Morningness-eveningness is not associated with academic performance in the afternoon school shift: Preliminary findings

Effects of school start time and its interaction with the solar clock on adolescents' chronotype and sleep: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Adolescents' late chronotypes colliding with early school start times (SSTs) are associated with students' unhealthy sleep habits. Most studies comparing different SSTs associate later SSTs with longer sleep duration and lower social jetlag. However, the magnitude of the effect varies between studies and the effect of different SSTs on chronotype is not well established. Importantly, although human circadian rhythms are entrained by sunlight, when studying the effect of different SSTs on adolescents' sleep habits usually only the social clock, and not the solar clock, is considered. This meta-analysis investigates whether later SSTs affect adolescents' sleep habits and chronotype and it assesses factors that can modulate this effect, including the relative importance of social and solar clocks. Here, through a database search we identify 37 studies comparing the effect of different SSTs on adolescents' sleep habits and/or chronotype. Random effect meta-analyses showed that later SSTs are associated with later sleep timings and longer sleep duration on weekdays, lower levels of social jetlag, and later chronotypes. Several meta-regressions reveal that the distance between compared SSTs and the interplay between SSTs and the solar clock modulate the effect of different SSTs on sleep timings and duration on weekdays.

Comparison of Chronotypes and their Relationship with Academic Performance and Quality of Life in University Students

Objective  An individual's chronotype affects circadian characteristics associated with bedtime, waking, and other daily activities. It is known that academic achievement is strongly dependent on personality traits. The present study aimed to investigate the relationship regarding chronotype, quality of life, and academic performance of university students by comparing three educational fields: medicine, technology, and art. Materials and Methods  The present cross-sectional study was conducted with 400 medicine, technology, and art students enrolled at universities in Tehran between2018 and 2019, with convenience sampling from January 2020 to January 2021. The students filled out online questionnaires, including a demographics questionnaire, a quality of life assessment questionnaire (the World Health Organization Quality of Life: Brief Version, WHOQOL-BREF), the Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire (MEQ), the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale-21 items (DASS-21). The statistical analysis was performed using the IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows software, version 22.0 ( p  < 0.05). Results  A total of 400 students were enrolled in the present study, including 115 medicine, 153 technology, and 132 art students (67.3% of female and 33.7% of male subjects, with a mean age of 21.06 ± 2.063 years). In spite of the absence of significant differences among the chronotypes of the three groups, there was a significant correlation regarding the chronotypes in all groups and quality of life ( p  = 0.005). Morning-type individuals presented better quality of life and better quality of sleep ( p  < 0.001; r = 0.175). No significant associations were found involving the students' academic performance and their chronotypes ( p  > 0.05; r = 0.026). Conclusion  Considering the chronotype's effect of improving the quality of life of students and, therefore, their academic performance, more studies are essential to effectively improve the academic performance of individuals with different chronotypes.

The Impact of the Double School Shift System on Lifestyle Behaviors Among Mexican Adolescents

PURPOSE

Early school start times could adversely impact adolescent sleep duration. They could also impact other behaviors like diet and physical activity, either directly or indirectly through effects on sleep. We examined whether the double school shift system was associated with sleep, diet, and physical activity behaviors among Mexican adolescents.

METHODS

The analytic sample included 305 Mexican adolescents from a cohort study (on average 14.53 ± 1.75 years old and 51% male). Sleep and physical activity were measured with wrist actigraphy, while diet and other lifestyle behaviors were assessed with questionnaires. Regression analyses were conducted to compare lifestyle behaviors between the morning and afternoon school shifts, adjusting for potential confounders.

RESULTS

Adolescents attending the morning school shift (44%) had pronounced differences in sleep compared to those attending afternoon shift, including a 1.77-hour shorter sleep duration on weekdays (95% CI -1.55, -2.00), a 0.40-hour longer sleep duration on weekends (95% CI 0.10, 0.70), higher social jetlag (1.07 hours with a 95% CI of 0.87, 1.27), and an earlier chronotype. Morning shift students also had 0.85 hours longer sedentary time (95% CI 0.61, 1.10) and higher consumption of a meat and starchy food dietary pattern. Among boys only, morning shift was associated with a lower likelihood of smoking and higher consumption of a breakfast pattern.

