Evelin Campanur

English 202 A
Research Proposal Part Two: Field Research
February 29, 2016
Sleep Deprivation and Academic Performance
A review of the literature allowed us to understand the function of sleep. The literature
helped us educate ourselves more about the effect sleep has to the human body. Throughout
many sources we were about to understand the basics about sleep and learn that we cannot go
living without it. We also learned that sleep deprivation has become a chronic disorder, which is
why I want to continue my investigation on the amount of students being affected by this disease.
My empirical research will revolve around opinions, and knowledge about what students
know about being sleep deprived at Penn State. My research question is About how many
students are being effected by sleep deprivation and is there an effect to their academic
performances? I will be doing my research to students at large classes such as my Bio 141 class.
I will also be sending emails to friends and classmates. Through social media I will be posting up
a survey on the Penn State group on Facebook.
I will have a few questions like, do students believe that if they had a set sleeping
schedule they would do better in school? How many hours of sleep do they get each night? I do
not only want to conduct a survey only; I want to do a small interview with my Biology
professor as well. A reason I am trying to aim for her is because sleep is a topic for our class and
I think her feedback would be of great use.

My survey will be designed specifically for Penn State students who are taking a
minimum of 12 credits or more per semester. I will also try to involve half upper classmen and
lower classmen students in order to see differences in organization. I want a total of 50-100
students minimum for this investigation.
I hope to really get good feedback from students with the help of social media, and
classmates who would be willing to answer the short survey of 10 questions. Getting this
interview will also help me get an idea of how many students are being affected by this disease
and how badly students grades are at risk.

Survey Draft
1. Do you feel that you are sleep deprived as a college student?

a. (Yes) or b. (No)
2. How many hours of sleep do you feel you need each night to function well the next day?
a. (4-6)
b. (6-8)
c. (8-10)
3. During the school week what would you say your average hours of sleep are per night?
a. (2-4)
b. (4-6)
c. (6-8)
d. (8-10 or more)
4. If you procrastinate often the night before do you find it harder to focus/ stay awake
during class, the next morning?
5. Do you feel that you have less energy/ motivation throughout the day when you have less
sleep than needed the night before?
a. (a little motivation/energy)
b. (average motivation/energy)
c. (prefect full of energy and motivation)
6. How often would you say stress interferes with your ability to fall asleep. Sleep through
the night? A. (yes) or (No)
7. If answered yes to the previous question, state what the causes of your stress are from
(i.e. school, relationship problems, family crisis, worry about the future etc.)

8. Do you think if you slept more you would get better grades?

Interview Questions Drafts

Have often do you see a student yawning?
Have students ever mentioned they are tired?
Have you ever seen a student sleeping in class?
Is it usually the same student?
Have students messaged you when an exam has been missed and state I over slept?

Do you believe sleep deprivation is a common disorder among college students?

As a professor what kind of advice would you give your student who is suffering from sleep
deprivation?
Do you believe sleep deprivation has an effect on students academics?