DOCUMENT RESUME

ED 410 181 SO 028 606

TITLE Good Study Habits and Academic Performance: Findings from,

the NAEP 1994 U.S. History and Geography Assessments.

INSTITUTION National Center for Education Statistics (ED), Washington,

DC.

REPORT NO NCES-97-931

PUB DATE Aug 97

NOTE 6p.

PUB TYPE Collected Works Serials (022) Reports Descriptive

(141)

JOURNAL CIT NAEP Facts; v2 n4 Aug 1997

EDRS PRICE MF01/PC01 Plus Postage.

DESCRIPTORS *Academic Achievement; *Educational Assessment; Elementary

Secondary Education; *Geography; Grade 12; Grade 4; Grade 8;

Home Study; Homework; Learning Strategies; Metacognition;

National Surveys; Performance; *Reading Habits; Social

Studies; Student Behavior; Study; *Study Habits; Time

Management; Time On Task; *United States History

IDENTIFIERS *National Assessment of Educational Progress

ABSTRACT

This document analyzes responses to questions included in a

national assessment of knowledge of U.S. history and geography in an attempt

to determine the relationship between study habits and academic performance.

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) 1994 asked 4th-, 8th-,

and 12th-grade students specific questions regarding their knowledge of U.S.

history and geography. The national survey also asked three questions

concerning the students general study habits: (1) how much time they spent on

homework; (2) how frequently they discussed their studies at home; and (3)

how many pages they read each day at school. This issue of NAEP Facts

examines answers given to those questions by students whose performance on

the assessments fell near the 25th, 50th, and 90th percentiles of the NAEP

scale. The questions referred to student habits in general and were not

limited to U.S. history or geography. In general, the data obtained from the

assessment showed a positive trend linking high performance on the assessment

and good study habits. That is, students near the 90th percentile were more

likely to report good study habits than those near the 50th percentile, and

those near the 50th percentile were more likely to report good study habits

than those near the 25th percentile. The data remained consistent for all

categories except for 4th graders. More of the higher achieving 4th graders

claimed to spend less time on homework than the lower achieving group.

Reasons for this dichotomy are discussed. The document includes tabular

representations of statistical data. (MJP) ********************************************************************************

Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made

from the original document. ********************************************************************************
Good Study Habits and Academic Performance: Findings from the

NAEP 1994 U.S. History and Geography Assessments.

k2L. National Center for Educational Statistics (ED), Washington, D. C.

Q0 Published: Aug97

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NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION STATISTICS

THE NATION'S

REPORT

CARO

Miff

Vol. 2, No. 4

NAEP1

August 1997

Good Study Habits and Academic Performance: Findings From

the NAEP 1994 U.S. History and Geography Assessments

Summary: Analysis of data from the NAEP 1994 U.S. history

and geography assessments found a real, but limited relationship between good study habits and academic performance,

for 8th and 12th graders. For 4th graders, the analysis found

either positive relationships, no relationship, or a negative

relationshipmixed results that are consistent with previous

research. Researchers are divided on whether this indicates

that 4th graders are often assigned too much homework

The National Assessment of Educational Progress

(NAEP) continuously monitors the knowledge,

skills, and performance of the nation's children and

youth in a variety of academic subjects. The data

collected are available in major reports known as

"Report Cards." The NAEPfacts series takes data

collected for the Report Cards and uses them to

highlight specific issues of particular interest to

teachers, researchers, policyrnakers, and other individuals with an interest i* education.

The NAEP 1994 U.S. history and geography assessments asked 4th-, 8th-, and 12th-grade students

three questions about their general study habits.

This issue of NAEPfacts examines answers given to

those questions by students whose performance on

the assessments fell near the 25th, 50th, and 90th

percentiles of the NAEP scale.' The purpose is to

determine if there is a relationship between study

habits and academic performance.

Both assessments asked students the following three

questions on their general study habits: (1) how

much time they spent on homework; (2) how frequently they discussed their studies at home; and (3)

how many pages they read each day at school and

for homework. The questions referred to student

study habits in general, not limited to U.S. history

or geography. In answering the questions, students

could select from a number of responses.'

The responses that indicated the most conscientious

behavior were selected as identifying "good study

habits." These responses were "spent more than one

hour on homework every day," "discussed studies at

home daily/almost daily," and "read more than 20

pages each day at school and for homework." The

assumption that students giving these responses had

better study habits than students who did not was

considered reasonable, but refutable. By comparing

the percentages of students performing near the

25th, 50th, and 90th percentiles who gave these responses, it was possible to determine whether or not

students with higher scores were more likely to display good study habits than those with lower

scores.'