DISCUSSION

Overall, attending a morning school shift was associated with shorter sleep, more social jetlag, greater sedentary time, and higher consumption of a meat and starchy diet. However, among boys, a few healthier behaviors were observed for the morning versus afternoon shift.

Neurocognitive Effects of Sleep Disruption in Children and Adolescents

A main childhood task is learning. In this task, the role of sleep is increasingly demonstrated. Although most literature examining this role focuses on preadolescence and middle adolescence, some studies apply napping designs in preschoolers. Studies overall conclude that without proper sleep a child's cognitive abilities suffer, but questions on how and to what extent linger. Observational studies show the hazards of potential confounders such as an individual's resilience to poor sleep as well as developmental risk factors (eg, disorders, stressors). A better understanding of cognitive sleep neuroscience may have a big impact on pediatric sleep research and clinical applications.

Association between sleep hours and changes in cognitive function according to the morningness-eveningness type: A population-based study

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to investigate proper sleep hours to reduce the risk of cognitive decrease considering morningness-eveningness type.

METHODS

The Korean Community Health Survey was used, which includes adults aged over 19 years old. These data were obtained from a cross-sectional study and assessed sleep hours using questionnaire of Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Based on the wake-up time of each participant, they were classified into the morningness, intermediate, eveningness, and none groups. The change in cognitive function was determined by a single question about memory loss experience.

RESULTS

A total of 224,714 participants were included in the analysis. Of the participants, 55.6 % and 5.0 % of whom had morningness and eveningness, respectively. The risk of cognitive decline was significantly different by sleep hours and morningness-eveningness type. Without considering sleep quality, the intermediate and eveningness groups showed a higher risk of cognitive decline than the morningness group, and the risk was lowest in those with 7-9 sleep hours. However, when sleep quality showing significant effect was included in the analysis, sleep hours showing the lowest risk were different among morningness, intermediate, eveningness groups, and it was the shortest in the morningness type at 5-6 h and the longest in the eveningness type at 7-8 h.

CONCLUSION

Proper sleep hours to decrease the risk of cognitive decline may be different by morningness-eveningness types. However, when considering sleep quality, sleep duration had little influence on cognitive decline. Future studies investigating healthy sleep hours need to consider sleep quality as well as the habitual sleep schedules.

LIMITATIONS

The morningness-eveningness types were classified based on wake-up time not morningness-eveningness types. The morningness-eveningness types in this study would be interpreted as habitual sleep schedule rather than chronotype.

Circadian preference and physical and cognitive performance in adolescence: A scoping review

Adolescence is a crucial period of development which coincides with changes in circadian rhythmicity. This may augment the impact of circadian preference on performance in this group. We aimed to scope the literature available on chronotypes and their effect on physical and mental aspects of performance in adolescents. Studies were identified by systematically searching bibliographical databases and grey literature. The Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire was the most frequently reported tool for circadian preference assessment. Academic achievement was the most prevailing outcome, with evidence suggesting that morning type adolescents tend to outperform evening types, yet the results vary depending on multiple factors. Performance in tests of intelligence and executive functions was generally better at optimal times of the day (synchrony effect). Physical performance was examined in 8 studies, with very heterogeneous outcomes. Although the associations between circadian preference and performance in adolescents are evident in some areas, there are many factors that may be involved in the relationship and require further investigation. This review highlights the assessment of physical performance in relation to chronotypes, the multidimensional assessment of circadian preference, and the need for longitudinal studies as priorities for further research.Protocol: OSF Registration - Public registration, DOI: 10.17605/OSF.IO/UCA3Z.

Afternoon school shift is associated with increased risk of overweight/obesity in 11-14-year-old females with early and intermediate chronotype

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to compare the anthropometric and sleep-wake rhythm characteristics of schoolchildren that attend school in morning and afternoon school shifts.

METHODS

We recruited 18 481 individuals (females: 56.4%) aged 11 to 18 years old with an average age of 14.4 ± 1.7 years old. In total, 812 (4.2%) questionnaires were incomplete. The self-reported height and weight were used to assess the sex- and age-corrected body mass index of the participants. The Munich ChronoType Questionnaire was used to assess the chronotype, social jetlag, and sleep duration of the participants.

