SOMEONE ELSE’S WORK DO NOT USE!!!!!

Time Management and its application in academic

life

Time Management as Means of Achieving Competitive Advantage,

Timetable Management

The basic aim of this study is to identify and discuss the awareness of
Time Management (TM) and its application in the academic life of Omani
Students in the English Unit, Dhofar University, Sultanate of Oman. This
paper also inculcates and imbues the importance of TM in students’
practical lives. The researchers have observed that students complain
about the scarcity of time rather than the lack of time. The study upholds
that pedagogically, TM and its applications in EFL scenarios are crucial.
Thus, the paper advocates that students’ sufferings can be subsided by
enhancing their TM skills. This paper finds out that most of the Omani
students at the University of Dhofar suffer from Mismanagement of Time
due to a lack of focus on study skills. The researchers also give fruitful
suggestions to overcome the confronted problems such as
procrastination, distractions and so on.

Introduction
It has been commonly observed that students complain about the
scarcity of time rather than lack of time. It has also been noticed
that students are overwhelmed with trivial and unimportant
commitments/activities. This is mostly because of not making To Do
list, not prioritizing or not scheduling the task. Therefore, students keep
doing unprofitable, non-constructive activities. The
researcher noticed due to mismanagement of time, many students forget
notebooks, textbooks, and pens or they don’t follow the homework
Another problem which heightens the mismanagement of time is the
sleeping routine. The majority of the students stay up late
during weekdays, which leads students to doze in class.
Time management is a process that helps people live their lives the way
they want, efficiently and effectively (Alalf & Elfattah,
2002). Time management means exercising deliberate control over the
amount of time to increase efficiency and productivity. Time
is an equal opportunity for everyone which can be utilized effectively. If a
student is suffering from procrastination, it can easily be
inferred that he is a victim of mismanagement of time.
When the physical and social environment is changed, human beings
tend to follow the previous understanding, routine and habits.
When students face a transition from school to college, they follow the
same habits and routines they learned at school. This
transition period requires balance and time management. Firstly, many
students enter college with ineffective or no work hard
yet remain unsatisfied due to a lack of study skills, so they remain
unable to recognize the importance of skills. Effective study skills
help students retain information for the long term, whereas simply
cramming and vomiting out the same material during exams
remains in short-term memory.
Secondly, students are not well equipped to tackle time robbers such as
distracters, anxiety, social media negative impact,
restlessness and procrastination. College students' age is full of
distractions. Especially, nowadays students are suffering from
social media. A large amount of time is consumed on social media which
has endless entertainment resources to distract the
students from their main objective. The mobile phone is one of the
causes of spoiling all priorities set by a student. Therefore, students
are under a direct attack by electronic gadgets. No doubt all these
gadgets facilitate life, and students can complete their tasks
efficiently with the help of these tools if used in a planned manner. If
students respond and react after thinking over the matter
rather than just reacting to impulsive actions, they can manage their
time. This attitude is possible only when a proper academic
support centre is established in the institution.
There is usually room for improvement in time management if students
rethink and review their plans or routines. Students must be
made aware of the importance of keeping in view that time does not
have any rewind, retake, return or reverse pattern. There is a
crucial need to highlight the mismanagement of time and its effects on
the academic life of students. The present study highlights
the importance and management of time and its effects on the academic
life of students in English Unit, Foundation Program,
Dhofar University.

Review of Literature
Much has already been written on the importance of time management
by different scholars. In any field of life, management
plays a pivotal role in determining its future. Truman et al asserted in
1996, that there has been deficient research on this topic with
students despite the Time management skills are acknowledged to be
very crucial (Truman & Hartley, 1996).
Many of our students suffer due to a lack of time management skills.
Poor time management leads to a set of features
counterproductive to effective foreign language learning. Students prefer
rote learning instead of real learning because students are
not well equipped with basic study skills (Ammar, 2004). Gracia-Rose et
al stated in 2004 that Time management is the
the phenomenon of organizing, arranging, scheduling, and allocating
one’s time for the aim of gearing an effective work and
productivity (Ammar, 2004). Britton and Tesser (1991) studied to
evaluate the short and long-term advantages of time management ume 4,
issue 2, 2015  e-ISSN: 1857-1878  p-ISSN: 1857-8179 skills. The findings of the study indicated

