Volume 5, Issue 7, July – 2020 International Journal of Innovative Science and Research Technology

ISSN No:-2456-2165

Comparative Analysis of Study Habits Between

Males and Females
Nishmin Unwalla

Abstract:- Study habits play a critical role in a student’s A student’s academic performance is directly related
life. Success or failure of a student depends on his/her to his study habits. (Dikko, 2008) discovered that there is
own study habits. The effective and efficient way of significant relationship between study habit skills and
learning depends on the study habits of the students. academic performance. (Julius & Evans, 2015) reported that
Study habits are important, as they influence the study habits help promote effective learning and additionally
educational performance of the students. Good study high academic performance. Students are perpetually in
habits are a prerequisite for good academic performance search of educational success, the success of their academic
(Rabia, Mubarak, Tallat, & Nasir, 2017). performance is their ultimate goal.

The present study aims to look at the gender When children go to higher classes, they find it
differences in the study habits of college students. The difficult to keep up with their studies. But good study habits
Study Habits Inventory, a tool developed by would not just help them study well but also improve their
M.N.Pulsane and Anuradha Sharma was used for the grades and academic performance. Good study habits
purpose of this research. The inventory consists of 45 include planning a specific time for studying, being
questions which were used to measure the study habits of organized, maintaining class notes, being attentive in class,
students. Poor habits of study are one of the main causes reading the textbook, and finishing work before deadlines.
of educational backwardness. This research was Bad study habits include skipping classes, not completing
conducted to get a better understanding of the habits of the work assigned in class, playing video games or watching
study of college students. It will help the students TV instead of studying. (Jafari, Aghaei, & Khatony, 2019)
provide basis for awareness and know how their current found that study habit skills such as time management and
study habits affects their performance in examinations. note-taking have a significant impact on academic
It has been proven that gender is an important variable achievement. Several factors are accountable for poor study
while researching on student’s learning. The research habits skills some of which include note taking techniques,
was conducted among 80 males and 80 females. The poor time management, lack of clean study room which is
results showed that there exists a significant difference devoid of litter and dust and dirt, lack of well ventilated
between the study habits of males and females and room of study in a noiseless area, and an inability to
further also revealed that females tend to have better remember what is taught, that is, inability to recall easily.
study habits as compared to males.
Majority of the students complain about other factors
I. INTRODUCTION being responsible for their poor academic performance.
They hardly ever look at their study techniques which result
The American Journal of Psychology (1903) defines a in their poor performance. Through this research students
‘habit’, as, “a more or less fixed way of thinking, willing, or can get a better understanding of their study habits and take
feeling acquired through previous repetition of a mental the necessary measures to improve it. They can recognize
experience.” In other words, a habit is simply a behavior where they are going wrong and work upon it. It can also be
that’s repeated until it becomes automatic. Habit is a helpful for parents and the teachers/professors to understand
recurrent and many times unconscious pattern of behavior the study patterns of the student so that they can guide the
that is acquired through frequent repetition. students to study effectively.

Study Habits is the amount and kinds of study routines Moreover ‘Gender’ is a significant factor to be noted
which the student used during a regular period of study while looking at study habits. Findings on gender difference
occurred in conducive environment (Ozsoy, in study habits have differed from one study to another. A
Metacognition,Study habits and attitudes, 2009). We can say study conducted by (Aluja & Blanch, 2004) found that
that study habits are regular practices adopted by a student females had a higher score on the study habit measure.
to maximize his/her productivity, efficiency, and retention (Ossai, 2012) conducted a study which showed that
while preparing for a particular evaluation. (Amuda, 2006) significant difference existed in the study habits of the
reported that study habits are a systematic conscious effort students on the basis of age and gender. On the other hand
to gather specific knowledge which is general towards a set (Mushoriwa, 2009) conducted a study on Zimbabwe
standard. It is a behavior that is simply manifested without students in which he found no significant difference in the
conscious effort on the part of the learner. study habits of male and female students. Also gender was
not found to be a notable determinant of study habits skills