U.S. History

In general, the data obtained from the U.S. history

assessment (table 1) show a positive trend linking

high performance on the assessment and good study

habits. That is, students near the 90th percentile

were more likely to report good study habits than

U.S. Department of Education

Office of Educational Research and Improvement 3

NCES 97-931
Table 1.Academic performance and study habits, NAEP 1994 U.S. History Assessment

Responses of Students to General Study Habits Questions by Grade and Percentile

25th Percentile 50th Percentile 90th Percentile Trend

More than One Hour Spent on Homework Each Day

4th Grade

8th Grade.

12th Grade

18%

20%

16%

27%-

25%

12%

37%

Discussed Studies at Home Almost Every Day

4th Grade

8th:Grade

12th Grade

50%

32%

27%

53%

36%

32%

59%

38%

Read More Than 20 Pages Each Day in School and for Homework

4th Grade

,- "8th Grade

: .12th 'Grade

19%

10%

22%

13%

26%

29%

> Indicates a positive trend linking academic performance and good study habits as conventionally defined.

< Indicates a negative trend linking academic performance and good study habits as conventionally defined.

The standard errors of the estimated percentages range from 1.5 to 5.2. It can be said with 95 percent certainty that, for each population of

interest, the value for the whole population is within plus or minus two standard errors of the estimate for the sample.

Differences between groups may be partially explained by other factors not included in this table.

Shading is for clarity only.

SOURCE: National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 1994 U.S. History Assessment.

those near the 50th percentile, and those near the

50th percentile were more likely to report good

study habits than those near the 25th percentile.

This is true for every category except one, 4th graders who said they spent more than an hour a day on

homework. This category showed a negative

trendthe better these students did, the less likely

they were to say they spent more than an hour a day

on homework.

Geography

Results from the geography assessment, summarized in table 2, were similar. Data for both 8th- and

12th-grade students showed a positive trend linking

academic performance and good study habits for all

three responses. However, data from 4th graders

showed a positive trend for only one of the three

responses, "Discussed Studies at Home Almost

Every Day." Data for the other two responses

showed no trend.

Summary and Conclusion

Data from the NAEP 1994 U.S. History and Geography Assessments show that there is a positive relationship between good study habits as here defined and academic performance in U.S. history and

geography, in most cases. However, it is important

to note that many students in the 90th percentile did

not display good study habits. For example, data

from the U.S. history assessment show that even

though 8th-grade students in the 90th percentile

were more likely to read more than 20 pages a day

in school and for homework than those in the 50th

and 25th percentiles, only 13 percent of those in the

90th percentile actually reported doing so.

Overall, the better students perform academically,

the more likely they are to discuss their studies at

home every day. This finding held true for all three

grades on both assessments. Better-performing students were also more likely to read more than 20

pages a day, except for 4th graders in geography

Data from both assessments also showed that betterperforming 8th- and 12th-grade students were more

likely to spend more than an hour a day on homework. Data for 4th graders, however, gave different

results. Fourth graders who performed well on the

geography assessment were not more likely to

spend more than an hour a day on their homework

than students with lower scores. On the U.S. history

assessment better-performing students were less

4
Table 2.Academic performance and study habits, NAEP 1994 Geography Assessment

Selected Responses of Students to General Study Habits Questions by Grade and Percentile

25th Percentile 50th Percentile 90th Percentile Trend

More than One Hour Spent on Homework Each Day

4th Grade 16% 16% 14%

23W. 279/9

12th Grade 22% 24% 38%

Discussed Studies at Home Almost Every Day

4th Grade 53% 57% 61%

Grade' 33% 1:16/.; 406/0.

12th Grade 27% 30% 38%

Read More Than 20 Pages Each Day in School and for Homework

4th Grade 21% 21% 24%

8th Grade . _ 79°4'- 17%

12th Grade 9% 13% 26%

> Indicates a positive trend linking academic performance and good study habits as conventionally defined.

The standard errors of the estimated percentages range from 1.5 to 3.9. It can be said with 95 percent certainty that, for each population of

interest, the value for the whole population is within plus or minus two standard errors of the estimate for the sample.

Differences between groups may be partially explained by other factors not included in this table.

Shading is for clarity only.