that students’ time management skills were significant predictors of the

average score of
students’ performance (Britton & Tesser, 1991).
MacCann et al., stated in 2009, Students who acquire the handling of
their time reported significantly greater evaluations of their
performance, greater work and life satisfaction, less role ambiguity, less
role overload, and fewer job-induced and somatic tensions
(MacCann, Duckworth, & Roberts, 2009).
It is observed that students easily become victims of distractions dealing
emergency with a classmate, ignoring potential hours of
work on petty matters. The scenario is often referred to as "The Tyranny
of the Urgent" Nick Repak (2012)The researchers assume
that students ignore the small amounts of time and therefore overwhelm
themselves with the common cliché scarcity of time. They
need to realise that with smaller amounts of time, if planned well, the rest
of the tasks get pretty easier. It is well said by the Lord
Chesterfield about time management, “If you watch the minutes
carefully, the hours will take care of themselves” (Chesterfield,
2014).
The majority of students suffer from inherited study skills and problems
from schooling where there is no proper subject to focus on
skills. Most of the students just waste their time by copying and
transferring on another note rather than learning. Many students
remain busier in copying resources than managing their time. A huge
amount of time goes for copying rather than real study. The
study of Kaminski et al (2006) concluded that academic success was
positively correlated with time management skills (Ammar,
2004). Furthermore, less academically successful students spent more
time using coping mechanisms and therefore had less time to
study (Ammar, 2004).
It is due to a lack of study skills, students carry different notebooks every
week or month, which shows total confusion on the part of
student management skills. If they were well aware of short-term and
long-term goals would have produced better results (Britton &
Tesser, 1991). As per the report of NCES in 1993 stated, better
utilization of instructional time was found to be one of the greatest
influences on student learning opportunities and outcomes (Ammar,
2004).
Method
A Questionnaire used by Britten et.al was adopted and amended with
some additional questions, keeping in view the EFL scenario,
to examine Foundation Programme students' Time management skills
and their awareness of the importance of time in academic
life. The reliability of the questionnaire was analyzed by using
Cronbach's alpha method via SPSS XVII. The reliability coefficient
was 0.912.
The participants were given a bilingual questionnaire to obtain accurate
results. They were given full confidence by not
showing their name and comments to any person or institution. The
researcher explained the purpose of the questionnaire by
highlighting the importance of time management in their life. The
complete guideline was given to the participants on how to fill up
the questionnaire to avoid any ambiguity or confusion about the
questions.
Presentation of data
All 15 items on the questionnaire were analyzed individually. The data
were analyzed by using SPSS XVII and presented in bar
graph and frequency chart showing the mean score.
Findings and discussion
The frequency and mean score table (fig.1) shows that 58 per cent of
students agreed with the statement that they make lists of the
things that they had to do each day. The table (fig.2) shows 69 per cent
of students agreed that they spend time each day to cover the
syllabus while 80 per cent of students agreed that they have a clear idea
of what they have to accomplish before exams (fig.3) . The
table (fig.4) shows 33 % of students disagreed that they spend more
than two hours on social media daily. Only 27% of students disagreed
that social media networks are a big hurdle to managing their time
effectively. (Fig.5). Table shows
13 % of the participants disagreed that they use social media in free or
extra time to enhance their learning (fig.6). The table(fig.7)
shows 40 % of participants agreed that they spend more time on
personal grooming than doing classwork or homework on an
average day. The frequency table(fig.8) and mean score sheet show that
60 % of participants agreed that students should not spend
much time on the internet/computer for entertainment purposes. The
data shows (fig.9) that 55 % of participants agreed that they review their
class notes regularly even when the exam is not imminent. The
frequency and mean sheet item 10 reflects that 48 % of students agreed
that they still keep doing the work the night before the assignment is
due. The mean score and table (fig.11) show that only 19 %
per cent of the participants are aware of prioritization. The data shows
that 43 % of participants agreed that they slept well the night before
the exam. The data also reflects that 38% of students disagreed that
they sleep late during weekdays due to watching movies, using the
internet, and chatting with friends (fig.13). The frequency and mean
table(fig.14) demonstrates that 25 % of students agreed that they usually
come late to class.15 The data shows (fig.15) that 34 % of students
agreed that they often forget their notebooks, textbooks, workbooks
and pens at the house before getting to class.
Descriptive Statistics
Items Number Mean
Do you write a set of goals for the entire term? 86 2.4884
Do you spend time each day planning to cover the syllabus? 85 2.1412
Do you have a clear idea of what you want to accomplish before the
exam? 85 1.8000
Do you spend more than two hours daily on the internet (using social
