Gore Jennifer, Fray Leanne, Miller Andrew, Harris Jess, Taggart Wendy
Teachers and Teaching Research Centre, School of Education, University of Newcastle, Newcastle, Australia.
Aust Educ Res. 2021;48(4):605-637. doi: 10.1007/s13384-021-00436-w. Epub 2021 Mar 12.
The COVID-19 pandemic produced widespread disruption to schooling, impacting 90% of the world's students and moving entire school systems to remote and online learning. In the state of New South Wales, Australia, most students engaged in learning from home for at least eight weeks, with subsequent individual and intermittent school closures. However, while numerous claims have circulated in the popular media and in think tank reports, internationally, about the negative impacts on learning, there is limited empirical evidence of decreased student achievement. Drawing on data from more than 4800 Year 3 and 4 students from 113 NSW government schools, this paper compares student achievement during 2019 and 2020 in a sample of matched schools to examine the effects of the system-wide disruption. Somewhat surprisingly, our analysis found no significant differences between 2019 and 2020 in student achievement growth as measured by progressive achievement tests in mathematics or reading. A more nuanced picture emerges when the sample is examined by dis/advantage (ICSEA) and Year level. The Year 3 cohort in the least advantaged schools (ICSEA < 950) achieved 2 months less growth in mathematics, while the Year 3 students in mid-ICSEA schools (950-1050) achieved 2 months' additional growth. No significant differences were identified for Indigenous students or students located in regional locations. These results provide an important counter-narrative to widespread speculation about alarming levels of 'learning loss' for all students. While the lower achievement growth in mathematics for Year 3 students in lower ICSEA schools must be addressed as a matter of urgency to avoid further inequities, most students are, academically, where they are expected to be. Our findings are a testament to the dedicated work of teachers during the 2020 pandemic to ensure that learning for most students was not compromised, despite unusually trying circumstances.
新冠疫情对学校教育造成了广泛干扰，影响了全球90%的学生，并使整个学校系统转向远程和在线学习。在澳大利亚新南威尔士州，大多数学生在家学习至少八周，随后学校又断断续续地个别关闭。然而，尽管国际上大众媒体和智库报告中流传着许多关于学习受到负面影响的说法，但关于学生成绩下降的实证证据却很有限。本文利用新南威尔士州113所政府学校4800多名三年级和四年级学生的数据，比较了2019年和2020年匹配学校样本中的学生成绩，以研究全系统干扰的影响。有点令人惊讶的是，我们的分析发现，以数学或阅读进步成就测试衡量，2019年和2020年学生成绩增长没有显著差异。当按优势/劣势（ICSEA）和年级对样本进行考察时，会出现更细微的情况。最弱势学校（ICSEA＜950）的三年级学生数学成绩增长少了2个月，而ICSEA中等学校（ICSEA为950 - 1050）的三年级学生成绩额外增长了2个月。对于原住民学生或位于偏远地区的学生，未发现显著差异。这些结果为关于所有学生“学习损失”程度惊人的广泛猜测提供了一个重要的反例。虽然必须紧急解决ICSEA较低学校三年级学生数学成绩增长较低的问题，以避免进一步的不平等，但大多数学生在学业上仍处于预期水平。我们的研究结果证明了教师在2020年疫情期间的敬业工作，以确保尽管情况异常艰难，但大多数学生的学习并未受到影响。
