Analyzing Role of Diet in Academic Performance of the College Students - Research Proposal Example

Analyzing Role of Diet in Academic Performance of the College ID No: The growth of a particular nation istailored by the educational system and the overall performance of the population. In this contemporary scenario, numerous studies have critically analyzed and provided strong evidences regarding the significant role of appropriate nutritional diet on the academic achievement of the students. The adequate consumption of required nutritional diet often increases cognitive capability of the students, which eventually results in accomplishing their respective academic goals successfully. With this concern, the prime intent of this study is to develop a research proposal with focusing on the research question “Do diet affect a college student academic performance?” By taking into concern this research question, the study will critically identify the role and importance of a healthy diet for the students irrespective of their age group to achieve their respective academic or educational goals. In order to critically justify the significance of diet, the discussion of the analysis will emphasize determining the role of appropriate dietary habits of young adults or college students that tend to improve their academic competencies. Introduction Intake of nutritional diets supports the young adults to nourish their continuous growth in the form of developing their respective cognitive skills. Nutrition and academic growth is interlinked with each other, which has been witnessed by the researches conducted by varied scholars and researchers. Specially mentioning, inappropriateness or irregularities in consuming nutritional elements have been witnessed to substantially reduce the cognitive development of the college students. In respond to the relationship prevailing between nutritional aspects and academic success, numerous scholars have critically determined that ineffective diets often lead to declined cognitive growth of adults in different specific age groups. The research findings of different scholars have also critically determined that less or ineffective diet of the college students often leads towards causing cognitive impairment, which substantially reduces their academic performance (Solfrizz et al. 2003). Nevertheless, scholars from different geographical nations have recognized that the growth of cognitive skills often depends on balanced or well-structured dietary habits. In this regard, it can be inferred that a heavy consumption of nutritional aspects may often cause reducing the cognitive skills of an individual. Regular nutritional intake with more than the required amount often leads in undergoing through cognitive impairment, which can impose negative impact on the academic achievement of the individuals (Arum & Roksa, 2011). Therefore, an adequate understanding of the role of diet is an imperative subject of study to determine the growth of cognitive skills among the college students. Moreover, a critical understanding of the nutritional aspects along with their role is also a crucial subject area to determine the growth of cognitive skills within the college students. Literature Review The relationship persistent between nutritional aspects or dietary habits and academic achievement can be witnessed in different analytical research studies. According to the survey findings of Solfrizz et al. (2003), diet has a significant possible role in terms of developing cognitive growth of people in different age groups. An inappropriate diet within a specific age group may cause major impairment of the cognitive skills of the individuals. In the context of developing cognitive skills of the college students, a healthy diet plays a decisive role by nurturing the capability of the students to increase their academic skills. Pettay (2008) in this regard critically stated that effective diets or intake of health diets often support the college students to stimulate regular development of their respective physical and cognitive growth at large. Based on the research conducted by Pettay (2008), it can be apparently observed that the college period is one of the most crucial and transitional stage of individuals’ life wherein a student integrates and improves health related performance into their day-to-day life. The exploratory research conducted by Arum & Roksa (2011) reveals that a majority of the college students involve higher level of stress due to their increasing burden of academic learning and achievement. The research findings also highlight that beyond the academic challenges, the college students are more likely to face major difficulties in maintaining healthy behaviors. These health behaviors such as physical activities and dietary habits have been one of the major set of concerns, which is more likely to lower the possibility of gaining greater academic success (Arum & Roksa, 2011). According to Ghosh et al. (2013), the way of gaining greater academic success is mainly developed by an effective combination of nutritional habits along with physical activities of the college students. According to the extensive research along with its findings conducted by Ghosh et al. (2013), it is to be affirmed that the issue of malnutrition prevailing amidst the students is one of the acute problems in various developed as well as developing nations. Additionally, the research conducted by the authors also cover wide information signifying that insufficiencies in