VARIABLES AFFECTING THE QUALITY OF THE STUDY HABITS OF 9TH GRADE LEARNERS IN SOCIAL STUDIES 

JANINE L. SANTOS 1,2

DR. DOLORITA P. DEL ROSARIO 2

Bulacan State University 1

Aguinaldo J. Santos National High School 2

janine.santos.l@bulsu.edu.ph 

ABSTRACT

This study investigated the relationship between academic motivation, 21st-century study skills, available materials for studying, time spend in studying, and teachers’ and parents’ encouragement to the learners to study to the level of the study habits of the 9th-grade learners. A total of 351 grade 9 students enrolled in Aguinaldo J. Santos National High School, Cambaog National High School and Dr. Pablito V. Mendoza Sr. High School served as the respondents. The researcher developed the main gathering instruments employed in the investigation and experts validated the content to measure the learners’ level of academic motivation, 21st-century study skills, quality of time spends in studying, available materials for study, parents’ encouragement to the learners to study and teachers’ encouragement to the learners to study, overall mean, and correlation was utilized as statistical tests. It was found that the respondents have a high level of academic motivation and 21st-century study skills. Also, most of the respondents have time to study and adequate materials for studying, the respondents also have a high level of parents’ and teachers’ encouragement to learn. Meanwhile, there is no significant correlation between academic motivation, 21st-century study skills, quality of time spend in studying and available learning support to the quality of study habits. Among the 9 independent variables, only the parent's encouragement to the learners to study showed a significant relationship to the quality of study habits. While the other 8 variables manifest no significant association. 

Keywords: Study habit, Academic motivation, 21st century study skills, teacher’s encouragement to the learners to learn, parent’ encouragement to the learners to learn, available material for studying

INTRODUCTION

While some students seem willing to study their subject, come up with solutions, and schedule work and study time, others seem indifferent and unwilling. Learners' study habits are primarily responsible for this. According to Mark and Howard, as indicated by Ebele and Olofu (2017), the absence of good study habits affects students' achievement in their coursework. If a student can exhibit positive and effective study habits and discipline, they can do well in school. Students who want to learn well must engage in active behaviors such as reading, taking notes, studying and reviewing those notes, and researching and analyzing. This skill can also be described as any action that facilitates learning about a subject, resolving problems, or memorization of some or all of the provided information. Study habits are behaviors and competencies that can increase motivation and transform studying into an activity with a high rate of return, resulting in increased in learning. 

Positive study habits are without a doubt crucial to the learning process. Students who have effective study techniques are more likely to get better grades. It might be difficult for parents and teachers to help their children develop good study habits. Finding out what influences students' learning patterns is essential to achieving this. 

In light of this perspective, the researcher set out to look at several variables that affect study habits. Three significant public schools in Bustos were taken into account for this investigation. The population comprises of all 9th graders who are enrolled in the three high schools at the time the study is being conducted. The factors that were taken into consideration that affect students' study habits include the learners' academic motivation, 21st-century study abilities, quality of time spent studying, resources available for studying, and teachers' and parents' encouragement of the learners.

Statement of the Problem

The general problem of this study is: “How do various variables influence the quality of study habits of the 9th grade learners in social studies?”

Specifically, this study sought answers to the following questions:

1. What is the level of academic motivation of the students?

2. How may the level of the 21st-century study skills of the respondents be described in terms of:

2.1 Information, Media, and Technology Skills,

2.2 Communication Skills,

2.3 Learning and Innovation Skills, and

2.4 Life and Career Skills?

3. What is the average quality of time spent by the Grade 9 students studying every day?

4. To what extent are the following learning supports made available to the students:

4.1 available materials for study,

4.2 level of teacher’s encouragement to the learners to study, and

4.3 level of parents’ encouragement to the learners to study?

5. What is the level of quality of study habits of the students?

6. Is there a significant correlation between the level of academic motivation, level of 21st-century study skills, quality of time spend in studying, and learning support made available for the students to the quality of their study habits?

Hypothesis of the Study

HO1: The level of academic motivation of the students is not significantly correlated to the quality of their study habits.

HO2: The information, media, and technical skill of the students are not significantly correlated to the quality of their study habits. 

HO3: The communication skill of the students is not significantly correlated to the quality of their study habits. 

HO4: The learning and innovation skill of the students is not significantly correlated to the quality of their study habits. 

HO5: The life and career skill of the students is not significantly correlated to the quality of their study habits. 

HO6: The quality time spend studying by the students is not significantly correlated to the quality of their study habits. 

HO7: The available materials for students to study is not significantly correlated to the quality of their study habits. 

