CHAPTER 1

THE PROBLEM AND ITS SCOPE

INTRODUCTION

Rationale of the Study

Studying plays a vital role to students because it develops complete

education and provides them with the opportunity to improve study habits, time
management skills and self-discipline.

In educational institution, academic performance matters since grade is a

primary parameter of such learning and it is important for students to stay focus and to
obtain good grades. If a learner earns high grades it is thought that he/she has learned
well while low grades indicate poor learning outcomes. However, many have also found
out that several factors contribute to the grades. No single factor can be taken in
isolation as predicting grades. It has been influence of so many factors such as
Intelligent Quotient, study habits, study time, level of parent’s educational attainment,
social status, age, and etc. In fact, almost all the above environmental, personal, and
natural factors exert influence on academic performance.

Several studies shown that factors such as study motivation and study time
have impacted on student’s achievement. (Cote and Levine 2000, Singth, Granville and
Dika 2002). Levin and Tsang (1987) address this problem by developing a theoretical
model of the student time allocation problem using an educational production function
that is expanded by variables representing student effort and time. It is assumed that
students have resources in terms of both time and effort at their personal disposal. They
can combine these resources to produce activities efficiently so as to maximize their
utility.

Study time refers to an exact time a student allocates for himself or herself to
study in order to gain knowledge. It does not really matter whether learners study the
same time each day, whether they turn off radio and television while on studying or
reading lessons because they use additional materials in their personal studies as self-
motivation. Study time also includes some external activities that affect the internal
process of learning (Rothkopf, 1982). Student possesses own knowledge of appropriate
studying techniques and practices to enhance their preferences. Students have a sense
of responsibility to monitor their own learning.

The Study of Grave (2010) “The Effect of Student Time Allocation on Academic
Achievement” results suggest that the time allocation matters for educational
achievement, even after adjusting a number of variables, including ability, motivation
and the characteristics of the study. Students are eager to learn and find ways to
motivate themselves in result to effective study habits. Regarding the various types of
time use considered, time committed to courses seems to affect the educational
performance of the students.

San Miguel National High School, situated in San Miguel, San Remigio, Cebu, is
one of the public high schools near the researcher’s location, which in positive sense,
creates accessibility for the study. This study is conducted to determine if there is any
relationship between the number of hours spent in studying and academic performance
among grade 10 students.
Theoretical Framework

Palm-Beach-Study Time Learning Theory was postulated in 1864 by Professor

Palm Beach of the University of California. It explains that study time is a useful tool for
controlling learning outcomes. It is based on how study time affects on student’s
performances. The researcher stated that academic achievement is a function of the
time spent on a task needed to complete.

The theory further stated that students today are spending less time in studying
than they used to in the past. According to a recent report, average students in the
University of California doing a four-year university programme of study used about 24
hours a week and read books for just 14 hours less than they used to do.

Literature on time and learning suggests that students spend their time may
account for differences in their educational attainment and expectations. There are two
groups of studies relating time and learning (Daniels and Haller, 1981). The first group
examines exposure time in school. It is stated that the more time they spend in school
the higher their academic achievement is than those who spend less time the lower is
their academic achievement is. The second group of studies examines time engaged in
learning activities. Generally, these studies indicate relationships between time spent
learning and achievement (Bloom, 1974, et.al). Miller, et.al (1970), provide evidence of
significant relationship between class hours, study time, time spent on homework and
the educational performance of the students.

On the other hand, Edward Dale (Educational media, Chunk Mermil 1960)
stated that, students do not need 6 hours to spend in studying in order to grasp the
lessons easily instead they should find learning techniques to be used to enhance their
learning preference such as think-pair-share, peer tutoring, debate and short
demonstrations followed by class instruction. Thus, teachers wanted them to
understand and explore the different aspects of learning.

Moreover, a study conducted by Graven (2008) on the relationship between

students’ anxiety and their short-study time session for examination revealed that the
effect of anxiety on examination preparation was significant on the students' anxiety
performance.

It was assumed that the more a student consumes time while studying, the more
accurately his or her retention of the materials studied, and the less his/her anxiety
towards the test or examination. This study also indicated that ‘unhealthy’ student
anxiety operationally accounted for low achievement scores on amount of time per
study session or time (in days) when he started revision. High Scores on anxiety level
were also implied ‘healthy' study time.

Furthermore, Crede and Nathan (2008) in their researches at the University,

Wisconsin said that study time, ability and attitude inventories were factors found to
compete with standardized tests and grades as parameters of academic performance.
They found out that study time motivation and study skills exhibited the strongest
relationships with both grade point average and grades in individual courses. They also
explained that scores on longer study time duration and attitude inventories were
confirmed as the most predictive indices of performance, based on the students'
preparation and commitment.

To top it all, long study time and skill measures tend to improve prediction of
academic performance more than short-study sessions.
 THE PROBLEM

Statement of the Problem

The main objective of the study was to find out if there was any relation between the
study hours of Grade 10 students of San Miguel National High School and their
academic performance. The study also sought to determine if the number of hours
spent in studying regardless of the different learning preferences, styles and techniques,
have an impact towards the academic performance of the students during the 1 st
quarter.

Specifically, questions were formulated to shed light on the indicated problem, as

follows:

1. What is the frequency distribution of number of hours spent by the students?

2. What is the academic performance of Grade 10 students?

3.Is there any significant relationship between the number of hours spent in studying
and the academic performance of Grade 10 students?

Statement of Hypothesis

Based on the above-mentioned questions, the following hypothesis was formulated.

Ha: There is significant relationship between the number of hours spent in studying and
the academic performance of students.

Ho: There is no significant relationship between the number of hours spent in studying
and the academic performance of students.
Significance of the Study

This study was designed to benefit the following sectors of the educational
institution.

School Head. They will provide and establish new learning materials and strategies to
improve the quality of learning of the students.

Teachers. They will be much informed that time management plays a vital role in
improving students’ academic performance.

Parents. They will monitor their children in studying to obtain higher grades.

Students. They will adapt effective study habits to improve their academic
performance.

Future Researchers. This study could be a help to future researchers who will conduct
related studies regarding the effects of study time towards the academic performance of
the students.