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Volume 5, Issue 7, July – 2020 International Journal of Innovative Science and Research Technology
ISSN No:-2456-2165
as reported by (Awabil, 2013). The main focus of this significant distinction was found in the study habits between
research is to analyse and compare the study habits of males boys and girls.
with that of females to get an insight about the objective
differences in study habits between them. (Mathur, 2002) developed a test to determine the study
habits of the students. This test is intended to be used on
II. LITERATURE REVIEW school students, college and university students, individuals
ranging from age 13+ years to adulthood. It is useful for
Schools are the miniature societies and teachers are the measuring the Study Habits and Attitudes of students and
medium through which students derive quality education. can be used on both males and females. It attempts to
But, in spite of onerous efforts by teachers, changes exist in differentiate between good and poor study habits of
the educational achievement of students. A research on students. It can prove to be useful to teachers and counselors
secondary school students about their study habits and as it helps determine the students’ study techniques in a
attitudes with respect to gender was conducted by (Laxmi & scientific way. The test constitutes 60 items. A high score
Kaur, 2017). The research suggests that varied reasons such indicates good study habits and proper attitudes, while a low
as concentration and attention, family environment etc. score suggests poor study techniques.
affect academic achievement of a student but the most
crucial factor impacting the student’s performance is study A study was conducted by (Mukhoupadhay &
habits of students. So, the present study tries to investigate Sansanwal, 1963) to determine whether a significant
the study habits and attitudes of secondary school students relationship existed between study habits and academic
with respect to gender. Data from 200 P.S.E.B and C.B.S.E. achievements amongst college undergraduate students. A
secondary school students was collected using the ‘Study sample of 113 adolescent college students between the age-
Habits and Attitude Scale’ by (Mathur, 2002). Results of the range of 17 to 22 years was chosen for the purpose of the
study revealed that a significant distinction existed among study. The students belonged to the College of Home
secondary school students in relation to gender. Science, Himachal Pradesh. Thorough analyses of the
results suggested that a significant relationship existed
(Reena B. Tok and Boruwa, 2014) conducted a study between study habits and academic achievement. High
on higher secondary students of Assam with respect to their achieving adolescents were found to have a better
stream and gender. The aim of this study was to seek out the performance in recording, task orientation and
variations in the study involvement between boys and girls comprehension. Some factors which were significantly
belonging to commerce and science streams. The study also related such as gender, age, family income and education
intended to determine the interaction effects of gender of were seen to have an effect study habits.
students and stream of study on the study involvement of the
students. The sample for the study constituted of 136 Higher A study conducted by (Bhatnagar, 1982) aimed to
Secondary students of two Colleges of Lakhimpur district of examine some factors which impacted student involvement
Assam. The Study Involvement Inventory by Dr. Asha in studies. The investigation was undertaken to study some
Bhatnagar was used to measure study involvement of the of the factors affecting the involvement in studies of
students. Mean, Standard Deviation, Two-way ANOVA, t- Secondary School Students of Delhi. Decits (1975)
test were used to determine the results of the study. Cognitive Theory of Intrinsic Motivation was the conceptual
model of the study. Thirty seven factors classified as
(Koki & Abdullahi, 2014) conducted a study on background, psychological and scholastic achievement
college students of Yobe State University, Nigeria on the variables were studied. 600 students of class X from 15
topic ‘Gender Differences in Study Habit Skills’. The study schools of Delhi were chosen for the study through
aimed to find out whether any differences existed in study Stratified Random Sampling. Data collection was done
habit skills among undergraduate students of Yobe State through a number of tests and analyzed using various
University in relation to gender. Data was collected using univariate, bivariate and multivariate statistical techniques.
the survey method. A sample of 200 undergraduate students
belonging to Yobe State University, Nigeria was chosen A Study of Relationship between Study Habits,
using Simple Random technique. The hypothesis of the Intelligence and Testing Anxiety was conducted among
study was tested using the Pearson’s Product Moment Senior Secondary School Students. In this study a sample of
Correlation. The results found that the undergraduate 150 senior secondary year students, studying in government
students had significant differences in study habit skills with and non-government schools was selected. (Patel, 1976)
respect to gender. designed the study to determine and examine the significant
differences amongst study habits, intelligence and test
(Rajendran S, 2009) conducted a study on high school anxiety in senior secondary students studying in government
students in Tamil Nadu on the topic “Are study habits and non-government schools. Descriptive correlation survey
gender biased?”. Factors such as home environment, subject design methods were used in this study.
planning, note-taking habit, concentration and attention-
span, reading, examination preparation techniques, and A study was conducted by (Fayombo, 2010) to
school environment were investigated in the study. A investigate the differences in interest in schooling, study
standardized tool was used for the purpose of analyzing the habits and attitude towards substance abuse between
data of the study. The finding of the study suggested that no secondary school male and female students. 210 secondary

