Staff Publications & Research
Document Type
Dissertation
Publication Date
1-9-2025
Keywords
sleep, gifted students, residential, self-management, social-emotional learning
Abstract
Insufficient sleep among high school students has become a pressing concern for its detrimental effects on academic performance, physical health, and mental wellness. This concern is amplified for students living away from their parents in a boarding school setting. The purpose of this action research study was to investigate and improve the sleep experience of gifted secondary students who live with their peers in a residential setting. Two cycles of data collection occurred. Participants in Cycle 1 were gifted secondary students who were enrolled at a residential school, as well as counselors and residential staff employed at the same institution. The data collected and analyzed from Cycle 1 informed the design of intervention action steps. Action steps, including a four-part, peer-facilitated social-emotional learning program focused on self-management skill building, were designed, implemented, and evaluated in Cycle 2 to understand how self-management skill building influenced student perceptions of sleep and sleep habits. Student facilitators, residential staff moderators, and student participants provided critical feedback that assisted in the evaluation process. The study concludes that residential secondary students crave institution-sanctioned structures and required ongoing support to build self-management habits. The findings also highlight the opportunity to evolve student and staff perceptions about sleep to disrupt adolescent norms and shift the campus culture. Implications for the organization include training for residential staff, implementing more structure during nonacademic time, and offering differentiated programming for students based on grade level to improve sleep habits and overall student health and well-being.
Recommended Citation
Berger, Katie, "The Impact of Self-Management Programming on Gifted Student Perceptions of Sleep in a Residential Setting" (2025). Staff Publications & Research. 15.
https://digitalcommons.imsa.edu/stures_staffpr/15