HO8: The teachers’ encouragement to the learners to study is not significantly correlated to the quality of their study habits. 

HO9: The parents’ encouragement to the learners to study is not significantly correlated to the quality of their study habits. 

METHODS

Quantitative research was employed in this work to gather and analyze numerical data. It can anticipate outcomes, test causal hypotheses, seek for patterns and averages, and extend findings to bigger populations. 

This study investigated the relationship between academic motivation, level of 21st-century study skills, quality of time spend in studying, and learning support available for the students to the quality of their study habits. In line with this, Correlational study design and the descriptive-survey method were used. The descriptive survey method, according to McCombes (2022), enables the gathering of huge volumes of data that can be examined for frequencies and averages.

A researcher made questionnaire was used. The first part assessed respondents' level of academic motivation; second, the level of 21st-century study skills; and the third, the quality of time spend in studying. Part 4 covers available materials for studying and next section was about the teachers’ and parents' encouragement to the learners to study. The final of the survey assessed the students' level of study habits. There were 762 students in grade 9 in all. 351 grade 9 students representing 46.06 percent of the total 762 respondents were chosen as the sample respondents with a 3.90% margin of error.

 RESULTS

The following are the summary of the findings; these were descriptive data on various variables that influence the quality of study habits of the respondents. The data acquired, as well as their analysis and interpretations, were presented.

The table below displays the level of academic motivation in relation to research problem number one.

Table 1 showed that the total overall mean of 3.95 indicates that respondents have high academic motivation in learning Social Studies. The finding shows that item number 4 "I study hard to prove to myself that I can succeed in social studies subject” has the highest weighted mean of 4.30, it is followed by a mean score of 4.23 which is "I enjoy when I successfully understand difficult topics in social studies". For "The lessons in social studies will help me gain knowledge that I can use in the future" and "I wanted to study the subject to further develop my knowledge in all learning competencies" receives a mean score of 4.14 respectively. "I study well in my social studies class because it is related to the profession that I choose in the future" gained a mean score of 4.09 while "I enjoy my social studies class because I am enjoying learning new things" receives a mean score of 4.01. Mean scores of 3.90 and 3.72 for items "I study the lesson in social studies because my parents/guardian expect to gain high grade" and "I study well in my social studies subject because I want to be praised by my parents and friends". The item "I study hard in social studies subject because if I get high grades my parents will give me a reward" got a mean score of 3.56 and the item that got the lowest mean score of 3.41 is "I enjoy the discussion and sharing of ideas in my social studies class to show to my classmates that I'm a smart person".

Parents motivate their children to study because they want them to do well in school and get high test scores. Parents provide their children resources to help them succeed in school and eventually land a good job.

As indicated by Sivrikaya (2019), Peklaj and Levpuek pointed out that motivation is the basis for learning a lesson, mobilizes the student, and aids the student in carrying out what he or she should do during the academic year. This may also be shown in the degree to which they like doing academic assignments that are related to the subject.

Table 2 shows the results of the survey on respondents’ information, media, and technology skills.

The results show that the respondents have a high level of information, media, and technology skills, with an overall means of 3.67. The item that requires using the internet to find information and electronic resources received the highest mean of 3.87, which was assessed as high. On the other hand, the item that requires reading information and classifying it as fact or opinion and using the internet to find information received the highest mean of 3.85, consulting various sources to understand the topic/lesson has the second-highest mean of 3.81, which is likewise assessed as High. There is a mean proportion of 3.65 who agrees that they can assess media content by comparing what they read. Furthermore, individuals who claimed to be able to produce media content like photos, blogs, or video blogs received a mean of 3.17 which is the lowest mean among the information, media, and technology skills.

All of the mean scores had favorable verbal interpretations, resulting in a total mean score that was considered to be high, 3.67. This indicates that the majority of those surveyed are familiar with using the internet to find information and other learning resources, and they are also capable of determining whether the material is accurate or not.

This means that schools need to give students access to ICT resources. Since more people are utilizing smartphones, laptops, and other media devices, teachers should expose students to using a variety of tools and technology to create a variety of media presentations. It is also crucial to teach students how to utilize technology efficiently.

The results of data collected on respondents’ communication skills are displayed in Table 3.

The overall mean of 3.88 in Table 6 clearly described that respondents have a high level of communication skills. As seen in the results, active listening to the teacher’s discussion had the highest mean of 4.20, which is considered high. With an average of 3.97, it is followed by contributing to groupmates by sharing ideas. Those who believe that giving suggestions about group project collaboration and giving clear answers to the teacher’s questions have a mean of 3.83 and 3.80. Exchanging points of view with other students and teachers received the lowest mean score of 3.61.

