Review of Related Literature

Readings and other pertinent information are presented in this section. This is

to establish a clear framework of the concepts and principles of the variables under

study. It is divided according to the variables, study habits and computational skills.

While it is further divided according to its indicators respectively.

Study Habits

“How habits are developed in us and how finally our whole personality is

influenced by our habits and concludes that everything we are is the result of habit”

quoted by Swamy Vivekananda.

Learning “How to Study” can be one of the best investments of your time in

terms of preparing to go back to school or improving your grades while you are in

school.  The best part is that anyone that truly wants to improve their learning process

can do so by following a few basic principles of time management, organization and

prioritization.  Base on the study by Dalby, H. (2013) there are effective study habits for

college students that want to improve their GPA (grade point average) or make sure

they start their academic career off on the right foot note. One of which is to dedicate a

specific time and place to study and having a set place and time to study. Research by

Centura College (2017) Students who don’t practice this technique tend to be more

stressed about homework and studying because they are never sure how or where

they are going to study.  Often, they also won’t know if they will have enough time to

complete the assignments and review the material. It shows that having a set time and

place to study alleviates all of those “stressors” and allows you to focus on the material

you need to cover.

 According to Grohol, J. (2016) there are a lot of effective study habits but

studying smarter can be learned to improve your ability to better retain reading

material. These habits include approaching study with the right attitude, choosing the

right environment, minimizing distractions, setting a realistic schedule, and employing

memory games, among others. Students grapple with many issues in their lives, and

because of all of the competing things for your attention, it’s hard to concentrate on

studying. And yet if you’re in school, you have to do at least a little studying in order to

progress from year to year. The key to effective studying isn’t cramming or studying

longer, but studying smarter.

The study process can be more productive, if learners are taught specific skills

and techniques, which will formalize the study process and there by make it more

efficient. Nagaraju, M.T.V. (2007) said that the term study skill is taken to include the

learner’s ability to plan, organize and implement his own study. In traditional sense

study skills would be tolls through which the student acquires subject knowledge. In

additional Nagaraju, M.T.V. (2007) said study skills are defined as those techniques

such as summarizing, note taking, outlining or locating material which learners employ

to assist themselves in the efficient learning of the material at hand.

The general topic of this research is about the study habits of engineering

students and it is important to know that there are many different styles of learning and

each person will retain information better in different ways. In the book created by Blue

Mango Learning System (2015), visual learners learn best when pictures, images, and

spatial understanding is used. Auditory learners prefer using music, sounds or both.

Kinesthetic learners prefer a more physical style of learning through using the body,
sense of touch and hands. Logical learners desire to use reasoning, logic and

systems. Verbal learners will prefer using words in writing and speech. Social learners

will prefer to learn with other people or in groups. Solitary learners are able to learn

best alone. Once you have figured out which style of learning works best for you, it will

help you determine how to study, where to study, when to study and other important

factors like what study aids you should use and be aware of, and knowing what things

may distract you while you are trying to study.

Study skills and habits have long been considered to be important variables in

the academic success or failure of students at the school level. While some students

are able to breeze through school with minimal effort, this is the exception. The vast

majority of successful students achieve their success by developing and applying

effective study habits. On one of the articles that Becton, L (2017) wrote there are 10

study habits you need to practice. So if you want to become a successful student, don't

get discouraged, don't give up, just work to develop each of the study habits below and

you'll see your grades go up, your knowledge increase, and your ability to learn and

assimilate information improve.

Study skills are fundamental to academic competence. Effective study skills are

associated with positive out comes across multiple academic content areas and for

diverse learners. Research from the Central Michigan University that successful

students have good study habits. They apply these habits to all of their classes. One of

the few study habits are Reading Books and Watching Tutorial videos.

Reading Books. Reading habits are well planned and deliberate pattern of

study which has attained a form of consistency on the part of students toward
understanding academic subjects and passing at examinations. Reading habits

determine the academic achievements of students to a great extent. Both reading and

academic achievements are interrelated and dependent on each other. Students often

come from different environments and localities with different levels of academic

achievement. Therefore, they differ in the pattern of reading habits. While some

students have good reading habits, others tend to exhibit poor reading habits.

