HOW TEENAGERS CAN DEVELOP GREAT STUDY HABIT

 

INTRODUCTION

 

The growth of every nation lies in the number and level of educated and learned individuals it has. Educated and learned individuals begin by developing a good habit of undergoing studies and research at tender ages to acquire knowledge to invent, create, produce, modernize and shape the society into a place where the future of its citizens lives in an ambient environment for rapid growth and development. 

 

Developed nations worked tremendously on studies and researchers, as well as hands-on learning at their younger ages. These include primary school age (6-12 years), which led to their rapid growth and development as a nation.

 

Several studies have shown that a teenager who develops a good study habit at a tender age ends up becoming a good writer, professional researcher, inventor, creator, etc., in various disciplines, especially in the area the child developed a keen interest.

 

Hence, developing a great study habit means inculcating the right attitude of regular or routine reading of books and mediating over them. 

 

For example: A well structured learning system from home will help develop great study habits in a teenager.

 

A teenager groomed to independently take charge of his learning is on a path to success.

 

3 Strategies to Help Teenagers Develop Great Study Habits

Study habits of teenagers can be developed in several ways; 

Parental Approach

Availability of Educational materials 

Motivation 

 

PARENTAL APPROACH

Parents have a great role to play for their teenagers to cultivate great study habits. They are the primary influencers of effective learning.  

At an early age, children pick up habits from their parents. When they become teens, they carefully express their learned habits.

 

Therefore,teenagers would directly or indirectly imitate them since most of them would adopt favorable practices.

 

Parents who indulge in various reading of books and great studies are likely to have the same teenagers with effective study habits.

However, parents who lack the discipline to read and undergo studies produce teenagers who usually end up becoming less concerned about studies. This in turn, breeds societal problems.

How Parental Approach helps improve Teens Study habits

• Understanding teens learning styles they can be guided on how to learn. People learn in different ways but these preferences are not static. It is possible to learn to learn in ways we did not explore before, and to end up appreciating these novel forms of learning.
• Objectives or goals of a text/topic are usually found on the first page of most textbooks.
• These goals offer valuable insights for teenagers to develop their learning to learn skills. They develop interest to study when their minds are set to achieving a goal. 
• Address teenagers’ interests such as music, games and technology. Taking advantage of their interest to improve study habits. By audio recording themselves saying words they have learnt and sentences using these words.
• After each learning cycle, such as completing a topic, it’s always a good idea to ask teens to self-assess their learning. They should reflect on what they have learnt to do and to evaluate whether or not they need further practice.

 

• Storytelling: Parents who were not opportune to study or go to school due to some circumstances beyond their control at their tender ages, still have a role to play by developing a great desire to train their children in a way to develop great study habits. Such parents are expected to always encourage their children to study and read by telling them the life stories of those who became great by studying.

 

 

• Healthy Conversation: Parents should engage in discussion with their children, by explaining to them the importance of developing great study habits. For example, they should use themselves as an example and other nearby relatives and models.  
• Mentors: By employing professional/trained helpers who will teach, guide, shape, sharpen and watch closely their teenagers the step-by-step ways to cultivate a great study habit.

 

AVAILABILITY of Educational Aids

Human beings can only grow with what is available around their locality. One cannot grow beyond what is unavailable. 

The amount of books and study materials a teenager has around him/her determines how great the person’s study habits will become. 

 

Children with many books and research materials around them develop greater reading, study and research habits than those with little or no materials/books. A lot of books within a child’s reach pose and trigger the child’s desire (curiosity) and wanting for studies, because as the child reads and studies, many unfold facts and knowledge will be unveiled and thus trigger the child’s zeal and desire to read and study more, thereby leads to achieving great study within a short time frame. 

 

Moreover, whenever books and materials of desired interest are available, especially those related to the area in which the teenager develops an interest to pursue his/her career, such a teenager goes into more studies and research wider on them to widen his/her scope and knowledge and thus developing a great study habit is inevitable.

 

MOTIVATION

Motivation is the desire one has to do something. This motivation can come from within the individual (Intrinsic) or outside the individual (Extrinsic): This means that motivation can be internal by the teenager or externally. 

 

 But for this writing, we shall consider only extrinsic motivation. Extrinsic motivation is the desire an individual has to do something as a result of the benefits, gifts, and rewards the individual intends to get. 

 

Whenever a child/teenager is motivated by something, the child/teenager will want to do more. For example: a teenager who is motivated after reading 10 pages of books and carrying out a study from such book will be encouraged to read more pages and more studies greater than the prior one he/she did. 

 

Motivation can be by polite spoken words. Example: “Wow! You did nice work “, “If you continue this way you will be another Chinua Achebe or my own Wolo Soyinka”, “kudos, with this great study of yours, I will be having another Charles Darwin and Isaac Newton in my house. 

 

The motivation can also be physical rewards for example, “Whoever undergoes two studies today will be taken to the zoo on Sunday “, “I will buy a bicycle for you if you are through with this study before tomorrow”, etc.  

 

Note: These motivation materials should be redeemed once the aim is achieved. Hence, the motivator (parents, teacher, trainer, helper) should promise what they can only afford and ensure they are given to the teenager when due (i.e. when the task is accomplished by the teenager); by so doing, it will cause such teenagers to develop a great study habit.