CHAPTER II

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

This chapter deals with the literature and studies related to the present study. Research
studies done by the local and foreign researchers were given importance in this thesis.
Foreign Literature
Most of the studies regarding the students study habits revolve around the relationship
between habits and academic achievements. Efficiency means doing things on time thoroughly in
the best possible way which you think best for you. It is believed that students who have
developed a good study habits attain higher grades than those who have ineffective study skills.
Crow & Crow (1992), states that effective habits of study include plan or place, a definite time
table and taking brief of well-organized notes. In addition to this, Garrison (1963), states that the
better method of study, the more successful the organization of effort to achieve result and
learning how to study and forming desirable habits of studying. Moreover, according to Pogue
(2000), learners should eliminate all external and internal distractions. In order for a student to
study effectively, he/she must find an easier technique and approach to study, and decide what
important information that he or she will take. According to australia.edu, becoming aware of
learning style will help the student find an easier way to cope up with the discussions. The
website also stated that one way to develop good study habit is to keep yourself organized.
Nausheen (2002) stated that the actual amount of study time required by an individual depends
on his speed and efficiency in the work and his preparation and adaptability for each type of
work in which he or she is engaged. Generally it is expected that students spend two hours on
self study for every hours spent in class, especially at the higher level of education and these
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hours should be properly scheduled for a day or a week and deadline should be settled for each
task. Experts agreed that good and consistent study habits can lead to great success in the field of
learning.
The current study aims to find out the different study habits of the second year BS
Optometry students, and this literature establishes a connection between the different study
habits of students and how it affects their academic preformance. The literature also states study
habits that are found to be generally effective and are helpful to the improvement of a students
academic performance.
Local Literature
Learning is a process through which ones capacity or disposition is changed as a result
of experience (Craig, Mehress, and Clarizo, 1975). Whittaker (1972) defined it also as a process
by which behavior originates or is altered through experience, while Wittig (1977) and Hilgard
(1975) view it as a relatively permanent change in behavior that occurs a result of experience.
Conditions Affecting Effective Study Habits:
Motivation: Our motives urge us to approach or withdraw from a particular goal or activity. Our
wants, interests, and attitudes at any given moment can make a learning experience meaningful
and worthwhile for us; and our wants and interests grow out of our physiological and
psychological needs. There are many who fail in school because what the school prescribes to be
learned does not match what they want or need to learn. We learn best when our needs, both
physiological and psychological have been met, when we are happy and satisfied. When learning

does not take place as expected, it would be motivation, or lack of motivation, on the part of
learner. This is another common cause of failure to learn in school which is seldom recognized.
Mental Set: With an active intent to learn, you are much more likely to learn more effectively
than if you merely give passive attention.
Emotion: When involved in learning, emotions can facilitate or block retention. According to
Thorndikes law of learning, and act learned with satisfaction tends to be repeated (rehearsed),
and repetition (rehearsal) tends to fix the response. Conversely, what is learned with
dissatisfaction tends not to be repeated (rehearsed), therefore does not become fixed in the
memory and is, consequently, rapidly forgotten.
The effectiveness of learning is also affected by ones attitude toward what is being
learned. We develop positive attitudes through successful experiences that have been positively
reinforced.
Rehearsal: After learning an item, or repeating what you have learned to yourself over and over
again, rehearsal is needed to store the item in long-term memory. Rehearsal is possible mentally
as the individual goes through the physical movements of a process in his mind, such as the
sequence of movements in a dance step. Review is also an effective form of rehearsal. Viewing
again material that has been learned will strengthen the memory. Recitation is an important
method of rehearsal. Practicing active recitation to yourself during independent study can be an
effective way of fixing learning permanently. In fact, what would be better is alternating
recitation with reading.