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Volume 5, Issue 7, July – 2020 International Journal of Innovative Science and Research Technology
ISSN No:-2456-2165
school students between the age-range of 14-18 years were 2) Physical Conditions for Study- The environment is an
randomly selected from 4 secondary schools in Barbados as important variable which impacts study habits. The
participants of the study. The instruments used were temperature, ventilation, illumination, noise, clean and
Student’s Study Habit Scale, Attitudes towards Substance- comfortable surroundings etc. are some of the
Abuse Scale and Student’s Interest in Schooling Scale. Data components of the physical environment. The place of
analysis was conducted using percentages frequency counts study should be quiet and peaceful with minimum
and independent t-test. The results showed significant distractions. Also it should be well organized and should
differences in the student’s attitudes toward substance be uncluttered.
abuse, interests in schooling and study habits. The means of 3) Memory- By improving the memory the student can
Females were higher as compared to Males. retain information for a longer time period. And for this
he needs to learn better. Revising the previously learnt
A study conducted by (Shawwa, et al., 2014) aimed to material will help in remembering the information for a
determine the differences in studying habits of medical longer period of time.
students with respect to gender. Previous research has 4) Reading Ability- One must have good reading ability in
shown that gender is an important variable in students order to study better. For this the speed of reading is an
learning. Male and Female medical students were given a important factor. An individual can read faster when
self-administered questionnaire. A total of 359 students reading silently as compared to reading loudly. Also
were taken in the study out of which 48.7% were male and technical matter requires more time to be remembered. A
51.3% were female medical students. Many differences student must try to understand the matter while reading it
were found in the study habits, skills and approach between in order to retain it better.
male and female students. 5) Note taking- Taking class notes is an important aspect of
the learning process. Making notes from textbooks can
 Objectives also prove to be beneficial. Paraphrasing in one’s own
1. To compare the differences in study habits between words and highlighting important points is considered a
males and females. good way of making notes. Incorporating note-taking
2. To analyze the study habits of male college students. behavior in daily life can help make this a habit.
3. To analyze the study habits of female college students. 6) Factors in Learning Motivation- The desire or the
willingness to learn is one of the most crucial aspects,
 Hypothesis apart from an individual’s ability to learn. Genuine
H1 - There is a difference in the study habits between males interest in learning can help the individual retain
and females information for a longer time-period.
H0- There is no difference in the study habits between males 7) Taking Examinations- While taking examinations use of
and females simple language is preferable. The headings and sub-
headings must be written legibly in a proper manner and
III. METHODOLOGY important words and phrases must be highlighted.

