Published Article

ABSTRACT

The English Language Education serves as the primary medium of instruction and a key determinant of academic mobility in Nigeria. Despite its central role, students in Akwa Ibom State consistently exhibit underperformance in national examinations, indicating deficiencies in the mastery of listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills. Although systemic factors are frequently identified as contributing to this challenge, the influence of individual study behaviors remains insufficiently explored. This study investigates the influence of study habits—specifically time management, note-taking, regular practice, and active reading—on the holistic mastery of English language skills among senior secondary school students. The primary objectives are to examine the effects of these study habits and to explore whether gender moderates these relationships. Guided by a quantitative research framework, the study posits that effective self-regulated study habits significantly predict linguistic competence. The null hypotheses tested include: (H??) no significant influence of time management; (H??) no significant influence of note-taking and organization; (H??) no significant influence of regular practice and reinforcement; and (H??) gender does not moderate the relationship between study habits and English mastery. The findings are expected to inform pedagogical strategies and curriculum design by shifting attention from mere classroom instruction to the cultivation of autonomous learning behaviors essential for language acquisition in multilingual contexts.