TIME MANAGEMENT AND ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE AMONG UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS IN HIGHER INSTITUTIONS
ABSTRACT
This study was carried out to examine the impact of time management on academic performance among undergraduates’ students in Nigerian institutions. The sample size used for the study consisted of three hundred and ninety seven undergraduate students of university of Benin. The descriptive statistics were reported while the various hypotheses were simultaneously tested using regression analysis. From the result, it was found, that the study revealed that prioritization is the only dimension of time management that has a significant relationship with academic performance.
The study recommended that, Students especially those in the higher institutions should use the findings of this work to improve on their time management. They have to be conscious of time in performing their academic activities so that the level of their academic performance can be high.
The study further recommended that since prioritization among all the variables has much impact on academic performance according to the findings, students should strive hard to complete their assignments as well as other academic activities on time so as to avoid not meeting deadlines.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the study - - - - - -
1.2 Statement of the problem - - - - - -
1.3 Research questions - - - - - -
1.4 Objectives of the study - - - - - -
1.5 Research hypothesis - - - - - -
1.6 Significance of the study - - - - - -
1.7 Scope of the study - - - - - -
1.8 Limitations to the study - - - - - -
CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 Introduction - - - - - - -
2.2 Concept of academic performance - - - - -
2.3 Concept of time management - - - - -
2.3.1 Perception of time - - - - -
2.3.2 Dimension of time management - - - -
2.3.3 Time measurement - - - - - -
2.4 Theoretical framework - - - - - -
CHAPTER THREE: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
3.1 Introduction - - - - - - -
3.2 Research design - - - - - - -
3.3The population and sampling method - - - -
3.4 Measurement of variables - - - - - -
3.5 Instrument for data collection - - - - -
3.6 Sources of data - - - - - - -
3.7 Methods of data analysis - - - - - -
CHAPTER FOUR: DATA PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS OF DATA
4.1 Introduction - - - - - - -
4.2 Descriptive statistics - - - - - -
4.3Hypotheses testing - - - - - - -
4.4 Discussion of findings - - - - - -
CHAPTER FIVE: SUMMARY OF FINDINGS, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
5.1 Introduction - - - - - - -
5.2 Summary of findings - - - - - -
5.3 Contributions to knowledge - - - - -
5.4 Conclusions - - - - - - -
5.5 Recommendations - - - - - -
5.5.1 Policy recommendations - - - - -
5.5.2 Further studies - - - - - - -
BIBLIOGRAPHY - - - - - - -
APPENDIX I - - - - - - - -
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the study
Time is an essential input every person possesses evenly but fails to utilize at the same level due to a several reasons (Örücü, 2007). All the material and human resources possessed by organizations can be improved in the way of time or be transformed as time goes on; yet the only asset that cannot be changed or purchased or stored is “time” itself. The secret to achieving success in life is effectively managing this resource that everyone possesses equally and paying sufficient emphasis to planning.
There is no doubt that today’s students are the future leaders for nation building. However, the journey of transforming a nation’s dreams into reality is not easy. Students in every discipline in universities should overcome various obstacles in order to achieve better academic performance measured by the GPA system. The Grade Point Average (GPA) system, as an indicator of the students’ academic performance, is used in many continents around the world (Svanum&Zody, 2001).
Given their non-residence in universities, academic forces, family and financial obligations, the need for proper planning and time management to avoid anxiety becomes essential (Patton, 2012).
Time management, an utmost issue among university students, influences how they analysis and apply the time available to them and how they carry out their academic duties (Bonhomme, 2007). (Sansgiry. 2006) defined time management for students as “clusters of behavioral dexterity that are keyl in the organization of study and course load. “This is a process that is dynamic and must be kept under observation by each individual.
Although time management have been empirically linked with academic performance (Yilmaz, Yoncalik, &Bektaş, 2010), there is a dearth of empirical literature on the impact of time management practices on character development and the link between such characters and academic performance.
Academic performance generally refers to how well a student is accomplishing his or her activities and studies, but there are some factors that determine the extent and quality of students’ academic performance included grades, attendance, standardized test, extracurricular activities, Behavior, Individual differences in academic performance have been linked to difference in intelligence and personality. (Sophie Von Stumm, B Hell, Benedict, Tomas Chamorro, Premuzic, 2011).