RESULTS

In total, 12.6% of the participants were affected by overweight or obesity. The overweight and obesity incidence rate was higher among the students studying in the afternoon (odd ratio [95%CI]: 1.33 [1.16-1.52]). The afternoon school shift had a negative impact on the anthropometric indicators only in the 11-14-year-olds (1.29 [1.11-1.50]) and girls (1.26 [1.04-1.54]) with an early (1.27 [1.03-1.56]) and intermediate (1.30 [1.07-1.58]) chronotype.

CONCLUSION

The data obtained indicated that the afternoon school shift is not ideal, especially for female children and adolescents under 15 years old with an early and intermediate chronotype.

The influence of a permanent double-shift school start time on adolescent sleep and chronotype across different age groups

The main objective of this study was to explore the differences in sleep habits and chronotype across different age groups in Mexican adolescents attending a permanent double-shift school system. This cross-sectional study consisted of 1,969 (1,084 girls) students from public elementary, secondary, and high schools, as well as undergraduate university students from Mexico. Age range was 10-22 [15.33 ± 3.28 (mean ± SD)] years, 988 morning shift and 981 afternoon shift students. Questions regarding usual self-reported bedtime and rise time were collected, and from that, estimates for time in bed, midpoint of sleep, social jetlag, and chronotype were evaluated. Afternoon shift students reported later rise times, bedtimes, midpoint of sleep, and longer time in bed on school days than morning shift students, as well as less social jetlag. Overall, afternoon shift students reported a later chronotype than morning shift students. Peak lateness of chronotype in afternoon shift students was at age 15, with girls peaking at age 14 and boys at age 15. Meanwhile, morning shift students reported peak lateness of chronotype around age 20. In this study, adolescents from different age ranges attending an extremely delayed school start time reported adequate sleep compared with adolescents attending a fixed morning school start time. In addition, the analysis presented in this study seems to suggest that the peak of late chronotype may be influenced by school start times.

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

Schools start early in the morning all over the world, contrasting with adolescents' late chronotype. Interestingly, lower academic performance (i.e. grades or qualifications) was associated with later chronotypes. However, it is unclear whether it is a direct effect of chronotype or because students attend school too early to perform at their best. Moreover, little is known about how this affects students' academic success beyond their grades. To address this gap in knowledge, we studied how school timing and chronotype affect 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 higher odds of grade retention only in the morning, but not in later school timings. Altogether, ensuring a better alignment between school timing and students' biological rhythms might enhance future opportunities of adolescents.

Chronotype, Time of Day, and Performance on Intelligence Tests in the School Setting

Research suggests the existence of an association between chronotype and intellectual performance, but the nature of this link remains unclear. Studies conducted in a laboratory setting point to the synchrony effect (better performance at a person's preferred time of day) for fluid intelligence, but not for crystallized intelligence, whereas studies that have analyzed students' grades suggest that the effect exists for both. In the present study, we aimed to verify the synchrony effect by applying direct measures of crystallized intelligence, fluid intelligence, and subjective sleepiness-alertness in a sample of high school students during their morning or afternoon class. The results revealed a synchrony effect for crystallized, but not for fluid intelligence. During morning class, students with a morning chronotype performed better than evening chronotypes on a test of crystallized intelligence, whereas during afternoon class there was no difference between chronotypes. The association resulted from decreased performance during morning class in evening chronotypes that improved during afternoon class and constant performance in morning chronotypes. These effects were independent of sleepiness-alertness levels. The results suggest that individual differences between chronotypes may be important for tasks performed during morning classes, but not during afternoon ones, and that performance across school days may depend on time of day in evening chronotypes.

