Time Management Strategies among Students in the National Open University of Nigeria

Abstract

The study was designed to investigate the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) students' time management strategies to identify the level of non-adherence to their self-assigned time assuagement strategies (TMS) during their studies. The researcher also wanted to find out whether their gender, age, marital and employment statuses influence their adherence/non-adherence to the plan or not. The researcher also examined the academic stress replications for not adhering to study time management strategies. A self-designed 30-item questionnaire was used for the research. Five null hypotheses were formulated and tested via the SPSS  platform.  A sample of 2 60 students was selected from 18 study centres across six geopolitical zones of Nigeria for the study using a simple random stratified sampling

technique (3 study centres per zone and 120 students per centre). The findings of this research indicated no significant difference between NOUN students who did not adhere to their study time management strategies and those who adhered. Gender, age, marital and employment status had a significant influence on NOUN students’ non-adherence to

their study time management strategies. The possible implications of the findings are that the majority of NOUN students may be experiencing academic stress and if not properly counselled, would have a profound effect on their well-being as well as their academic programme completion rate.