The purpose of this study is to explore how to help college students whose major is child care and early childhood education live healthfully on campus and perform practice teaching smoothly. For this purpose I attempted to clarify the relationship between student lifestyles and cumulative fatigue, and the influence of practice teaching on cumulative fatigue, using the simplified version of CFSI (Cumulative Fatigue Symptoms Index). I conducted self-administered CFSI and living activities questionnaire surveys at three different times (after semester-end tests, after summer vacation and after practice teaching). The simplified version of CFSI adopted the three-point scale, and the degree of fatigue was expressed as the cumulative fatigue point.
The cumulative fatigue point showed significant differences between after semester-end tests and after summer vacation (p＜0.01), and after semester-end tests and after practice teaching (p＜0.01), respectively. The multiple regression analysis revealed that soundness of sleep, self-assessment of physical health, regular physical exercise (sports) and regular bedtime affected the cumulative fatigue point. The cumulative fatigue point was not affected by length of sleep in quantitative terms but by sleep quality, i.e. satisfaction with the sleep experience and mood upon waking.
These results suggested that cumulative fatigue in students whose major is child care and early childhood education appeared to be influenced by semester-end tests rather than by practice teaching and that students might avoid deep fatigue by adopting healthy, regular living habits.