Factors that influence morningness-eveningness and daytime sleepiness: A cross-cultural comparison of Iranian and Brazilian adolescents

As adolescents get older, they become more evening oriented and, because they are usually expected to wake early to attend school, they often present daytime sleepiness, which is associated with negative outcomes. It is still unclear if this is similar cross-culturally. Here, we studied morningness-eveningness and daytime sleepiness in early adolescence from two different developing nations (Brazil and Iran). A total sample of 697 Iranian and Brazilian early adolescents (9- to 15-year-old; 358 boys) from Tehran, Iran, and São Paulo, Brazil, varying in age and parental schooling (a proxy of socioeconomic status: SES) completed the Morningness-Eveningness Scale for Children (MESC) and the Pediatric Daytime Sleepiness Scale (PDSS) and reported their total sleep time on school nights. They also filled in the Pubertal Developmental Scale to determine their pubertal status. A negligible cross-cultural difference in morningness-eveningness was found, indicating that Brazilians showed a slight circadian-phase delay compared with Iranians throughout all tested ages. There was also seen a very slight increase in phase delay as early adolescents aged, indicative of more eveningness. However, there were no country differences in daytime sleepiness once total sleep time during school nights was controlled for, which was the only factor that affects PDSS scores.

The Effect of Chronotype on Oppositional Behaviour and Psychomotor Agitation of School-Age Children: A Cross-Sectional Study

The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between chronotype, classroom behaviour and school performance in 140 healthy school-age children attending various levels of education during the 1st cycle during 2021 in Portugal. In this cross-sectional and quantitative study, the Chronotype Questionnaire for Children (to assess the chronotype) and the Conners Scale-a reduced version was presented to the teachers (to assess behaviours such as excessive movement, inattention and oppositional behaviours)-were used. The methodology of this study followed a comparative method since the independent variables were not controlled, and therefore, it was still possible to compare the differences between the morning and evening groups. Statistical methods were used such as multivariate analyses, inter-item correlations and reliability tests, and descriptive tests were used for the percentile analysis. The sample was divided into three groups based on the identification of the chronotype-morning, intermediate and evening types-to further study the relationship between these chronotypes, their academic performance and classroom behaviour were studied. A multivariate analysis of variance revealed that there was a higher rate of oppositional behaviour in the morning type and no differences in the school performance during the two semesters (covering all of the school periods) regarding the chronotype effect, even with the analysis of regression parameters and covariates. On the other hand, the morning-type children showed a greater amount of motor agitation and impulsivity after controlling for the gender covariate. Age had an effect on the chronotype, after controlling for the covariate parental education. This study highlights the need for further research on the chronotype of the morning children in order to regulate their behaviour. The data that were obtained raise questions that have not been yet considered in the literature in the area of education and infant development.

Chronotype at the beginning of secondary school and school timing are both associated with chronotype development during adolescence

The misalignment between late chronotypes and early school start times affect health, performance and psychological well-being of adolescents. Here we test whether, and how, the baseline chronotype (i.e. chronotype at the beginning of secondary school) and the school timing affect the magnitude and the direction of the developmental change in chronotype during adolescence. We evaluated a sample of Argentinian students (n = 259) who were randomly assigned to attend school in the morning (07:45 a.m.–12:05 p.m.), afternoon (12:40 p.m.–05:00 p.m.) or evening (05:20 p.m.–09:40 p.m.) school timings. Importantly, chronotype and sleep habits were assessed longitudinally in the same group of students along secondary school (at 13–14 y.o. and 17–18 y.o.). Our results show that: (1) although chronotypes partially align with class time, this effect is insufficient to fully account for the differences observed in sleep-related variables between school timings; (2) both school timing and baseline chronotype are independently associated with the direction and the magnitude of change in chronotype, with greater delays related to earlier baseline chronotypes and later school timings. The practical implications of these results are challenging and should be considered in the design of future educational timing policies to improve adolescents’ well-being.

Impact of a Behavioral Sleep Intervention in Adolescents With ADHD: Feasibility, Acceptability, and Preliminary Effectiveness From a Pilot Open Trial

OBJECTIVE

An open trial tested the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effectiveness of a behavioral sleep intervention in adolescents with ADHD.

METHOD

Fourteen adolescents (ages 13-17 years; 50% male) with ADHD and co-occurring sleep problems received the cognitive-behavioral-based Transdiagnostic Sleep and Circadian Intervention for Youth (TranS-C). Adolescent, parent, and teacher ratings, actigraphy, and daily sleep diaries were collected at pre-intervention, post-intervention, and 3-month follow-up.

