Get more out of study habits

Today about 20,000 students are waiting to enter universities. After their brief training in army camps, they will be ready to follow various courses leading to university degrees. It is unfortunate that most of the students enter universities with remarkably poor study skills and habits. However, it is not their fault. Our educational system does not provide much in the way of formal instruction on good study techniques. Psychologists have paid attention to effective study habits for a long time because it is a global problem. Even at universities effective study habits are generally not taught because the focus is on various other subjects.

Against this bleak situation students themselves should pay more attention to develop their study habits. Once they grasp the essentials there is no need to cram before the examination. Most students doing higher studies do not seem to have a schedule for studies. They think that they can study at any time anywhere. This is wishful thinking. If the student does not have a clearly marked schedule, he cannot study properly. Time is the most important factor. As lost time can never be recalled, it should be utilised to the maximum. It is best to allocate the prime time for studies. For instance, some students can concentrate well early in the morning. Others may prefer doing studies at night.

Time management

Time management experts such as Alan Lakein point out that many students want to tackle simple tasks first. They tend to postpone difficult tasks. Experts say that this is counterproductive. To get over this problem the student can break major assignments into small components and tackle them one by one.

Finding a place for studies is equally important as the time. We see students studying at public libraries and classrooms. Libraries are ideal places for study. However, the student may not be able to concentrate in a classroom because of noise and other disturbances.

Robinson's SQ3R

Some students try to study while watching television or listening to loud music. Psychologists say that these are not favourable methods for studies. It is best if the student can find a regular place for studies without distractions.

It is somewhat difficult to motivate students for studies because their examinations are held after a few months or years. However, most universities that follow the semester system expect students to do various assignments from time to time before the final examination. An intelligent student can motivate himself with a tangible reward such as a movie or meeting a friend. Through such behaviour modifications, he can make some headway.

Effective studying involves reading and note-taking. Mechanical reading of notes and books serves no purpose. It is necessary to read with understanding. Some students use markers of different colours to underline sentences and whole paragraphs. Underlining is fine if done with some understanding of the whole process. Robinson's SQ3R is an effective way to promote reading.

Survey

'SQ3R' stands for 'Survey, Question, Read, Recite' and 'Review'. 'Survey' means glancing over the reading material before starting to read it seriously. When the student is familiar with what he has to read, his mind will be ready to absorb the important facts. Psychologists warn that plunging into the actual reading without these preliminaries can be counterproductive.

Question

After a brief survey, the student should look at the heading of the first section and turn it into a 'question'. For instance, if he is reading a history book on hydraulic civilisation, he can easily form a question such as "What is hydraulic civilisation?" Raising such a question will get the student involved in the reading process meaningfully.

Read

Now the student is ready to read anything seriously. He can read specific sections or chapters always keeping the question he has formed in the back of his mind. If the first reading does not help, he should re-read the chapter until he is able to answer his question.

Recite

When the student is confident that he can answer the question, he should 'recite' it to himself. This is generally not done by many students. Reciting the answer preferably in his own words improves understanding. This is quite different from memorising. When the student is thorough with a particular section, he can move into another area. Only by doing so he will be able to remember the facts.

Review

The final step in this process requires the student to 'review' what he has read. In other words, he should refresh his memory and try to answer the question mentally recalling the vital facts. This should preferably be done without looking at the book or notes. Although the SQ3R method has been proved to be very effective, it should not be applied rigidly on every occasion. Sometimes, the order of 'survey' and 'question' can be reversed. An intelligent student can be flexible in the application of the formula. But what is noteworthy is that this method helps the student to study a small segment rather than tackle a whole book or set of notes.

Many undergraduates are in the habit of keeping away from 'boring' lectures. However, according to a recent study, absence from class is more common among 'unsuccessful' students than those who are 'successful'. This means that even if the lecture is boring, the student should attend it. Only by doing so he will be able to feel what he can expect in the examination.