Date of Award
11-2019
Culminating Project Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Higher Education Administration: Ed.D.
Department
Educational Administration and Higher Education
College
School of Education
First Advisor
Michael Mills
Second Advisor
Steven McCullar
Third Advisor
Theresa Waterbury
Fourth Advisor
Kent Hanson
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Keywords and Subject Headings
Student-Athletes, Sleep, College Experience, Athletic Performance, Academic Performance
Abstract
Sleep is a vital aspect of any student-athletes daily routine to ensure optimal performance. This correlational study used both exploratory analysis through frequency tables and linear regression models to investigate football student-athletes’ sleep and performance over the course of a collegiate off-season. This study’s design set out to determine how the percent of nights student-athletes slept seven or more hours affected their ability to perform both academically and athletically. The study was also designed to identify any college experiences that may be causing student-athletes to not achieve a quality night’s sleep. The results show that studentathletes who achieve seven or more hours of sleep on a consistent basis saw an increase in athletic performance. There was little evidence that percent of nights with seven or more hours of sleep was associated with change in academic performance. There were no statistically significant associations between academic outcomes and student-athlete academic year in school. This study also indicated through frequency measurements that workouts, meetings, practice, studying, homework, and socializing with peers were overall the greatest activities related to a lack of sleep. Professional recommendations include coaches and athletic administrators implementing a proactive educational approach on sleep. It is also important to understand that the timing of practices, meetings, and workouts is important for student-athletes’ sleep habits. Finally, student-athletes need to understand the importance of consistency in their sleep and wake times to ensure an overall better-quality of sleep.
Recommended Citation
Weigel, Eric, "The Effects of the College Experience on Student-Athlete Sleep and Performance" (2019). Culminating Projects in Higher Education Administration. 39.
https://repository.stcloudstate.edu/hied_etds/39
Comments/Acknowledgements
Thank you to Dr. Silas Bergen and the Winona State University Statistical Counseling Center for your help with the statistical analysis.