RESULTS

Adolescents experienced moderate to large improvements in sleep, mental health symptoms, and daily life executive functioning from pre-treatment to post-treatment, and improvements were generally maintained at 3 months. Pre-intervention, 71.4% of adolescents were classified as poor sleepers and this was reduced to 21.4% and 28.6% at post-treatment and follow-up, respectively.

CONCLUSION

This study provides strong preliminary evidence that TranS-C improves sleep and associated outcomes in adolescents with ADHD and co-occurring sleep problems. A randomized controlled trial is needed to rigorously test the efficacy of TranS-C in this population.

Investigation of the relationship between chronotype, learning style and academic achievement of university students during distance education in the pandemic period

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between chronotype, learning style, and academic achievement. The study sample consisted of 1884 volunteer undergraduate students from 58 different universities across Turkey. The data were collected online during distance education because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Turkish version of Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire (MEQ) and Big16 Learning Modality Inventory were used for data collection. The correlation between chronotype and cumulative grade point average (CGPA) scores was analyzed using Spearman's rho, and differences among the chronotypes were analyzed with Kruskal-Wallis test. Chi-square tests with pairwise z-test were used to analyze the relationships between the participants' learning style preferences and chronotypes. Also, ANCOVA analyses were performed to evaluate the interactions of gender × chronotype and gender × learning style on CGPA scores. The results revealed that participants' preference for visual and auditory styles differed by chronotype. Visual learning style was more dominant among morning (M) types, while auditory style was more dominant among evening (E) types. However, the most preferred learning style was visual, followed by auditory and kinesthetic styles for all chronotypes. No relationship was found between chronotype and academic achievement. The CGPA scores of the participants with kinesthetic learning style were lower than the participants with auditory and visual learning styles. The female participants had higher CGPA score than males. However, the CGPA scores did not differ for both male and female participants with different chronotype and learning style preferences. From the results, we suggest that academic achievement can be enhanced by consideration of students' learning style preferences for all chronotypes.

Social jetlag among Japanese adolescents: Association with irritable mood, daytime sleepiness, fatigue, and poor academic performance

Social jetlag, a form of circadian misalignment, has been suggested to induce several clinical symptoms such as mental/physical health problems. However, evidence on the association of social jetlag with general daytime functioning (e.g., school life) is limited. This cross-sectional study aimed to 1) estimate the distribution of social jetlag exceeding one hour and 2) comprehensively explore the associations between social jetlag and irritable mood, daytime sleepiness, and poor academic performance among Japanese adolescents. The study included 4,782 students aged 12-15 years, from 13 junior high schools, who completed a self-administered questionnaire. Social jetlag was calculated as the difference in the midpoint of sleep between weekdays and weekends and was categorized as follow: negative, <1 h, 1-2 h, or ≥2 h. Outcomes were irritable mood, daytime sleepiness, and academic performance, which were analyzed with generalized linear mixed models to examine the relations with social jetlag, with adjustments for potential confounders like sleep quality. The distribution of social jetlag of ≥1 h was 51.1%, including 1-2 h (35.8%) and ≥2 h (15.3%). Its most frequently observed duration was 0 to <1 h (41.0%), followed by negative social jetlag (7.9%). The full adjusted model revealed that social jetlag of ≥1 h was associated with elevated risk of irritable mood, daytime sleepiness, and poor academic performance, while negative social jetlag was associated only with poor academic performance. Social jetlag was highly prevalent among Japanese adolescents and could be a major risk factor for irritable mood, daytime sleepiness, and poor academic performance.Abbreviations: BMI, Body mass index; DLMO, Dim light melatonin onset; CIs, Confidence intervals; MSF, The midpoints of sleep on free days; MSF_sc, Sleep-corrected MSF; MSW, The midpoints of sleep on weekdays; PDSS, The Pediatric Daytime Sleepiness Scale.

