AN INSIGHT INTO STUDY - MEANING, TYPES AND THE BEST APPROACH

STUDY SKILLS

~By: J. C. IRO

According to the Oxford Advanced Learner's English Dictionary, the word 'study' can be defined in the following contexts:

1. The activity of learning or gaining knowledge especially from books. 
2. The activity of gaining knowledge of a particular subject, discipline or field of study. 
3. Consideration or Examination 
4. A detailed consideration or investigation of a subject. 
5. A room especially in somebody's home used for reading and writing. 
6. A drawing or a painting of a subject, especially one done for practice or before doing a larger picture. 
7. To engage in the activity of learning, especially by serious reading. etc. 

Types of Reading

1. Scanning 
2. Skimming 
3. Light reading 
4. Word-by-word reading 
5. Study reading

Scanning

When you search for a piece of information e.g. your name on a notice board or your matriculation number on a long result sheet, you are scanning. In scanning, your eyes move quickly over all the information until you locate what you seek. Although you spend enough time on all other information so as to be sure that they are not yours, you are not likely to remember them after you have seen yours.

Skimming

This, like scanning is an extremely fast reading activity that is employed to get the general view in a text. In a nutshell, we skim ‘to see what is there’. Skimming is done for two main purposes:

1. To determine if the text is useful for your intended purpose 
2. To prepare yourself for a more detailed study of the text

Light Reading

This, simply put, is reading leisurely. This method is not very useful for studying because the reader does not make any effort to study or absorb the information in the material.

Word-by-Word Reading

This type of reading is applied on specialized texts. Here, you slow down your reading speed so much so that you have to read each word in detail.

Study Reading

This is a careful type of reading, it is slow and employed when the material has to be evaluated or summarized. In Study Reading, your intention is more deliberate because you intend to memorize, retain and recall all that you have been studying. This is the best type of reading especially at the tertiary level.

Apart from the types of reading we also have ‘reading strategies’. A systematic approach to help you study better and retain most or all of the information contained in a text. Let’s look at them:

SQ3R – Survey, Question, Read, Recite, Revise

OK4R – Overview, Key Points, Read, Recite, Reflect

3S3R – Survey, Study-read, Speed-read, Recite/Record, Review and Reflect

PR4 – Preview, Read, Recall, Re-read, Review 

Where to Study?

This is another important question that must be answered. As students, once we have a working time-table for reading, we must also determine the best location for the reading activity. There are three options available for study and they are: the room, the classroom and the library. 

• Reading in the Room: This is usually for persons living far from home and not able to afford or not have very comfortable accommodation. It could be on campus [for those who live in the halls of residence or off campus]. If you have your own room it becomes your best place to read because the environment determines what you do. You can concentrate easily in the comfort and quietness of your own space. But if you’re in a crowded room then the problem of distraction abounds.

• Reading in the Classroom: For this type of environment, optimum performance is obtained usually after lecture hours when most, if not all of the students, have exited the lecture theaters. However, there are some risks to reading that abound in such an environment and some of them include: abrupt entrance to and exit of students or other persons within and outside the classroom, high level of noise, low discipline etc.

• Reading in the Library: Now, most students or readers find the nature and structure of the library more reassuring. It could be a national library, state library, school library, departmental library etc. Reading in the library is typically for persons who learn best in the company of others who are busy with their work. More so, the library contains lots of materials that may be grist to your mill e.g. dictionaries, encyclopedias, journals, magazines and other reference materials.

All these being said, it is imperative that I mention here that the sole responsibility of selecting your choice place of study lies on you. Pick your spot and read your way to excellence. There also lies a major challenge when trying to build up a reading culture or lifestyle and it is called ‘lack of motivation’. Let’s discuss this right now. 

Motivation in Study

To study as a student in the University or any tertiary institution, you must have a clearly defined vision which covers your goals and why you are in school. When you don’t know why you are anywhere, you will lack the driving force [motivation] to cope with the challenges of the new environment. When you can’t define your goals your take-off zest wanes as you go on. 

IF THE PURPOSE OF A THING IS NOT KNOWN THEN ABUSE IS INEVITABLE

You should equally set short-term and long-term goals. Sometimes we also derive motivation when we are in an appropriate learning condition.

Determining Appropriate Learning Conditions

This can be summarized into the following:

1. What Do You Learn Best? 
2. How Do You Learn Best? 
3. Where is your Study Problem? 
4. Planning Your Programme of Study 
5. Planning Your Time Table

Humans learn in different ways. Some of us learn better through reading groups [discussions] and others through personal work. Some of us learn best if the knowledge is practical-based while others learn on theoretical-bases. To know what you learn best, you have to make a list of what you find easy to learn and a contrasting list of all that you find difficult to comprehend. Afterwards, do an analysis of the type of learning involved in each case and see what you discover of yourself.

On the issue of how we learn best, humans are divided into the following sub-categories:

1. Learning by heart 
2. Learning by rote 
3. Lecture + discussion 
4. Group Work 
5. Practical Learners 
6. Listening and Viewing with or without restrictions

From knowing what you learn best and how you learn best, you can have a clear view of where your study problem lies and take steps to turning your weakness into strength. Afterwards, you can prepare your programme of study and your study time-table.

HE WHO FAILS TO PLAN, PLANS TO FAIL

STUDY RESOURCES

These include:

1. The Library 
2. The Dictionary 
3. The Thesaurus

As you go through this article, it is our passionate desire that you find useful tips and guidelines on how to be an excellent reader, irrespective of your profession or skill. 

It is the TRUTH you know and APPLY that brings you MENTAL EMANCIPATION - J. C. IRO