INTRODUCTION

Studying techniques are typically learned through books and what determine

whether an individual succeeds or fails academically. Amuda (2006) described study

habits as a systematic, deliberate effort to acquire particular knowledge that is general in

nature toward a predetermined standard. It is a behavior that the learner can effortlessly

display without making a conscious effort. Several factors are accountable for poor study

habits skills some of which include note taking techniques, poor time management and an

inability to remember what is taught, that is, inability to recall easily. Majority of the

students complain about this factors being responsible for their poor. Thus, there are

other factors that affect the study habits of a person like gender and age.

Gender plays an important role in human development and behaviors, just as

effective study habit skills promote academic progress. One can also say that the way a

human being view himself/herself has significance in developing effective study skills.

Findings on gender difference in study habits have been very interesting and illuminating

though findings have differed from one study to another. For example, Aluya and Blanch

(2004) found that females scored higher on study habit measure. In addition, Gender is

an important consideration when examining study habits. The results of many studies on

the subject of gender differences in study habits have varied. According to a research by

Aluja and Blanch (2004), women performed better on the study habit test. Ossai (2012),

there are noticeable differences between students' study habits depending on their age and

gender. However, in a research on students in Zimbabwe, Mushoriwa (2009) discovered

no appreciable differences in male and female students' study habits. Thus, gender was

not proven to be a significant predictor of study habits or abilities (Awabil, 2013). This

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study's primary purpose is to analyze and contrast the study habits of males and females

in order to get insight into the real gaps in these two groups' study habits.

Studying is a complex process; each student has a unique learning style or

preference, and male or female learns best by combining a variety of skills. The most

effective approaches for learners to process, retain, and recall the material are determined

by their preferred learning styles. Gender plays a vital role in an individual’s life. It

shapes the entirety of the experiences at all levels. The analysis on how gender and age

affects study habits has been very informative and instructive. A study that was

conducted in a public national high school in Mandaue City Division, Cebu, Philippines

determined that utmost of the repliers or students were growing from 13 to 14 times old

and the males are aged than the womanish repliers. This could indicate that utmost of

them started lessoning at the right age and weren't retained or had stopped lessoning in

their early grade situations. Abubakar and Oguguo(2011) set up in their study that age

and gender where significant predictors of the scholars ’ achievement wherein 1.3 of the

friction of the achievement was reckoned for by age and gender.

Based on the previous studies, there were only limited scholarly findings

regarding the predictors of performance like gender and age and how it affects the study

habits of students. The results of many scientific studies of gender differences in study

habits have differed. A study by Unwalla (2020) proved that there is a considerable

difference in the study habits of men and women, and it also showed that women

typically have better study habits than men. However, there is still a gap in the findings

since the scope of the study only limit to small number of participants, so the researcher

aims to determine another finding in a larger scale of psychology student of all tertiary

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level in a private educational institution. Therefore, in this study, the researchers wanted

to emphasize the significant difference of age and gender on the study habits among

psychology students in the private educational institution in Digos City.

Theoretical Framework

This study is anchored on Integrating Gender and Development (GAD) in the

Classroom theories of Hernandez & Cudiamat, (2018). Gender integration refers to

techniques used in program assessment, planning, implementation, and evaluations to

take gender norms into consideration and make up for gender-based inequities. Gumba

(2013) claims that in almost every aspect of the Philippine school system, women and

girls outnumber males and boys (United Nations, 2011). According to the Functional

Literacy, Education, and Mass Media Survey conducted in 2008 (National Statistical

Coordination Board, 2010), women had a basic literacy rate of 96.1 percent, compared to

95.1 percent for men. When compared to boys, who had a functional literacy rate of 84.2

percent over the same time period, females had a higher rate of 88.7%. In order to

measure and analyze the data for this study.

Furthermore, this study was analyzed using the theory of measurement by Warren

S. Sarle (1995). Measurement theory looks at how values are assigned to traits,

characters, or ideas. The use of measurement theory helped the researchers in avoiding

the use of unnecessary conclusions in order to formulate a meaningful statement or

findings. The application of measurement theory to the age and gender of psychology

students helps in ensuring the validity and applicability of tests and the data they provide.