Sleep and Depressive Symptoms in the Morningness/Eveningness-Suicidal Ideation Relationship Depend on School Shift in Mexican Adolescents

The aim was to analyze the morningness/eveningness (M/E) effect on suicidal ideation through sleep and depressive symptoms mediators with school shift (i.e., morning and afternoon) as moderator. In this study, 586 Mexican adolescents, with a mean age of 16.31 ± 0.92, from a public high school in a double-shift school system (298 from the morning shift and 288 from the afternoon shift) participated. Measurements of sleep, morningness/eveningness (circadian preference), depressive symptomology, and suicidal ideation were completed. Adolescents in the afternoon shift reported a later rise time, bedtime, greater time in bed sleep length, and less social jet lag than in the morning shift. Considering the moderated-mediated analysis, circadian preference and suicidal ideation were mediated by both depressive symptoms and school day’s sleep length in the morning shift. In the afternoon shift, no mediation effect was significant. When weekend sleep length was considered in the model, only depressive symptoms had a mediating effect between circadian preference and suicidal ideation in the morning shift; no significant mediating effect was found on the afternoon shift. The results suggest that an afternoon school schedule may act as a protective factor for the adolescent’s mental health and may represent a viable option for future interventions.

Circadian preference and intelligence - an updated meta-analysis

A large number of previous studies reported a link between circadian preference and psychometric intelligence with mixed results and various hypotheses about the source of this correlation. In this study, we aimed to update a previous meta-analysis about the correlation between circadian preference and intelligence. Our literature search identified a large number of new studies, resulting in an increase of over 100% in the number of studies and over 400% in the number of involved participants (total k = 30, total N = 11160) over the previous meta-analysis, sampling a much wider age range from children to adults in late middle age. Our meta-analysis revealed no significant link between morningness and intelligence (r = -0.008) when the entire sample was studied, and no evidence for publication bias. This overall effect, however, obscured the moderating effect of age. The morningness-intelligence correlation decreased with mean sample age (R² = 54%), ranging from a non-significant positive trend in children and adolescents to a significant negative correlation after young adulthood. Eveningness was positively correlated with intelligence (r = 0.056), but this finding is based on a more age-restricted sample and only reached significance with some model specifications. We hypothesize that the age-moderated correlation between circadian preference and intelligence reflects social effects, where more intelligent individuals are more able to adjust their daily schedules to their natural circadian rhythm.

Circadian preference and academic achievement in school-aged students: a systematic review and a longitudinal investigation of reciprocal relations

We provide a systematic review of findings on the relation between circadian preference and school achievement published after the last comprehensive review in 2015. We further test this relation in a longitudinal study. Our review of 26 studies revealed a positive relation between morningness and students' school achievement, and a negative relation between eveningness and school achievement. In most studies, these relations were not affected by students' age, sex, or intelligence, but were significantly mediated by students' conscientiousness, motivation, and sleep behavior. Furthermore, circadian preference and school achievement showed no significant relation when school started in the afternoon. All studies were cross-sectional. Therefore, the direction of the relations between circadian preference, school achievement, and potential mediating variables like conscientiousness and motivation could not be investigated. In our longitudinal study, we tested the direction of the relations between circadian preference, academic achievement, conscientiousness, self-efficacy, and attitude toward school over time in a sample of 764 German high school students who were tested in the first (T1) and third (T2) year of high school. Findings from confirmatory cross-lagged models indicated reciprocal relations between circadian preference and school achievement: T1 morningness positively predicted change in grade point average over time while T1 grade point average positively predicted change in morningness and negatively predicted change in eveningness. Furthermore, T1 conscientiousness and T1 attitude toward school both positively predicted change in morningness, whereas T1 morningness and T1 eveningness did not significantly predict change in these variables.

Should I study or should I go (to sleep)? The influence of test schedule on the sleep behavior of undergraduates and its association with performance

Sleep is crucial for college students' well-being. Although recommended sleep duration is between 7-9 hours per day, many students do not sleep that much. Scholar demands are among the causes of observed sleep deprivation in youth. We explored the influence of having a school test on previous night sleep in first-year students and the association of sleep duration and test performance. We ran two surveys in freshman students of the Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay: 1) 97 students of the School of Sciences who took the test at the same time; and 2) 252 School of Psychology students who took the test in four successive shifts. More than 1/2 of the participants (survey #1) and almost 1/3 (survey #2) reported short regular sleep duration (< 7h). In both samples, the sleep duration of the night before the test was reduced with respect to regular nights (survey #1: 2.1 ± 0.2 h, p < 0.001; survey #2: between 1.7 ± 0.4 h and 3.6 ± 0.3 h, all p < 0.001), with more than 10% of the students who did not sleep at all. In survey 2, sleep duration increased in later shifts (F (3,248) = 4.6, p = 0.004). Using logit regressions, we confirmed that sleep duration was positively related to test scores in both samples (survey #1: exp B = 1.15, p < 0.001; pseudo-R2 = 0.38; survey #2: exp B = 1.03, p < 0.001; pseudo-R2 = 0.25). Delaying test start time may prevent the reduction in sleep duration, which may also improve school performance. In addition, educational policies should include information for students about the impact of sleep on learning and of the consequences of reduced sleep duration.

