Predictive Effects of Sleep Deprivation on the Academic Performance of Grade 12 General Academic Strand Learners

This study investigated the predictive effects of sleep deprivation on the academic performance and personal behavior of Grade 12 General Academic Strand (GAS) learners at Racman Pimping Maniri Dumarpa (RPMD) National Science High School during the academic year 2023–2024. Adequate sleep is a foundational physiological mechanism necessary for the human brain to function at its maximum capacity, whereas persistent sleep loss severely diminishes vital cognitive skills, alertness, memory, concentration, and general classroom productivity. To examine these complex dynamics within a localized Senior High School context, the researcher utilized a quantitative descriptive-correlational research design. The target population and respondent universe comprised sixty-two (62) officially enrolled Grade 12 GAS learner-respondents, encompassing both male and female. Data collection was systematically executed using a structured survey questionnaire explicitly divided into specific analytical blocks to assess the learner-respondents’ baseline demographic profiles, determine the underlying causes of their late-night habits, and measure the subsequent structural impacts of sleep loss on their academic performance and personal behaviors. To overcome environmental and field tracking difficulties, strategic local tracking methods were successfully employed. Statistical treatment of the gathered data utilized frequency and percentage distributions for baseline demographic sorting; weighted means, standard deviations, and statistical rankings for categorical appraisal; and the Pearson Product-Moment Correlation Coefficient to establish the statistical significance of relationships between the variables. Preliminary demographic results indicated that the largest portion of the learner population clustered within the 20 to 22 years old bracket (46.77%), followed closely by the 17 to 19 years old cohort (43.55%), demonstrating a predominant late-adolescence profile with unique variations in academic entry age. The outcomes indicated that the subjects routinely endure sleep deprivation during late adolescence. Conclusively, the analytical computations established that the learner-respondents’ baseline profiles and the specific catalysts behind their lack of sleep yielded no statistically significant relationship with their academic ratings or behavioral tendencies. Crucially, the absence of a significant relationship demonstrates that sleep deprivation uniformly affects the entire learner-respondents pool, showing no variance based on demographic traits such as age or sex. This established dataset provides an empirical foundation for understanding the behavioral and cognitive vulnerabilities driven by severe nighttime sleep debt among specialized senior high school learners.