Impact of COVID-19 on education not going away, UM study finds

(Press-News.org) The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on student performance is well known, but four years after the pandemic, scores in college classes are not returning to their pre-pandemic levels.  A University of Mississippi study might point to an answer.  

In a study published in a special issue of the Educational Sciences journal, three Ole Miss researchers found that student performance scores started a downward trend following COVID-19. Dozens of studies have documented the pandemic’s negative impact on education, but the Ole Miss team discovered evidence of a deeper problem. 

“We were a little puzzled at first because if learning was impacted by one big event, why didn’t scores drop and level off or start to climb again?” said Gregg Davidson, professor of geology and geological engineering.  “Why did scores continue declining each year since COVID-19?” 

The researchers – Gregg Davidson; Kristin Davidson, lecturer in computer and information science; and Hong Xiao, assistant professor of computer and information science – make the case that it was not just missed exposure to educational material during school shutdowns, but a loss of life skills normally developed in high school that prepare students to succeed both in college and future careers.  

“As educators, recognizing that this is happening is important in order to be proactive about identifying causes and remedies,” Davidson said. 

These skills include time management, self-motivation, critical thinking and social interaction. Without these skills, students can struggle to stay engaged, manage coursework and seek help when needed, directly affecting their academic performance, the researchers said.  

“I started studying this before the pandemic when I was doing my dissertation for my Ph.D. program in higher education,” Kristin Davidson said. “I knew from day one I wanted to look at the difference between online and face-to-face classroom performance, because I believed there was something there.   

“Following the pandemic, the study expanded to determine if the impact of school shutdowns changed anything – and did it ever.” 

Prior to the pandemic, a student’s performance scores in online classes were often lower than for equivalent classes taken face-to-face. Highly motivated students who earned As in face-to-face settings usually got As in online classes, too.  

But students who received Bs or below for face-to-face classes were likely to drop by a full letter grade in online courses. For these students, the structure of a regular meeting schedule, with instructor-controlled pace, minimal distractions and fellow students nearby, normally translated into better performance, the researchers said.  

“Post-COVID, that structural benefit disappeared. The performance of students in the face-to-face classes dropped to be indistinguishable from the online scores,” Gregg Davidson said.  

The steady decline in scores in college classes provides additional evidence that students still in high school during shutdowns were more impacted than those already in college, he said.  

“The scores are a reflection of growing percentage of undergraduates each year who were in high school during the pandemic.” 

Hong Xiao analyzed more than 15,000 records from non-major geology courses over eight years. At the end of 2023 – the last year covered during the study – student performance scores showed no signs of improving.  

The findings draw attention to the need for being intentional about life skill development before arriving at college and after. Those skills are critical for academic, professional, and personal success, the researchers said. 

“That can start with family,” Xiao said. “Family is their first major connection.”   

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