Impact of the Pandemic on Children’s Reading Performance
The Impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic on Children’s Reading Performance
The Covid-19 pandemic affected everyone in the entire world, but it seemed to affect the
education of children the hardest. Young children were beginning to learn to read and write and
needed the guidance of their teachers. During the 2019-2020 school year the education systems
around the world were drastically attempting to meet the needs of their students and families
(Kuhfeld et al., 2020). Alternate options of remote learning via online public school and
homeschooling were available to students all over the country. What type of impact would the
mass school closures on have on students, especially the reading performance of the younger
students? There was no literature available to guide the school districts and its teachers, only
time would tell.
Practices, Policies, and Procedures that Relate to the Topic
The 2020-2021 school year started, and many students were still learning from home.
Teachers and parents were concerned about the impact that the pandemic would have on the
educational achievements of the students, especially the reading performance of the younger
students. What would future test scores show? Reading test scores of over 5 million US students
in grades 3-8 were going to provide an answer to that question. Changes in reading scores were
tracked for the first two years of the Covid-19 pandemic. In addition to reading performance,
handwriting fluency was also a concern. Skar et al. (2022) studied the writing of children, which
included handwriting fluency and first graders attitudes towards writing in Norway. Data would
show that the reading performance of those in grades 3-5 were negatively impacted by the
pandemic and additional reading resources for these students in their upper elementary years
would be necessary.
Impact of the Pandemic on Children’s Reading Performance
Importance of the Topic
Children’s reading performance is a crucial aspect of a student’s academic achievements.
When you have a mass number of children who are at risk for reading difficulties in their upper
elementary years it is important to research how best to handle that situation and what resources
are available for these children. Relyea et al. (2022) was interested in what gains in reading
students had made in the 2020-2021 school year compared to their gains in reading during the
pre-covid-19 school year in 2018-2019. Most of the literature pertaining to the impact of the
covid-19 pandemic on children’s reading performance did not get published until late last year
and into this year. With a lot of the literature is new and just being analyzed within the world of
education.
Steps That Have Been Taken to Address the Topic
As I have previously mentioned throughout this paper, various studies have been
conducted within the last year and a half reviewing reading testing data on students in grades 3-
8. These studies will give educators and parents a better understanding of how school closures
during the pandemic affected the reading performance of students. Hopefully the studies will
also guide educators in ways to better handle the educational needs of their students and families
in case there is another pandemic in the future. If there is anything which educators can take
away from their experiences during the pandemic, it would be that virtual classes are vital tools
for educators. Online learning has redirected school services to homes in a way that reflects
social distancing (Abumalloh et al., 2021).
Impact of the Pandemic on Children’s Reading Performance
Biblical Worldview
The Bible clearly states that children are gifts from God created in His image and it is our
responsibility to assure their well-being which includes their academic success such as reading
performance. The Bible is quite positive when it comes to the topic of education. There are
numerous scriptures which express a passion for education and educating children. The Bible
tells us that we need to study God’s Word and apply it. Therefore, it is essential that children
excel in reading performance to accomplish this goal. “Teaching them to observe all things
whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the
world. Amen.” (King James Bible, 1769/2017, Matthew 28:20).
Impact of the Pandemic on Children’s Reading Performance
References
Abumalloh, R. A., Asadi, S., Nilashi, M., Minaei-Bidgoli, B., Nayer, F. K., Samad, S., Mohd, S.,
& Ibrahim, O. (2021). The impact of coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) on education:
The role of virtual and remote laboratories in education. Technology in Society, 67,
101728. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techsoc.2021.101728
King James Bible. (2017). King James Bible Online.https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/
(Original work published 1769)
Kuhfeld,IM., Soland,IJ., Tarasawa,IB., Johnson,IA., Ruzek,IE., & Liu,IJ. (2020). Projecting the
potential impact of COVID-19 school closures on academic achievement.IEducational
Researcher,I49(8), 549-565.Ihttps://doi.org/10.3102/0013189x20965918
Kuhfeld,IM., Lewis,IK., & Peltier,IT. (2022). Reading achievement declines during the COVID-
19 pandemic: Evidence from 5 million U.S. students in grades 3–8.IReading and
Writing,I36(2), 245-261.Ihttps://doi.org/10.1007/s11145-022-10345-8
Relyea,IJ.IE., Rich,IP., Kim,IJ.IS., & Gilbert,IJ.IB. (2022). The COVID-19 impact on reading
achievement growth of grade 3–5 students in a U.S. urban school district: Variation
across student characteristics and instructional modalities.IReading and Writing,I36(2),
317-346.Ihttps://doi.org/10.1007/s11145-022-10387-y
Skar, G. B., Graham, S., & Huebner, A. (2022). Learning loss during the COVID-19 pandemic
and the impact of emergency remote instruction on first grade students’ writing: A
natural experiment. Journal of Educational Psychology, 114(7), 1553-1566.
https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000701
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