Are Demographic Profile and Study Habits Precursors of Academic Performance Among English Majors?

Abstract

Developing effective study habits is crucial for academic success and establishing good study habits early on can lead to long-term benefits. This study, grounded in Walberg’s Theory of Educational Productivity, explored the intricate interactions among student aptitude, instruction, and the environment in shaping academic outcomes. Employing a descriptive-correlational design, the study examined the impact of environmental factors, study habits, and demographic profiles on the academic performance of 31 BSED English majors. Data were collected using a researcher-developed questionnaire, validated by experts, to assess students' demographic profiles—specifically, the gadgets available at home for study, parents’ educational attainment, reading materials at home, and hours spent reading per subject. The study also investigated students’ study habits and their academic performance across individual subjects, as well as the relationships between demographic profiles, study habits, and academic outcomes. The findings revealed a negative correlation between the number of gadgets at home and study habits, but a positive yet weak correlation between gadgets and academic performance. Overall, the study found no significant relationship between students' demographic profiles to study habits and academic performance as well as the relationship between study habits and academic performance across individual courses. Specifically, parents’ educational attainment, the availability of reading materials, and the time spent studying did not significantly influence academic performance. While these results are not conclusive, they suggest that other factors, such as student aptitude and instructional quality, may play a more critical role in academic success.