The table revealed that all of the mean scores got a high verbal interpretation that resulted in the overall mean of 3.88 which was also interpreted as high. This mean that they have the ability to give suggestion if needed for their school project, can share ideas with their group mates, are able to answer clearly to the teacher's question and listens to the teachers’ discussions.

Additionally, skilled communication—as opposed to discursive communication—is described as the method of communication used to deliver or explain knowledge by Shear, Novais, Means, Gallagher, and Langworthy (Stehle & Pters-Burtan, 2019). Effective communicators convey their opinions and demonstrate how they are supported by evidence. Similarly, Sharma (2017) claimed that the majority of students refrain from asking questions due to fear, hesitation, and a lack of confidence.

Table 4 shows the findings of the data collected on the respondents' level of learning and innovation skills.

Results revealed that individuals that keep on thinking and working to come up with better solutions to challenges have the highest mean of 4.01. Meanwhile, having new ideas because of connections made in what individuals observe and read received a mean score of 3.98. The item establishing individuals that are resourceful in completing school tasks has a mean score of 3.92. Looking for information in books and other learning resources in deepening knowledge about the lesson got a mean score of 3.91. Lastly, the mean score of 3.83, which is the lowest mean among the items for the learning and innovation skill, is having its own strategy in completing school projects and tasks rapidly.

As a result, each mean score had a high verbal interpretation, which added up to an overall mean score of 3.93 that was perceived as high, according to the results. This finding indicates that respondents' learning and innovation skills are strong, i.e., they actively seek out additional facts or information to deepen their understanding of a certain subject. In order to succeed academically in school, respondents said that these skill sets might assist students comprehend how to learn and solve their challenges.

DepEd Order No. 21 s. 2019 emphasizes that learning and innovation include creativity and curiosity, critical thinking, problem-solving, flexibility, handling complexity, self-direction, and sound reasoning abilities. The development of these skills aids students in overcoming day-to-day issues and difficulties, whether they be social, personal, or academic.

This section displays the respondents' level of life and Career skills. Table 5 summarizes the findings.

As revealed in the result, looking for strategies that will help to improve school performance and managing time efficiently to finish school tasks got the highest mean of 3.99 interpreted as high. There is a mean score of 3.94 for those who have the initiative to complete school tasks. Meanwhile, there is a mean score of 3.93 for those who use prior experience to make better decisions. Finding a solution by asking the opinion of the teacher or parent receives the lowest average mean of 3.81.

According to the data in table 5, the majority of students demonstrated personal productivity abilities, as well as initiative, self-direction, flexibility, adaptability, and social skills, by effectively managing their time and schoolwork. Learners take the initiative to complete their schoolwork, draw on past experience to make wiser choices, and take into account criticism or advice from their parents or teachers.

According to the Policy Guidelines on K to 12 Basic Education Program (2019), students who have life and professional skills are better at making informed decisions, giving them the ability to significantly advance society. Flexibility and adaptability, initiative and self-direction, social and intercultural competence, productivity and accountability, and leadership and responsibility are some of the talents highlighted.

       Table 6 illustrates the summary of finding for the 21st-century study skills.

The communication skills had the highest overall mean of 4.20 which implies that students have a high ability to listen and comprehend teachers’ viewpoints. This also means that the learners have the ability to interactional communicate, interpersonal cooperation, and interpersonal skills. However, their information, media and technology skills had the least overall mean of 3.67.

This implied that students have restricted access to the internet, a lack of technical study aids like laptops or PCs (Personal Computers), and little knowledge of the media tools that are currently available.

According to Christmann & Badgett as noted by Hazar, Akkutay & Kesser (2021), incorporating technology into the classroom can reportedly assist students attain their cognitive, emotional, and behavioral learning objectives. In the information age of today, it is expected that students who have access to technology in the classroom would be educated to be creative and problem-solving thinkers with knowledge of information, media, and technology. Information and communication technology (ICT) can be used by teachers and students in classrooms to gather and analyze data, create multimedia presentations, and gain a better level of understanding.

Table 7 illustrates the findings of the data collected on the respondent’s quality of time spend studying.

As shown in the table, 113 or 33.19 percent of the respondents said that they study for 1-2 hours every day, followed by those who study for 3-4 hours which gained 97 or 27.64 percent. There is 89 or 25.36 percent who said that they study for 30-45 minutes every day while studying for 5-6 hours a day received 46 or 13.11 percent, the lowest percentage score is those who do not study which is 6 or 1.71 percent.

