Some observations on study time of a sample of Open/Distance learners in Sri Lanka

Study time is conceptualized as a measure of total time taken by a student/s for studying a given unit of content material within a study program. This measure covers time spent for all the different activities such as reading, listening, discussions, writing, answering questions, doing practical work, field work revisions and so on. Researchers have examined study time from different angles (Lockwood 1997; Rekkedal 1995; Chambers 1994; White et al 1982). However, methods and criteria for estimating study time needs careful study because the student's time for personal studying varies from person to person depending on personal factors as we as on factors related to the content material.

The present study reports the findings of a preliminary study of the time spent on studying simple text, by students of the Open University at two different levels of study.

The results indicate individual differences in the time spent on reading to make sense of the content. A low but positive correlation is evident between the age of students and their study time. The characteristic features of the two groups of students and the study material used for the two groups are also observed. This preliminary study calls for further research into methods of determining study time of students learning from self instructional material, if study time is to be used as an index of work load or credit rating.

doi: 10.4038/ouslj.v3i0.383

OUSL Journal (2001) Vol.3, (pp111-128)