Teaching
The Team of Didactics in Sports and Health is responsible for lectures covering the following topics:
- Basics in sports didactics and sports pedagogy
- Teaching competencies and methodologies for PE teachers
- Lesson observation and analysis for PE teachers
- Exam and research colloquium for students in the teaching programme - Experiential and environmental education
- Health and activity potential of natural areas
- Workplace health promotion
- Development of health promoting programms in different settings
- Sustainable developments in organisations
Theses
Students are able to write their final theses (Bachelor, Master or Teaching profession) at our department. See here for possible research topics.
Own ideas are welcome as well. Please provide a short exposé (1-2 pages max.) to highlight a potential research question (what), relevance (why) and methodology (how) of the chosen topic area. Please inform yourself about the different research activities at our department and contact a suitable person.
Master's Thesis: Analysis of Students' Sleep Behavior
Compared to their peers, students often suffer from poor sleep quality, which manifests in difficulties falling asleep and chronic sleep deprivation. These issues can impair cognitive performance and lead to additional health risks. Therefore, prevention programs to improve students' sleep behavior are becoming increasingly important. To design such programs effectively, it is crucial to have a detailed understanding of students' sleep behavior and their specific needs in their university life.
So far, most insights into students' sleep behavior are based on cross-sectional studies. Only a few observational studies have examined sleep behavior throughout an entire semester. The use of objective measurement methods needs to be improved.
Objective:
This Master's thesis aims to conduct a detailed analysis of data on students' sleep behavior that has been collected over the course of one semester. The data include sleep duration, time to fall asleep, sleep times, and sleep quality, which were continuously recorded over an 18-week period parallel to lecture times using Garmin wearables. Further information, such as stress levels and daily activity, was also documented to identify potential correlations and influencing factors.
Possible Research Questions:
- How does students' sleep behavior change over the course of a semester?
- Is there a correlation between subjective sleep quality and the measured sleep value as an objective parameter of sleep quality?
- Is there a correlation between chronotype and measured sleep behavior?
- How do stress levels and daily activity influence sleep behavior?
Requirements:
- Interest in the topics mentioned above and research questions
- Strong knowledge of statistics
- Experience in using R-Studio (programming, data analysis, evaluation)
- Experience with wearable data and/or interest in gaining experience in this area
- Excellent English skills
- Independent and structured work style
There is an opportunity to publish the master's thesis in an international journal. The start of the Master's thesis is possible immediately. If interested, please send your application with a cover letter and CV to Johanna Schmickler.