Why should a student use the SQ3R method?
The following blog post will seek to sufficiently answer the above question by discussing the SQ3R study method. I will explain the SQ3R study technique, how to use it efficiently, and what its advantages and disadvantages are. This method will help you comprehend the concepts in the topic you are studying in-depth, as well as retain and retrieve what you have learned easily.
Let’s get started.
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What is the SQ3R Study Method?
SQ3R stands for survey, question, read, recite, and review. It is a five-step process that helps you read the text and extract the most important information from it. It was invented by an American educational philosopher, Francis P. Robinson, in his 1946 book Effective Study.
Since then, the SQ3R technique has become an important part of learning. Many people have found it useful in their studies. It has not only worked effectively for students; it has also been used by professionals and lifelong learners to achieve their learning goals.
Let’s break all five steps down and put them into their proper places and contexts in the study process.
1. Survey
This is the first step in the SQ3R study method/system. When you want to study a given topic or subject, go through it first. This is what a survey means.
How you go through it is very important.
Step 1: Understand the title
The first step to a good survey is a proper understanding of the title or the main heading of the topic you intend to study. In most cases, the title summarizes everything that the topic is about, although it is just one sentence. Understanding it will enable you to understand the subsequent subtitles and how they relate to the whole topic.
Step 2: Read the introduction
The second step is to read and understand the abstract/introduction/first paragraph below the title to grasp a general explanation of the topic. This is also important. Just like the title, the first paragraph briefly summarizes the whole topic. If you don’t grasp the meaning of the topic from the title, you will get it from the abstract or the introduction.
Step 3: Skim the subheadings
The third step is to go over all of the book’s subheadings. Remember to be deliberate when reading the subheadings. Try to integrate them into the overall skeleton or structure of the material so that it flows well.
Pay close attention to diagrams, tables, and other relevant illustrations that may help you understand the overall structure. Don’t waste your time on a diagram or image that is overly difficult. For the time being, you are only skimming. Leave it until when you begin studying.
Also, don’t limit yourself to reading merely the headings and subheadings. If you don’t understand a heading, go on and read a phrase or two directly following it. This will help you in understanding the meaning of the headings.
It should be simple to skim the subheadings. It should take between 5 and 7 minutes, depending on the size of the material you’re studying.
Many students believe that skimming is unnecessary. But that is not the case. Skimming saves you time because it is easier to understand the concept and how it relates to the issue as a whole when you are aware of the entire structure of the topic you are studying. It also aids in the retention of information and offers you an idea of which concepts to focus on.
2. Question
This step is just as important as the first. Creating questions from the topic you are studying is important in the following ways:
- It helps create problems that you will be studying to solve.
- It activates your prior knowledge and helps you identify what you already know and what you need to learn.
- It encourages you to think critically and creatively about the topic and generate your connections and insights.
- It prepares you for the types of questions that might be asked on exams or assignments and helps you practice answering them.
- It makes your studying more active and engaging, which can boost your motivation and interest.
How do you create questions from the topic or a book?
You can generate questions from the content you’re reading in a variety of ways. One approach is to convert the subheadings into questions. Later, you can read and try to find answers in the paragraphs that follow.
Another method, which has recently proven to be quite effective, is to feed the topic into an AI tool and instruct it to produce questions from the topic. This is doable if you have a soft copy of the topic, which is rather frequent nowadays.
I have provided some AI tools that you can use to accomplish this task and many other similar tasks in this post:
Throughout your study time, your objective will be to answer the questions you have created, provided that they are comprehensive and cover the whole topic or the important concepts in it.
3. Read
This is the most important step in the SQ3R study method, and it is where you should focus the most attention. The first two steps are preparatory to the third.
The purpose of this part is to provide answers to the questions raised in the previous step. You must pay close attention to make sure that you are correctly answering them and, more significantly, that you understand and retain the answers you provide.
I have a post on how to remember what you have read here:
The most important goals in this step are:
- Concentration/focus
- Comprehension
- Retention
It is vital to take notes throughout this process to ensure that important details are not overlooked. It matters most to use caution while doing so. Taking copious notes may have the opposite effect. Ensure that you are not copying the entire book. A single sentence can express an idea expressed in one or two paragraphs.
