Suggest 2 ways it could have been improved (6)

• Improve ethical clarity: right to withdraw

  • P: one way we could have improved our study was by reinforcing participants' right to withdraw, which is essential for maintaining ethical integrity
  • E: although consent was initially given, participants may have not been reminded they could withdraw their data at any point - particularly after submitting their sleep diaries
  • E: this may have caused some participants to feel locked in to research, especially if they have shared sensitive information. By clearly stating withdrawal rights again at the end of the study, and setting a transparent deadline for data removal, we could have reduced this pressure and ensured full informed consent
  • L: this would improve ethical standards and participants' autonomy, reducing the risk of psychological harm and enhancing trust in the research process
• reduce sampling bias: improve representativeness


  • P: another improvement would be using a more representative sampling method to address selection bias and improve generalisabilty
  • E: we relied on opportunity sampling from one sixth-form group, which may have led to a homogenous sample of similar ages and lifestyles, potentionally affecting the results on sleep patterns
  • E: this introduces bias, as participants who opted in may differ in motivation or sleep behaviour from those who didnt. using stratified or random sampling would reduce this bias by including a wider range of students and staff, helping balance variables like age or workload
  • L: this would enhance both the external validity and fairness of the research, making findings more applicable to wider population