Investigating the Effect of Using Mobile Educational Application of Study Habits on Improving Students' Awareness Concerning Proper Study Habits
Author(s): Abdolreza Gilavand
Abstract
Introduction: Students' enjoyment from proper study habits plays an important role in their educational performance and academic achievement. For this purpose, a mobile educational application was designed by the researcher entitled "Appropriate Methods of Study and Learning for Students"; this research has been conducted to investigate the impact of using the application in enhancing students' awareness of proper study habits.
Materials and Methods: This quasi-experimental study was conducted during the academic year 2017-2018 among students of Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences in southwest of Iran. To measure and compare students' study habits (before and after using the application), the Palsani and Sharma’s 45-question standard questionnaire of study habits was used (with maximum mean score of 90). The method was simple random sampling. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the data and the SPSS software version 22 was used.
Results: Finally, 30 BSc (Nursing, Radiology, Physiotherapy, Occupational Health and Environmental Health) and professional doctorate students (Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmacy) participated in this study. The results showed that the application was effective in improving the students' awareness of the correct habits of study, so that after using, their habits were promoted from relatively favorable or moderate (52.5 ± 13.70) to favorable (76.87 ± 4.58) (P=0.012). According to the results, radiology students have had the highest impact and dental students the least impact on their study habits.
Discussion and Conclusion: This app can be considered as an effective tool that in the shortest time created the most effective learning and academic achievement among students; it can be benefited as a new educational opportunity, to educate the correct study skills.
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