Students’ practices of academic study skills at University of Rwanda, National Police College

Abstract

The present study interrogates students’ study skills in higher education in Rwanda. It aims at exploring University of Rwanda (UR) undergraduates’ practices of academic study skills at National Police College (NPC). Explicitly, the study seeks to: 1) find out the extent to which students self-report their conversancy with study skills; 2) identify variations among undergraduate students’ study skills based on their demographics; 3) determine dimensions within the study skills questionnaire; 4) demonstrate how students rate themselves in different subscales of study skills; and 5) examine factors shaping students’ study skills. The study adopted the pragmatic paradigm with mixed- method approach and follows an explanatory sequential design based on a survey questionnaire administered to 398 students and focus group interviews among 60 students of Professional Police Studies (PPS), Law and Computer Science with the option of Information Security (CSIS). The study was grounded in the Social Cognitive Theory and Learning Approaches. Students were purposively chosen as respondents in this study. Then, a census for small populations was used to choose respondents for quantitative data collection while homogenous sampling technique was applied to choose respondents for focus group interviews. Quantitative data were analyzed by means of SPSS 25 and AMOS 25. The analysis involved descriptive statistics, inferential techniques such as the independent samples t-test and the one-way ANOVA, Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) techniques. Qualitative data were thematically analyzed. Five major findings emerge from this study. Firstly, results show that students are moderately conversant with the investigated study skills; they are somehow good in time management but have difficulties in test preparation skills (paper 1). Next, students’ study skills vary in relation to their demographics except gender which was found to influence test preparation and test-taking skills only (paper 2). Thirdly, the study skills scales are multidimensional with three factors for time management, note taking and writing skills and two factors for reading, test preparation and test taking skills. Fourthly, students are somehow good in time use and time punctuality, notes taking readiness, form- reading strategies, writing proficiency, information gathering abilities; and technical abilities in preparing and taking tests. However, they experience difficulties in time-planning, notes wording and polishing, content-reading strategies, referencing skills, psychological abilities in preparing tests and standardized attitudes before submitting scripts (paper 3). Fifth, three categories of factors v (institutional, student and teacher related factors) interplay to shape students’ study skills (manuscript 4). Thus, students should be supported to improve their study skills by taking into consideration their demographics, and identified hindering factors for quality learning. The study recommends, among others, the elaboration of a study skills handbook to be use as a common guide to all UR students, the provision of guidance and counselling services on the use of good study skills at NPC and a mass study skills improvement campaign in all colleges of UR to raise awareness of study skills relevance and development at higher education level.