Technician Portfolio 19: Successful studying

http://www.technicianonline.com/viewpoint/three-takes-on-successful-studying-1.2025890#




Three takes on successful studying
By Jake Goldbas, Staff Columnist


Published: Sunday, October 18, 2009
Updated: Sunday, October 18, 2009

© 2009 NCSU Student Media
There are courses and books available at the library that can help us work toward successful studying.
One of Richard Palmer's tips from “Studying for Success” is to study in 35-minute blocks with five or ten minute breaks in between. This will keep your focus up. If you can focus for longer than that, you can and should. But forcing yourself to focus when your brain cannot is counterproductive.
Another tip from the same author is to have fun. If you dig into a project, dig into studying; what makes it easy is what makes it fun. This is difficult to break into because it is almost taboo to say that people have fun with what they’re doing, what their majors are. I suspect this is because people get jealous of each other.
The text “Introduction to Industrial/Organizational Psychology” by Ronald Riggio gives six relevant motivation techniques. The book is the course text for the self-titled class taught by Professor Adam Meade. The techniques are Reinforcement Theory, Goal-Setting Theory, Herzberg's Two-Factor Theory, the Job Characteristics Model, Equity Theory and Expectancy Theory.
Some very abbreviated definitions: Reinforcement Theory states humans need to recognize rewards and consequences for their work. Goal-Setting Theory states that people will work toward goals that they set for themselves, but the goals cannot be too hard or too easy.
Herzberg's Two-Factor Theory recommends getting things that bring satisfaction (motivators) and having things that make work unappetizing by their absence (hygienes). I think in this case a motivator would be a good grade, whereas a hygiene would be the absence of reward criteria. My relevant advice about the Job Characteristics Model is to set up courses to meet your needs for motivating yourself. For example, if your professor does not offer feedback, consider going to the tutoring centers to get reliable feedback.
Equity Theory states people are motivated by circumstances. If something does not have equity, it is unequal. People are motivated to maintain feelings of equity. For example, if you view school as an incredible gift, you might work harder to show that you are worth such a gift.
Expectancy is the “perceived relationship between the individual's effort and performance of a behavior.” Riggio then writes, “Given what you know about your own abilities, study habits, and effort, what is the probability that you will actually be able to achieve the required grades? Here you might consider your willingness to sacrifice some of your social life to study more, as well as considering your past academic performance... individuals unwilling to expend the time and energy, motivation will be much less.”
For a last text,” Keys to College Studying” by Carol Carter, Joyce Bishop and Sarah Lyman Kravits, recommend these tips to get motivated for studying: spend time reflecting on why your goal is meaningful to you; make a decision to take one step toward your goal; examine and deal with your obstacles; and begin or begin again.
I understand these last authors as stating that simply starting to study and being in the act of studying are self-motivating. Forming mental maxims, what these authors call “commitments,” establishes rules to mind, which minds then follow. In other words, setting up the mindset to do work welcomes the task of doing work.
These last authors also point out that one Chinese word for “chaos” is the same as “opportunity.” The authors wrote that the “character communicates the belief that every challenging, chaotic, and demanding situation in life also presents an opportunity.” This word reminds us that we need to challenge ourselves in order to face opportunities, and that in fact, they might be one in the same.