The Decline in Student Study Time

Philip Babcok & Mindy:

In 1961, the average full-time student at a four-year college in the United States studied about twenty-four hours per week, while his modern counterpart puts in only fourteen hours per week. Students now study less than half as much as universities claim to require. This dramatic decline in study time occurred for students from all demographic subgroups, for students who worked and those who did not, within every major, and at four-year colleges of every type, degree structure, and level of selectivity. Most of the decline predates the innovations in technology that are most relevant to education and thus was not driven by such changes. The most plausible explanation for these findings, we conclude, is that standards have fallen at postsecondary institutions in the United States.

Key points in this Outlook:

• Study time for full-time students at four-year colleges in the United States fell from twenty-four hours per week in 1961 to fourteen hours per week in 2003, and the decline is not explained by changes over time in student work status, parental education, major choice, or the type of institution students attended.
• Evidence that declines in study time result from improvements in education technology is slim. A more plausible explanation is that achievement standards have fallen.
• Longitudinal data indicate that students who study more in college earn more in the long run.

Posted by Jim Zellmer at August 11, 2010 2:02 AM
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