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. 2024 Jul 5:15:1289145.
doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1289145. eCollection 2024.

The impact of school closures during the COVID-19 pandemic on reading fluency among second grade students: socioeconomic and gender perspectives

Shelley Shaul  1 , Orly Lipka  1 , Dana Tal-Cohen  1 , Adi Bufman  1 , Shahar Dotan  1
Affiliations

The impact of school closures during the COVID-19 pandemic on reading fluency among second grade students: socioeconomic and gender perspectives

Shelley Shaul et al. Front Psychol. .

Abstract

Introduction: The acquisition of reading skills is a crucial milestone in early education, with formal instruction and practice playing pivotal roles. The outbreak of COVID-19 led to widespread school closures and a shift to remote learning.

Methods: This study aimed to investigate the effects of school closures on reading acquisition and fluency among a large sample of second-grade children, considering socioeconomic status (SES) and gender differences. In 2019, a cohort of 2228 second-grade students from 34 schools was assessed for word reading fluency and comprehension. In 2020, during the pandemic, 765 students from a subsample of 20 original schools were re-evaluated using the same measures. The study also collected school-related data.

Results: The findings from the entire sample indicated no significant differences in fluency and comprehension scores between children in the second grade in 2019 and 2020. However, a significant interaction emerged when analyzing low SES versus high SES children. Children from low SES backgrounds exhibited notably lower reading scores after a year of remote learning due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Moreover, the disparity in reading scores between low SES and high SES children nearly doubled in 2020. Gender differences were also detected.

Discussion: These results underscore the impact of remote learning during the COVID-19 crisis on exacerbating gaps in reading fluency and comprehension between children from high and low SES backgrounds. The implications of these findings highlight the critical role of in-person schooling and targeted support for disadvantaged students, especially during pivotal stages of reading development.

Keywords: COVID-19 pandemic; comprehension; gender differences; reading acquisition; reading fluency; socioeconomic status.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Word-reading fluency among the different SES levels in both years.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Comprehension fluency among the different SES levels in both years.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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