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PR2 Research Proposal - G4 - Alon, Añonuevo, Gutierrez, Valencia
PR2 Research Proposal - G4 - Alon, Añonuevo, Gutierrez, Valencia
AÑONUEVO, ALESUND D.
December 2022
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CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
The medicinal plant peppermint or mentha piperita has garnered more attention
nowadays due to its health benefits for the food and pharmaceutical community. It is frequently
utilized in conventional medicine and folk remedies for the treatment of gastrointestinal issues
and activities on the neurological system due to its chemopreventive potential, renal effects,
antiallergenic effects, anticancer, and antibacterial components (Masomeh et al., 2017). In line
with this, a study by Mahdavikian et al. (2021) showed that cardiovascular patients were
observed to experience less fatigue by inhaling scents like peppermint mostly through a diffuser
transitional period between a person’s waking consciousness and dream life. The most frequent
cause of excessive fatigue is inadequate sleep which is often voluntarily done especially by
students these days. Other contributing factors include working at night, taking naps throughout
the day, using alcohol, drugs, cigarettes, inactivity, obesity, and specific medications. However,
an underlying disease may also be the cause of sleepiness even at times when in need or want to
remain awake. Drowsiness is also frequently brought on by depression or a sleep disease such as
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Although some people could feel refreshed after a full night's sleep, the remainder of
individuals starts their days feeling completely tired. According to the State of Sleep Health in
America (2022), 70% of individuals report getting inadequate sleep at least once a month in
America, with 11% getting insufficient sleep every night. Sleep-related disorders are estimated to
affect 50 to 70 million Americans of all ages and socioeconomic backgrounds. Teens who lack
sleep are more likely to have a variety of implications such as difficulty concentrating,
unsatisfactory grades, occurrences of drowsy driving, anxiety, sadness, and even suicidal
Several studies have created various ways to decrease the number of accidents on the
road, which are primarily caused by carelessness and poor fit. A systematic review conducted by
Hashemi Nazari et al. (2017) concluded that interventions carried out over the globe to prevent
fatigue when driving falls within three categories. These are the educational activities, changes in
Li et al. (2012) suggested an intelligent system that uses two cameras to detect driver
drowsiness. The Dempster-Shafer theory is applied to enhance detection precision based on lane
detection, the car’s current position, and eyelid movement. A cooled and anti-drowsy helmet that
is capable of determining the number of pulses through the use of a pulse sensor was also
designed to decrease casualties (Hertanto et al., 2018). The buzzer will sound as a warning signal
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Based on the findings of a study conducted by Mahachandra et al. (2015), peppermint
also has the ability to be used as an in-vehicle fragrance to keep drivers alert. Participants took
part in the experiment in a car-driving simulator laboratory, where the participants' alertness level
by a journal article by Tang et al. (2021), it can be concluded that peppermint odor emission
A study by Czar (2009) specified how aromatherapy using various essential oils can
affect specific brain regions. According to his research, aromatherapy and the use of essential
oils, such as eucalyptus and peppermint, can effectively stimulate specific brain regions that are
known to control a person's level of attention. The alertness of an individual being dependent on
their attention levels could affect several aspects of their everyday life (Posner and Boies, 1971).
In the case of students who will also be the participants of this study, their academic performance
is at stake. Sleep deprivation reduces one’s alertness as this roots multiple cases of students
sleeping during class hours. Hence, this study is relevant up to this day as it will shed more light
on how specific essential oils activate the brain to increase alertness in diverse contexts.
There are little to no studies yet conducted locally about the effectiveness of peppermint
scent in reducing drowsiness. Mask patches that infuse distinct aromas are generally used as air
fresheners and purifiers to reduce unwanted odors. While most studies focus on the capability of
peppermint in reducing drowsiness while driving, the current study investigates the same aroma
but in an inclusion setting and through a different method. Peppermint-scented mask patches will
be utilized in order to determine their effectiveness in reducing drowsiness among SHS students.
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Research Questions
With students being the participants of this study, determining whether the use of
peppermint oil fragrance is effective in relieving drowsiness during class hours will be observed.
2. How did the peppermint-scented mask patches affect the energy of the participants?
4. Is there a difference between the sleepiness scales among the control and treatment
groups?