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Using these theories, the researchers understood the factors age and gender towards the

psychology students study habits.

Statement of the Problem

The study aims to determine the significant difference of age and gender influence in

the study habits of BS Psychology students in a private tertiary educational institution in

Digos City. Specifically, the study seeks to answer the following questions.

1. What is the profile of the respondents in terms of:

1.1 Age; and

1.2 Gender

2. What are the study habits of the respondents in terms of:

2.1 Taking Exam

2.2 Attending Lecture

3. Is there a significance difference in study habits when grouped according to profile?

Hypothesis: There is significant difference in the study habits of psychology students on

the basis of their age and gender.

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Significance of the Study

This research is made with the aim to provide vital data and knowledge regarding

the pick study which is the gender and age towards BS Psychology students study habits.

Furthermore, the results of the study will be beneficial to the following:

Students. The result of the study will present information and knowledge to the students

on how they would enrich and know the ways to enhance their study habits.

Teachers. The findings of this study will help and support the teachers feed

encouragement to conceive and think of ideas that will contribute proper advice and

guidance to the students’ study habits.

Researchers. This study will help the researchers to dig out and determine how the

gender and age affects the students’ habits, and also to measure the level of its influence.

Future Researchers. The result of the study will be also a medium that will direct them

in determining reliable and probable factors that are known as critical and all important

data for further understanding on the topic. Assuredly, this research study will be the

great source and reference of enlightenment that they will surely need in their future

studies.

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 METHODS

This chapter discusses the research methods that was used in the conduct of the

study in order to ensure a systematic approach of procedures. Specifically, it contains the

following: research design, respondents and setting, sampling procedure, data gathering

procedure, and data analysis.

Research Design

This study is a quantitative research and the researcher utilized a descriptive

research design. Calderon (2006), defined descriptive research as a purposive process of

gathering, analyzing, classifying, and tabulating data about prevailing conditions,

practices, processes, trends, and cause-effect relationships and then making adequate and

accurate interpretation about such data with or without or sometimes minimal aid of

statistical methods. Also, this method ascertains prevailing conditions of facts in a group

under study that gives either qualitative or quantitative, or both, descriptions of the

general characteristics of the group as results. The researcher used descriptive research

design because this study aims to gather data and to measure the difference of age and

gender of the psychology students to their study habits. Then, the quantitative data was

obtained through the use of survey.

Respondents and Setting

The respondents of this study were the one hundred sixty-four total population of

BS Psychology students enrolled in the private educational institution for the school year

2022-2023. This study was conducted in private educational institution that was located

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at Sacred Heart Avenue, Digos City, Davao del Sur that offers basic and tertiary

education. The selection of respondents was made possible through the use of simple

random sampling, this technique is a type of probability sampling in which the researcher

randomly selects a subset of participants and to make statistical inferences from a

population. Through the use of simple random sampling the researchers were able to

gathered respondents in a same program to ensure equivalence and everyone in the

sample undergo the same procedures.

Measures

The researchers used a survey questionnaire that anchored to the study skills

assessment questionnaire to assess the student academic competencies and get a general

sense of perception of their study habits. There were two set of questionnaire being used

to determine the study habits of the students. Set 1.) Test strategy, this instrument consist

8 items question which aims to measure students’ test taking strategies, Set 2.) Time

management, this survey questionnaire consists of 8 items question to measure students’

good time management. These questionnaires have been validated by the expert to insure

the validity of the items. This instrument was the basis to measure the significant

difference in study habits of the students when grouped according to their gender and

age.

