can be flexible in your own schedule. If you are studying for several exams in a brief time period, however, you need to create a strict schedule for yourself and devote certain hours each day to the study of specific subjects. To provide enough time to study, you should begin studying about five to seven days before the examination.

Definition of Terms
Study Habits. Conceptually, according to Pogue (2005) is the daily outline of students with regards to their academic duties and responsibilities. Operationally as used in the study, it refers to the ways of students absorbing the learning on particular subjects. Gender. Conceptually, according to is the relationship between man and woman, both perceptual and material. - distinguished between a man and a woman.
Age. Conceptually, according to Schema refers to the theory that children learn about what it means to be male and female from the culture in which they live. Operationally as used in the study, it is a determinant of how long is the existence of men. Educational Attainment. Conceptually, according to Horney’s theory of Psychology (2009) is the highest level of schooling each student attended and successfully completed. Operationally as used in the study, it refers to the gained level of education of a student.
Monthly Income. Conceptually, according to Paul Irvine and James Rosenfeld (2011) is the amount of consistent and stable income that individual receives each month, averaged over a period of time. Operationally as used in the study, it refers to the amount a person is earning for the entire month.
Stress. Conceptually, according to Hans Selye (2012) defines as the nonspecific response of the body to any demand on it. Stress reaction may occur to either internal, cognitive stimuli, or external or the environmental stimuli. Operationally as used in the study, it is a certain level of pressure due to anxieties of examination a person has to be taken.

Scopes and Limitations
The scope of this research focus on the study habits of BSOA students here in Bacolod City College from first year to third year level. The limitations of this research are for the students that are currently enrolled in the course of BSOA at BCC and is having the prescribe study load for a given semester. Only students are allowed to participate in this research.

Significance of the Study
The researchers believed that this study can give students more focused and cleared perspective on how the specific behaviors related to their studies influenced by study habits. Consequently, this awareness also gives a much better and deeper understanding of their selves as student 's considering that the college life is typically beset of developmental adjustment demands.
This study is significant to the following:
Students. They will be given information on how studying affects their academic performances. The result of the study will make them aware of the common study habits among their co-office administration student. Teachers. To be able to help them in understanding better the diversity of learning of their students, such as, it could help them develop more effective methodology in teaching their subject matter. Parents. They will be informed on how do their children perform in school and become aware on what are the barriers in learning a subject matter to their children. Through this, they can make a conclusion or formulate techniques on how they are going to support their children and be able to guide their learning disabilities and improve it.
Department Coordinator. They can be guided in the formulation of further modifications of education policies, curriculum and strategies toward a more effective delivery of learning.
Guidance Office. Through this study, they will be able to provide a more focus and factual knowledge on the factors affecting students study habits. This increases the understanding of the guidance counselors on how to deal with the students.
The School Administrator. They will benefit from the findings of this study since the study provides basis for awareness and better understanding on how student 's current study affects their performances in class.
Future Researcher. They may be able to use the results of the study in further research similar to what the study is.

