Japanese University Student Lifestyles

1
Japanese University Student Lifestyles

• Douglas Trelfa,
• Associate Professor, College of Education
• Tamagawa University
• Tokyo, Japan

2
Research Method

• Exploratory questionnaire survey
• Convenience sample of students at four campuses
  in Tokyo area
• Supplemented with class exercises in my courses,
  interviews and observations of first year
  students
• Further supplemented with school-wide and
  national survey data
• This presentation
• sub-sample of first year students
• anonymous private university in Tokyo
• n82

3
Key variables

• Lifestyle
• Eating
• Sleeping
• Part-time jobs
• Other activities
• Time management
• Physical well-being
• Psychological well-being
• Social support
• Student life at college

4
First Year Student Club Participation Rates
5
First Year Student Part-time Jobs

• 55 have part-time jobs
• Average for first year students who work (13. 5
  hours)
• 11 reported frequently working late on school
  nights
• Only 5 reported that part-time work often
  interferes with school
• 11 reported that they were not able to get
  enough sleep due to part-time jobs

6
Meals

• Late dinners
• 31 reported eating dinner after 9pm frequently
• Convenience and fast food
• 28 reported frequently eating convenience store
  meals and 18 fast food
• Home cooked meals
• 53 of students reported frequently eating home
  cooked meals, versus 41 who reported never or
  infrequently eating home cooked meals

7
The Exhausted College Student

• 29 of first year students reported occasionally
  or frequently staying up all night
• Only 11 reported waking up naturally
• 13 reported oversleeping frequently
• 29 reported sleeping frequently in class 50
  occasionally
• Only 21 reported never or almost never sleeping
  in class

8
First Tobacco Use
Table Age of First Smoking for Core Smoking Age
(30-39)
Source Japanese Ministry of Health and Welfare,
National Health and Nutrition Survey, 2004
9
Physical Complaints of First Year Students
10
Commute Time and Well Being
Pearson Correlation Coefficient
n82 Significant at .05 level (2-tailed) Signif
icant at .01 level (2-tailed)
11
Psychological Well-being
n82
12
Social Support Network

• 62 live at home or with relatives 8 in
  dormitories
• 70 of students reported having three or more
  friends to whom they could talk about personal
  problems
• 76 reported being satisfied or almost satisfied
  with friendships
• 23 of first year students reported being in
  intimate relationships
• 10 of those in intimate relationships have
  partners from the same school

13
Summary

• Japanese first year college students lead active,
  busy lives
• Many Japanese college students under significant
  stress due to long commutes and too many
  commitments and diversions
• Social support networks and living at home
  provide some stability to counteract stress
• Time management and health education potentially
  of great benefit to first year students