certainly nutrients are more likely to cause acute syndromes that affect cognitive growth of the students at large (Ghosh et al., 2013). Correspondingly, Trevouleds & Grieger (2012) also elaborated the fact that significant deficiencies in daily nutritional intake often lowers the capability of the college students to deal with their stress and thus results in causing major health along with psychological issues. In certain cases, it can be often found that students at their first stage in college programs are not adequately familiar in terms of taking effective care of their health and wellness. Thus, in order to improve or obtaining success in the academic sessions, college students are required to learn about the nutritional intakes for gaining greater academic success. In this regard, it is quite essential for the students to learn about the active roles for assessing their health and wellbeing through intaking appropriate diets and adopting nutritional habits daily (Trevouleds & Grieger, 2012). Nevertheless, the exploratory research of Petrie et al. (2010) also critically identifies the role of diet in developing the physical and cognitive development of the college students. In this regard, it has been perceived from the research that a balanced and combined nutritional diet often increases cognitive skills of the students that further help them to achieve their desired academic goals. This significantly helps an individual to strengthen their understanding and learning capacity, which results into obtaining major success in their respective academic sessions. However, the research also reveals that a deficiency of appropriate consumption of nutrients with required level often reduces possible cognitive syndromes that can reduce the academic success of the students by a certain extent (Petrie et al., 2010). Therefore, it is quite evident that diet and the academic performance of the college students are interlinked with one another and have major influence on their academic success. Based on reviewing the above stated literatures, the research question has been framed in the following: Do Diet Affect a College Student Academic Performance? Research Methodology Research Paradigm The research study will be primarily based on a phenomenological paradigm. Accordingly, the study will be conducted through a deductive approach wherein, the reasoning will be provided from a general to a more specific perspective (Williams, 2007; Tobin & Kincheloe, 2006). In the context of the proposed research question and aim, the data collection of the study will be conducted by conducting a survey in the form of designing a questionnaire. The inclusion of questionnaire method in the data collection process will certainly help in collecting relevant data regarding the daily intake of the nutritional diet of the respondents. The college students will be mainly recruited as the key participants for the questionnaire survey by visiting various colleges. The participants will be enlisted basically considering their respective academic sessions and preferred subject areas. The participants will also be enlisted by taking into concern multitude age differences including both male and female college students. Basically, the questionnaire survey will be conducted amid the students in the form of respondents whose age range fall under 18 to 25 years irrespective of gender differences and educational backgrounds. In relation to the key aim and objectives of the research study, the survey will be highly focus on the participants from a specific group with educational subject areas such as science and technology, finance and business studies. It can be affirmed that another researcher could conduct the similar study by employing the procedure of conducting semi-structured interview instead of performing survey. Therefore, generalized information will be used to gather relevant information in relation to the subject matter concerning the role of diet for the college students in their academic achievement (Burney, 2008). Research Approach In alignment with exploratory research paradigm based on a deductive design, a qualitative research approach will be undertaken in this research study, wherein utmost attention will be paid on interpreting the gathered data by considering different academic research findings. In addition, a meta-analysis of the secondary sources will be considered for justifying the relevance of the secondary information. This in turn will ultimately ensure that the quality of the research is enhanced. Furthermore, emphasizing adequate focus on qualitative research approach will assist in developing a structured flow of information in the study that will again help in maintaining the core subject area along with research question by the help of gathered data in the process (Sage Publications, 2010). Research Methods The research method would mainly focus on conducting using survey amid the respondents through a questionnaire method. In relation to the research question, the data collection process would further focus on incorporating academic theories and relevant survey results developed by different scholars. In this regard, relevancy in accordance with the above framed research question and aim will be highly focused in terms of selecting and using secondary data. In this context, the secondary research will primarily focus on selecting appropriate literatures in response to the impact of nutritional aspects on cognitive development of the college students (Handcock & Gile, 2011). This survey will be based on developing hypotheses in response to the proposed subject area of the research. Therefore, the required amount of information will be collected from questionnaire survey results and evaluated in accordance with the relevant academic theories and findings of the secondary researches conducted by the scholars. In addition, the research method to be applied in this study will also involve the use of secondary information for deriving relevant information. Accordingly, varied literatures will be reviewed to substantiate the valuable information gathered from different scholars. The process of evaluating literatures will certainly ensure that the information derived from the questionnaire survey is based upon strong, reliable and credible data and facts (Handcock & Gile, 2011). Data Analysis Method of the Research Hypothesis testing will be used for analyzing data in this research. Moreover, for analyzing secondary data, a meta-analysis will be conducted to determine valid and appropriate findings of the research. In this case, data interpretation will be done upon the information that has been collected from the questionnaire survey. The survey results will be represented in an easily understandable analyzing procedure by highlighting each question along with the feedbacks of the respondents. In order to represent the survey results, an effective usage of graphs and charts will also be incorporated. The procedure will further help the research study to formulate valid as well as appropriate findings in response to the key questions along with the major aim and objectives framed above in relation to the subject matter of the research study. Research Hypotheses The hypotheses of this proposed research have been developed in accordance with the research question along with aim and objectives depicted in the above. In relation to the proposed research area, the hypotheses have been developed with the understanding of academic theories which can help the research study to maintain validity and reliability. The following hypotheses determine the actual way of analyzing data that to be collected from a questionnaire survey. Null Hypothesis (H0): “Diet impose significant impact on the academic performance of college students” This hypothesis has been developed in order to clearly identify the role of daily intake of diets by the college students in developing their respective academic success. With regards to the above portrayed hypothesis, it can be affirmed that this will certainly help in formulating appropriate set of questions and acquire relevant results from the respondents. Moreover, the hypothesis will also provide a major insight in relation to this research in terms of determining possible consequences that might be occurred due to the intake of inappropriate diets, which impact the academic performances of the college students. In this regard, the hypothesis will substantially help in determining the key concerns derived from an ineffective diet on the college students. Additionally, it will further provide a major support to determine effective remedies for the students to deal with the academic challenges that might be generated due to the insufficient or inappropriate dietary habits. Alternative Hypothesis (H2): “The academic performance of the college students does not get impacted by the intake of diets” The second hypothesis developed for this research critically involves a contrasting view, which represents a limited or less relationship prevailing between diet and academic success of the college students. The hypothesis will substantially help the research study to identify or determine whether or not the nutritional diet intakes by the college students help them to achieve their academic objectives. In order to critically assess the key aim and objectives of the research, this hypothesis will also provide a major understanding about the negative impacts of diet on the academic performance of the college students. In this regard, the hypothesis will significantly help in understanding the negative consequences of diet that can substantially reduce the cognitive skills of the college students at large. References Arum, R., & Roksa, J. (2011). Academically adrift: Limited learning on college campuses. The United States of America: University of Chicago Press. Burney, S. M. A. (2008). Inductive & Deductive Research Approach. Retrieved from http://www.drburney.net/INDUCTIVE%20&%20DEDUCTIVE%20RESEARCH%20APPROACH%2006032008.pdf Ghosh, S., Rakshit, S., & Bhattacharya, M. (2013). Academic performance and nutritional status – A case study on college students in North Tripura. IOSR Journal of Research & Method in Education, 1(4), 57-68. Handcock, M. S., & Gile, K. J. (2011). On the concept of snowball sampling. Retrieved from http://arxiv.org/pdf/1108.0301.pdf Petrie, T., Hankes, D., & Denson, E. (2010). A student athletes guide to success. Boston: Cengage Learning. Pettay, R. F. (2008). Health behaviors and life satisfaction in college students. Manhattan: ProQuest. Sage Publications. (2007). Part I: overview of research. Retrieved from http://www.sagepub.com/upm-data/26094_3.pdf Solfrizz, V., Panza, F., & Capurso, A. (2003). The role of diet in cognitive decline. J Neural Transm, 110, 5-110. Trevouleds, D., & Grieger, I. (2012). Success and sanity on the college campus: A guide for parents. New York: R&L Education. Williams, C. (2007). Research methods. Journal of Business & Economic Research, 5(3), 65-72. Read More