Female College Students Study More, Make Higher Grades and Graduate in Less Time, According To Student Monitor Study

Download image

    WASHINGTON, Aug. 23 /PRNewswire/ -- America's female college students
 study more, are more likely to read their textbooks thoroughly and to earn
 "A"s in their courses, and expect to graduate in less time than their male
 counterparts.  Male students study one-third less than women, party more
 often, are more likely to earn a "C" or less in their courses, and expect to
 take longer to graduate, according to a nationwide study of 1,800 college
 students released today by Student Monitor.  The study has a margin of error
 of +/- 2.3%.
     (Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050823/NYTU139 )
     The study of four-year and two-year students was commissioned by the
 Association of American Publishers to help publishers and educators understand
 students' study habits, and better determine what impact they have on academic
 achievement.
     "We've generally taken for granted that hitting the books translates to
 better grades and a more successful college experience. This research confirms
 that hard work matters, and quantifies the difference between those students
 with a set of solid study habits and those without," said Eric Weil, managing
 partner, of Student Monitor.
     "The survey revealed significant differences in the study habits between
 men and women.  For example, women are 35 percent more likely to study daily,
 21 percent more likely to study 15 or more hours weekly and 23 percent more
 likely to read their textbook thoroughly.  These differences in study skills
 and habits translate to higher grades and a higher course completion rate,"
 Weil added.
     "Currently, only one-half of all public four-year college and university
 students are graduating in four years or less, increasing their debt and
 putting a strain on campus resources.  As a result, colleges and universities
 are under increasing pressure to improve student engagement and to help
 students graduate more quickly.  Publishers, in turn, are being called upon to
 produce more sophisticated tools for teaching and learning.  We wanted to find
 out what more publishers could do to make their products better meet the needs
 of students," said Bruce Hildebrand, executive director for higher education
 at the Association of American Publishers.
 
     Key findings of the study were:
 
     Men vs. Women
     * Men are more likely to skim through a textbook while women are more
       likely to read their textbook thoroughly.
     * Nearly half of all women study daily compared to a third of men.
     * More than one in four men (26%) find themselves studying late at night
       compared to less one in five women (19%).
     * In comparing men to women, the study found men party 20% more often than
       women.
 
     Study Habits Make a Difference
     * Students who study daily are 40% more likely to earn an "A" than
       students who do not study daily.  Only 41% of students study every day,
       and 18% study only once or twice a week.
     * Students who study 15 or more hours weekly are 43% more likely to earn
       an "A" than students who study for less than 15 hours weekly.
     * Students who read their textbook thoroughly rather than skimming, study
       daily and study for 15 or more hours each week are far more likely to
       earn an "A."
 
     Two-year, Four-year Student Comparisons
     * Two-year community college students -- who are more likely to work full
       time -- are 36 percent more likely to use supplemental materials and 23
       percent more likely to say they study efficiently.
 
     The study confirmed that the more a student studies, the better his or her
 grades.  The 42 percent of men and 41 percent of women who studied 15 or more
 hours a week earned an "A."  On average, students study for 14 hours weekly
 with 24 percent studying five or fewer hours each week and only 17 percent
 studying more than 20 hours a week.
     Time on task, study efficiency, and the use of supplemental materials are
 other important factors, particularly for community college students.
 Students who attend two-year schools - who are more likely to work full time
 -- were found to be 36 percent more likely to use supplemental materials and
 23 percent more likely to study efficiently.
     An often overlooked but important factor is the time of day a student
 studies.  Approximately one-half of all students study between the hours of 6
 p.m. to midnight.  Those in this group, whether men or women, are at least
 twice as likely to earn an "A" as those students who studied primarily after
 midnight.  Among those who got a "C" or less, 28 percent of men and 20 percent
 of women studied after midnight.
 
     About Student Monitor
     Since 1987, Student Monitor has continuously published the only nationally
 syndicated, longitudinal market research study of the U.S. college student
 market.  The company's clients include The New York Times, the Pentagon, and
 more than 100 of the Fortune 500(R) corporations.
 
     About the Association of American Publishers
     The Association of American Publishers is the national trade association
 of the U.S. book publishing industry.  AAP's approximately three hundred
 members include most of the major commercial book publishers in the United
 States, as well as smaller and nonprofit publishers, university presses, and
 scholarly societies.  For information on the Association of American
 Publishers and research and data on college textbooks and e-learning
 technology, please visit http://www.publishers.org/highered/index.cfm.
 
 

SOURCE  Association of American Publishers