Chapter 2
Review of Related Literature

Study Habits of College Students Study habits are action or manners that enable a student to learn independently. It may require time and management. It is an adopted way or style that a student may plan to do private readings, reflect and understand lessons to attain mastery of the subjects. According to Asikiwe, (cited Tope, 2011) good study habits are good assets to learn because it assist students to attain mastery in areas of specialization and consequent excellent performance while opposite constitute constraints to learning and achievement leading to failure. Developing productive study habits may greatly determine students ' success in thinking examinations, earning a degree and completing assignments on time. By nature, habits are regular automatic task. With a regular study habits, the pain and struggle of tying to motivate on to study can greatly reduce the amount of stress during exam time as developing self-awareness will improve effective study techniques that will work of particular learning style (Joseph, 2009). Effective study habits are essential for success in college (Gates, 2005). When it comes to studying for a test in college you will not find that you are basically left to study on your own. Some classes do not review for a test they expect to have been following the courser so far and taking notes. You will see that in college the notes you take will depend on what you think is important. In Dorothy E. Jhonson 's Behavioral Model, she stated that behavioral system encompasses the patterned, repeated and purposeful ways of behaving from an organized and integrated functional unit that determines and limits the interaction between the person to the objects, the events, and situations within his or her environment. Usually the behavior can be described and explained. A person as a behavioral system tries to achieve stability and balance by adjustments and adaptations that are successful to some degree for effective and efficient functioning. The system is usually flexible enough to accommodate the influences affecting it. Therefore, it is well explained that through little efforts on modifying a student 's habits in studying, they can develop an organized pattern of behavior useful to their goal of becoming a successful student who has good academic performances. According to Pal Beach Community College (PBBC, 2008), they recommended that students ' study should have at least three hours out of classes for every hour spent in class. They also said that a student should have special place to study with plenty of room to work and students should not be compared. They presupposes that study time will go better if a leaner will take a few minutes at the start to straighten things up. A desk and straight - back chair is usually best. "Don 't get too comfortable. A bed is a place to sleep, not to study" as what they said. A student must have everything close at hand (book, paper, pencils, coffee, dictionary, computer, calculator, etc.) before stating to study. Students are not suggested to spend o time jumping up and down to get things. PBBC suggested also that distracting noise should be minimized; however, they said that there are some people need sound and some like silence. In this case, a learner must find what works for him or her. Culprits are family and friends. Consider a "do not disturb" sign and turning on your answering machine is the way also to have a better study habits according to the PBBC. According to Cynthia Clumeck Muchnck, MA, when planning your study schedule, you need to take account the number of exams you are going to take and the amount you have before each one. If you are preparing for only one exam and you have plenty of time to study, you can be flexible in your schedule. If you are studying for several exams in a brief time period, however, you need to create strict schedule of yourself to devote certain hours each day to study the study of specific subject. Good students spread out their study over time and don 't wait until the night before the test to cram. Learning to work smarter, not harder will actually save study time. The smarter approach is to study every day after school. About having a feeling of anxieties and stresses leading up to exam time, according to Shadiya Bagutayan, (2009), exam stress is unfortunate part of students’ life for many in school. Students getting ready for exams often feel a lot of pressure, which can result to nervousness and anxieties. While a little amount of pressure or stress may be motivational if left untreated, exam stress can interfere in a person 's day-to-day function. Leaning why students have exam stress can help them better regulate their levels of anxiety. For Ronald Smith, (2009), every person has their own learning style. The environment around you is just an important as knowing the type of learner you are. The type of environment you study can either help of hinder you. The general theory that most children hear growing up is to find a nice and quiet place to study. While this type of environment may work for some, it won’t for others. As with learning styles, different people find different environments more suitable to their needs. If you are the type of person that finds that “too much” silence is more distracting than a little background noise, then studying at a library is not for you. The opposite is also true.
According to Mark Pennington (2009), while some students like to get up early in the morning and study, most will say that late night studying is most productive. When it comes to brain power, students will say they perform better in the evening.
According to Carmen Ramsey and Aly Witter (2010), some students prefer complete quiet, while others like soft background music or ambient noise. To create your ideal study environment, start by choosing an appropriate location to work. Once you’ve decided on a location, pick a spot that seems comfortable to you. Keep in mind that comfy places like beds and sofas might be more conducive to sleeping than studying, so don’t get too comfortable.
According to Grace Fleming (2007), sometimes you just need some good old-fashioned vegging out in front of the TV or computer. Give yourself one 30-minute episode of your favorite show before getting back to more cerebral pursuits. There is no right time for everyone, because it’s not really a matter of how long you study, it’s how effectively you study that really matters.

