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Abe (1995) in an ex-post facto design involving 624 junior secondary school class three students in Oyo State found that study habit influenced achievement in Social Studies. He also found that most of the variables used in the study that had indirect effects on students‟ achievement in social science did so by adopting a positive study habit.
A growimg number of scholars have suggested that many of the problems of learning are the artifacts of discontinuities which are brought about by the separation of learning from real life functions (Fagbemi, 2001), and in the exclusion of the students‟
language, values and mode of congnition in the school environement (Ugoduluwa 2007) as quoted by Oluwatimilehin (2012). It seems that causes of low academic achievement are diverse and cannot be associated with a single major factor. For instance, proponents of self-concept have found that self-concept and its variables may be a paramount factor in academic failure. Causes of fluctuating performances among students have also been attributed to teacher – students interaction, intrinsic and extrinsic motivation (Tukur &
Musa 2001), Classroom behaviour (Turkur & Musa 2001) and other extraneousvariables.
However, it has been observed that studies on the relationship between study habit and students‟ academic achievement in Nigeria cannot be said to be exhaustive (Ugodulunwa, 2007) as quoted by Oluwatimilehin and Owoyele (2012).
In summary, findings by almost all the researchers, showed positive relationship between study habit and academic performance of students. However, even though a majority of the researches in education indicate a relationship between students‟ study habit and academic performance, there is need to investigate the effects of study habit on student‟s immediate and delayed recall in Geography.
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interactionis not as mechanical as some may think. Rather, they are planned and organised behavious which the teachers or instructor tries to exhibit as he or she passes on the subject matter content to the learner (Okwilagwe, 2011). The learners on their part, however, should no longer be seen as passive recipeints but as active participants in their learning experiences. For teaching to be effective, cognitive psychologists are of the view that it should be interactive, a dialectic or dialogic process between the teacher and the learner. This implies that teachers ensure the use of interactive methods and exhibit communicative behaviour between themselves and their students in the classroom. In a situation where teacherare deficient of teaching techniques and can not ensure the use of interactive methods however, there are bound to be problems.
In recent times, there has been reports of large scale educational failure which has become an issue of major concern among stakeholders in the Nigerian education sector.
Yoloye (1999) submitted that theories of educational disadvantages and social cultural pathology have been most prominent in the explantion of this failure. He went further to say that successful achievement in any form of activitity is based upon study, interpretation and application and that studying should have a purpose. It therefore depends on the individual to decide whether he or she wants to study to gain new ideas or to understand the relationship between two different ideas What one gains as a result of studying depends on the degree to which one succeeds in achieving his/her aim or purpose.
Okwilagwe (2002) in discussing the role of the teacher in actualizing the objective of Geography said scholars have, from the knowledge gained through research findings, endorsed the following methods and strategies in teaching Geography in order to reduce the failure rate among students. These strategies are; guided discovery, inquiry method, programmed instruction, mastery learning, simulation and advance organisers among
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other. These methods are by no means exhaustive, but have one thing in common: they emphasize individuality in problem solving. Modern day Geography, by virtue of having gone through scientific re-organization, emphasises the development of problem solving and discovery attitude and skills in students. Problem solving and discovery approaches are scientific, and are systematic approaches to solving problem of varied nature.
Study habit act as another variable connected with Geography students‟
performance. Study habit reflects student usual act of studying and also serve to direct the learner‟s cognitive processes during learning. Study habits includes documentation of activities: time management, setting appropriate goals, choosing appropriate study environment, using appropriate note-taking strategies, choosing main ideas and organisation (Proctor, Prevatt, Adams, Reaser, & Petscher, 2006). A lot of researches are ongoing to find suitable learning environment for students to study. In the same vein, Sharp and Benfield (2005) review the experience and study habits of learners in schools, in order to identify areas worthy of future investigation. They found some connections among study habits and performances and suggested deeper investigation for the purpose of highlighting the experiences,study habits and strategies of effective learners.
The various strategies and methods advanced for teaching and learning of geographic information in this research have implication for the advancement of Geography knowledge and skills, and for positive attitude development towards Geography for secondary school leavers in Nigeria. Therefore, whichever method or strategy a teacher adopts in teaching geographical concepts;s ideas or topics depend to a large extent on the teachers views of his or her role as a facilitator or custodian of knowledge.