COVID and education

Primary school mathematics during the COVID-19 pandemic: no evidence of learning gaps in adaptive practice outcomes (2021). Trends in Neuroscience and Education (Germany, Q1)
Background: The COVID-19 pandemic led many governments to close schools for months. So far, evidence suggests that learning has been affected as a result. Here, we investigate whether forms of computer-assisted learning mitigated the declines in learning observed during lockdown. Method: The performance of 53,656 elementary school students who used adaptive practice software for mathematics was compared with the performance of similar students in the previous year. Results: During lockdown, progress was faster than in the previous year, contradicting the results reported so far. These greater gains correlated with greater use and persisted after the lockdown ended. This was the case for all grades, but more so for lower grades and weaker students, and less so for students in schools with disadvantaged populations. Conclusions: These results suggest that adaptive practice software can mitigate, or even reverse, the negative effects of school closures on math learning.

Assessing student engagement in an online learning environment during and after COVID-19-related school closures: A survival analysis approach (2021). Trends in Neuroscience and Education (Germany, Q1)
Background: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, schools around the world closed, and students had to receive instruction remotely. As a result, the use of online learning environments for online distance learning increased dramatically. However, the persistence of online learning environment use during and after school closures remains to be investigated. Method: We examined the participation of German students (n ≈ 300,000 students; ≈ 18 million computerized problem sets) in an online math learning environment using survival analysis. Results: We observed that the total number of enrolled students increased significantly during and after school closures compared to the previous three years. However, it is important to note that the proportion of engaged students also decreased more rapidly over time. Conclusion: The application of survival analysis provided valuable insights into student engagement in online learning (or, conversely, increased dropout rates) over time. Its application to educational settings allows for addressing a wider range of questions about student engagement in online learning environments in the future.

Schools reopening! Assessing the effects of viruses and lockdowns on children (2021). Trends in Neuroscience and Education (Germany, Q1)
This review weighs the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection against the side effects of school closures on the physical and mental health, education, and well-being of those affected by school closures. While short-term effects (decreased learning and food security, and increased anxiety, violence against children, child labor, and teenage pregnancies) are frequently discussed, the long-term effects of school closures will be much more damaging throughout the lives of the “Corona generation.” Existing pandemics of inactivity and myopia, already affecting billions of people, are worsening due to decreased physical exercise and time spent outdoors, poor diet, weight gain, and increased screen time during lockdowns, leading to future increases in strokes, heart attacks, cancer, and blindness. The socio-emotional complications of isolation, learned helplessness, and economic and existential insecurity will include increased depression and suicide, decreased empathy, and greater loneliness. Together with declining educational attainment and economic productivity, the resulting global morbidity and mortality in the future justify immediate action to reopen schools.