Project – INFLUENCE OF STUDY HABIT ON ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background Of The Study

Education is the process of developing the capacities and potentials of the individual so as to prepare that individual to be successful in a specific society or culture. From this perspective, education is serving primarily as an individual developmental function. Education begins at birth and continues throughout life. It is constant and ongoing. Schooling generally begins somewhere between the ages of four and six when children are gathered together for the purpose of specific guidance related skills and competencies that society deems important. In the past decades, once the formal primary and secondary schooling was completed the process was finished. However, in today’s information age, adults are quite often learning in informal settings throughout their working lives and even into retirement.

Education, in its broadest sense, may be defined as a process designed to inculcate the knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary to enable individuals to cope effectively with their environment (Abdulkareem, 2000). Its primary purpose is to foster and promote the fullest individual self-realization for all people. Achieving this goal requires understanding of commitment to the proposition that education is a primary instrument for social and economic advancement of human welfare (Verma, 2000). The world is becoming more and more competitive and quality of performance has become the key factor for personal progress. Parents desire that their children climb the ladder of academic performance to as high a level as possible. This desire for a high level of performance puts a lot of pressure on students, teachers, and schools and in general, the education system itself. It appears as if the whole system of education revolves round the academic performance of students, though various other outcomes are also expected from the system. Thus, a lot of time and effort of the schools are used in helping students to achieve better in their scholastic endeavours. The importance of scholastic and academic performance has raised important questions for educational researchers (Ramaswamy, 2000).

Jimoh (2000), also described education as the totality of the experiences made available to individuals in formal or informal situations, to make them develop a rounded personality and to be useful to themselves and the society at large. From the knowledge so far, it can be concluded that education, inculcates the knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary to enable individuals to cope effectively with their environment. Considering the numerous advantages that are derived from education, no amount of resources expended on it can be described as too much. For that matter, a person’s education is closely linked to life chances, income level and well-being (Battle & Lewis, 2002). Therefore, it is important to have a clear understanding of what benefits or hinders one’s educational attainment.

Studying habits are well-planned and deliberate pattern of study which has attained a form of consistency on the part of students toward understanding academic subjects and passing at examinations. Reading habits determine the academic performances of students to a great extent. Both reading and academic performances are interrelated and dependent on each other. Students often come from different environments and localities with different levels of academic performance. Therefore, they differ in the pattern of reading habits. While some students have good reading habits, others tend to exhibit poor reading habits. academic performance means how much knowledge the individual has acquired from the school (Bashir & Mattco, 2012).

Palani (2012) is of the opinion that, effective reading is important avenue of effective learning and reading is interrelated with the total educational process and hence, educational success requires successful meaning with them. It requires identification and comprehension. Comprehension skills help the learner to understand the meaning of words in isolation and in context. Before the advent of the television, both the young and the old found enough time to read. Apart from teachers, other professionals used to spend their leisure time in reading both English and vernacular literature. English medium schools almost always demanded extra reading from their students. But all these have become a thing of the past. Palani (2012) further added that, nowadays, reading habit has lost its importance as both the young and the old are glued to the television. As far as educational institutions are concerned, coaching students for the examinations seems to be the all and end of our educational system.

Study habits are learning practices that allow pupils to work independently. Uchenna (2018) defines study habits as “the established method and manner in which a student plans his private readings after classroom learning in order to achieve mastery of the subject.” According to her, “positive study habits are beneficial assets to learners since they (habits) support students in achieving mastery in areas of specialization and, as a result, exceptional performance, whereas the contrary constitutes limitations to learning and accomplishment, leading to failure.”

Goodnews (2019) defines study habits as “the student’s method of study, whether methodical, efficient, or inefficient, and so on.” According to this concept, good study habits result in favorable academic success, whereas ineffective study habits result in academic failure.

There are numerous aspects in Nigeria that influence students’ capacity to build productive and efficient study habits. Ozmert (2015) stressed the significance of environmental influence in the development of students’ studying habits. In the same spirit, Adetunji and Oladeji (2017) argue that most children’s environments are not conducive to learning; it is in light of this that some parents want their children to attend boarding school for good discipline and to instill a better reading habit.

According to Hussain (2016), secondary school students in public schools frequently come from low-income and middle-income families. These families are dealing with a variety of issues that are causing emotional distress in their children. They have a dismal academic record. This unique element has severely harmed secondary school pupils’ achievement level.

Achievement is a pedagogical phrase that is used to determine learners’ progress in formal education and is measured by reports, examinations, research, and ratings with a variety of variables exerting effect. Essentially, the Federal Republic of Nigeria’s National Policy on Education (Federal Republic of Nigeria, 2018, sited George 2018) has determined school accomplishment contents based on school topics categorised as core or elective.