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De Guzman (1988) pointed out that most students want to be spoonfed rather than to
study by themselves. The role of the teacher in learning process is to assist the students to learn.
Teachers could only facilitate the students learning development by giving them the right kind
of education and environment for growth and progress. By giving actual recitation and assigning
reports, students learn how to take responsibility so that they will know the importance and value
of what they are doing. Mendez (1975), emphasized that correct study habits are crucial to every
student. If the student wants to learn, they should learn by themselves. This means that, the
student must discover what type of learning style is suitable for them. As cited by Marquez
(2009), a student who is successful in his desired career has good study habits. In line with this,
she stated that students should apply these habits to all of their classes. She also suggested that
the students should have a definite time table to study certain subjects and should not try to study
all subjects at one sitting. According to the website thephilstar.com, The greatest challenge for a
college student is how to build habits - study habits especially - in order to be able to resist the
many temptations that pester a young student's life.
Different factors affect a students study habits. A students learnig is dictated by these
different factors and is considered an important part of this study.
Foreign Studies
A study was conducted by David(1965) on the relationship of study habits and attitudes
to academic achievement. He found that the variables on study habits and attitudes were
significantly not related to academic achievement. Geronimo (1983) revealed in his study that
the students with good study habits perform better in any task requiring mental ability. Cuevas
(1984) also came to the same result by finding out that there are significant relationship between
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mental ability and and study habits. He also noted the common study habits of students with high
mental ability. They are as follows: 1.) regular exercise; 2) volunteering in class discussions; 3)
knowing the purpose of assignments; 4) participating in group activities and 5) reviewing notes
on previous materials. Brew and McCormich investigated the way students approached one of
these courses how they organized their time, how they read, how they used learning aids. Some
students thought lectures were simply a framework for further reading and thinking; others
thought of them as the main part of the course, they found out that students in independent study
need guidelines about how to study and what kind of learning are desirable.
Mendez and Gampis (1975), found that intelligence is not the most important factor for
scholastic success, successful students according to their findings, have better techniques in data
gathering, organising and presentation of ideas. It was also found out that poor study habits can
affect the academic performance of the students and cause them to fail in their academic
subjects. Citing the investigation made by Zockert and Kelley (1961), reported that the results of
the investigation proved that the scholastically superior high school students possessed different
presumably better study habits than those with low achieving students.
Likewise, the present study discusses the effective study habits of BS Optometry students
relating to their academic perfromance. The study intends to find out their different study habits
and asses their effect on their learning and academic performance in order to extract the top most
effective study habits of the said students.
Local Studies
Estrella (1997) stated that student who are in the right age have desirable attitude
towards their studies because they are more aware of the importance of their education, rather
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than students at their younger years. In relation to this study, Santos, who also made a survey of
study habits and explained that the more mature the pupils, the higher the achievement and the
better their study habits. She also found out in her survey that the girls had better study
techniques and habits of work than did the boys. Santos further explained that children from
financial stable families had improved study techniques compared to those mentioned some of
the following findings in the four areas of study habits: (A) The pupils revealed that they had
poor reading ability and note-taking techniques. (B) The pupils were quite handicapped in their
study because some of them had poor habits of concentration. (C) Less time was spent in
studying than in going to shows or watching basketball games. (D) Many children were found to
have good attributes toward study habits but more than one-half of the pupils survey feared
examination and got very much confused during tests.
Medina (1998) found out in her study that parents play important role thus, parent must
be helped in general in understanding the interests needs and problems of young adolescents.
This means that parents has a big role to their children to support them in their studying. Pasajol,
et. al (1983) found in their study that students with good study habits prefer to spend their spare
time in studying their lessons instead of playing. The study revealed that the reasons why most of
the students have good study habits are because their parents are educated and that they
supervise their children in their studies. Garcia (1984), stated that studying should not be
spoonfeeding. Meaning, there should be a desire on the part of the students to learn. She further
stated that study habits play an important role in learning process. Limena (1985) pointed out
that teacher-pupil relationship evolves primarily on the teacher for it is upon the teacher that the
mental atmosphere of the classroom growth depends. Learning of the student depends on how
the teacher assist their learning process.
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The study of Remedics M. Razon, Research study on study habits of public elementary pupils
and secondary students, The Filipino Teacher, Vol. (August 1986 p. 89). revealed the following
findings:
1. Habits of note-taking and reading techniques. The boys had better insight than did the
girls. The younger group possessed better study habits and note-taking and reading
techniques.
The six study habits common to all the students were: reading directives slowly,
keeping main idea in mind while reading, using dictionary as reference, writing complete
sentences using magazine as references and using footnotes.
2. Study habits of concentration and school interest. Boys and girls possessed identical
study habits; the students possessed the same number of study habits or concentration and
school interest and the difference was only in the rank order. It was found out that the
higher the scholastic achievement, the higher the number of study habits of concentration
and school interest.
3. General study habits. Boys and girls possessed almost the same study habits; the older
group possessed more study habits than the younger groups; the higher the scholastic
rating, the higher the general study habits possessed. The lower the ratings, the fewer the
study habits.
Villareal (1968) conducted an investigation of the study habits and attitudes of 100
freshmen students in the private school of Cebu City in 1968. Some of the important points
revealed in her study are:
1. The more mature students did not possess the right methods of studying.
2. The male students exhibited better study habits than the female students.
3. The married students had better study habits than those who are single.
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Her study established a correlation between the study habits and attitudes and academic
achievement of the study.
At the Philippine Normal College in 1955, Gutierrez studied the social relationship in
study habits and attitudes of some 400 freshmen. The study showed among other things, that
instructions interfered with their efficiency in school work. The subjects in her study showed
unfavourable ways of approaching study problems. They dislike certain courses and feared
examination. Her study also revealed that the students were handicapped in their studies by poor
study skills and that the ability to concentrate on what was being studied posed a great problem
to the majority of the subjects.

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