Study Skills A Learned Behavior

According to NCES.edu.gov, study habit amount grade levels are increasing.

About 12% of 4th graders spend at least one hour a day studying, while that number increased to 37% for 12th graders. However that still leaves 63% of 12th graders not studying consistently. In Oregon alone, the drop out rate is 4.

1%, which are roughly 7,400 students who dropped out during the 2006/2007 school year according to the Oregon Department of Education. Oregon rates are down from previous years however the National Education Association (NEA.Org) reports the national drop out rate is still high at 68% in 2006.

Students drop out of school for many reasons. All too often it is because they lack certain tools needed to succeed. Learning to study is something that should be taught to students in elementary school.

If the techniques were taught at a young age, more students would be prepared for the demands of high school and college. Some high school teachers go over study habits briefly, however their curriculum load is often heavy, making time for study skills comprehension less and less. Colleges usually offer a class to freshman which covers a number of things but specifically study skills. However this class becomes obsolete when the drop out rate is as high as it is. Many students are not attending a traditional four year college. Of those who are attending, less than one half of one percent have grades good enough to make the National Dean's Honor Roll List, according to their website.

School anxiety can happen at all levels. Many students have been known to fake being sick just to stay home and avoid a test in Math. High school and college students are frequently seen pulling all niters to cram for a test or finish a project they waited till the last minute to start. All too often students cross the line from faking sick to actually being sick. Stress and anxiety can cause many health problems such as ulcers, depression, high blood pressure, sleep deprivation and chronic headaches just to name a few. Just the thought of studying can bring about instant panic, which is a reaction to a trigger.

Triggers can be just about anything, from the word "test" to opening a book. A trigger can cause a reaction which is generally the panic and anxiety, this is because they have learned to associate the word "test" with something bad and they are having a reaction. Students can learn this behavior from teachers, parents or other students. When a test comes they learn to be stressed or worried. They key to successful learning and studying can be achieved through many routes, one new route shows promise for those coping with study anxiety.

Hypnosis allows students to identify what their triggers are in a non threatening way. They are able to change their reaction and behavior when their trigger happens. Hypnosis works with each student individually and in a safe environment. There are of course other treatments out there such as medications or therapy. However medications work with the body's chemical reaction, not their trigger or emotions. Therapy asks children who are already tense, to confront their emotions on a conscious level which can only cause more anxiety.

Hypnosis does not use medication and works with the subconscious mind, allowing for less anxiety and heightened emotions. With the amount of children not getting all they could from education, it is no surprise why the drop out rates are high. There are many different programs, whether they are through a therapist, hypnotist or simply a new teaching technique.

As a parent you need to research and decide what is best for your student. But consider this, no one wants to cause more stress to an already tense child, there is not reason why the student can not learn new study skills in a safe and relaxed environment.

Patrick Glancy, BCH
Improve Study Skills with Hypnosis in Salem, Oregon