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 Table 1. Table for Interpretation for test strategy of Psychology Students

Range Description Interpretation

The student has always developed

4.0 - 4.99 Always
good test taking strategies
The student has usually developed
3.0 - 3.99 Usually
good test taking strategies

The student has sometimes

2.0 - 2.99 Sometimes
developed good test taking strategies

The student has never developed

1.0-1.99 Never
good test taking strategies

Table 2. Table for Interpretation for time management of Psychology Students

Range Description Interpretation

The student has always apply good

4.0 - 4.99 Always
time management skills

The student has usually apply good

3.0 - 3.99 Usually
time management skills

The student has sometimes apply

2.0 - 2.99 Sometimes
good time management skills

The student has never apply good

1.0-1.99 Never
time management skills

Procedure of the Study

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 This study was made possible through a collaboration with the BS Psychology

students in private tertiary education in Digos that gave the researchers access to conduct

the study during the week days and the availability of the respondents.

First, the researchers did an acknowledgement and informed the students for the

operation of the study, giving of consent letters was facilitated for asking their humble

participation. Basically, this study was conducted face to face and facilitated by the

researchers.

Then respondents were given a series of question that anchored to the study skills

assessment questionnaire to assess the student academic competencies and get a general

sense of perception of their study habits. There are 8 sections in the Study Skills

Assessment Questionnaire and the respondent was given less than 5 minutes or more to

answer each section of the questionnaire, then the researcher collected and gather the

data. Lastly, thorough interpretation of the gathered data was made.

Data Analysis

The following statistical tools were used to analyzed the quantitative data of the

study and to find answers of the research problem; Frequency and percentage

distribution, mean and t-test.

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 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Frequency and percentage distribution of the demographic profile of the

respondents in terms of each category.

This study aims to find out the demographic profile of the psychology students in a

private tertiary educational institution in Digos City. In order to provide an answer to the

problem, data were gathered and processed using frequency and percentage distribution.

Table 3. Frequency and percentage distribution of the socio-demographic profile of the

respondents in terms of each category.
Category Frequency (f) Percentage (%)
Age
18 years old 16 13.8
19 years old 37 31.9
20 years old 22 19.0
21 years old 19 16.4
22 years old 17 14.7
23 years old 5 4.3
Total 116 100.0
Gender
Male 34 29.3
Female 82 70.7
Total 116 100.0

In terms of age, result shows that the age of the greatest number of participants

was 19 years old with a frequency of 37 which covers 31.9% of the entire sample of the

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study. This was followed by ages 20, 21, 22, and 18 years old with a frequency of 22, 19,

17, and 16 respectively. Twenty-three (23) years old was also found to have the least

number of participants with a frequency of 5 only. In terms of gender, result reveals that

females have the most participation in the study as it was shown from the frequency

value of 82 and also means that 70.7% of the entire sample were females. The remaining

29.3% or 34 individuals were males. In total, there were only 116 participants who

actively participated on this study.

Level of Study Skills of the Psychology Students

Another objective of the study was to determine the level of study skills of

psychology students in a private tertiary educational institution in Digos City in terms of

time management, test strategies. In order to provide an answer to the problem, data were

gathered and processed using the Mean.

Factors Mean Description Interpretation

Time management 2.66 Sometimes The student has sometimes

apply good time
management skills
Test strategies 2.98 Sometimes The student has sometimes
developed good test taking
strategies
Overall Mean The students has sometimes
apply good time
2.82 Sometimes
management skills and
sometimes developed good
test taking strategies

Result reveals that the overall mean level of the study skills of psychology

students in a private tertiary educational institution in Digos City found to be 2.82 which

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is described as sometimes. This means that the students has sometimes apply good time

management skills and sometimes developed good test taking strategies. By looking at its

factors, test strategies found to have the highest mean of 2.98, while time management

found to have the lowest mean of 2.66. The result only implies that level of study skills of

the psychology students in terms of time management and test strategy cannot be

influence based on their gender and age. A study conducted by (Mushoriwa, 2009) on

Zimbabwe students in which he found no significant difference in the study habits of

male and female students. Also gender was not found to be a notable determinant of

study habits skills. On the other hand, gender and age was not a significant determinant

of study habits skills as was reported by (Awabil, et,al 2013), Study habits skills involves

time management techniques, taking of lecture notes, paying attention in class, visits to

libraries, determining what one likes to read and test strategies.

