Study Habits and Academic Achievement among Higher Secondary School Students of Odisha Adarsha Vidyalayas in Ganjam District

This study examined the association between study habits and academic achievement among Class XI students enrolled in Odisha Adarsha Vidyalayas (OAVs) in Ganjam District, Odisha, and compared male and female students on both measures. A cross-sectional, descriptive-correlational survey included 450 students (230 male and 220 female) during the 2025-2026 academic session. Study habits were measured with the Palsane and Sharma Study Habit Inventory (PSSHI); academic achievement was represented by annual examination marks out of 500. Analyses comprised independent-samples t tests, Pearson correlation, and simple linear regression. Female students had higher study-habit scores (M = 66.24, SD = 7.79) than male students (M = 58.03, SD = 8.03), t (448) = -11.01, p < .001, and higher examination marks (M = 402.50, SD = 56.21) than male students (M = 386.00, SD = 48.20), Welch’s t (431.33) = -3.34, p = .001. Study habits and examination marks were positively associated, r(448) = .727, 95% CI [.680, .768], p < .001. A simple regression expressed with examination marks as the outcome indicated that study-habit scores statistically accounted for 52.9% of the variance in marks, R² = .529, F(1, 448) = 502.85, p < .001. The cross-sectional design supports an association, not a causal conclusion. The findings are specific to the participating OAV students and require replication in other settings.