Abstract:

The acquisition of correct study habits by students is crucial to progress successfully in University studies. In particular, the first year in the academic studies is critical for the learning process, and it is during the 1st academic year when students acquire these study habits.
In this communication we analyse the evolution of the study habits of students of the BSc in Chemistry at the University of Barcelona from the 1st to the 3rd semester. The information of the students’ study habits has been extracted from two pools carried out at the students of Fundamental Chemistry (FC1) course at the end of the 1st semester during the academic year 2013-2014, and at the same group of students at the end of the 3rd semester during the academic year 2014-2015. The selected 3rd semester courses for this study have been Inorganic Chemistry 1, Physical Chemistry 1, and Analytical Chemistry 1 due to their strong relation with FC1.

The study habits parameters that have been considered and analysed are the attendance to class, the participation in classroom discussions, the number of hours devoted to the study along the semester, and the use of text books, among others. Moreover, it has been analysed if the competences acquired in FC1 course during the 1st semester are useful for the students in order to acquire the aptitudes demanding in 3rd semester courses. Finally, the evolution of the motivation through the 3rd semester has been analysed.