Abstract:
Mental fatigue (MF) arises during prolonged demanding cognitive activity and results in acute feelings of tiredness and a decreased physical and/or cognitive performance capacity. An often-overlooked population that is significantly at risk for the development of MF are university students. The current study investigated the impact of prolonged in-person theoretical classes on the perceptions of MF, boredom, and sleepiness among 27 Slovenian university students (first-year physiotherapy). Their subjective experiences at various time points during a 4-h class interspersed with a 20 min break were assessed with a repeated measures ANOVA and consequent Bonferroni post-hoc tests (significance set at <0.05). Subjective MF and sleepiness significantly increased during the first and the second part of the class (p < 0.05), while they significantly decreased during the break (p < 0.05). Boredom levels only increased significantly during the second part of the class (p < 0.05). Additionally, students who had inadequate sleep the night before the class reported higher levels of MF at the beginning of the class. This study highlighted a significant impact of a theoretical class on subjective feelings of mental fatigue and showed that a break in the middle of the class temporarily alleviated this negative impact. These results emphasize the importance of adequate sleep, effective breaks, and strategies to manage cognitive workload in optimizing students\' cognitive well-being and academic performance. Further research is needed to better understand the underlying factors and develop targeted interventions to support students\' cognitive functioning and well-being during prolonged academic sessions.
摘要:
精神疲劳(MF)在长时间的要求认知活动中出现,并导致严重的疲倦感和身体和/或认知表现能力下降。大学生是经常被忽视的人群,对MF的发展有很大的风险。当前的研究调查了长时间的面对面理论课对MF感知的影响,无聊,27名斯洛文尼亚大学生嗜睡(一年级理疗)。通过重复测量ANOVA和随后的Bonferroni事后检验来评估他们在散布有20分钟休息的4小时课程期间的各个时间点的主观体验(显著性设置为<0.05)。主观性MF和嗜睡在第一和第二部分课程期间显着增加(p<0.05),而它们在休息期间显着下降(p<0.05)。无聊水平仅在第二部分课程期间显着增加(p<0.05)。此外,上课前一天晚上睡眠不足的学生在上课开始时报告MF水平较高。这项研究强调了理论课对心理疲劳的主观感受的重大影响,并表明在课堂中间休息暂时减轻了这种负面影响。这些结果强调了充足睡眠的重要性,有效中断,以及管理认知工作量的策略,以优化学生的认知幸福感和学习成绩。需要进一步的研究,以更好地了解潜在的因素,并制定有针对性的干预措施,以支持学生的认知功能和福祉在长期的学术会议。