Neurocognitive Effects of Sleep Disruption in Children and Adolescents

A main childhood task is learning. In this task, the role of sleep is increasingly demonstrated. Although most literature examining this role focuses on preadolescence and middle adolescence, some studies apply napping designs in preschoolers. Studies overall conclude that without proper sleep a child's cognitive abilities suffer, but questions on how and to what extent linger. Observational studies show the hazards of potential confounders such as an individual's resilience to poor sleep as well as developmental risk factors (eg, disorders, stressors). A better understanding of cognitive sleep neuroscience may have a big impact on pediatric sleep research and clinical applications.

Afternoon School Start Times Are Associated with a Lack of Both Social Jetlag and Sleep Deprivation in Adolescents

The delayed circadian timing of adolescents creates a conflict with early school start times (SSTs). We used wrist actimetry to compare sleep parameters and routine nighttime activities in middle school students attending either a morning (0700 to 1200 h) or an afternoon (1230 to 1730 h) school shift. On school days, students from both shifts (n = 21 for morning shift, n = 20 for afternoon shift, ages 12-14 years) had a similar sleep onset, but morning-shift students had an earlier sleep offset and a 1 h 45 min shorter sleep duration than their afternoon peers, who slept the recommended 8 to 10 h of daily sleep. Only morning-shift students had afternoon naps, but this afternoon sleep was not sufficient to overcome sleep deprivation. On weekends, sleep onsets and offsets did not differ between shifts. Because only morning-shift students woke up later and slept longer (2 h 3 min) on weekends, they were also the only ones who experienced social jetlag. Daily surveys on their nighttime (from 1800 to 0600 h) activities indicated there was no difference between shifts in the time spent on leisure or using electronic media during school days, but students from both shifts spent more time in these activities during the weekend. Our study confirms that early SST in adolescents is associated with sleep deprivation and suggests that schedules that start much later than typically considered may be needed to eliminate sleep deprivation in adolescents.

Circadian preferences of birdwatchers in Poland: do "owls" prefer watching night birds, and "larks" prefer daytime ones?

Birdwatching is a very popular and increasing leisure activity, and the study and observation of birds is more popular in the morning due to the greater activity among birds at that time of day. The aim of our study was to find out whether there was a relationship between the circadian preference of observers and their favourite bird species and whether it was influenced by such factors as professional status, age and gender. In an e-mail survey we asked a total of 433 Polish ornithologists (professionals) or birdwatchers (non-professionals) for their morningness–eveningness preferences (four categories) and favourite (open choice) bird species and received 143 responses. The temporal (circadian) preferences of respondents declined from early morning (35.7%) to evening/nighttime (11.4%). Circadian preference categories differed significantly by age, with early morning respondents significantly older. These preference categories did not differ significantly in terms of response time to the survey invitation or in the percentage of their favourite birds that were categorised as daytime birds. A total of 204 species were identified as favourite birds of which 34 species were mentioned by five or more respondents, with only two, the common crane Grus grus and the Eurasian pygmy owl Glaucidium passerinum mentioned by more than 10% of respondents. The white stork Ciconia ciconia was more popular with professionals than non-professionals and the swift Apus apus less popular. A significant gender × circadian preference interaction was detected for the percentage of favourite birds categorised as daytime birds, with fewer daytime birds among early morning female recorders. The presented results are obviously of a correlative nature, but open the door for further, more advanced study and suggest there may be a need to investigate temporal biases when analysing citizen-based data.

