EFFECT OF STUDY HABITS ON ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF GRADE 12

ABM STUDENTS IN CONSOLACION NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL DAY

CLASS

Rationale of the Study

A study habit is the commitment of a set amount of personal time to the

process of learning. Without it, one is unable to develop and their life becomes

self-limiting. According to Stella and Purtshothaman (1999), the researchers

have analyzed the student achievement with reference to the classification of

high, average, and low achievers. Study habits vary from person to person,

researchers could use distinctive set of parameters that takes into account these

differences in order to help the learners’ progress by cultivating effective study

habits. Success defines our goals in life and people around the world aim

different kinds of success and by work, diligence and motivation, possibilities

arises with the presence of these factors. One of the many elements of academic

achievement is academic performance. Numerous factors, such as

socioeconomic standing, student temperament and motivation, peer pressure,

and family support, have an impact on academic accomplishment. Academic

achievement of students is directly related to the social and economic growth of a

nation; the desire for success is generated from each person's conception of

himself and from the significance of numerous incentives as they signify success

or failure in the eyes of others. Student performance holds a very important

position in education as well as in the learning process because it helps to

produce the highest calibre graduates who will serve as great leaders and
manpower for a nation and are thus responsible for the economic and social

development of that nation (Ali et al., 2009).

There are numerous factors involved in Nigeria that affect pupils' capacity

to develop productive study habits. According to Ozmert (2005), contextual

factors play a significant role in how students acquire their study habits. Similar to

this, Adetunji and Oladeji (2007) argue that most children do not have

environments that are conducive to learning; as a result, some parents would

prefer that their children attend boarding schools in order to maintain good

discipline and foster improved reading habits. Achievement is typically used in

educational contexts, utilized to assess students' performance in formal

education, which is gauged by reports studies, investigations, and ratings

influenced by a wide range of circumstances.

Learning how to study is one of the most important components in the

world of education. This is truly the case, especially for students, regardless of

where they are or what programs they are pursuing. Whether they are enrolled in

the best architecture university in the Philippines, a technical communication

school in Manila, or even a top engineering school in the Philippines, their

success will all depend on effort (Mapua, 2016). "Study Habits of Academic

Performers in Technological Institute of The Philippines" by Foz, Gomez, Luz,

and Zarate (2016). Also demonstrated is the fact that the top academic

performers included effective time management, learning strategies, and a

conducive study atmosphere in their routines. Even if studying is the best

approach to advance and acquire educational excellence, it is still a difficult effort

that must be completed.

According to Melissa J. Bell (2014), the importance of students doing

well in school has caught the attention of parents, lawmakers, and government

education departments. As career competition in the workforce grows

increasingly competitive, educational attainment, or how well a student meets

standards set out by the local government and the institution itself, is sustained."

A successful future depends on developing appropriate study habits, which will

also make high school important and engaging. However, if the students do not

have good study habits, this could be the cause of their receiving poor grades or

failing the subject. (Venturina, G., 2014)

Researchers decided to conduct this study to know the relationship

between study habits and students’ academic performance as well as to provide

reasons on how these factors affect each other. Furthermore, this study aims to

meet and examine the effect of study habits on students' academic performance

and identify factors affecting students' study habits. In addition, it determines the

effectiveness of applying a study habit academically by recognizing the number

of students that practice this kind of habit and excel in their performance and

knowing the number of students that do not practice this habit but within the

student's academic performance results, it will determine if it does produce to

either positive or negative outcome.

Theoretical Background Of The Study

 The literature demonstrates that students' study habits have a major impact

on their academic success. Two theories are employed as the foundation of this

investigation. They consist of:

I. Thorndike's theory of reinforcement.

II. Hull's theory.

I. Thorndike's Theory of Reinforcement

American psychologist Edward Lee Thorndike introduced this hypothesis in

1913. He conducted tests to investigate how experiences can change non-

reflexive behavior. In the areas of learning, genetic psychology, testing,

behavioral science, and psychology of learning and arithmetic, he was regarded

by Anderson (1990) as one of the greatest educational psychologists the world

has ever produced.

In his research, Thorndike postulated that the development of habits was a

result of the stimulus and response relationship becoming stronger. When

relationships or connections are weakened, such habits are broken. As a result,

Thorndike developed the following fundamental principles of learning:

I. The law of effect,

II. The law of exercise,

III. ili. The law of readiness.

The first two principles are taken into consideration for the purposes of this

study. According to Thorndike's principle of impact, learning involves creating

bonds or associations between a stimulus and a response. He also claimed that

the type and frequency of stimulus-response pairings influences how strong or

weak these associations or "habits" are. Thorndike emphasized the role of

environmental stimuli as a tool for altering behavior and enhancing task

performance.

