Reading Vs Studying

UNDERSTANDING THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN READING AND STUDYING

                   Reading Vs Studying

 

 source: kindpng.com

These two concepts are largely misunderstood by some people, or rather they are often mistaken to mean the same thing.

  In this article ‘Reading Vs Studying’, we shall delve into the meanings and nature of the two concepts, including the relationship and differences.

 The first thing we shall do, is to consult the authority text (dictionary) on the meaning of the two terms (Read & Study).

  According to the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary; read: to look at and understand the meaning of written or printed word or symbols.

Study:[activity of learning] the activity of learning or gaining knowledge from books or by examining things in the world.

  The simplest definition of reading, is the process of looking at a series of written symbols (characters, letters and numbers) and constructing meaning from them.

 Reading is a complex cognitive process, ie, a multifaceted process which involves word recognition, comprehension (meaning construction) and fluency. Fluency has to do with the coordination of word identification (recognition) and construction of meaning (comprehension).

 Hence, reading is a form of language acquisition, processing and communication.

  Reading is therefore, generally taken as the process of perusing/going through a subject in order to obtain meaning from it.

  On the other hand, studying is the act of application of time, attention and effort to gain knowledge on a subject/topic by means of reading, investigation, research and analysis. Hence studying involves learning and research. Here ample time and energy is devoted to the thorough understanding and acquisition of in-depth knowledge on a particular subject or topic. You can now understand that studying is a broader concept and of a process.

Reading helps in studying and it is also the first step of studying.

  In studying, you will spend quality time, effort and energy to research, analyze and fully understand concepts. Therefore, studying puts one in a better position to remember most things in an area.

Reading most times is done like a hobby while study has clear objectives and usually adopted when trying to apprehend complex topics/subjects, hence, you may read a book but you can’t read a subject especially when it has to do with a sort of evaluation or task at the end, rather you study a subject with focus and objective(s) and also to pass through evaluation process or carry out tasks, that is why remembering is essential component of studying.

  More so, one who had studied a subject have the capacity to teach it, while the reverse is the case for one who just read through it, hence an outstanding student studies and a good teacher had studied. We can understand that unlike in reading, studying does not only involve sitting down to peruse texts to get information or obtain meaning, rather it may include activities like making notes, listening to audios, watching videos and power points, going for seminars and conferences, brainstorming activities, consulting different texts on a particular subject, self evaluation, expert consultation etc.

HOW DOES READING AND STUDYING RELATE?

  First reading is an integral aspect of study which helps in studying. It is also a first step in studying. Reading and studying relate to each other in the following ways below;

Ø  Both involve going through a subject

Ø  Both  are adopted by students

Ø  Both are necessary tools before going through an examination

Ø  They complement each other

Ø  Both are mental processes associated with learning

Ø  Both have to do with recognition and comprehension

Going back to the differences, let’s think about these;

Why do some people usually say that they have a study timetable and not a read timetable.

Here are 2 words;         study   and   student

 By means of juxtaposition, you can conclude that study itself is studentship (act of being a student).

  In summary, both studying and reading are familiar terms within the learning process. Studying and reading correlate.

  Reading is best paired with studying in order to have better understanding and conceptualization of the topic, hence reading helps with study. But both differ in performance and nature, where studying is the process adopted by a person with a complete devotion of time and effort to fully understand a particular concept while reading is a process of going through a topic within a given subject in order to simply gain information from it.

  MAJOR DIFFERENCE BETWEEN READING AND STUDYING

Ø Much devotion of time is require in studying as compared to reading [you may be able to cover 12 pages in an hour of reading but may cover only 3 pages in an hour of study]

Ø Studying requires more effort than reading [in studying, you may have to browse through many texts with related information, seek details from many sources, sit for longer hours etc.]

Ø Studying involves research and learning unlike reading.

Ø Since greater effort is required in study, it is more task-involving when compared to reading

Ø Studying is adopted when trying to understand complex topics and subjects

Ø Good remembering especially little details is crucial in studying while it may not be so for reading.

I hope with this article, you have been able to identify the difference and relationship between reading and studying and also their respective definitions.

         Feel free to express your opinion with the comment box