Academic achievement means how much knowledge the individual has acquired from

the school (Bashir & Mattoo, 2012).

A creative and pragmatic education involves the habit of personal investigation.

The act of personal investigation requires self-study to be followed by self-thinking and

analysis. Self-study, otherwise referred to as reading at one’s own accord, requires a

habit, which is known as reading habit. Reading makes way for a better understanding

of one’s own experiences and it can be an exciting voyage to self-discovery. “Reading

habit is best formed at a young impressionable age in school, but once formed it can

last one’s life time (Green, 2010).

Reading and academic achievement are essential for research workers and

educationists to know that every child whether he or she is gifted, average, normal or

backward etc, should be educated in his or her own way but if he or she possesses

good study habits, he or she can perform well in academics and in every situation. It is

the reading habits, which help the learner in obtaining meaningful and desirable

knowledge. Good reading habits act as a strong weapon for the students to excel in life

(Bashir & Mattoo, 2012).

 According to Palani (2012), reading habit is an essential and important aspect

for creating a literate society in this world. It shapes the personality of individuals and it

helps them to develop proper thinking methods, and creates new ideas. However, the

developments in the Mass Media had continued to influence interest in reading (hard

copy of literatures such as…) books, magazines and journals, among others. Palani

(2012) is of the opinion that, effective reading is important avenue of effective learning

and reading is interrelated with the total educational process and hence, educational

success requires successful reading habit. He believes reading is the identification of

the symbols and the association of appropriate meaning with them. It requires

identification and comprehension. Comprehension skills help the learner to understand

the meaning of words in isolation and in context. Before the advent of the television,

both the young and the old found enough time to read. Apart from teachers, other

professionals used to spend their leisure time in reading both English and vernacular

literature. English medium schools almost always demanded extra reading from their

students. But all these have become a thing of the past. Palani (2012) further added

that, nowadays, reading habit has lost its importance as both the young and the old are

glued to the television. As far as educational institutions are concerned, coaching

students for the examinations seems to be the be-all and end-all of our educational

system.

Many students in school who read do not absorb or understand much of what

they read; this leads to poor understanding of the subject matter, hence to poor grades

or even failure. Often learners can read, but they do not comprehend what they are

reading. Learners with poor reading skills are handicapped in learning process
(Dawood,T.G., 2014) Reading is much more than just knowing how to read. It is killed

and complex process. Reading is a very important skill that every learner should

master.

Reading has a lot of benefits especially for students and according to Kawasaki,

G (2014) There is 6 Benefits of reading: It increases verbal/writing skills; Helps

articulate thoughts; Enhances problem solving; Increases concentration; Improves

memory and Reading improves the relaxation response, lowering heartbeat and pulse

rate.

Reading is an essential tool for knowledge transfer and the habit of reading is

an academic activity that increases skills in reading strategies. It is an intellectual

action, which is possible only if a man forms a habit of reading and practices these

from childhood. Reading habits, therefore, play a very crucial role in enabling a person

to achieve practical efficiency. “Laws die but books never.” Indeed, books are the most

suitable medium through which knowledge is transmitted from generation to generation

(Issa et al, 2012).

Guthrie, Benneth & McGough, (2007) believe that “reading” is the act of getting

meaning from printed or written words, which is the basis for learning and one of the

most important skills in everyday life. (Issa et al 2012) further explain that reading is

usually associated with books as only the written words provide a complete picture of

the act of reading. It means that through reading, the individual is able to build or fix

things, enjoy stories, discover what others believe and develop ideas or beliefs of their

own. Thus, reading provides the key to all forms of information necessary for our day-

to-day survival and growth.