Test of Difference between Study Skills and Demographic Profile of Students

This study aims to determine if there is significant difference in the study habits of the

psychology students in a private tertiary educational institution in Digos city when

grouped according to age. In order to answer the research problem, one-way analysis of

variance is utilized.

Table 4. Level of study skills when grouped according to demographic profile (Age)
F p-value

Time Management 1.229 .300

Test Strategies 1.582 .171

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 Results revealed that the sig. value of time management was 0.300 while test

strategies was found to be .171. The p-values of the two study skills found to be higher

than 0.05 level of significance set on this study. Thus, the null hypothesis was rejected.

This means that there is no significant difference on the psychology students’ level of

study skills when grouped according to age. This implies that regardless of students’ age,

their study skills in terms of time management and test strategies do not significantly

differ.

Table 5. Level of study skills when grouped according to demographic profile (gender)
T p-value (2-tailed)

Time Management 1.885 .065

Test Strategies 1.235 .222

In terms of difference of students’ study kills when grouped according to gender,

table 5 shows the p-value of .065 for time management and .22 for test strategies which

was also found to be higher than 0.05 level of significance set on this study. Thus, null

hypothesis was rejected. This indicates that there is no significant difference on students’

study skills when grouped according to gender. When it comes to study habits, approach

and skills or studying, there are many differences between male and female students

basing on their preferences. However, based on the result it is imperative that gender was

not a factor that can affect students’ study habits and there are needed to correlate

different factors with the study habits of the psychology students. This implies that

regardless of students’ gender, this would not cause a significant difference on their study

skills.

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 CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION

Conclusion

The result of the study proves that there is no significant difference on the test

scores whether the students take a nap or not, there is no influence at all. And also based

on the mean score of the participants, it appears that only a little amount of variance

between the two can be determined. Therefore, the researchers rejected the null

hypothesis.

Recommendation
Based on the findings of this study the researchers make the following

recommendations:

1. Since gender and age study habit skills have no significant relationship, undergraduate

students should provide with effective study habit skills according to socio-economic

status.

2. School administrators should provide means of assisting students based on gender and

age, so that students can benefit according to their ability and needs.

Limitations of the Study

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 This study focuses only on the 116 BS Psychology students who are enrolled in

the school year 2022-2023 from first to fourth year in the private tertiary institution in

Digos City. This study has potential limitations, one of those is the small sample-size

population. The small size population resulted to unfair distribution of samples and not

enough data were gathered. Secondly, the survey questionnaires only involved two

factors: time management and test strategies which were not enough to accumulate a

much acceptable data outcome. And lastly, since the study is only conducted for a short

span of time, the researchers have limited time to gather and analyze the data.

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 REFERENCES

Aluja A. & Blanch, A. (2004). Socialized personality scholastic aptitudes, study the
habits and academic achievement. Exploring the link European. Journal of
Psychological Assessment, 137-147.
Aluja, A., & Blanch, A. (2004). Socialized Personality, Scholastic Aptitudes, Study
Habits and Academic Achievement. Exploring the Link. European Journal of
Psychological Assessment
Amuda, G. (2006). Relationship between study habit patterns and academic
achievement among students. Unpublished Masters Dissertation.
Awabil, G. K. (2013). Effect of study, and self-reward skills. The Counsellor
Gumba, B.M. (2013) Gender Equality in a Higher Educational Institution: A Case in
the Philippines, Ateneo De Naga University
Hernandez, T. A., & Cudiamat, M. A. (2018). Integrating gender and development
(GAD) in the classroom: The case of Lucsuhin National High School,
Department of Education-Philippines. KnE Social Sciences, 1135-1141.
Kaur, A., & Pathania, R. (2015). Study habits and academic performance among late
adolescents. Studies on Home and Community Science, 9(1), 33-35.
Koki, A. T., & Abdullahi, U. (2014). Gender Differences in Study Habit Skills of
undergraduate Students of Yobe state university. Knowledge Review,
Mushoriwa, T. (2009). The study strategy – performance function among students in
three teachers colleges in Masvingo and Harae, Zimbabwe. . Journal of
Education and Social Sciences, 153-166.
Ossai, C. M. (2012). Age and gender differences in study habits: a framework for
proactive counselling against low academic achievement. J. Edu. Soc. Res., 67-
73.

