Students need sleep in order to focus and learn to the best of their abilities. But sadly many students are sleep deprived. These students don't receive the necessary 8 ½ to 9 hours of sleep to function at their peak (Simurda, 2001). One way for students to get the necessary amount of sleep is for them to have good sleeping habits. Many teenagers don't know the right time to go to bed. They tend to stay up longer than recommended either watching TV, doing homework or some other activity (Simurda 2001). This causes them to get insufficient periods of sleep. A way to counteract these negative sleeping habits is to have students learn about good sleeping habits when they are young. Students who have been educated when they were younger about sleep deprivation, and have learned to have good sleeping habits will be better prepared when they older to get the necessary amount of sleep.
In order to test this hypothesis research should be done extensively. The best research method that can be used to test the hypothesis is a longitudinal study. A longitudinal study is a good research method to use because it creates an in-depth observation that can give great detail in the progression of a student from a younger age to an older. Other research methods would not be able reproduce the long period of time that is needed to test the hypothesis. By doing a longitudinal study great detailed information will be found for a long period of time.
The independent variable in this study is the learning program that will teach young children proper sleeping habits. The dependent variable is the children's response to the program, and how it will affect their sleeping habits in the future. From a longitudinal study standpoint the researcher should be able to observe whether teaching the students good sleeping habits when they are young translates in them having good sleeping habits when they are older.