The student's emotional response serves as the foundation for the principle

of effect. It is directly connected to motivation. This describes how learning is

boosted when a positive or fulfilling experience is present, whereas learning is

decreased when a negative feeling is present. The learner will make an effort to

keep doing whatever has a satisfying result in order to keep learning. The

instructor should acknowledge and reward progress since positive reinforcement

is more likely to result in success and drive the learner. Whatever the learning

environment, it should have components that have a favorable impact on the

pupils and make them feel satisfied. As a result, educators should exercise

caution when using retribution in the classroom.

Additionally, according to the principle of effect, the result or impact of a

response will determine whether or not the inclination to respond similarly in the

future will be enhanced or diminished. Responses that are immediately followed

by positive outcomes are more likely to be repeated. Wood (2005) asserted that

thinking was not required to understand how learning occurred. Given the

aforementioned position in Thorndike's law of effect, it can be inferred that

students' learning motivation can be reinforced or deteriorated by the type and

frequency of stimulus responses received from the learner's environment, which

includes all those around him or her, such as parents, peers, teacher

relationships, and facilities. These people can motivate the child positively or

negatively in his or her study through their actions. These can prompt the student

to react favorably or unfavorably to his or her performance on assignments and

studies.

Similar to this, according to Thorndike's workout principle, repetition

strengthens a habit since "practice makes perfect." The law is divided into two

parts: use and disuse. When a connection is used, it gets stronger; when it isn't

used, it gets weaker. Thorndike regarded "use" as proper use that was rewarded

since he found the law to be in conflict with the law of effect. According to

Thorndike, motivation and reinforcement are two aspects that might affect a

learner's study habits and task performance. They also work as a catalyst for

habit formation. This theory was supported by Iheanacho (2002), who

hypothesized that behaviors that receive reinforcement tend to develop into

habits and that reinforcement raises the likelihood that a given response will be

repeated.

Siann and Ugwuegbu (1994) acknowledged that a child's attitude toward

schoolwork is strongly influenced by the parents' behavior. Mbillni (1970), who

argued that parental attitude influences the child's attendance at school and

academic performance, supports this. For instance, if parents feel that their

children's academic progress is crucial, they may make arrangements for

additional coaching. Therefore, the type and frequency of environmental cues

might influence a student's study habits in a positive or negative way. According

to the idea of exercise, repetition makes for better memory. It is the cornerstone

of training and drill. It has been demonstrated that when students engage in

meaningful practice and repetition, they learn more effectively and retain material

longer. It is evident that practice only results in improvement when it is

accompanied by favorable feedback.

According to Thorndike's theory on the readiness principle, discomfort would

occur when a reaction was prepared to be attached to a specific stimulus

(prepared in the sense that the required neuronal structures were connected). A

certain level of focus and zeal are implied by the word "readiness." People learn

most effectively when they are physically, emotionally, and psychologically

prepared to learn, and they do not learn well if they do not see a benefit to

learning. It is typically the instructor's role to get pupils ready to study, pique their

attention by demonstrating the importance of the material, and offer consistent

intellectual or physical challenge. Students advance more quickly than those who

lack motivation if they have a clear goal, a compelling purpose, and a compelling

rationale for learning anything.

How Thorndike's Law of Learning Relates to Students' Study Habits

Thorndike's notion of exercise highlighted that only rewarding practice will

strengthen a link; practice without excellence will be ineffective. Numerous

researches have revealed that learning is better acquired and mastered as soon

as the student pays attention to it (Ogunmakin, 2001; Kumar, 2002; Gbore,

2006). However, it is simpler to recall recent occurrences and consequently put

them into action. When it comes to the learning process, immediate and

consistent study time and meeting academic standards usually yield better

results than delayed and sporadic study time. Different study methods, especially

for memory enhancement, emphasize the significance of immediate recall and

learning.

Connections are made more easily if a person believes that certain stimuli

or reactions are related. Another idea that was offered was "polarity," which

states that connections are more likely to occur in the same direction as their

original formation than the opposite. Thorndike also popularized the concept of

the "spread of effect," according to which rewards have an impact on both the

connection that produced them and connections that are temporally close to

them.

