Study Habits Assessment
It is often the case that students have unrealistic conceptions of the appropriate amount of time to spend studying and the most efficient ways of spending that time. For example, for every hour spent in class it is suggested that students spend two hours studying outside of class for that subject. That time should be spent reading assignments, reorganizing or reviewing notes, developing study aids like flash cards or outlines, completing homework assignments, and meeting with study groups.
To increase awareness of study habits, students should be encouraged to evaluate the amount of time they spend on different tasks and the effectiveness of the tasks themselves. This assessment may be done verbally, with the student being prompted by a facilitator to answer specific questions about his/her study habits, or it may be done in writing, using a questionnaire like the ones given below. The questions may be tailored to fit specific student needs or course organization. The amount of time spent on different tasks may be measured in absolute or, as in the first questionnaire, relative terms.
Study Habits Questionnaire # 1
For each of the following questions, consider how often you do each of the activities. Rate the amount of time spent on each activity on a scale from one to four, as indicated below.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| Almost never | Less than half the time | More than half the time | Almost always |
____ Do you study outside of class each day?
____ Do you keep up to date in your assignments?
____ Do you review regularly what was covered in each course?
____ Do you write down all assignments for each class in a special section of the notebook?
____ Do you survey a chapter (check the headings, introduction, and summary) before reading it in detail?
____ As you read an assignment, do you have in mind questions that you are actually trying to answer?
____ Do you try to get the meaning of important new terms as you read the chapter?
____ Do you recite to yourself at the end of each section of the chapter?
____ Do you keep a well-organized notebook with sections for assignments, vocabulary, and lecture notes?
____ Do you keep a calendar for listing the due dates of major assignments?
____ Do you know what will be covered on each exam?
____ Do you make specific preparations for exams?
____ Do you study what you get wrong on a quiz or test?
Study Habits Questionnaire # 2
Answer "yes" or "no" to the following questions about study habits.
____ I am trying to be a more efficient and effective learner.
____ I am aware of the benefits of asking good questions as I read, take notes, and study.
____ I believe that my intelligence is revealed more in the questions I ask than in the answers I give.
____ I believe most lectures can be viewed as a series of questions and answers.
____ I know how to spend less time studying by concentrating on developing practice test questions.
____ I am able to use lecture notes for exam preparation.
____ I usually look for possible test questions and answers as I read.
____ I usually study as though I am practicing to take a test.
Questions with "no" responses are areas where the learner may need to improve study habits.
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