5. Are the peppermint-scented mask patches good for future use by students?
6. Does the time of day have an impact on the effectiveness of the peppermint scent?
Research Hypothesis
drowsiness is accompanied by two hypotheses. The null (Ho) hypothesis and alternative (Ha)
1. Ho = Peppermint scent from the mask patches will not reduce the drowsiness of a person.
2. Ha = Peppermint scent from the mask patches will reduce the drowsiness of a person.
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Significance of the Study
This quasi-experimental study aims to provide critical information and knowledge about
the chosen topic that will benefit the following groups and individuals:
1. Academe or Field of study. Having little to no research about this product locally in the
medical field in our country is a real challenge for the research community. Although 115
provided. Hence, this study will help the medical field broaden and discover the gaps in
other studies, such as the effectiveness of peppermint patches in aiding with the alertness
of people when using aromatherapy in an inclusion setting. Furthermore, this study may
be applied or used as a reference for similar topics within the medical field.
2. Government Agencies and Private Organizations. After acknowledging the need for the
proposed product in senior high school students, government agencies like the
Education Assistance Committee (PEAC) can provide mass production of the proposed
product to schools to help create a better learning environment. Hence, through this
improved learning environment the academic performances of the schools and students
can help boost the morale of the said organizations and agencies.
3. School Staff, Heads, and Administrators. For several school personnel, such as the
teachers, principals, and school directors, this study will provide a better learning
environment for them and the students wherein they can maximize learning where both
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4. The population where the subjects belong to. The senior high school students can find a
solution to help alleviate their drowsiness and help keep them energized throughout the
day using this study and its product. In addition, the study provides students with an
alternative to coffee and other chemical-induced energizers that only last for a short
period of time in comparison with the proposed product which can last for a significant
amount of time.
5. Other Researchers. Other researchers can use the results of this experimental study as a
foundation for their ongoing or future research. This can also direct and navigate them in
discovering credible, reliable, crucial factors that can help them further understand the
other researchers can confirm or refute the efficacy of the strategies and peppermint scent
Previous investigations have used peppermint in a broad context. However, the use of
mask patches in inducing the peppermint fragrance to relieve sleepiness was never conducted.
Due to a large population and time constraints, participants other than SHS students are excluded
from the study. These subjects are chosen to be focused on since their ages fall in the teen and
adult categories. According to Roach (2022), the age of senior high school students is typically
16-18 years. This falls between the age group of teenagers (13–18 years) who have a
recommended 8–10 hours of sleep and adults (18–60 years) who need 7 or more hours of sleep a
night according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2022).
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Nowadays, sleep deprivation is so common that everyone, regardless of their age, can
experience it. Still, teenagers are more susceptible to difficulties with their emotional well-being
and mental health than adults (Parantar et al., 2021). With these qualities of theirs, lack of sleep
patches in reducing drowsiness using various sleepiness scales. Here, the peppermint scent
serves as the independent variable while the drowsiness levels of the individuals are the
dependent ones. As this research uses a quasi-experimental design, control and treatment groups
are to be selected among sleep-deprived SHS students within the vicinities of Santa Cruz, Pila,
and Los Baños, Laguna. The differences between the locations and environments of the
participants can be considered extraneous variables. Thus, questionnaires shall be filled out in
the morning for the first half of data gathering while the other will be answered in the afternoon.
This helps lessen the adverse effects of confounding variables since there are numerous instances
wherein masks are removed before entering school, at lunchtime, and after school hours.
This study is limited to the use of behavioral measures (Psychomotor Vigilance Test) and
subjective rating scales (Epworth Sleepiness Scale and Stanford Sleepiness Scale) since
electrophysiological measures such as the use of machinery and scientific equipment are beyond
the financial capabilities of the researchers. These scales were selected as they are the most
comprehensive and common. At the same time, numerous studies supported the validation of
these scales.
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Hence, results acquired from the Epworth Sleepiness Scale in the pre-screening
questionnaire will accurately select the needed participants of this study while the Stanford
Sleepiness Scale in the researcher-made questionnaire will affirm whether or not a participant’s
drowsiness has changed before and after the intervention. Considering the limitations and
delimitations of this study, the current research solely aims to determine the effectiveness of
peppermint scent in reducing sleepiness among selected SHS students and does not intend to go
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CHAPTER II
METHODOLOGY
Research Design
This quantitative study will use a quasi-experimental design as it aims to determine the
studies and is often used to assess the effectiveness of particular interventions (Harris et al.,
2006). In this case, the researchers will use non-randomly chosen control groups, specifically
drowsiness.
