Factors affecting learning

Literature review
Education have been always considered as the most important step in the overall
development of a person as someone who is capable of making a very profound change in the
community and world at large (Battle & Lewis, 2002.). The quality of learning of an
individual not only influences the wellbeing the individual but also their family, nation and
world at large.During the process of acquisitions of knowledge, various factorsaffect the
quality of the learning, in the educational institutions, which includes factors related to the
individual themselves and their surroundings(Crosnoe, Johnson & Elder, 2004).

Identification of the most contributing factors is very complex and challenging but there are
certain factors that are more dominant than others. Of all other factors, socioeconomic status
is considered to be the most important and is therefore one of the most researched and
debated factor, that contribute towards the academic performance of the learners.(Furstenberg
& Hughes, 1995).

The home environment which includes the parental education, occupation, income and
relationship of the students with their parents and siblings play a vital role in the academic
success of the learner in schools and colleges. Different studies have found out that a child
having parents with good education and economic status probably have good better learning
capability. Other factors such as the type of relationship that the students have with everyone
around them also contribute to their performance in school and the other way around (Kirkup,
2008).

During the course of their academic carrier, students spend most of their time with their tutors
and classmates. The learning environment also have a role in the educational journey of an
individual student. Their tutors and friends not only influence their performance in exams and
test but also their future decisions and choices leaving behind a very important and deep mark
in their life. Though not direct, the society also does have got a small role in the learning
process of a student (Goddard, 2003).

Sometimes it’s not really the external social factors that impact the learning process but rather
the internal personal and emotional factors that controls it. These factors may be associated
with the physical and the mental health of an individual. Every individual student should be
mentally and physically sound for them to be able to learn with the most of their potential.
Gender, ethnicity, and father’s occupation are also other factors that are significant (McCoy,
2005).

To make one’s life a meaningful and fruitful one, every individual needs to acquire
knowledge and skills via education, during the process of which many factors controls its
success. Factors classified as student factors, family factors, school factors and peer factors
influence the learners in many different levels, and the effect of each factor is something that
cannot be measured or estimated(Blevins, 2009).

Methodology

A set of questions related to the factors affecting learning was distributed and total of 10
participants were selected to answer the questionnaire.

Questionnaire template

Factors affecting learning in students of Samtse college of education

The following set of questions is to find out the various factors that affect learning in young
students. The information collected will not be misused.

NAME OF THE PARTICIPANT ……………………………………………………… GENDER

COURSE……………………………………………………… Std no.

YEAR…………………………………

Tick one of the following based on your opinion

5. Strongly agree 4. Agree 3. Neither agree nor disagree 2. Disagree 1. strongly disagree

SL.NO QUESTION 5 4 3 2 1

1 Moral support and assistance of family and friends is important for

academic excellence
2 Economic status of family effects studies

3 Presence of a good teacher impacts learning

4 Gender a key factor in learning
5 Good study facilities vital for students
6 Being mentally and physical fit important for learning
7 Society influences learning
Data analysis

A total of ten students from various courses in Samtse college participated in a short survey,
for finding out the most important factor that effect their learning process.

Of the 10 participants 4 were male and 6 were female.

SL.NO QUESTION 5 4 3 2 1

1 Moral support and assistance of family and friends is important 7 3 0 0 0

for academic excellence
2 Economic status of family effects studies 2 4 3 1 0

3 Presence of a good teacher impacts learning 7 3 0 0 0

4 Gender a key factor in learning 0 1 2 2 5
5 Good study facilities vital for students 5 4 1 0 0
6 Being mentally and physical fit important for learning 6 3 1 0 0
7 Society influences learning 2 5 2 0 1

Data analysis

A total of 35students from B.Ed Secondary Phy/Math 4th semester in Samtse college
participated in a short survey, for finding out the type of learning methods that they adopt in
learning

Of the 35 participants 23 were male and 12 were female.

SL.NO QUESTION Yes No

1 I prefer learning by understanding 34 1
2 I prefer learning through memorisation 7 28
3 I prefer using both learning via understanding 26 9
and memorisation

From the table it is clear that most of the students prefer learning through understanding
rather than learning memorization

 80% of students prefer learning by understanding

 17.14% preferred using both the methods
 2.85% of the students prefer learning via memorization
Most of the students think that

 Moral support and assistance of family and friends are important factor
 Economic status of family effect learning upto certain level
 Presence of good tutor have a very strong impact on learning
 Gender does not matter in learning
 Study facilities, a key component in learning
 Mental and physical health vital as a student
 Society have got some role in student’s learning behaviour

Conclusion

There are a lot of factors that impact students and their academic performance, of which
home and school environment and their physical and mental health are the most important
whereas gender and society usually have a lesser role than others

References

Battle, J., & Lewis, M. (2002). The increasing significance of class: The relative effects of

race

and socioeconomic status on academic achievement. Journal of Poverty, 6(2), 21-35.

Blevins, B. M. (2009). Effects of socioeconomic status on academic performance in Missouri

public schools. Retrieved from http://gradworks.umi.com/3372318.pdf

Crosnoe, R., Johnson, M. K., & Elder, G. H. (2004). School size and the interpersonal side of
education: An examination of race/ethnicity and organizational context. Social

Science Quarterly, 85(5), 12591274.

Furstenberg, F. F., & Hughes, M. E.(1995). Social capital and successful development among

at-risk youth. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 57, 580-592.

Goddard, R. D. (2003). Relational networks, social trust, and norms: A social capital

perspective on students' chances of academic success. Educational Evaluations &

Policy Analysis, 25, 59-74.

Kirkup, J. (2008). Middle-class children resentful at being pushed to succeed. Telegraph.

Retrieved from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/3330301/Mid dleclasschildren-

resentful-at-being-pushed-to-succeedpoll-shows.html

McCoy, L. P. (2005). Effect of demographic and personal variables on achievement in eighth

grade algebra. Journal of Educational Research, 98 (3), 131-135.

Group members
Ugyen Wangmo
Cheki Wanchuck
Tashi Lhendup
Sonam Dorji
Roshan Rai
Kencho Wangmo
Kezang Choden