Comparison: Good Study by Neil Burdess - Book Report/Review Example

Book Comparison In today’s globally competitive world, often need to perform well at in order to be able to achieve success in the workplace. Arriving at good grades in college examinations is not an easy task, especially for non-English speaking students, who find it extremely difficult to cope. In this context, Neil Burdess has prepared a comprehensive study guide, titled “Good Study”, to help students learn the right kind of techniques that could be helpful to them in monitoring their own learning process and enhancing the outcome by improving their performance in examinations. The development of the tools of technology, including the Internet has also made it possible for students worldwide to enjoy the benefits of an interactive, online learning environment. It has opened up non-traditional avenues of learning and allowed the facility of a self paced, regulated learning environment. This book report compares Burdess’ book with two other books on the same subject of improving study skills. The first of these is “The study skills handbook” by Stella Cotrell and the other is “The Smarter Study skills companion” written by Kathleen McMillan and Jonathan Weyers. Neil Burdess has written a book that students are likely to find extremely valuable in improving their learning skills. The focus of Burdess’ book is the first year of University when students from different walks of life make the University their home for the next few years. Burdess aims to provide these students with a good foundation and orientation into university life, especially from the academic point of view. Since a significant portion of university assessment comprises written work such as academic papers and essays, Burdess’ objective is to make students conversant with the elements of good academic writing. His book sets out detailed information on how to produce a good piece of academic writing, starting out from listening or reading carefully the instructions that have been received from the lecturer. The author then explains how to look for sources of information to gather as wide ranging a base of data as possible to address the topic adequately. Burdess points out the importance of painstakingly citing all the sources that have been used and correctly referencing academic papers. He sets out the details on different kinds of referencing styles, such as APA, MLA, Harvard, etc and points out that direct quotes must always be accompanied by a page number. “The study skills handbook” by Stella Cotrell is akin to a study manual, replete with checklists, questionnaires, tables, diagrams and a whole range of tips on how to enhance and improve learning. The notable aspect about the book is that at the outset, the author has formulated an exercise wherein readers can evaluate and determine what kind of learning style they have. BY allowing the reader to prepare at the outset an evaluation of existing study habits, whether good or bad, the reader is provided with a good base point against which to compare the tips and pointers available throughout the book in order to assess where improvements need to be made or which techniques are likely to be successful and should be continued. Since the book is largely practical in its approach rather than theoretical, It is also likely to be very helpful to students who are not confident about their learning skills, for instance mature students who may be embarking on an education in their later years and may not be sure whether they will be able to manage it. Since the book provides a practical framework for students to assess their learning skills and strategies on how to deal with the weaknesses that may have been identified, it could help to boost the confidence level of students who read the book about their own ability to tackle the process of learning and to be successful. “The Smarter Study Skills companion” is a comprehensive guide for students, right from the time they first enter University, covering the period all the way until the student is ready to leave college and is preparing to take up a career. The first module is a general one that provides the students with information about what exactly university study entails, how to prepare for it and what makes university education so special and different. The authors have devoted an entire chapter towards discussing the skills and attributes that graduates possess, which provides them with that edge in the job market place. The second segment of the book deals with management of different aspects of college life, such as management of time and finances and dealing with the stresses that are associated with academic work and maintaining a social life with plenty of sporting, drama and music activities. The authors have stressed how important it is for students to develop a well rounded personality and demonstrate that during their university life, they have engaged in a wide variety of extra curricular activities. The third and fourth segments of the book cover a major part of the book and provide the student with a variety of tools for improving their learning as well as their academic writing. The book explains to students how they are to study independently, develop listening skills and learn how to take notes during lectures. The authors encourage students to think critically about what they are taught in class and use the library as a valuable resource to assess and evaluate the information they are provided in class. The authors have devoted a number of chapters to the different aspects of academic writing including referencing, plagiarism and writing style. They have discussed in detail, the process of empirical research, collection of data and number crunching to statistically analyze the data and arrive at meaningful results in assessment of the data. There are also several chapters devoted to explaining the rudiments of sentence construction and the fundamentals of English grammar with useful tips on how to structure their writing well. Developing a strong vocabulary through exhaustive reading, improving spelling and punctuation, shaping text, reviewing, editing and proof reading work are all aspects that are covered in detail by these authors. There is a wealth of detail available in this book to guide students on how different kinds of academic assignments are to be prepared, including tackling numerical assignments, experimental projects and especially dissertations. The authors recommend that students coordinate with their lecturers during every stage of the dissertation, from the framing of the topic to the preparation of draft materials, developing the research methods that are to be used and how the research is to be carried out. This segment also provides guidance to the students on the principles of quantitative and qualitative research, writing up a literature review and the ethical requirements such as maintaining the privacy of the research participants. While McMillan and Weyers’ book is a comprehensive guide covering the period from entry into university up to the time the student is embarking on a career, Burdess’ book focuses more on the first year of University and is intended to guide students on how they can orient themselves to university life and understand the basics. Cortrell’s book differs from both Burdess’ book and that written by McMillan and Weyers, because it is more of a practical workbook rather than purely advice. It actively engages the reader, who, during the process of working on the exercises in the book, is also able to gain a practical insight into how to improve study skills. This book is therefore focused on the practical rather than the theoretical. One of the significant aspects in which all the three books are similar to each other is in highlighting the importance of not plagiarizing from other works. In an online environment where piracy is difficult to track and where a thief can steal the painstaking work of others without leaving any footprints, all the authors advise students of the seriousness of the crime if they engage in it and are caught. Most universities are now using anti plagiarism software which helps them to easily detect plagiarism in a student’s work and this can also be grounds for serious consequences such as dismissal from the University. It is apparent from a comparative reading of the three works that all the readers are well aware that there is a high percentage of non native-English speaking students enrolling in Australian universities, because all the authors have dealt so exhaustively with the rudiments and structure of English grammar. Ethical aspects of research and the distinctions between qualitative and quantitative research have been clarified by all the authors, together with suggestions on how to carry out a research study adequately to satisfy the requirements to attain a degree. It may thus be concluded that all the three books are likely to be extremely useful to students. There is a wealth of information in all the three books which would be invaluable to a new student floundering in the unfamiliar world of university life and faced with the pressures of gaining a good grade to achieve a degree. Burdess’ book is the foundational work, targeted at students who are just entering university and providing them with a comprehensive overview of university life and how different it is from the world of high school or the educational life in another country that they may have left behind. Cortrell’s book is useful to students in providing them practical tips that the students can actually execute, starting off from carrying out a self assessment right at the beginning of the book. As a result, it is likely to make sense to students because they can actually put many of the exercises contained in it into practice. Mcmillan and Weyers’ book however is like the Bible of college life, because it is an exhaustive and comprehensive work, covering all aspects of university life, starting from a student’s entry into University right up to the point of working on a dissertation and gaining a degree to prepare for life in the professional work environment. While the books all deal with a similar subject, i.e, study tips to help students orient themselves into university life and fare well in the examinations, each book approaches the same subject from a slightly different angle. Each book is different in terms of the area that is accorded importance, because Burdess has chosen to direct his focus on first year university students while Cortell has tried to offer a practical approach to studying. All three books are however, invaluable tools for students, who are likely to benefit considerably, no matter which book they choose to read and/or purchase. References: Burdess, Neil, 2007. “Good study”, Pearson Cottrell, Stella,2003. “The study skills handbook”, Palgrave Macmillan McMillan, Kathleen and Weyers, Jonathan, 2009. “The smarter study skills companion”, Pearson Education. Read More