Re-Post: Why Is Studying So Hard?: How the Ways We Study Can Be Ineffective

As we get ready to begin another semester, we’re re-posting previous articles from the CPS website that focus on studying and learning techniques. This article, originally published in March 2019, describes effective studying techniques. We hope these posts can help students prepare for a successful academic year!

By Madison Glende

At one point or another, most of us have struggled in school—whether it was with an entire subject, a concept, or a specific class that we took. Regardless of what it was, we’ve all been there. Maybe you’re even there now. For the most part, we struggle with school because many of us don’t study correctly. Highlighting when you’re reading and rereading course materials are some of the most ineffective study strategies, yet they continue to be the most widely used. So, why do students and other academics continue to study this way?

There are two main reasons for this: students are not aware of just how ineffective their current study techniques are, and they don’t know what techniques are effective or how to even use those techniques. The most ineffective study strategies tend to require the least amount of effort, and they can produce mixed results. Often, we use these study techniques because they are “good enough,” in that they help us remember information for short periods of time, but they’re easily forgotten in the long term. Being dedicated to learning and putting in the effort can be extremely daunting, but it is important that you actually work with the information you are trying to learn.

In order to address the fact that many people don’t know what study techniques are effective, psychologists around the U.S. are creating programs that teach people how to learn. According to the program LEARN, developed by Dr. Karla A. Lassonde of Minnesota State University, Mankato, there are five key concepts and practices that are effective for learning:

1. Listen (L)

To learn effectively, it is important that you give your full attention to the information you are studying. Contrary to popular belief, no one is a “good” multitasker. In reality, whenever you divide your attention between numerous things, the tasks that you’re performing will suffer. For example, if you are sitting at your desk with your biology textbook open, struggling to understand neuronal communication, attempting to listen to music or text at the same time will decrease your ability to learn the material and commit it to your memory. Because of this, it is important for you to eliminate as many distractions from your environment as possible. You can do this by finding a study space away from others, turning off and putting away technology, and avoiding listening to music (especially songs with lyrics).

2. Elaborate (E)

Elaboration refers to our ability to go beyond simply memorizing a textbook definition. It entails that we try to truly understand the concepts we’re learning, inside and out. One simple way to do this is to look up various explanations and illustrations of a given concept. Additionally, you could try to explain a concept or topic to a friend that may have limited knowledge on the subject. This technique allows you to work with the information by putting it into your own words, which strengthens your memory of the concept in the process.

3. Associate (A)

Association refers to our ability to link a new concept to information that we have previously learned. For example, if you are learning about the biology of the human brain in college, you may find it easier to remember the material by connecting it to concepts that you’ve already learned about in high school chemistry. By connecting new information to previous knowledge, it is easier for us to remember and maintain a thorough understanding of this new information.

4. Retrieve (R)

Retrieval refers to our ability to actively recall information that we have already learned. Although retrieval is a practice many students dread or avoid altogether because of its ties to tests and exams, it can be an extremely helpful study tool. The more often you recall and work with information, the easier it will be to remember later on. To practice retrieval, take the time to answer progress check questions in your textbooks (yes, the ones we all tend to skip over). Try to avoid looking back in the text or your notes while attempting to answer, though. If you have trouble recalling something, that’s okay. Now you know what to spend more time studying!

5. Night (N)

Lastly, sleep is important for memory consolidation, the process of solidifying information in our long-term memory. Sleep provides our brains with vital down-time in which it is able to physically change the structure of our brains in response to learning. When we have poor sleeping habits or get little sleep, though, this process is stunted. One way to combat this issue, especially among adolescent and young adult students, is to avoid pulling all-nighters before an exam. Skipping sleep will not only make your brain groggy, but it will be difficult to recall the information during your exam, regardless of how much time you spent on it that night.

Although these study tips may seem simple at a glance, they require you, as a student, to put in the work to modify your study habits and learning in the long-run. Ideally, this knowledge would motivate us to completely rework the U.S. education system to ensure that we teach people these skills from a young age. Realistically, though, teaching college students how to change their ineffective learning strategies is a step in the right direction. These tips are not meant to cause overnight success in school. Rather, they are meant to show students that they can control their ability to learn more than they think, and to foster a love and curiosity for learning, Pressure to perform can make school suck sometimes, but maybe learning doesn’t have to.

References

Stressed out student [Image 1] (n.d.). Retrieved March 18, 2019.

Psychology of language learning [Image 2] (2018, March 27). Retrieved March 18, 2019.