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Study Skills - A Learned Behavior

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Written by Sara Mendez

Thursday, 20 March 2008

by SaraMendez

Oregon drop out rates in 2006/2007 may be on the decline according to the Oregon Department of Education. The drop out rate was 4.1% down from 4.3% the previous year. However this is still about 7,400 students who drop out of Oregon schools each year. The national drop out average is still high. According to the National Education Association (NEA.Org), in 2006 the national drop out rate was 68%. What is even more shocking is the amount of students who study at home. According to NCES.Org, 12% of 4th graders spend one hour at home studying while the number increased to 37% of 12th graders. The numbers may increase as grade levels increase, however that means 63% of 12th graders are not studying at home.

Many things can cause students to drop out of school however one of the more common reasons is lack of study skills. It is a domino effect, poor study skills lead to low test scores which leads to stress for students which leads to dropping out. Learning to study properly 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.

Studying can create high amounts of anxiety on students of all ages. Students have been known to fake being sick just to stay home and avoid a test in Math or English. High school students are frequently seen pulling all niters to cram for a test or finish a project they waited till the last minute to start. There can come a point where students make themselves so worried that they cross the line from pretending to be sick to actually being sick. Students can develop ulcers, chronic headaches, depression, mental breakdowns, sleep depravation, high blood pressure and other stress related illnesses.

These feelings can be triggered from something simple such as the word "test" or being told to open a book. Just these simple phrases can cause immediate panic. This panic is a reaction to a trigger. Students have learned to associate bad feelings with the word "test" or whatever their trigger is. They learn this from teachers, parents or other students. However the trigger is not always obvious, often the student needs help to figure out what the trigger is.

Trying to locate the trigger can be a long road. However one new road shows a lot of promise to those suffering from study anxiety. Hypnosis allows students to identify what their triggers are in a non threatening way. They examine their subconscious mind and locate their trigger themselves. They are able to change the trigger and their reaction to it through hypnosis. Hypnosis works with each student's individual subconscious mind and it is done 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 which offer increased study skills and improved test scores. 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 student, there is not reason why the student can not learn new study skills in a safe environment.

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Hypnosis in Salem Oregon with Glancy Hypnosis

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