SOURCE: National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 1994 Geography Assessment.

likely to spend more than an hour on their homework each day than lower-performing students.

This finding is consistent with other research regarding homework. Researchers have suggested different theories for both the causes and implications

of these findings.' It may be that 4th graders are

simply not ready for substantive homework. They

may lack the attention span, the ability to budget

their time, and the ability to establish an effective

study area at home. The real function of homework

at this age, then, would be to teach children how to

do homework. However, it may also be that most

4th graders are ready for substantive homework.

Slow learners do take longer (hence the negative

correlation), but they benefit, and will perform better in higher grades. In general, researchers stress

the importance of "quality" over "quantity" in assigning homework.5

The positive relationships between good study habits and performance on the NAEP assessments can

be interpreted in various ways as well. On the one

hand, the finding that high performing students are

significantly more likely to discuss their studies at

home almost every day supports recent research that

has linked improved student achievement with parental efforts to ensure good study habits and involve themselves with the schools.6 On the other

hand, it is also possible that the academic abilities

of high performing students enable them to read

more easily, to find doing their homework less burdensome, and to enjoy talking to their parents about

their successes in school. Increased effort may or

may not be the most effective way to improve student performance. But the data also suggest that

grade-specific and developmental factors may need

to be considered when determining the amount and

kind of homework that should be given.

Notes

1. The assessments used a 500-point scale for each of the three

grades. NAEP identified the particular scale points that defined the 25th, 50th, and 90th percentiles on both the geography and U.S. history assessments. Students described as being

at or near a percentile had a scale score that was within a 5-

percentage point range on either side of the specified scale

point. For example, translating this 10-percentage-point range

into scale-score ranges for 12th-grade students on the U.S.

history assessment gives the following results: 25th percentile,

259-270; 50th percentile, 284-292; 90th percentile, 319-335.

A procedure known as scale anchoring was used to develop

descriptions of student performance at or near these percentiles. Questions given as examples of student knowledge at a

given percentile were answered successfully by at least 65

percent of the students within the appropriate scale-point

5
range. The criterion was set at 74 percent for multiple-choice

questions to correct for the possibility of answering correctly

by guessing.

2. For example, when asked how much time they spent on

homework, students could answer "More than one hour,"

"One hour," "One half hour or less," "Assigned/Don't usually

do," or "Not usually assigned."

3. For the complete range of responses to the questions, see

NAEP 1994 U.S. History Report Card, pp. 90-92 and NAEP

1994 Geography Report Card pp. 94-96.

4. For a review of past research, see Cooper, Harris (1994),

The Battle Over Homework, Corwin Press, Thousand Oaks,

Calif.

5. Paulu, Nancy, (forthcoming), Helping Your Students with

Homework, Office of Educational Research and Improvement,

U.S. Department of Education, Washington, DC.

6. Chistenson, S.L. (1992). Family factors and student

achievement: An avenue to increase students' success. School

Psychology Quarterly, 7(3), 178-206, and

Heller, L.R., and Fantuzzo, J.W. (1993). Reciprocal peer tutoring and parent partnership: Does parent involvement make

a difference? School Psychology Review, 22(3), 517-34.

For Further Information

Helping Your Students with Homework, Nancy

Paulu. Forthcoming. Contact Nancy Paulu, Office

of Educational Research and Improvement, U.S.

Department of Education, Washington, DC 20208

5653,202-219-2110.

NAEP 1994 U.S. History Report Card: Findings

from the National Assessment of Educational ProgUnited States

Department of Education

Washington, DC 20208-5653

Official Business

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ress, NCES 96-085. Single copies are available free

from the National Center for Education Statistics,

U.S. Department of Education, Washington, DC

20208-5653. Copies may also be obtained over the

World Wide Web at

http://www.ed.gov/NCES/NAEP/.

NAEP 1994 Geography Report Card Look: Findings from the National Assessment of Educational

Progress, NCES 96-087. Single copies are available free from the National Center for Education

Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, Washington, DC 20208-5653. Copies may also be obtained over the World Wide Web at

http://www.ed.gov/NCES/NAEP/.

NAEPfacts is a publication series that briefly summarizes findings from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). The series is a product of the

National Center for Education Statistics, Pascal D. Forgione, Commissioner, and Gary W. Phillips, Associate

Commissioner for Assessment. This issue was written by

Alan Vanneman, of the Education Statistics Services Institute, in support of the National Center for Education Statistics. To order other NAEP publications, call Bob Clemons

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