Aug 24 2005
America's female college students study more, are more likely to read their textbooks thoroughly and to earn "A"s in their courses, and expect to graduate in less time than their male counterparts.
Male students study one-third less than women, party more often, are more likely to earn a "C" or less in their courses, and expect to take longer to graduate, according to a nationwide study of 1,800 college students released today by Student Monitor. The study has a margin of error of +/- 2.3%.
The study of four-year and two-year students was commissioned by the Association of American Publishers to help publishers and educators understand students' study habits, and better determine what impact they have on academic achievement.
"We've generally taken for granted that hitting the books translates to better grades and a more successful college experience. This research confirms that hard work matters, and quantifies the difference between those students with a set of solid study habits and those without," said Eric Weil, managing partner, of Student Monitor.
"The survey revealed significant differences in the study habits between men and women. For example, women are 35 percent more likely to study daily, 21 percent more likely to study 15 or more hours weekly and 23 percent more likely to read their textbook thoroughly. These differences in study skills and habits translate to higher grades and a higher course completion rate," Weil added.
"Currently, only one-half of all public four-year college and university students are graduating in four years or less, increasing their debt and putting a strain on campus resources. As a result, colleges and universities are under increasing pressure to improve student engagement and to help students graduate more quickly. Publishers, in turn, are being called upon to produce more sophisticated tools for teaching and learning. We wanted to find out what more publishers could do to make their products better meet the needs of students," said Bruce Hildebrand, executive director for higher education at the Association of American Publishers.
Key findings of the study were:
Men vs. Women
- Men are more likely to skim through a textbook while women are more likely to read their textbook thoroughly.
- Nearly half of all women study daily compared to a third of men.
- More than one in four men (26%) find themselves studying late at night compared to less one in five women (19%).
- In comparing men to women, the study found men party 20% more often than women.
Study Habits Make a Difference
- Students who study daily are 40% more likely to earn an "A" than students who do not study daily. Only 41% of students study every day, and 18% study only once or twice a week.
- Students who study 15 or more hours weekly are 43% more likely to earn an "A" than students who study for less than 15 hours weekly.
- Students who read their textbook thoroughly rather than skimming, study daily and study for 15 or more hours each week are far more likely to earn an "A."
Two-year, Four-year Student Comparisons
- Two-year community college students -- who are more likely to work full time -- are 36 percent more likely to use supplemental materials and 23 percent more likely to say they study efficiently.
The study confirmed that the more a student studies, the better his or her grades. The 42 percent of men and 41 percent of women who studied 15 or more hours a week earned an "A." On average, students study for 14 hours weekly with 24 percent studying five or fewer hours each week and only 17 percent studying more than 20 hours a week.
Time on task, study efficiency, and the use of supplemental materials are other important factors, particularly for community college students. Students who attend two-year schools - who are more likely to work full time -- were found to be 36 percent more likely to use supplemental materials and 23 percent more likely to study efficiently.
An often overlooked but important factor is the time of day a student studies. Approximately one-half of all students study between the hours of 6 p.m. to midnight. Those in this group, whether men or women, are at least twice as likely to earn an "A" as those students who studied primarily after midnight. Among those who got a "C" or less, 28 percent of men and 20 percent of women studied after midnight.