The effect of lockdown on students' performance: A comparative study between Italy, Sweden and Turkey

Area of Science:

• Higher Education Research
• Pandemic Impact Studies
• Educational Technology

Background:

• COVID-19 pandemic necessitated rapid shifts to online learning in higher education globally.
• Varying national mitigation strategies (lockdowns vs. recommendations) created diverse student experiences.
• University students faced disruptions to academic and social life due to pandemic control measures.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the impact of COVID-19 lockdown measures on university students' academic performance.
• To compare the effects of different national pandemic mitigation strategies on exam pass rates.
• To analyze the transition to distance education and its consequences for student success.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a difference-in-differences approach comparing countries with and without national lockdowns.
• Employed administrative data from universities in Italy, Sweden, and Turkey.
• Estimated the probability of passing exams before and after the pandemic's onset and shift to online teaching.

Main Results:

• A general decrease in university student pass rates was observed following the transition to online teaching.
• Strict national lockdown measures, as implemented in Italy, mitigated the negative impact of online learning on pass rates.
• Less restrictive policies, like those in Sweden, did not show the same compensatory effect.

Conclusions:

• The shift to online education negatively affected student pass rates during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• National lockdown policies can play a role in buffering the negative academic consequences of sudden online transitions.
• Increased available study time due to lockdowns may have contributed to compensating for the challenges of remote learning.