This type of legislation is further supported by Thorndike's concept of

exercise, which states that, all else being equal, the stronger a changeable

relationship between a circumstance and response is, the more frequently it is

employed. The strength of a changeable connection between a circumstance

and a reaction is diminished over time when it is not used. A behavior that is

stimulated over time tends to be repeated, which results in the establishment of a

habit.

2.10.2 Hull's Theory

 Additionally, an American psychologist named Clark Leonard Hull put forth

this notion in (1943). Hypnosis, concept development, test and assessment,

learning, and motivation are some of the topics Hull has studied. Hull was mostly

recognized as a behaviorist in the study of motivation and learning. Anderson

(1990) referred to this theory as the "elegant" of all learning theories.

Hull's approach placed a strong emphasis on habit reinforcement, reduced

drive, and intervention. Hull compared learning to what an organism needs.

Drive-reduction theory is the name of this educational theory. The organism is

motivated to take action in order to release tension, and while doing that action,

the organism is exposed to numerous stimuli and produces a constant stream of

responses. There is a probability that an association may form when these

stimuli prompt a reaction, but this association will not happen until it is followed

by a reward or punishment, which is motivation (Chauham. 1992). Psychologists

have defined motivation as the urges and incentives that underlie behavior and,

ultimately, the creation of habits.

Hull distinguished between basic and secondary degrees of reinforcement.

Reduced need is the primary reinforcement condition, and the engagement of a

stimulus aggregate that has been closely linked to need reduction stimulus is

secondary reinforcement. The ability of other stimuli to elicit a learnt response

that is intensive or of a higher caliber than the original stimulus leads to

generalization. In that situation, the learning process may lead to stimulus

reinforcement, which may provide better responses. That example, today, if the

learner applies the proper study techniques, task performance will be improved.
 The theory of Hull also includes the idea of stimulus generalization. This

indicates that if there are two or more similar stimuli, they may cause the

organism to respond in a manner that is similar to or identical to how it

responded to the first stimulus. For instance, a youngster who fears a snake will

also dread a rope or anything else that resembles a snake. The habit strength

sHr will generalize from one stimulus to another to the extent that the two stimuli

are similar based on the feature of stimulus generalization. Hull used the phrase

"generalized habit strength" to denote the phenomena of stimulus

generalization's generalizing effects on habit strength. Hull attempted to explain

the phenomenon of training transfer (along the lines of Thorndike's identical

element theory) by focusing on the likelihood that learning that was done under

comparable circumstances would be transferred to the new learning setting.

Review of Related Studies

Children's academic achievement increases after receiving study skills

instruction (Garrison 1980). As a result, developing a disciplined study routine

can help you attain academic success.

K. Premalakshmi (2012) conducted research on higher secondary students'

study practices and academic performance. It was suggested that children's

academic success is influenced by their changing study habits. An individual's

capacity is their study habits. Some children seize the opportunity to browse

alone, while others require group browsing. Some kids read aloud for everyone

to hear, while others read quietly. It might be described as "work tactics," in

which the kids engage in various study routines. It might involve taking notes,

expanding one's vocabulary, preparing term papers, and taking tests. One of the

things that helps students do better academically is their study habits.

Ogbodo (2010) investigated at how parents bring their kids to school so they

can study there. Children are exposed to a variety of situations that affect their

behavior. Learning, then, is a modification of behavior. Such a modification

observed in their development of values and interests, physical growth, physical

development, and mental reasoning. The shift may be easy or challenging

depending on the family and school setting. The educated elite are known for

their love of relaxation. Reading periodicals teaches students how to unwind,

calm their minds, avoid mental exhaustion, and helps them maintain a disciplined

lifestyle in school. Most of the time, it's effects in promoting sleep and rest after

exhausting in-class or library reading contributes to healthy habits.

Making a good study is an art (K. Premalakshmi, 2012). To attain academic

success, one must first establish a consistent study routine. Children can develop

strong study habits by practicing at home and at school. They need to be led

appropriately. The youngsters would improve their ability to learn and favorably

impact all parts of education with the assistance of their parents and teachers.

According to K. Premalakshmi (2012), government pupils do not receive

adequate attention from their parents, teachers, or peers. As a result, extra

attention should be given to the students to help them understand. To obtain

strong academic success and have a better future, the student should develop

appropriate study habits.

Academic achievement of students plays a significant role in both learning

and education. It is regarded as a key to a criterion to assess a person's overall

potentialities and capacities, which are commonly gauged by exam results

(Nuthana and Yenagi, 2009). It is used to evaluate the standard of education

being provided by academic institutions. The worrisome exam results of students

have made it the most current issue in higher education institutions, which has

greatly concerned educators and academics.