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Sarle, W. S. (1995). Measurement theory: Frequently asked questions.
Disseminations of the International Statistical Applications Institute, 1(4), 61-66.
Tus, J. (2020). The influence of study attitudes and study habits on the academic
performance of the students. IJARW| ISSN (O)-2582-1008 October, 2(4).
Unwalla, N. (2020). Comparative analysis of study habits between males and
females. International Journal of Innovative Science and Research
Technology, 5(7), 182-187.

APPENDICES

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 APPENDIX A

Study Skills Assessment Questionnaire

Name:________________________________ Gender:_______ Age:_______

Section 1: Time Management

Assessment
Use the scale below to indicate how often each statement applies to you:
1 = Never 2 = Sometimes 3 = Usually 4 = Always

Your
Response Your Response

• I arrive at classes and other meetings on time.

• I devote sufficient study time to each of my courses.

• I schedule definite times and outline specific goals for my study time.

• I prepare a “to do” list daily.

• I avoid activities which tend to interfere with my planned schedule.

• I use prime time when I am most alert for study.

• At the beginning of the term, I make up daily activity and study
schedules.
• I begin major course assignments well in advance.
Total

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Total > 28 :Your consistent application of good time management skills helping
you in your academic work. The self-help resources can serve as a review for you.

Total 21 - 28 :You are using many of the recommended time management

strategies. However, you can improve.

Total 20 or less :You could benefit from strengthening your time management
skills.

Section 2: Test Strategies

Assessment
Use the scale below to indicate how often each statement applies to you:
1 = Never 2 = Sometimes 3 = Usually 4 = Always

Your
Response Your Response

• I try to find out what the exam will cover and how the exam is to be
graded.
• I feel confident that I am prepared for the exam.
• I try to imagine possible test questions during my preparation for an
exam.
• I take time to understand the exam questions before starting to answer.

I follow directions carefully when taking an exam.

• I usually get a good night’s rest prior to a scheduled exam.

• I am calmly able to recall what I know during an exam.

• I understand the structure of different types of tests, and am able to
prepare for each type.

Total

Total > 28 :You have developed good test taking strategies and are able to employ
useful coping skills when needed to minimize the effects of test anxiety. The self-
help resources can serve as a review for you.

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Total 21 - 28 : You are probably pretty good at taking tests. However, you may
want to revisit some of your strategies. You can improve in this area by exploring
the self-help resources available.

Total 20 or less : You will benefit from strengthening your test taking strategies.
We encourage and recommend that you make use of the self-help resources listed
on this page.

Frequency and percentage distribution of the socio-demographic profile of the

respondents in terms of each category.
Category Frequency (f) Percentage (%)
Age
18 years old 16 13.8
19 years old 37 31.9
20 years old 22 19.0
21 years old 19 16.4
22 years old 17 14.7
23 years old 5 4.3
Total 116 100.0
Gender
Male 34 29.3
Female 82 70.7
Total 116 100.0

Factors Mean Description Interpretation

Time management 2.66 Sometimes The student has sometimes

apply good time
management skills
Test strategies 2.98 Sometimes The student has sometimes

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 developed good test taking
strategies
Overall Mean The students has sometimes
apply good time
2.82 Sometimes
management skills and
sometimes developed good
test taking strategies
Mean of Level of Study Skills of the Psychology Students

Level of study skills when grouped according to demographic profile (Age)

F p-value

Time Management 1.229 .300

Test Strategies 1.582 .171

Level of study skills when grouped according to demographic profile (gender)

T p-value (2-tailed)

Time Management 1.885 .065

Test Strategies 1.235 .222

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