What are the aims of academic study and how can they be achieved?
Academic study is commonly considered to play the most important part in one's education. Different views such as the aims to undertake an academic study and factors that affect the performance lead to the origin of such importance of academic study. Students' performance in academic study to ensure having a career or to enjoy learning can be improved and achieved by several factors in a school, college or university. Academic study trains students to achieve skills making them fully prepared for work in that particular field. For example, M.Sc International Securities, Investment and Banking in University of Reading equips students with the skills and knowledge needed to succeed in the challenging field of investment banking and have been designed with the support of industry practitioners (University of Reading). Academic study may include writing, reading or researching about several aspects of a subject according to academic conventions. It is a mechanical exercise providing a clear expression of ideas, knowledge and information. It helps find a way to explore, address, and express academic issues and in communicating results or information. This essay will deal about the aims of academic study, different ways to achieve them, and the possible influences on academic performance.
The aims of academic study can be related to various aspects. The most important and widely accepted aim of study is to ensure having a career or a future job. Many may also find it interesting to discover more about theories and little known facts, or to discuss philosophy. Some may simply involve in academic study because they enjoy the art of learning and wish to develop their personal growth. It also enables members of a community to exchange ideas which promotes the mind to develop further, contributing to the social and economic advancement of society and therefore improves the cooperation between different members of world society. The choices and aims are endless, and so are the ways to achieve these aims.
Academic study helps students achieve and understand a wide area of academically important subjects, specialized information, and grasp extra knowledge that expands one's experience in that particular subject.
As a student, it is very important to develop various characteristics that help achieve success in academic aims while studying at university. These characteristics include knowing one's strength's and weaknesses in a particular subject or aspect of study and even thinking about how to develop one's abilities further. Using a logical, reasoned approach to study and thinking about how to deal with a particular task is highly important. Moreover, the ability to communicate results successfully after learning how to study a subject in depth can also arise from one's interest in finding things out.
The factors that affect and improve academic performance are countless. The most important of them all is the availability of resources (e.g. computers, laboratories, textbooks) and student motivation. If a student has to pursue academic study without the help of necessary resources, then he/she might just as well fail to achieve success in that subject. Motivation plays a much more important role. Students can be motivated in extrinsic and intrinsic ways. In the former, students perform well in a task for external reasons, such as good grades, prizes, etc. And in the latter, students accomplish in a work because they realize that their educational achievements are theirs only and work for their aim without any thoughts to be recognized of their effort.
Researchers still argue about the effect of class sizes (ratio of students to teachers) in the performance of students over a period of their educational life. Recent study has shown that the smaller the class size, the better students performed in academic study. Fewer students in a classroom meant effective communication between the teacher and the students, less noise in class, greater individual attention, it also encourages more discussion in class and helps motivate students, thereby increasing academic performance.
It is also fascinating to know that physical education in all forms helps improve academic performance of students in schools, universities or colleges."CDC epidemiologist Susan Carlson says researchers believe physical education is linked to academic achievement for both physiological and behavioral reasons. In addition to physical changes, such as increased blood flow to the brain, Carlson says such exercise programs can foster positive classroom behaviors. This may enable better classroom participation and concentration skills and decrease disruptive behavior, which "would result in improved learning." (USA TODAY,Heather Terwilliger, 2008)".
Academic performance can also be affected by the time spent in school, the existence of various forms of diversity, and the socio-economic status of the student's family. The existence of more time to bond between the teachers and students in a school, college or university improves the effect of a healthy learning environment. The absence of ethnic and linguistic diversity plays one of the key roles in favoring this improvement. The parents of most students who excelled in a particular field of study were mostly less likely to be divorced, making them active participants in involving in their children's education.
To sum up, academic study should be encouraged with the power of self-reflection. It is vital to realize the importance of knowing the subject in depth for a successful academic career. Academic study not only helps an individual achieve his aims in life, but also ensures that he receives the best of education helping him to improve his living conditions and enriching him with the divinity of knowledge.