This shows that most respondents have enough free time to study their lessons. This may be because students receive an average of sixteen (16) modules—two (2) in each academic subject—every two weeks to read and respond to.

Students who don't have enough time to study won't likely succeed in school (Oreopoulos, Petronijevic, & Pope, 2018). Ukpong and George also emphasized that students who spent longer time studying had much higher academic accomplishment than students who just studied for a short period of time, as mentioned by Pana and Escarlos (2017).

Table 8 shows the findings of the data collected for the available materials for the study.

Table 8 showed that persons who use their smartphones in studies had the highest mean score of 4.13, according to the results. With a mean score of 4.09, it is followed by having a sufficient number of modules for studying. Those who have enough school supplies for their school activities and projects get a mean score of 3.87. Meanwhile, individuals who have access to the internet and use it for studying had a mean score of 3.77. The lowest mean was 2.75 for having a Personal Computer (PC) or laptop.

This indicates that the majority of respondents own cellphones, which they use as their primary ICT tools for learning, but the majority of students do not own a computer or laptop. This could be because smartphones are less expensive than computers. According to Philippine Statistics Authority (2020) estimates on ICT device ownership and usage, the majority of Filipino families (86.8%) have cell phones and televisions in 2019, while just two out of every five (41.4%) homes have a personal computer or broadband internet/Fiber internet/DSL.

The use of technology helps the education sector and students to continue learning while in quarantine; therefore, a computer or laptop has become one of the important tools in learning since the situation makes us highly rely on technology because it requires the students to still learn despite the crisis. Schools should provide students with technological tools like a tablet, computer, or laptop that are essential in learning.

Table 9 summarizes the findings of the data gathered for the level of teacher encouragement to the respondents to study.

The table showed that providing help for the learners when needed got the highest mean score of 4.08. With an average mean score of 3.97, it is followed by those who could easily communicate with their teacher about schoolwork. Receiving feedback about schoolwork to enhance learning outcomes gained a mean of 3.93. There is a mean score of 3.91 for those who can easily get an answer from their teacher to their queries. Meanwhile, receiving praise to perform well in class (online or modular distance learning) got the lowest mean score of 3.85.

This demonstrates that professors gave their students the aid they required when they requested it. However, as most distance learning is asynchronous, feedback for the students' academic assignments or activities may be delayed as a result. This delay may make students unsure of their academic achievement and progress.

The findings on respondents' level of parental encouragement to study are summarized in Table 10.

This portion exhibits the result of the study habits of the respondents. The results were presented in Table 11.

Table 11 displays that reading the lesson to understand and focusing on reading receives the highest mean score of 4.24, it is followed by a mean score of 4.20 for completing schoolwork and tasks on time. Taking breaks for long hours of study sessions gained a mean score of 4.10. There are mean scores of 4.06 for those who avoid distraction by finding a quiet place to study and list down a subject that needs to study every day. There is a mean score of 3.98 and 3.93 for those who study every day and avoid distractions like television and social networking sites when studying. Those who prioritized the hardest down to the easiest subject got a mean score of 3.92. There is a mean score of 3.82 and 3.80 for those who always take down notes when they are studying and follow specific times in studying. Organizing notes in outline format received a mean score of 3.76, it has a mean score of 3.75 for those who listen to soft music while studying. Lastly, a mean score of 3.56, which is considered the lowest level among all the items are those who ask their parent for help when studying difficult lessons.

Because the main learning resources for remote learning are modules or self-learning modules (SLMs), which are made so that students can work and study individually, this shows that students have the habit of reading their lessons. Although some parents are unable to teach their children because of a lack of time, and some parents lack the necessary credentials to instruct their children in school-related duties, there are some tough lessons that learners confront that require the support of the parents. Additionally, by becoming conscious of their ideas as they read, write, and solve issues, students can enhance their learning outcomes, in accordance with the principle of metacognition. 

The study habits of children are significantly influenced by their parents. According to Chen (2021), parental participation not only boosts academic performance but also positively affects students' attitudes and behaviors. Parental involvement and support in their child's education can have an impact on a child's attitude toward school, classroom behavior, self-esteem, absenteeism, and motivation.

The relationship between each independent variable—academic motivation, media and technology skills, communication, learning and innovation, life and career skills, available study materials, quality of study time, teachers' and parents' encouragement of students to study, and the dependent variable, the students' study habits—and the dependent variable, the students' quality of study habits, is shown in Table 12.

The findings imply that the quality of the learners' study habits was considerably influenced by parents’ encouragement to the learners to study. This suggests that active parental involvement could raise the quality of students' study habits. Prajapati concurs with this conclusion (2020). In contrast to less involved parents, he discovered that more involved parents have better study habits.