Synthesis: On the study habits of college students, by nature are regular automatic task with regular study habits, the pain and struggle of trying to motivate one. Studying early can greatly reduce the amount of stress during exam time as developing self-awareness will improve effective study techniques that will work for a particular leaning style. Study habits limit the interaction between the person and his environment. It establishes the relationship of the person to the style of reviewing or study. Study motivation and study skills exhibits a strong relationships with both grade point average and grades in individual classes. As with learning style, different people find different environment more suitable to their needs. If you are the type of person that find that "too-much" silence is more distracting than of little background of noise, then studying at the library is not for you. The opposite is also true. The space you study in must be tailored to your own style and preferences. Coping up with stress caused by examination is part of every student 's life. Students should not let anxieties lead up to stress. Discovering that exam is stressing, students find ways and means in preventing this kind of problem.
This different theories clearly relevant and supports our study about Study Habits. Study Habits of High Students
People have different ways in order for them to absorb learning. Some would want a quiet place to study while others would choose a boisterous place. The bottom line is students’ wanted to do their best for them not to get a below average grades and to achieve s average and above average.
According to the PhD defended by lecturer Amaia Irazusta Astiazaran at the University of the Basque Country) (2005) analyzing eating habits of the university students and their effect on the health of these young people.
Lifestyle habits are developed from early childhood and starting to become set during adolescence and youth. Various studies have shown that there exists a high probability that habits acquired at tender ages will be maintained in adult life. Entry into university life also means important changes in the lifestyle of these young people. Given all this, it is very important to know the eating habits and the nutritional state of the university students." success in the classroom is efficient use of your time outside the classroom. Remember, there are 24 hours in a day. Set aside two to three hours each day for studying. This will leave you with five to six hours -- after we subtract time for our classes, meals, and a good night 's sleep -- to do those things that we like to do much more than studying. The next thing that I feel contributes to survival and success in the classroom is periodic review of your lecture notes and the appropriate chapters in your textbooks. Periodic review and beginning to study for your exams early will save you time in the long run and it will prevent cramming. That way you can be well rested and more motivated and less anxious on test day. The last thing you can do to help get good grades is take advantage of all the academic resources at your university. It can only help you."
Learning is central to all our behavior. Each learner is a unique individual with different abilities, interests, and ways of thinking and responding thus these characteristics have a significant influence on ones learning style. It is being realized that students use different learning strategies. They have different methods of reading, interpreting and coding the information. Sometimes these strategies are useful, but some students develop pathological learning strategies. To study effectively the students should be aware of learning process.

Synthesis: Learning is not just memorizing a lot of unrelated information. It means reading between the line or understanding the deeper meaning and concept. The relationship between ideas and the ability to analyze a situation is to synthesize various bits of information or evaluate it.
Amaia Irazusta Astiazaran (2005) analyzing eating habits of the university students and their effect on the health of these young people. Lifestyle habits are developed from early childhood and start to become set during adolescence and youth. Various studies have shown that there exists a high probability that habits acquired at tender ages will be maintained in adult life. They have different methods of reading, interpreting and coding the information. Sometimes these strategies are useful, but some students develop pathological learning strategies. To study effectively the students should be aware of learning process.

Chapter V
Summary of Findings, Conclusions and Recommendations

Findings:
1. The student’s gender, year level, secondary school graduated, number of siblings, monthly income and the educational attainments of parents are somehow a huge factor that affect the study habits of the students.
2. The researchers found out that almost all of the students of Bacolod City College, from first year to third year, based on our survey results were graduates from public schools. These students do have their own ways of studying resulting to an above average grade. Majority of the students, do have at least 2-3 siblings, parents who were college level and earning a salary amounting P 5,000 - P8,000 a month.
3. As the researchers go deeper to the interest, it shows that out of the 271 total population of the study said that they prefer studying at night and having a total average time of 5 - 9 hours of studying before the examination. The students preferred place to study is the bedroom with turned on music while studying, and some prefer to repeat points out loud. After a long hour of studying, the most common study break for the students is watching a movie or television episodes of their favorite shows. About the question if the students feel any anxieties and stress before the examination day, most of the students answered “yes".