 Watching Tutorial Videos. Over the past few years, videos are being widely

used in classrooms for supporting a teacher’s curriculum and helping students learn

the material faster than ever. A research in Philadephia by Bergwall,T (2015) shows

that 94% of the teachers have effectively used videos during the academic year and

they have found video learning quite effective, it is even better than teaching students

through traditional textbooks. Furthermore according to Bergwall, T. (2015) Majority of

part of the human brain is devoted towards processing the visual information. Brain

responds to visuals fast, better than text or any other kind of learning material.

Remembering stuff from the picture is retained in the mind for a longer time. Through

videos, students get to process information fast. Thus, video learning is better than

book learning. Video learning created a sense of presence, which supports the

cognitive as well as social presence. All these components are critical for successful

learning. So now, videos have been recognized as a powerful tool for learning in

classrooms. Lectures are conducted using video tutorials to make the learning process

fun, effective, responsive and fruitful. That’s why even students look for videos to do

self-study without asking for anyone’s help.

In some cases, video can be as good as an instructor in communicating facts or

demonstrating procedures to assist in mastery learning where a student can view

complex clinical or mechanical procedures as many times as they need to.

Furthermore, the interactive features of modern web-based media players can be used

to promote ‘active viewing’ approaches with students (Galbraith, 2014).

More recently, Willmot et al (2012) show that there is strong evidence that digital

video reporting can inspire and engage students when incorporated into student
centered learning activities through: increased student motivation, enhanced learning

experience, higher marks, development potential for deeper learning of the subject,

development of learner autonomy, enhanced team working and communication skills,

a source of evidence relating to skills for interviews, learning resources for future

cohorts to use, opportunities for staff development and authentic learning

opportunities.

The work of Kearney and colleagues show the benefits of using video to

produce authentic learning opportunities for students (Kearney and Campbell 2010;

Kearney and Schuck, 2006), and how ‘ivideos’ encourage academic rigor from an

advocacy, research based perspective.

According to the research by Kaltura, that is recently published in the

inaugural State of Video in Education report in which more than 500 educational

professionals from across 300 institutions unanimously agreed that video has the

potential to create a real impact on education. Respondents — who ranged from senior

administration leaders to instructional design professionals — noted that video can:

 Change the way students learn

 Boost attendance

 Create stronger alumni relations

 Increase the chances for success

 Influence learning outcomes and the overall student experience

One respondent went as far as to say teachers will “have to” produce multimedia

instructional content in order to bridge the gap between online and offline meetings.

Some of the study’s other major findings:

  81 percent of respondents agree that online learning will grow in prominence

and underpin the award of a large number of degrees going forward

 52 percent state video use has been driven from the ‘bottom up’ by faculty

 49 percent estimate a typical student watches six to 20 education videos per

month

In 2013, the flipped classroom made its way into the education video scene. In fact, 57

percent agree that flipped classrooms will become a standard teaching method in

higher education; with 48 percent saying their institutions already practice such. But in

2014, subscription-based education is being considered, too. Responses are

consistent with recent advances in virtual education and distant learning, and there is

already a big leap toward virtual education. On the student side of things, video may be

the best way to improve learning styles, especially when it comes to remembering key

facts and figures. Forrester Research estimates one minute of online video equates to

approximately 1.8 million written words. In addition, 90 percent of information

transmitted to the brain is visual, and visuals are processed 60,000 times faster in the

brain than text. This indicates visual education aids like video can improve learning

styles and increase the rate at which we retain information.

Kageyama, N. (2015) said that while studying the effects of observational

practice or “learning by watching” for a number of decades. There are ranges of

variables that influence the effectiveness of this practice strategy, but the general

consensus seems to be that while physical practice is obviously best, observational

practice is definitely better than no practice at all. And it seems (not unlike mental
practice), that physical practice plus observational practice is better than physical

practice alone.

Through watching videos and discussing them with the members of their

community, children learn much about the structure of narrative and visual

representation. It is for this reason that is it is important for teachers to recognize the

significance of the child’s pre-school experience of videos and not regard it as a less

valuable than traditional school-based literacy practices. (Hilton, M. 2014)