Academic achievement in Motor Science School in Milan: effect of chronotype

The expression of circadian rhythms differs among individuals, so defining three chronotypes: Morning- [M], Evening- [E], and Neither- [N] type. M-types achieve the activation peak timing in the first part of the day, and generally are more conscientious and achievement-oriented. Conversely, E-types reach their best during the second half of the day. In Italy, university schedules are often not compliant to evening preferences and could compromise E-type students’ academic performance. To date, little attention has been given to N-types university performance. Aim of the study was to detect the relationship between chronotype and academic performance on students attending the Motor Science School in Milan, also distinguishing between theoretical and practical disciplines. A total of 423 university students (290 males; 133 females) were enrolled and categorized in M-, N, and E-types based on the Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire (MEQ) score. After recollecting for each participants the grades for three theoretical and three practical exams, we obtained a mean theoretical and a mean practical score. M-types attain better grades than E-types and N-types both for theoretical and practical exams. In theoretical exams, NT students obtained the lower mean grades, while E-types collected the lowest in practical exams. The trend is the same considering all the students or in the stratification by gender, with females always tending to obtained higher grades compared to males. This Italian analysis confirmed the academic advantage for M-types students that are more aligned with university planning. On the other hand, the E-types students obtained the worst results compare to M- and N-types but only in practical exams, while in theoretical exams they partially recover this disadvantage, obtaining better results than N-types, although they cannot reach the grades obtained by M-types students.