Identifying Appropriate Places for a Productive and Effective Study Session for College Students

I. Introduction

        Education plays a very important role in the advancement and improvement of a person. The acquisition of new knowledge, information and the way one responds to the learning environment makes him a holistic learner. It must be uncalculated in our minds that one of the purposes of education is to train learners on how to formulate solutions to problems, how to grow independently, how to apply what they’ve learned inside the classroom in their real life situations, and how to understand things and make them useful to one’s life. You cannot learn simply by being present during the learning period. Learners must develop and establish good study habits in doing school work, which can raise their academic performance.

        High educational achievement attained by the learners in school is the primary objective of education. It cannot be achieved in just a snap of a finger or just by the blink of an eye. Many school learners fail in their studies due to their inability to cope with the daily obstacles and demands in schools. Effective study skills are about more than understanding and it must be practiced in order to improve. It is not enough to simply “think about” studying. There is an old saying, “Practice makes perfect.” Effective study habits gradually acquired by learners will be their sole weapon and strong assurance that they can be successful through the obstacles of education. It will be of good help to them in applying and using what they’ve learned inside their classrooms in their own lives.

        Effective studying habits come along with the factors a student must know and consider. There will always be the distractions surrounding him but if his focus and goal is to study smart then he is surely to have a productive study session with the effective learning. No single factor can be definitely pointed out as to predicting grades and results. It has been interplay of so many factors – gender, IQ, study habits, age, year level, parent’s educational attainment, social status, number of siblings, birth order, etc. In fact, almost all of existing environmental and personal factors are a variable of academic performance. However, at this point in time, the researchers would like to determine how the environment or place where a college student does his study sessions affects his academic performance to find out a place or places to suggest for effective and productive studying.  

1. Objectives

1. Statement of the Problem

1. Significance of the Study

1. Scope and Limitation

II. Review of Related Literature        

        Study sessions are always needed by students. As a student, goes on  

 from one level to another, more time and effort for studying should be given. As

 the lessons and the scope of topics gets wider and broader at the same time,

 focus is much more needed and asked from a student. But study sessions are

 somehow crucial because of the many factors that can affect it. So it ends up  

 into two results: effective and ineffective.

”…sometimes, no matter how much you’ve worked to create a study habit  

 and stay focused, other factors creep in.”[1]

Always, there will be two sides of the matter. One is positive and the other

 is the negative. But despite the positivity and negativity of those factors, there

 will also be the advantages and disadvantages of each not just for the people

 having his/her study session but also to the people around him/her.

According to Sara Nelson, the Social Media Guru of Independence

University, there are 5 little known factors that affect one’s study habits. She mentioned that those factors are sometimes those which we cannot even control. [1] But despite the fact that some things are out of our control, we can still do something about it. Being aware of those uncontrollable factors that can slip up while you’re charging ahead of your course will more likely help you to succeed.

The 5 little known factors are as follows:

 1. Weather. Seriously. You can’t control the weather—but you can stay aware of how it   affects you, both positively and negatively. A sunshiny day is going to put you in a positive mood, but it could also be contributing to your urge to procrastinate and go play. On a gloomy, rainy day, time can sometimes feel like it’s slipping away—and with it, your study hours.  And it’s not just emotional: bad weather, bad roads, and delayed buses can screw up your whole schedule. All of these factors are things to make notes of and plan for when it comes to arranging your day, and your study time.

 2. Your social life. It’s important to have good people in your life to help keep you balanced, because you can’t dedicate your entire emotional well-being to your medical specialties training. But it’s also too easy to let the balance slip. Try to strike a sane, healthy equilibrium between being a social butterfly and being a shut-in. It’ll help keep you focused and emotionally stable, and both things are vital to your success as a student.

3. Your health. Sometimes it feels like the only way to squeeze in all the time you need in a day is to chug coffee and spend all your extra cash on sugar-stuffed energy drinks and candy. But while that’s good for short-term energy, over the long term the sugar rush, sugar crash cycle affects your overall health, concentration, and energy reserves—which means your studies suffer. Take care of yourself, get sleep, eat right, take vitamins, and stay well. Your mind is only as strong as your body.

4. Your interest in the topic. This is a larger-picture factor, but it’s one of the most vital. Your focus, your enthusiasm, your interest in studying is almost all directly related to your interest in the topic being presented. That’s why it’s so important to choose to choose a degree program that suits your interests, your passions, and your strengths. Otherwise the drive to learn is going to be lacking—and you’ll notice it everywhere from your daily enthusiasm to your final grades.

5. Your ultimate goal. Do you know what you want to do with your degree? Do you know who you want to be, and how you want to get there? If you don’t, of course that’s going to affect how you study, how much, how well. Take a few minutes to sit down and consider why you’re going to college, what you want, and why your degree is important. Your goals are the backbone of your daily efforts. [1]