#2725

Mind, Brain, and Education College and University Education Research-Oriented Presentation

Sleep habits of university students in Tokyo: Comparison of online vs. on campus

Sat, Jul 9, 14:40-15:05 Asia/Tokyo

Location: F22

This presentation will describe a pilot study looking at sleep habits among 83 first-year (second-semester) university students in Tokyo. During the fall semester of 2021, a unique opportunity arose to investigate the difference in sleep habits between students studying online via Zoom and on-campus in a face-to-face setting. The first month of classes was conducted online due to Covid before returning to the campus classroom. Students completed a daily questionnaire (just before going to bed and immediately upon waking) over a one-week period during online classes and another week-long period upon returning to campus. The same students were studied enabling a direct comparison. The primary focus was was to discover differences in the following: 1) the difference in hours slept, 2) the effects of caffeine, electronics, and exercise before sleeping, and 3) variables that play a role in positively or negatively affecting sleep among the participants. The study found on-campus learning led to reduced time sleeping, but commuting time played less of a role than expected. Other activities such as part-time jobs at night, smartphone activity, and student clubs consistently showed negative effects on sleep.

  • John Duplice

    I teach as a lecturer of English in the Center for Language Education & Research at Sophia University. Currently, I am a PhD candidate in Applied Linguistics at the University of Birmingham. My teaching career started more than twenty years ago and have been involved in M.B.E. since 2015.