Survey

Tēnā koutou,

My name is Simone Ada and I’m a medical student studying at the University of Otago. This summer I am working with a research team exploring the idea of a later school start time for senior high school students in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Research in this area is especially important for teens as it relates to their sleep health and mental health - key factors in improving the overall health of our youth. You may be aware that sleep biology shifts during the teen years, so it’s natural for teens to want to go to bed later and wake later than their younger or older counterparts. This shift contributes to the fact that many NZ teens are not getting the recommended 8-10 hours of sleep each night. Ongoing sleep deficiency in teens has been linked to negative outcomes such as increased risky behaviour, poor mental health outcomes and impacts on academic performance. A later school start time is a simple, modifiable adjustment to address the quantity and quality of sleep in our youth.

To further explore the things that might help or hinder a later school start time implementation, we have developed a survey targeted towards the student perspective. We also have a ‘parent’ survey ready for release with further surveys for ‘teachers’, ‘principals’ and ‘Boards of Trustees’ to be released in the future.

The online survey takes about 10 minutes to complete, and participants have the option to enter a draw for 1 of 10 $250 gift vouchers (for students) or 1 of 3 $100 Prezzy cards (for parents).  

Link to the student survey: https://redcap.link/shxcdp0d