Interplay of chronotype and school timing predicts school performance

Most adolescents exhibit very late chronotypes and attend school early in the morning, a misalignment that can affect their health and psychological well-being. Here we examine how the interaction between the chronotype and school timing of an individual influences academic performance, studying a unique sample of 753 Argentinian students who were randomly assigned to start school in the morning (07:45), afternoon (12:40) or evening (17:20). Although chronotypes tend to align partially with class time, this effect is insufficient to fully account for the differences with school start time. We show that (1) for morning-attending students, early chronotypes perform better than late chronotypes in all school subjects, an effect that is largest for maths; (2) this effect vanishes for students who attend school in the afternoon; and (3) late chronotypes benefit from evening classes. Together, these results demonstrate that academic performance is improved when school times are better aligned with the biological rhythms of adolescents.

Impact of pressure, self-efficacy, and self-competency on students' plagiarism in higher education

To explore students' plagiarism in higher level education, we designed a quantitative study and collected data from enrolled university students from Islamabad, the capital city of Pakistan. This was done by distributing a web-link for an online survey (Google form) through WhatsApp social media mobile software. We applied structural equation modeling (SEM) techniques by using IBM SPSS AMOS 24.0.0 software to analyze collected data. The research findings suggest that some human factors do in fact exist and that these factors drive students to engage in certain unethical practices of plagiarism. Apart from poor training and lack of skills on the students' part, the pressures and the self-efficacy they face as they engage in research practices can make students susceptible to plagiarize.

Social Jet-Lag in Tertiary Students Following a Modern Curriculum with Few Time-Tabled Contact Hours: A Pilot Study

Social jet-lag (SJL) impairs academic performance, specifically for late chronotypes faced with early start times. Most modern tertiary educational systems have fewer time-tabled contact hours and consequently fewer early starts, which may limit SJL. We performed a pilot study of SJL in a convenience sample of students from Maastricht University, where problem-based learning (PBL) is implemented throughout the curricula. PBL is a modern curriculum, with only few contact hours and student-driven learning, comprising substantial amounts of self-study. Fifty-two students kept a detailed sleep diary for one week, and completed the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS). Participants were divided into early and late sleepers based on a ranking of their reported sleeping times, combined with a single question on their self-reported chronotype. Late sleepers (for brevity: “Owls”; n = 22) had later midpoint-sleep (5:14 ± 0:11 on weekdays; 5:50 ± 0:07 on weekend days) than early sleepers (for brevity: “Larks”; n = 11, 3:21 ± 0:05 on weekdays; 3:41 ± 0:06 on weekend days, F = 10.8, p = 0.003). The difference between the midpoint of sleep on weekdays and weekend days was comparable for Larks and Owls (F = 1.5; p = 0.22). SJL (0:53 ± 0:06, T = 1.4; p = 0.16), total sleep duration (7:58 ± 0:08; p = 0.07), and PSQI score (4.7 ± 0.3, U = 137; p = 0.56) were comparable for Larks and Owls. Average ESS score was higher in Larks (10.7 ± 0.96) than in Owls (7.0 ± 0.72; U = 52; p = 0.007). Within this pilot study of students engaged in a problem-based learning curriculum, Owls have no selective disadvantage compared to Larks concerning sleep.

How Young “Early Birds” Prefer Preservation, Appreciation and Utilization of Nature

Since the 1990s, the Two Major Environmental Value model (2-MEV) has been applied to measure adolescent environmental attitudes by covering two higher order factors: (i) Preservation of Nature (PRE) which measures protection preferences and (ii) Utilization of Nature (UTL) which quantifies preferences towards exploitation of nature. In addition to the 2-MEV scale, we monitored the Appreciation of Nature (APR) which, in contrast to the UTL, monitors the enjoyable utilization of nature. Finally, we employed the Morningness–Eveningness Scale for Children (MESC) which monitors the diurnal preferences and associates with personality and behavioral traits. In this study, we analyzed data from 429 Irish students (14.65 years; ±1.89 SD) with the aim of reconfirming the factor structure of the 2-MEV+APR and monitoring the relationship between the MESC and the environmental values (PRE, UTL, APR). Our findings identified a significant association between PRE and APR with MESC. In addition, we observed a gender difference. Our results suggest that morningness preference students are more likely to be protective of and appreciative towards nature. Recommendations for outreach programs as well as conclusions for environmental education initiatives in general are discussed.