A stratified random sampling of the population will be used in this study. Among the
results of the pre-screening questionnaire, thirty participants from public and private schools who
show sleep deprivation and lack of energy in school will be asked to participate in the survey.
The participants will be chosen from 3 towns in Laguna, mainly the vicinities of Santa Cruz,
Pila, and Los baños. The SHS students are chosen to be the best participants due to their age
being 16-18 years old which are classified as teens and young adults.
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SHS Students who agree to participate will be requested to answer and complete the
survey explicitly during their morning classes or afternoon classes. This option helps the
researchers to determine whether the results of the questionnaires are determined by the time of
day and the subjects they went through. The chosen participants would be required to answer the
morning questionnaires in the first week and the afternoon questionnaires in the second week.
Instruments
Cluydts et al. (2002) proposed three categories of methods for measuring an individual’s
sleepiness. These are subjective rating scales, behavioral measures, and electrophysiological
measures. The current study adopted assessment tools for sleepiness such as the Epworth
Sleepiness Scale (see Appendix A) and the Stanford Sleepiness Scale (see Appendix B) which
are both subjective rating scales, and the psychomotor vigilance test (see Appendix C) from
behavioral measures. A study by Riegel et al. (2012) also used the three chosen tools. Thus, it
will be the basis of this research instrumentation and analysis. However, a pre-screening and a
researcher-made questionnaire will be included also to achieve the main goal of this study.
The Epworth Sleepiness Scale, first created by Dr. Johns in 1990 and later revised in
1997, is a widely used subjective indicator of a patient's daytime sleepiness in the field of sleep
medicine (Johns, n.d.). The test consists of a list of eight scenarios in which you rate your
propensity to nod off on a scale from 0 (no chance of nodding off) to 3 (high chance of nodding
off). There is a lot of evidence demonstrating the ESS's validated psychometric qualities, making
it appropriate for screening daytime sleepiness in a variety of populations around the world.
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The Stanford Sleepiness Scale (SSS), created in 1972 by William C. Dement and
seven-point Likert scale, with the scoring of respondents using the scale from one to seven to
indicate their current level of sleepiness. One is equated to feeling vital, alert, or wide awake, and
seven is equated to feeling that sleep is about to begin (Shahid et al., 2011). The scale, which can
be administered in just two to three minutes, is typically used for research and clinical purposes
to monitor general alertness at different times of the day. In a preliminary analysis of the SSS,
Hoddes and colleagues discovered that average SSS scores were significantly higher after 24
hours of complete sleep deprivation. Following total sleep deprivation, researchers discovered
that the scale can be used to predict performance on tasks requiring alertness (such as reaction
time or vigilance tests). However, the scale is less sensitive to partial sleep deprivation, which
most closely resembles the difficulties experienced by people with sleep disorders.
The psychomotor vigilance test evaluates the impact of sleep loss, prolonged
wakefulness, circadian misalignment or inappropriately timed sleep and wake, and task
completion on changes in alertness related to fatigue (Basner et al., 2011). Multiple PVT
applications, websites, and software have been created and utilized by previous studies. Due to
financial constraints and uncertain test durations of the other PVTs, a free PVT website created
by Sleep Disorders Center Florida that produces results and interpretations after 2 minutes of test
time is used in the current study. Although no study has utilized this specific website, a
parametric statistical method will be used to determine the correlation of results acquired here
and on the Stanford Sleepiness Scale. If a negligible correlation is observed, data gathered from
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The pre-screening questionnaire (see Appendix D) constructed by the researchers
contains dichotomous questions and the ESS scale to determine whether they are qualified to be
the participants of the study. Spaces for their name, age, contact number, and Facebook
messenger handle are also to be filled. Once identified using a random sampling technique, the
researcher-made questionnaire (see Appendix E) attached will be provided. This includes the
SSS, PVT, and five 5-point Likert scale questions where 1 is the lowest and 5 is the highest.
