A Student's Guide to Efficient Study

88 Pages·1967·0.963 MB·English

by  D. E. James (Auth.)

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A STUDENT'S GUIDE
TO EFFICIENT STUDY
by
D. E. JAMES
tecturer in Educational Psychology, University of Surrey
PERGAMON PRESS
OXFORD NEW YORK TORONTO SYDNEY « PARIS FRANKFURT
U.K. Pergamon Press Ltd., Headington Hill Hall,
Oxford OX3 OBW, England
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FEDERAL REPUBLIC Pergamon Press GmbH, 6242 Kronberg-Taunus,
OF GERMANY Hammerweg 6, Federal Republic of Germany
Copyright © 1967 Pergamon Press Ltd.
All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be
reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in
any form or by any means: electronic, electrostatic,
magnetic tape, mechanical, photocopying, recording or
otherwise, without permission in writing from the
publishers.
First edition 1967
Reprinted 1978, 1981
Library of Congress Catalog Card No. 66-30630
Printed in Great Britain by A. Wheaton & Co. Ltd., Exeter
ISBN 0-08-012320-1
TO MY
MOTHER AND FATHER
Preface
HOWEVER undesirable educationalists may consider it to be,
the lives of students today are generally already over-full
and the indications are that this situation will surely worsen.
In order that students may cope adequately with the demands
made on them, it is essential that their techniques of study
should be made as efficient as possible. It is the aim of this
book to help them in this process.
The problems of drawing up a small pocket-book which
will meet the needs of students in a wide variety of courses
seem at first sight to be insuperable. However, close examina-
tion of the activities required of students of all types show
certain underlying similarities. All are expected to read
books, write essays, attend lectures and take examinations,
while many must attend practical classes, carry out investi-
gations or give short talks. This book attempts to survey the
main practical principles and techniques which should be
observed in tackling these tasks.
It is not intended to include much new material or to suggest
revolutionary break-throughs in approach. Rather it is hoped
to present a convenient brief, simple yet comprehensive
collection of practical suggestions gleaned from a variety of
sources. While the book may be read as a whole should this
be considered desirable, the presentation lends itself particu-
larly to quick and easy reference.
My thanks are due to Dr. H. Hillman, M.B., Ph.D., and
Mr. C. J. Turner, B.Sc, of the Department of Biological and
Health Studies of the University of Surrey, for their helpful
suggestions in the preparation of this book. I am most grateful
xi
xii Preface
to my wife not only for typing the manuscript but also for her
invaluable help and encouragement throughout the prepara-
tion of this book. Above all I must thank the many students
with whom I have worked and collected much of the material
on which this book is based.
D. E. JAMES
Advice to Students Using this Book
IT IS not recommended that students initially should read
this book from beginning to end. The table of contents should
be used to select relevant information for the task immediately
being tackled. When they are familiar with many of the
day-to-day activities required of them, a complete reading
of these notes is recommended to further improve under-
standing and overall performance.
When students are given specific instructions by specialist
teachers on how to perform certain activities, their advice
should always be taken in preference to these general hints,
which are intended for use in the absence of direction from
a teacher.
Pages at the end of this document are intended for additions
to the material included, in the light of the student's own
experience and needs.
xiii
CHAPTER I
Introduction
A. The Purpose of this Document
1. THE MEANING OF "STUDY"
In the broadest sense, study may be defined as "the pursuit
of knowledge". Therefore, all our lives are spent in study to
some extent. Study is not limited to specific activities or
particular environmental situations. It is not confined to work
in the classroom or to reading and writing in "private study".
While, of course, you must initially acquire basic information
and skills in such situations, this is only the first step in studying.
(Unfortunately it is all too often the limit of studying which
many students reach.) To study fully you must spend a great
deal of your time working with others proficient in the subject
or profession which you wish to master. You must observe,
discuss, and solve problems in practical situations. You cannot
become a competent teacher or nurse or engineer or biologist
by simply reading, writing and listening to lectures about
your subject any more than you can become an adequate
driver by reading and writing about cars and traffic. If study
only involved perceiving and remembering facts and skills,
then the vast majority of the time we spent in school was
surely wasted. The "pursuit of knowledge" must be assessed
in much wider terms, based on gathering information but
extended into the development of attitudes and modes of
thinking. The time spent by students in college should be
a period of particularly intense study when there is a very
1
2 A Student's Guide to Efficient Study
great deal to learn in a comparatively short time, although
under conditions more conducive to academic work than
those likely to be encountered at other times. It is essential
for the student to make the most efficient use of his college
days both in the acquiring and subsequent utilization of
knowledge.
2. THE PURPOSE OF "STUDY"
A person obviously pursues knowledge in the hope that he
will profit by it. The sources of such profit should be kept in
mind at all times so that maximum benefit may be obtained
from the work in hand. For the student these are:
(a) in college course work and examinations;
(b) in his subsequent career;
(c) in the development of logical, scientific bases for all
thinking, talking and conduct of everyday life (i.e.
by increasing efficiency in thought and action) ;
(d) in deriving pleasure and satisfaction from becoming
a more fully and roundly educated person.
It is therefore obvious that one studies not only in the class-
room and laboratory but also by observation and participation
in all life's activities.
3. THE NEED FOR HELP IN LEARNING TO STUDY
You may well be saying that you have been studying for
years at school and do not consider it necessary to have to
learn how to study at this late stage. It is true that much of
what follows you may have encountered before (probably
without being aware of it). However, at school your teachers
guided your study. Now as students at college this responsi-
bility is yours. You must decide what to study, when and how
to tackle it, how long to spend on it, etc. These notes are
Introduction 3
designed to help you in these matters. They are considered
justified because all the indications are that many students
work well below maximum efficiency mainly because of faulty
study methods. A little time well spent is far more profitable
than much time badly spent. Although systematic organiza-
tions of study is time-consuming initially, it soon reaps rich
dividends. Much of what follows is common sense. The
suggestions on techniques are organized for clarity and intended
to help you to learn as much as possible with a minimum of
time wasting. There is, of course, no one ideal method of
studying. Each individual has his own preferences. But just
as a doctor can make general suggestions regarding the
prevention and cure of influenza which apply to everyone,
so these common principles and techniques of studying are
of general application but must be interpreted by the indi-
vidual to suit his own circumstances.
B. The Psychology of Study
1. INTRODUCTION
To understand and improve your studying techniques it is
essential to have some knowledge of how your mind works.
To tackle this task effectively several complete psychological
textbooks would be required. Here, however, we are mainly
concerned with perspective and an adequate background
knowledge of mental processes to be able to appreciate the
reasons for the techniques suggested in these pages.
2. CO-ORDINATION WITH THE ENVIRONMENT
The processes underlying the co-ordination of a person with
his surroundings may be summarized as follows:
(a) picking up information from the environment through
the sense organs;
SGES - Β