A. Tool Description i. Preparation for examination- A time schedule should be

‘Study Habits Inventory’ by M.N Pulsane and drawn up and more time and attention must be given to
Anuradha Sharma (1971) has been used in this research. The weaker subjects.
instrument consists of 45 questions and is a self-report ii. Use of Examination Results- The results can help a
measure. The study habits of an individual cover mainly the person discern his strong points as well as his weak
techniques of learning, memory, the reading habits, points.
preparation of time-schedule, evaluation etc. This inventory
is aims to make the teacher, the student and the parents 8) Health- It is necessary to maintain good health to be
aware about certain good and conducive study habits which able to perform well in exams.
can help improve student’s achievement.
B. Variables
Some of the items which formulate this inventory are:-  Dependent- Study habits
1) Budgeting Time- It is important to manage time while  Independent- Males and Females
studying. A time schedule needs to be prepared and work
needs to be completed within the allotted time periods. A C. Sampling
record should also be maintained of the amount of work  Sample Size- The research is a comparison between
completed and the work which needs to be done. Also study habits of males and females so a total of 160
the student must determine the time period during which undergraduate students were selected for the study out of
he/she can study optimally. which 90 were males and 70 were females.
 Sampling Technique- Data collection has been done by
the technique of Stratified Random Sampling. A
‘stratified random sampling’ involves dividing the whole
population into homogeneous groups which are called
strata. Random samples are then selected from each
stratum.

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Volume 5, Issue 7, July – 2020 International Journal of Innovative Science and Research Technology
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IV. RESULTS AND FINDINGS Descriptive Statistics: Females

The total of 160 undergraduate students comprising of

90 males and 70 females have been chosen for this study.
Mean 57.05714286
Descriptive Statistics Standard Error 1.053022017

Median 58.5
Mean 53.40625 Mode 52
Standard Error 0.746969605 Standard Deviation 8.810214287
Median 53 Sample Variance 77.61987578
Mode 49 Kurtosis 0.169086164
Standard Deviation 9.448501179 Skewness -0.072433207

Sample Variance 89.27417453 Range 46

Kurtosis -0.028460637 Minimum 32

Skewness -0.019807955 Maximum 78

Range 50 Sum 3994

Minimum 28 Count 70

Maximum 78 Table 2:- Descriptive Statistics for Males and Females

Sum 8545 Mean is nothing but the ‘Average’ of the population.

Here in Table 2 which compares the descriptive statistics of
Count 160 males and females we see that the mean of females is higher
compared to men. Through this we can infer that the study
Table 1:- Descriptive Statistics habits of females are better than males. “A study conducted
by (Aluja & Blanch, 2004) found the academic achievement
Descriptive Statistics: Males of females higher compared to males. These could be
explained by the fact that females showed higher aspiration
level, a more socialized personality pattern and better study
Mean 50.56666667 habits”. A study conducted by (Prima, 2007) highlights that
girls have better study habits. (Duckworth & Seligman,
Standard Error 0.946779811 2006) in their study observed that girls are more self-
Median 50.5 disciplined compared to boys. They found that girls are
more adept at “reading test instructions paying attention to a
Mode 49 teacher completing homework and persisting on long-term
assignments despite boredom and frustration.” “Also female
Standard Deviation 8.981941934
college students are far more likely than males to jot down
Sample Variance 80.6752809 detailed notes in class, reproduce what professors say more
accurately, and remember lecture content better than males
Kurtosis 0.05905443 (Reddington, 2011).”
Skewness 0.029440361
As seen in Table 2 the mean of females is higher
Range 46 compared to men, which suggests that the study habits of
females are better than males. This is further proven by
Minimum 28
comparing some of the responses of males and females from
Maximum 74 the survey conducted, which are illustrated in form of pie-
charts.
Sum 4551
Count 90

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Volume 5, Issue 7, July – 2020 International Journal of Innovative Science and Research Technology
ISSN No:-2456-2165
study habits of males and females. From the results and
Q1. I study everyday findings it would be safe to conclude that there exists a
significant difference in study habits of males and females
and females tend to have better study habits compared to
males.

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