Perhaps, due to lack of good reading habits among students, academic performance with respect to their examination result has been in dismay nowadays creating a great source of worry and concern for all stakeholders in the educational sub-sector (Issa et al, 2012). The setting of “crashed programme,” quite prevalent in the school systems today has not been supportive in the development of the good practices of reading. Thus, the enthusiasm associated with the urge to engage in reading practices voluntarily, pleasurably and extensively is almost nearly absent among the greater number of students in the schooling system today (Issa et al, 2012). Ogbodo (2010) identifies three main types of reading habits. These are Hobby, recreational and concentration. A hobby is an activity one does because one derives some joy and satisfaction from doing it. After formal education’s attainment, some people like reading as their hobby. Its purpose is to widen the reader’s horizon areas like educational, religious, political, economic, current affairs, fiction and non-fiction. The practice of reading as a hobby helps one to be versatile in knowledge in many areas and the person can discuss issues knowledgeably with others.

1.2 Statement Of The Problem

The problem most students have that contributes to their poor performance in tests and examinations is lack of proper reading habits. For an excellent performance, there is the need for the student to form good reading and study habits. At present, due to the influence of the mass media, people do not show much interest in reading books, magazines and journals, among others (Palani, 2012). Even the cankerworm of examination malpractices may be traceable to the prevalent poor reading interests and habits among the wide spectrum of students. In addition, the by-products of scientific and technological inventions and innovations have also contributed greatly to the dwindling fortunes of the good practice of reading among majority of the students. Today, many students prefer to watch movies and other shows on the television, listening to audio-CDs, watching video-CDs, among others (Isaa, 2012). Many parents and teachers complain about students of our generation who have not developed reading habits among themselves. Officials of the West African Examination Council and Teachers of government complain of the kind of answers to Mathematical questions written by today’s generation of students (WAEC, 2014). The net result is the poor performance of many students in final examinations. One of the many issues confronting students nowadays is perhaps, not their inability to read but their lack of interest in government. From the assertion above, the work was conducted to examine the Influence of study habit on academic performance, specifically among students in Mainland Local Government Area of Lagos state.

1.3 Purpose Of The Study

The main purpose of this study was to examine the Influence of study habit on academic performance among students in Mainland Local Government Area of Lagos state. Specifically, the study sought to:

1. Examine the relationship between notes taking and student’s academic performance in government.
2. Examine the relationship between use of library and students’ academic performance in government.

iii. Examine the relationship between time allocation to study and student’s academic performance in government.

1.4 Research Questions

In this study, the following research questions were raised to guide the study.

1. Is there any significant relationship between notes taking and student’s academic performance in government?
2. Is there any significant relationship between student’s use of library and their academic performance in government?
3. Is there any relationship between time allocation to study and student’s academic performance in government?

1.5 Research Hypothesis

In this study, three null hypotheses were raised and tested at 0.05 level of significance thus:

Ho₁: There is no significant relationship between notes taking and academic performance in government.

Ho₂: There is no significant relationship between students use of library and their academic performance in government.

Ho₃: There is no significant relationship between time allocation to study and students academic performance in government.

1.6 Significance Of The Study

The study when completed would be benefited to the following individual: students, teachers, parents, ministry of education and the general public.

The result of the finding would enable students to develop good habits which could lead to good academic performance in government. The study would expose student to different ways of taking note in the class and this would enable them to develop good strategies which could lead to good academic performance in government, such techniques include; the use of abbreviation, paying in the class and many others.

The result of the finding would help sensitize parents on how to encourage their children to develop effective study habit through the information that would be provided in the study.

Teachers would see the result of the finding useful especially in discharging their duties in the school. This would be achieved through the accurate information that would be provided in the study.

The study would enable the ministry of education to initiate programmes that would facilitate effective habits among students in the school. Such programmes includes: implementation of guidance and counselling services in school etc.

Finally, the result of the finding would encourage members of the public to motivate their wards to take their education very important and discourage laziness, examination malpractice and other anti-social vices among students in their communities.

1.7 Scope Of The Study

This study on the Influence of study habit on academic performancewill cover various approaches to study and its effect on the academic performance of students. This study will be carried out with the students of selected secondary schools in Mainland Local Government Area  as its audience.

1.8 Limitation of the Study

The researcher encountered problems during the course of carrying out this research; such problems were as a result of selected respondents who refused to accept and participate and also encountered difficulty in acquiring relevant materials and items. The attitude of selected subjects to fill the questionnaire to time so as not to delay the result of the research also posed a problem. However, the researcher appealed to the participants through persuasive means.

1.9 Definition Of Terms

Study: Application of the mind to the acquisition of knowledge, as by reading, investigation or reflection

Habit: an acquired behavior pattern regularly followed until it has become almost involuntary.

Performance: the accomplishment of a given task measured against preset known standards of accuracy, completeness, cost and speed

Students: a person formally engaged in learning, especially one enrolled in a school or college

1.10 Organizations of the study

The chapter one consist of the introductory part of the study which includes the study background, the statement of the research problem, the study objective and scope of the study.

The second chapter is a critical review of other literatures relevant to the study and its objectives including the theoretical framework for the study. While the third chapter is methods of data collection, sampling and data analysis used in conducting the study. The fourth chapter centres around the research findings including an analysis of how it relates to previous findings. The fifth chapter consists of the summary of findings, conclusion and recommendations base on the study objectives.

Project – INFLUENCE OF STUDY HABIT ON ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE