A study conducted by the Department of Education and Community Service at the Punjabi University, Patiala, has found that secondary school students in Punjab possess above-average study skills and metacognitive abilities, the skills that allow one to monitor and control one’s own thinking processes. The study also found that their tendency towards academic procrastination, unnecessarily delaying or postponing a task or decision, remains below average.
The research was carried out by professor Sukhraj Singh, under the supervision of Jagpreet Kaur, and based on data collected from 860 students studying in secondary schools across 6 districts – Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur, Patiala, Bathinda, Muktsar and Tarn Taran.
Jagpreet Kaur said the study examined students’ study skills, metacognition and academic procrastination. The results showed that students scored above average in both study skills and metacognition, while procrastination was found to be below average.
The study also revealed significant gender-based differences in study skills and procrastination. However, no gender differences were found in metacognitive abilities. While urban and rural students differed only in terms of academic procrastination, the type of school, government or private, had no significant impact on any of the major variables studied by them.
The research further highlighted the influence of parental education on students’ study skills. According to the findings, metacognition emerged as the most significant factor in improving study skills and reducing academic procrastination.
Based on the results, the research scholars recommended that book banks and digital libraries be made mandatory in schools to encourage students to engage more with books, magazines and newspapers. Such measures, he said, would help strengthen reading, writing, comprehension and memory skills among students.
Further, the study recommended organising group discussions, quiz competitions and essay-writing contests in schools to enhance cognitive abilities. In addition, seminars and workshops for teachers, parents and students were suggested to create awareness about the importance of effective study skills.
Referring to the National Education Policy-2020, Sukhraj said the required study skills should be introduced at an early stage and nurtured throughout the student’s educational journey.
