Alfonsi V, Carbone A, Scarpelli S, Gorgoni M, Luchini A, D’Andrea P, Cherubini S, Costarelli C, Couyoumdjian A, Laghi F, De Gennaro L. The Impact of Delayed School Start Times During COVID-19 on Academic Performance: A Longitudinal Naturalistic Study in Italian High Schools.
Nat Sci Sleep 2023;
15:1129-1138. [PMID:
38152440 PMCID:
PMC10752017 DOI:
10.2147/nss.s437958]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2023] [Accepted: 12/18/2023] [Indexed: 12/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Background
Delaying school start times has been proposed as a potential solution to address chronic sleep curtailment among adolescents and its negative consequences on their physical and mental well-being. This study investigates the impact of delayed school start times due to the COVID-19 pandemic on academic achievement.
Subjects and Methods
Two separate observational studies were conducted involving high school students from the first/second year (n=232) (Study 1) and from the final year (n=39) (Study 2). Multivariate Analyses of Covariance were performed to assess for statistical differences in academic performance (ie, global, humanistic, and scientific performance) and absenteeism (ie, number of school absences). Two main factors were considered: "school start time" (ie, standard-8:00 AM vs late-9:40 AM) and "time interval" (ie, first academic semester vs second academic semester), controlling for the school year (Study 1) and circadian preference (Study 2).
Results
Delaying school start times was positively associated with better academic performance in scientific subjects among first/second-year students (F1,229=6.083, p=0.026) and global academic performance among last-year students (F1,35=4.522, p=0.041). Furthermore, first/second-year students significantly increased their school achievement (F1,229>29.423, p<0.001) and school absences (F1,229=66.160, p<0.001) during the second semester of the academic year. No significant effect of "school start time" on school attendance was observed. Additionally, circadian preference was found to be a significant covariate among last-year students, with early chronotypes exhibiting better academic performance (r>0.369, p<0.025).
Conclusion
These findings confirm past evidence about the beneficial effects of delayed school start times on academic outcomes, with the additional advantage of observing them within a natural context that emerged during the pandemic. Further research is needed to explore the phenomenon more systematically and take into account the broader implications of implementing this change.
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