A better alignment between chronotype and school timing is associated with lower grade retention in adolescents

RODRÍGUEZ FERRANTE, GUADALUPE; GOLDIN, ANDREA P.; SIGMAN, MARIANO; LEONE, MARÍA JULIANA

npj Science of Learning

Nature Publishing Group

Año: 2023 vol. 8

Schools start early in the morning all over the world, contrasting with adolescents’ late chronotype. Interestingly, lower academicperformance (i.e. grades or qualifications) was associated with later chronotypes. However, it is unclear whether it is a direct effectof chronotype or because students attend school too early to perform at their best. Moreover, little is known about how this affectsstudents’ academic success beyond their grades. To address this gap in knowledge, we studied how school timing and chronotypeaffect grade retention (i.e. repeat a year) in a unique sample of students randomly assigned to one of three different school timings(starting at 07:45, 12:40, or 17:20). Even when controlling for academic performance, we found that later chronotypes exhibit higherodds of grade retention only in the morning, but not in later school timings. Altogether, ensuring a better alignment betweenschool timing and students’ biological rhythms might enhance future opportunities of adolescents.