4. Recite
This step is just as necessary as the third. It is also time demanding. This is the most essential step in information retention.
After reading the information, you should go back over the questions you made before and during the reading process. Now try to answer them in your own words. You must answer in your own words because this shows you have understood the subject rather than simply memorizing it. Furthermore, it forces you to review any concepts that you are unable to describe in your own words, as this indicates a lack of comprehension.
Recitation should not look like reading. It should be done this way:
- Answer the questions generated
- Rewrite or express concepts in your own words
- Reread poorly understood concepts
When you recite concepts, your brain remembers them for a long time. It moves data from your short-term memory to your long-term memory.
5. Review
Reviewing the topic you have studied is the final “R” in the SQ3R. Ideally, you should conduct this as close to when you last studied the topic as possible, preferably within 24 hours of study.
Reviewing is similar to surveying. You go over the material further. Your objectives are the topic’s concepts and primary headings. You should also go over the questions you generated and the answers you provided.
Reviewing the topic as soon as possible:
- Reinforces and strengthens neural connections.
- Moves information from short-term to long-term memory.
- Reveals areas of incomplete understanding for further exploration.
- Deepens comprehension.
- Enhances the ability to apply knowledge in practical contexts.
- Improves the speed and accuracy of information retrieval.
These five steps of the SQ3R study method, when implemented to the letter, are sure to drastically improve your studying efficiency, comprehension, and retrieval.
Photo by Olia Danilevich
Pros and Cons of the SQ3R Reading Method
Pros
1. Extensive and Intensive Understanding
The SQ3R allows for a thorough comprehension of the subject. When you survey the topic and formulate questions, you are grasping the topic’s structure. This provides you with a comprehensive understanding of the subject matter.
Furthermore, when you read, recite, and review the topic, you are carefully studying it. Reciting the material you’ve already read helps to strengthen the information in your memory while also closing gaps in knowledge from the initial read. As a result, you have a thorough comprehension of the subject.
2. Deep focus
SQ3R is a psychologically taxing reading strategy. The study method pushes you to pay great attention to what you are studying to accurately answer the questions you have formed by creating queries to which you will find answers. Further, reciting and reviewing requires concentration to better comprehend where you may need to read more.
3. Makes it easy to recall the material
A surface study on a material makes it difficult to recall it when needed. As a result of the in-depth study of the content required by the SQ3R study technique, it is easy to retain information.
Cons
1. Requires time
Using the SQ3R method of study is difficult because it demands students to devote significant time to the subject. By following the method’s five-step procedure, you are essentially going through the material five times, which takes time.
2. Requires Practice
It takes practice to make the SQ3R method of study useful to you. Students struggle the first time they apply the SQ3R method to study since they don’t know how to formulate the correct questions or whether parts of the content are significant enough to skip.
3. Does not work for study groups
When used by a study group, the SQ3R method is ineffective. Yes, if the group members have previously used the study method, it may be a little easier for them to use it in a group setting. It is, however, more effective for individuals because it involves intense concentration.
Things to Avoid When Using the SQ3R Study Method
- Don’t spend too much time surveying
- Don’t formulate questions that do not contribute to the understanding of the main idea of the topic
- Don’t spend too little time reading
- Don’t recite too fast since you might let some concepts poorly understood go unnoticed
- Don’t multitask while studying with SQ3R study method
- Don’t Review immediately after studying or more than 24 hours after studying
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the SQ3R study method emphasize?
To promote comprehension and retention of material, the SQ3R study technique stresses active reading and learning strategies. SQ3R’s primary elements are intended to motivate students to connect with the information methodically. Learners can improve their total study efficacy by surveying, questioning, actively reading, repeating, and revisiting the subject. The strategy is especially useful for addressing complex or lengthy books since it assists students in breaking down information and internalizing crucial themes.
What are the 5 steps in the SQ3R study system?
They are:
- Survey: skimming the topic.
- Question: formulating questions.
- Read: studying the topic.
- Recite: expressing the concepts in your own words.
- Review: going through the material again.
If you practice the SQ3R study method as laid out in this blog, you will improve your comprehension and recall, which are important in passing exams and applying knowledge practically in the real world.