Results from this questionnaire will define the discussions of the study to fulfill its objectives.
Prior to the selection of the participants, the researchers will reach out to all schools with
SHS students in Santa Cruz, Pila, and Los Baños, Laguna. Letters will be sent through their
e-mail addresses to ask for the SHS sections and class list (see Appendix F). A random sampling
technique will be used in all participant selection processes through an online spinning wheel.
Among the responses, one (1) public and private school from each town will be selected,
followed by the selection of sections. All pupils within the determined section’s class list will be
sent an online pre-screening questionnaire via Google Forms. Based on the responses,
individuals who are said to experience sleep deprivation will be sent an informed consent form
(see Appendix G). Ten (10) selected respondents who agree to participate in the study shall
answer the instruments to be used. These are mainly the questionnaire, SSS, and perform the
PVT for pilot testing. Potential problems that may occur during the experimentation will be
identified through an online survey (see Appendix H). Shall there be any complications and
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Still, with the use of an online spinning wheel, the control and treatment groups for each
school will be selected. Both are composed of five (5) respondents each from the selected ten
(10) respondents per school. The only dissimilarity between the data collection procedure of the
groups is that the treatment group will be given masks with the peppermint-scented mask patch
attached while the control group will be simply given masks without any patches. This
experimentation will be done for a total of ten (10) days. Half of these will be conducted in the
morning (after the student’s school arrival until before lunchtime). The other half will be
conducted in the afternoon (after lunchtime until before the student’s school dismissal). Masks,
mask patches, and printed questionnaires good for the whole experimental duration will be given
After the student’s school arrival/lunchtime, the participants shall wear the masks (with a
peppermint-scented mask patch for the treatment group and none for the control group) given,
answer the SSS, and finish the two (2) minute PVT to be noted in the given printed
questionnaires. Before lunchtime/school dismissal, they shall answer the SSS and do the two (2)
minute PVT once again. Additionally, the questions measured by the Likert scale are to be
answered by the treatment groups. Due to the incapability of the researchers to supervise and
observe the participants in each school, a message through their Facebook Messenger will be
sent on the days when the experimentation will be done. This will serve as a reminder to the
participants to answer the questionnaire on time and send a photo of the accomplished
questionnaire subsequently after completion. Similarly, the researchers will be given validation
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On each day of the experimentation, the researchers will encode the data, shown in the
photos sent by the participants, via Google Spreadsheets. The printed questionnaires will be
collected once all are accomplished. These will be used to cross-check the encoded data
Parametric statistical interventions will be applied to the values obtained from the
questionnaires as this study uses ratio scales and has a sample size of 30 for each control and
treatment group. Statistical applications utilized in this study are the three measures of central
tendency, standard deviation, Pearson's r, and T-test. Results acquired subsequently from these
will be the basis of the researchers’ interpretation of data on whether the treatment used is
effective or not.
The following statistical applications will be done in the collected data of SSS and PVT
from the treatment group and control groups. Pearson’s r will be used to determine a linear
relationship between the scale ratings from the SSS and the average response time indicated in
the PVT before and after treatment intervention. As said in the instruments, the specific PVT
website used has not been validated by any previous studies. Therefore, a Pearson’s r coefficient
between .00 to .30 which interprets a negligible correlation will make the PVT results invalid. If
so, the mean and standard deviation of the scale ratings from the SSS will be computed. The
mean value result will be interpreted using the following range (Riegel et al., 2012): 0 - 3.99
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Descriptive statistics will be used in relation to the T-test. The mean scores of the SSS
and PVT (data after intervention for the treatment group and the second input of data for the
control group) will be computed to determine the significance level. A p-value less than the
significance level will denote that the alternative hypothesis (peppermint scent from the mask
The measures of central tendency will be utilized in interpreting the gathered data from
the Likert scale questions. Interpretation of these questions will be used to determine, clarify, and
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APPENDIX A
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APPENDIX B
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APPENDIX C
http://www.sleepdisordersflorida.com/pvt1.html#responseOut
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APPENDIX D
PRE-SCREENING QUESTIONNAIRE
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APPENDIX E
QUESTIONNAIRE
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APPENDIX F
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APPENDIX G
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APPENDIX H
PILOT-TESTING SURVEY
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