Moreover, the Global Partnership for Education (2018) reported that parents' support and encouragement in their children's education make the learners more involved with their school activities and attain better learning results. Also, Laurence and Barathi (2016) said that for students to succeed in school and later in life, they need parental encouragement.

DISCUSSION

This study investigated the relationship between academic motivation, 21st century study skills, quality of time spend in studying, available materials for studying, parents; encouragement to the learners to study and teachers’ encouragement to the learners to study to the quality of study habits of the learners.

The following discussions of study findings are based on the examination of the responses provided by participants during survey administration:

The student displayed a high level of academic motivation in social studies. Since online lessons are more enjoyable for the students, it is logical to presume that they are driven to learn because they are familiar with the subject. Additionally, students are very proficient in information, media, and technology. The majority of respondents are proficient at rapidly and accurately retrieving information and determining whether it is true or untrue. Smartphones are their main ICT tool for accessing information. Also, student was considered to have good communication abilities. When their teachers are explaining their lessons, the students pay close attention. The majority of learners adore their teachers' weekly online lessons. Moreover, the result suggests that students have great capacities for both learning and invention. This means that learners have these skill sets that can help them understand how to learn and resolve their problems. The result also shows that students are very innovative and skilled learners. By effectively managing their time and planning their schoolwork, the majority of students shown personal productivity qualities as well as initiative, self-direction, flexibility, adaptability, and social skills. Furthermore, every day, students have adequate time to study. The majority of students study for 1-2 hours every day. Likewise, there are adequate studying materials for the learners. The ratio for the Self Learning Modules was 1:1 and the majority of the learners’ own smartphones that they use to access additional resources to comprehend their lessons. Moreover, in social studies, teachers encourage their students a lot. The majority of students said they got the help they needed with their lessons when they needed it. Similarly, parents frequently encourage their children to study. The majority of parents are always accessible to help their children when they need it because distance learning enables them to become learning facilitators. 

Students have effective study habits. The majority of them read regularly, which is necessary to comprehend their lessons. The correlation analysis showed that only parental encouragement of their children to study is the only form of learning support that has a positive correlation with the caliber of the students' study habits. Parents' encouragement of their children to study and the effectiveness of study habits are correlated by 0.151.

CONCLUSIONS

The following conclusions resulted from the study's findings:

1. There is a strong probability that the learners' performance will increase if they are eager to learn the subject. This indicates that respondents believe social studies are vital in cultivating patriotism and a desire to preserve and enhance the country's well-being.

2. Information, media and technology, communication, learning and innovation skills and life and career skills assisted the learners to be adaptive, flexible and have initiative, students can work effectively in an uncertain and shifting environment and can positively respond to compliments, setbacks, and criticism and are able to work independently.

3. Students have enough time to answer their modules because they received an average of sixteen (16) modules for two weeks. They study and answer two (2) modules per day.

4. Learners have enough modules that they use in studying to further understand their lessons they utilized their smartphones to access additional data about their lessons.

5. Learner’s practice good reading habits because the primary learning materials that they have is their modules which are designed in a way that they can study independently.

6. The null hypothesis, therefore, states that “the level of academic motivation, 21st-century study skill, quality of time spend in studying and available learning support is not significantly correlated to the quality of study habits of the students” is sustained.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Based on the findings and inferences made, the following suggestions were made:

1. The motivation of the learners to learn may be shaped by the parents and teachers. Parents may provide necessary academic assets and the basic needs of their children to boost academic motivation. Teachers can connect with their students on a daily basis to assess their progress and keep them interested and motivated in the subject. 

2. The achievement and enhancement of 21st-century study skills may be taught by the teachers. Teachers may expose learners to various skills and methods that can help them study independently and develop good study habits. School may find ways to provide students with gadgets like computer, laptops or tablet that is essential tools for learning in the 21st century.

REFERENCES

DepEd Oder No. 21 s. 2019. Policy Guidelines on K-12 Basic Education Program

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Global Parentship for Education. (2018, June 1). Parents involvement in their children’s education: A key to success. Retrieved June 25, 2022, from https://www.globalpartnership.org/blog/parents-involvement-their-childrens-education-key-success

Hazar, E., Akkutay, L., & Keser, H. (2021). Information, Media and Technology Skills in terms of Curricula, Process and Product in Middle and High Schools. International Journal of Technology in Education and Science, 288–310. https://doi.org/10.46328/ijtes.252

Lawrence, A. S., & Barathi, C. (2016). Parental Encouragement in Relation to Academic Achievement of Higher Secondary School Students. Online Submission, 2(6), 1234-1239.

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