Conclusions: Simply opening books and reading through its pages is what many people consider as studying. Practicing good study habits, however, involves much more than reading such as reading between the line or comprehensive reading. Based on the findings that the researchers stated, most of the students preferred studying at night than day. This shows that there is a big chance for the student to remember the points on their lessons during the examination or this may be caused of lack of interest in studying the lessons prior to examination week. As to the place wherein students preferred to study, most of them find their rooms the comfortable place for them to internalize with their lessons aside from being disturbed by other people during their study time. One of the effective ways in imparting learning is through listening music. It depends on the music one is listening to. While studying with turned on music, somehow, makes you’re thinking capabilities works. This might not work for others, but for some, they find it effective. Some find repeating points out loud effective because it allows them to test their retention skills. This works easily to those who are fond of memorizing. After long hours of studying, students find watching movies or TV shows relaxing. This could help in freeing yourself from the pressure of the lessons. Having anxieties leading up to examination time is normal to students. This happens a lot of time. This may cause of pressure of passing the test, getting high grades and impressing people, or even meeting expectations of others. Students in those situations will feel increase stress. Feeling anxious before a big exam may always be a part of student 's life, but letting that anxiety turn into stress does not have to be. By knowing why they have exam stress, students can make more things to prevent it.

Recommendations: This study must be correlated with the academic achievements of the Top 10 students of each department for the next year, whether the study habits of these students is effective or not.

The benefits of having a good study habits are easily identifiable. Here are some helpful tips that could make your studying skills enhanced.

• The night before exam, you should give yourself a break and take it easy. That does not mean that you should take the whole night off, though. Read over your study materials one final time to keep all the information fresh in your mind.
• If studying in your room, if possible, avoid studying while in your bed. This could make you more prone to sleep. You don 't want to miss the points for your exams the next day, don 't you?
• Discuss designated study times with roommates to avoid or reduce noise distractions.
• Eliminate distractions such as cell phones, Facebook, Twitter, and other social networking sites that may tempt you to procrastinate.
• Avoid studying too many subjects at the same time. This could create confusions.
• Gather all you study materials. This may help you lessen your time to look for it and allowing you to have more time to go over your notes.
• If listening to music while studying, it is better to use headphones than stereo speakers. Much better if the music you are listening to is not too loud.
• Repeating points out loud is good, but it is better if you understand what you are saying.
• Sometimes it is better to give yourself a 30 minute episode (usually 25 minutes when watched online) of your favorite show before going back to more cerebral pursuits.
• Avoid stressing yourself at school. if untreated, it can affect your day-to-day functioning. Think positive, as they say. It works.
• Lastly, learn the essence of Mind-setting. Believe in your own mental power. Our brain is the control center of our body, use it well. Don’t abuse it by stressing yourself.
• Most of all, take a good sleep. It will help in giving you positive outlook for the day. Study habit is one of the most frequently asked questions by the students. The answer is that there is no right answer that 's right for everyone. Why? Because it is not really a matter of how long you study, but it is how effective you study that really matters.

Bibliography

A. Books

Conner, M.C. Learn More Now. New Jersey: John Wiley and Sons, Inc. 2004.
Lengefeld, U.L. Study Skills Strategies: Your Guide to Critical Thinking. California: Course Technology Crisp. 1994.

B. Internet

http://suite101.com/article/good-study-habits http://www.wcu.edu/26719.asp http://www.collegexpress.com/lists/list/favorite-study-breaks/1920/ http://www.penningtonpublishing.com Improved Academic Success. Science Daily. Retrieved 2009

C.Unpublished Books

Bibliography: A. Books Conner, M.C. Learn More Now. New Jersey: John Wiley and Sons, Inc. 2004. Lengefeld, U.L. Study Skills Strategies: Your Guide to Critical Thinking. California: Course Technology Crisp. 1994. B. Internet http://suite101.com/article/good-study-habits http://www.wcu.edu/26719.asp http://www.collegexpress.com/lists/list/favorite-study-breaks/1920/ http://www.penningtonpublishing.com Improved Academic Success. Science Daily. Retrieved 2009 C.Unpublished Books