CHAPTER 2

RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES

Local

Effective study skills must be practiced in order for you to improve. It is not enough to
simply "think about" studying; you have to actually do it, and in the process use
information from what you do to get better. This is the central idea of this page. All that
follows depends on this single concept. There is a saying that goes like this: "Practice
doesn't make perfect; perfect practice makes perfect." If you want to be an achiever, take
this saying to heart ( Dr. Bob Kizlik, 1997).

The SQ3R method has been a proven way to sharpen study skills. SQ3R stands for
Survey, Question, Read, Recite, Review. Take a moment now and write SQ3R down. It is
a good slogan to commit to memory to carry out an effective study strategy.

Survey - get the best overall picture of what you're going to study BEFORE you study it
in any detail. It's like looking at a road map before going on a trip. If you don't know the
territory, studying a map is the best way to begin.

Question - ask questions for learning. The important things to learn are usually answers
to questions. Questions should lead to emphasis on the what, why, how, when, who and
where of study content. Ask yourself questions as you read or study. As you answer
them, you will help to make sense of the material and remember it more easily because
the process will make an impression on you. Those things that make impressions are
more meaningful, and therefore more easily remembered. Don't be afraid to write your
questions in the margins of textbooks, on lecture notes, or wherever it makes sense.

Read - Reading is NOT running your eyes over a textbook. When you read, read actively.
Read to answer questions you have asked yourself or questions the instructor or author
has asked. Always be alert to bold or italicized print. The authors intend that this material
receive special emphasis. Also, when you read, be sure to read everything, including
tables, graphs and illustrations. Often times tables, graphs and illustrations can convey an
idea more powerfully than written text.

Recite - When you recite, you stop reading periodically to recall what you have read. Try
to recall main headings, important ideas of concepts presented in bold or italicized type,
and what graphs, charts or illustrations indicate. Try to develop an overall concept of
what you have read in your own words and thoughts. Try to connect things you have just
read to things you already know. When you do this periodically, the chances are you will
remember much more and be able to recall material for papers, essays and objective tests.
Review - A review is a survey of what you have covered. It is a review of what you are
supposed to accomplish, not what you are going to do. Rereading is an important part of
the review process. Reread with the idea that you are measuring what you have gained
from the process. During review, it's a good time to go over notes you have taken to help
clarify points you may have missed or don't understand. The best time to review is when
you have just finished studying something. Don't wait until just before an examination to
begin the review process. Before an examination, do a final review. If you manage your
time, the final review can be thought of as a "fine-tuning" of your knowledge of the
material. Thousands of high school and college students have followed the SQ3R steps to
achieve higher grades with less stress (Dr. Bob Kizlik, 1997).

Foreign

Study skills are fundamental to academic competence. Effective study skills are
associated with positive outcomes across multiple academic content areas and for diverse
learners. The purpose of this article is to describe an information-processing perspective
on the contribution of study skills to academic competence, and to identify evidence-
based strategies that are effective in helping students to improve their study skills.
(Author:"Seibert Jill K.")

College study skills are not more difficult than the ones that you needed in high school,
they are simply different and you need to take the time to get used to them.
Divide your study hours during the day and also spare some time for sports activities
which will make you really active. Speed reading is one of those skills which, once
mastered, allows you to get far more done in a given space of time than ever before. It
requires practice and an environment of pressure. By speaking, reading, writing, and
associating images with words, learners can take the monotony out of studying. Instead,
you'll enjoy the process of expanding your English vocabulary and introducing yourself
to a new culture. A gradual review of the information is much more effective than a last
minute cram session. As Ben Franklin once said, "You may delay, but time will not."
Just remember to keep it up so that your grades will improve and you will succeed in
college. For learning long lists, use mnemonics. Learning log list is made easy by making
sentence of the first character of the word. Make funny and interesting sentences (Mia
Bathurst,2010).

Creating an acronymic sentence is a good strategy to use when you have to remember
information in a certain order. An acronymic sentence is a sentence that is created using
the first letter of each piece of information to be remembered (Dr. Charles T. Mangrum
and Dr. Stephen S. Strichart, 1997).