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Covid-19 school closures negatively impacted elementary-school students' reading comprehension and reading fluency
Isabella Starling-Alves1, Guilherme Hirata2, João Batista A Oliveira1
1Instituto Alfa e Beto, Brazil.
International Journal of Educational Development
|February 28, 2023
Summary
COVID-19 school closures in Brazil created reading skill gaps, not losses, for students. Educational interventions should focus on improving reading comprehension and fluency.
Area of Science:
- Education
- Psychology
- Public Health
Background:
- COVID-19 pandemic led to prolonged school closures in Brazil (approx. 2 years).
- Understanding the impact of these closures on student learning is crucial for educational recovery.
- Reading skills are foundational for academic success.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between COVID-19 school closures and reading skill gaps in Brazilian students.
- To compare reading comprehension and fluency between 2022 and 2019 cohorts.
- To assess the progress of 5th graders' reading skills from 2019 to 2022.
Main Methods:
- Comparative analysis of reading comprehension and fluency data.
- Utilized a 2019 cohort as a baseline for comparison.
- Examined 2nd- to 4th-graders' skills in 2022 and 5th graders' skills in 2022 compared to 2019.
Main Results:
- COVID-19 school closures were linked to significant gaps in reading comprehension and fluency.
- No evidence of skill *losses* was found, suggesting skills did not regress but rather failed to develop as expected.
- 5th graders in 2022 showed improvement compared to 2019, but gaps persisted.
Conclusions:
- School closures during the COVID-19 pandemic created discernible gaps in Brazilian students' reading abilities.
- Reading comprehension and fluency should be prioritized in educational interventions to address these identified gaps.
- Targeted support is necessary to ensure students catch up on essential literacy skills.
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