The academic performance of a student in any semester is measured with the grade point average (G.P.A). Cumulative Grade Point Average is the measure of the students overall academic performance at any given point in his programme. (GPA is an up-to-date weighted mean of the grade points, where the weights are the course credit units (NnamdiAzikiwe University Academic Programme, 2010).There can be no doubt that the effective perception and management of time would enhance the performance of undergraduate students. These issues are addressed in this study.
In the literature, time has often been perceived as a resource which ought to be utilized and managed effectively. Time is important to effective and successful academic excellence if managed properly, but the way undergraduate students utilizes it matters a lot. Time is life, time is money yet could be stored or saved in order to secure interest on it, thus, it is important for undergraduate students to place emphasis on time management and how well they are able to handle their responsibilities in terms of studying.
Clearly our desire is to investigate how undergraduate students manage their time properly which is influenced by some vital and interrelated factors. First there is a general assumption that undergraduate students are not time conscious, that is, he or she is not effectively schooled in perceiving and managing time effectively. In the process of studying some students have formed the habit of not utilizing and managing time which is reflected in their academic performance. This study will find out how far this practice is common among undergraduate students
Secondly there is a concept of “African time” which is a phrase usually used to describe the attitudes of African in general to time. This attitude is characterized by delay which is often deliberate.
Accordingly, it will be useful to find out within the Nigeria context, how undergraduate students define time and explain meaning of time .Indeed the ways in which the individual student perceive and manage time is often the product of his or her attitude towards time.
1.2 Statement of the research problem
In recent years, time management has become a very vital and strong means used by undergraduate students in attaining high academic performance. Due to this development, many researchers have taken time to carry out numerous studies on the issue of time management thereby leading to the availability of various articles on the subject matter. It has been observed that greater number of related empirical studies focus on the general effect of time management on academic performance behavior with little or none of these available empirical studies taking into consideration the specific characteristics of undergraduate students (like ways which the undergraduate students manage their time, level of awareness, mode or level at which they go about time management) as an independent variable. Observations and interviews have shown that effective time management among undergraduate students tends to lead to high successful academic performance. In order to investigate the extent to which time management affects academic performance, the researcher is conducting a study about the problem to know if there is relationship between time management and academic performance.
1.3 Research questions
1. Is there any significant relationship between time management and academic performance of students in higher institutions?
2. Is there any significant relationship between prioritization and students’ academic performance in higher institutions?
3. Is there any significant relationship between procrastination and students’ academic performance in higher institutions?
4. Is there any significant relationship between time spent on social activities and student’s academic performance in higher institutions?
1.4 Objectives of the study
The broad objective is to determine if there is any significant relationship between time management and academic performance of students in higher institutions? The specific objectives are as follows;.
1. There is no significant relationship between prioritization and students’ academic performance in higher institutions.
2. There is no significant relationship between procrastination and students’ academic performance in higher institutions.
3. There is no significant relationship between time spent on social activities and students’ academic performance in higher institutions?
1.5 Research hypothesis
A hypothesis is a tentative answer to a research question. It is often stated in the form of a relationship between a dependent and an independent variable. It is “a tentative, conjectural statement of the relationship between two or more variables” (Kerlinger, 1976). A hypothesis may be stated in a null form (Ho) or in an alternative form (Ha). Thus, the following hypotheses are to be tested to achieve the objectives of this study;
HYPOTHESIS 1
Ho: There is no significant relationship between prioritization and students’ academic performance in higher institutions.
HYPOTHESIS 2
Ho: There is no significant relationship between procrastination and students’ academic performance in higher institutions.
HYPOTHESIS 3
Ho: There is no significant relationship between time spent on social activities and students’ academic performance in higher institutions.
1.6 Significance of the study
Given the set objective of this study and the hypothesis to be tested, this study is of great value to undergraduates in the following ways:
1. This study will create awareness in undergraduate students on how they perceive and manage time.
2. This study will increase our understanding of the extent to which time management is essential to the different areas of academic performance.
3. This study will show empirically the extent to which undergraduates place important on time.
4. This study will also be important to lecturers, especially those involved in student training programme in the university.
1.7 Scope of the study
This study is delimited as it looks at the effects time management among undergraduate students on their academic performance. A case study of university of Benin, Benin City, Edo state, Nigeria.
1.8 limitations to the study
The limitations to this study are as follows:
Bias on the part of respondents in providing the required information served as a limitation to this study, smallness of the sample size also served as a limitation to this study, another limitation was that of reluctance on the part of respondents to respond promptly, the scope of the study being that the study is limited to just a university in the entire universities served as a limitation to the study. Finally, inability to use probability sampling technique for the study served as a limitation to the study.