media, i.e. WhatsApp, Skype, Tango,
Viber, Google Hangout)?
85 2.6353
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Anglisticum Journal (IJLLIS), Volume: 4 | Issue: 2, February 2015 |
Volume 4, issue 2, 2015  e-ISSN: 1857-1878  p-ISSN: 1857-8179
Research article
Suggestions
There is a dire need to incorporate learning in all unavoidable networks
of social media so that students may use time
effectively. As the students are well equipped with technology and its
usage, it is also suggested that teachers need to develop
educational blogs to assist students benefitting from social media rather
than browsing irrelevant and unprofitable websites.
Students must also be encouraged to have academic buddy blogs to
utilize time constructively and enhance their learning through
social media. For this purpose, they may be given free blog-creating
websites such as www.wordpress.com or www.blogspot.com.
Mobile usage, a continuous source of disturbance, should be banned
during class time, if not used for the teaching /learning
process. The researcher observed many times students use mobile by
keeping them under a book or notebook. Free classes must be
used to follow up studies. There should be a special focus on slow
learners through differentiated instructions while the class performs
routine work. By adopting this strategy slow learners are likely to utilize
time effectively.
Since time is an equal opportunity and it has no retake or rewind pattern,
therefore students must be taken out of the common trap of
thinking "unlimited free time at college."
It is an obligation upon teachers to discourage late arrival in the class as
the very first fifteen minutes of any lecture are crucial
to getting a clear-cut idea of the topic. Many students are suffering due
to mismanagement of time therefore they cannot meet the
deadlines of any research project. It is highly recommended that they be
trained in how to use the Assignment Research
Calculator. There is a plethora of free websites to break down the
assignment and follow it accordingly. The researcher himself
used this practical source for students from time to time. It is
recommended that this calculator serve the purpose
http://ios.lib.csufresno.edu/arc/
There is an utmost need to make students realize that Proper Prior
Planning Prevents Poor Performance by scheduling their routines,
prioritizing their tasks, meeting their deadline and catching up on the
required-cum-desired goals at college to achieve the best
possible grades.
Conclusion
The study believes time management at the college level has received
less attention in research as compared to time robbers such as
social media and modern technological development. Because of the
lack of attention on this issue, students' sufferings are increasing
day by day due to the endless list of entertainment and irrelevant
information. As college life is full of many desires and ambitions,
time might does not seem to be a serious issue. This research is in line
with Britten et al (1991) where time management is very
crucial in academic achievements. Secondly, the sleep routine of the
students is one of the major factors of mismanagement of time. It
is recommended that further research may be carried out on the effects
of unavoidable social media on college students'
achievements on a broader scale.
Acknowledgement
The authors are highly indebted to Anne Moore, Adnan Ataiwi,
Tangadura and Muhammad Amir Saeed for collecting data from the
participants. Not to mention, the researchers are grateful to Mr.Adam
Harpoon (Najran University) for translating the
questionnaire. Indeed, all mistakes remain ours.
References
1. Alalf, H. R., & Elfattah, D. A. (2002). Time management as an
approach to secondary school development in Egypt. Excellence
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2. Ammar, D. M. (2004). The effects of self-regulated reading strategy
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3. Britton, B. K., & Tesser, A. (1991). Effects of Time Management
Practices on College Grades. Journal of Educational
Psychology, 405-410.
Do you think social media, i.e. (WhatsApp, Skype, Tango, Viber, Google
Hangout) is a big hurdle to manage
your time effectively?
86 2.6395
Do you use WhatsApp, Skype, Tango, Viber, a Google Hangout for
learning in your free or extra time to
enhance you’re your learning?
84 2.3690
On an average day do you spend more time on personal grooming than
doing class work and homework? 85 2.8235
Do you think students should not spend much time on the internet
/computer for entertainment purposes? 86 2.5581
Do you regularly review your class notes, even when the test is not
imminent? 86 2.3953
The night before the assignment is due, you are still working on it. 82
2.7805
When you have several things to do, do you think it is best to do a little
work on each one? 85 3.0118
Do you sleep well the night before the exam? 79 2.7468
Do you often sleep late during weekdays due to watching movies, using
the internet, chatting with friends,
etc?
86 2.9419
Do you miss your class late? 83 3.4337
Have you usually forgotten homework because you are busy with family
matters? 85 3.3176
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Anglisticum Journal (IJLLIS), Volume: 4 | Issue: 2, February 2015 |
Volume 4, issue 2, 2015  e-ISSN: 1857-1878  p-ISSN: 1857-8179
Research article
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Appendix: Bar graphs
Fig.1 Fig.2
Fig.3 Fig.4
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Volume 4, issue 2, 2015  e-ISSN: 1857-1878  p-ISSN: 1857-8179
Research article
Fig.5 Fig.6
Fig.7 Fig.8
Fig.9 Fig.10
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