The COVID-19 Learning Divide: How Demographics Shaped Online Learning Outcomes for High School Students
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| Title: | The COVID-19 Learning Divide: How Demographics Shaped Online Learning Outcomes for High School Students |
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| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Kristine Webster |
| Source: | Online Learning. 2024 28(3):427-444. |
| Availability: | Online Learning Consortium, Inc. P.O. Box 1238, Newburyport, MA 01950. Tel: 888-898-6209; Fax: 888-898-6209; e-mail: olj@onlinelearning-c.org; Web site: https://olj.onlinelearningconsortium.org/index.php/olj/index |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 18 |
| Publication Date: | 2024 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Education Level: | High Schools Secondary Education |
| Descriptors: | COVID-19, Pandemics, High School Students, Online Courses, Educational Technology, Equal Education, Gender Differences, Racial Differences, Ethnicity, Low Income Students, Socioeconomic Status, Students with Disabilities, At Risk Students, Grades (Scholastic), Correlation, Minority Group Students, Student Characteristics, Academic Achievement |
| ISSN: | 2472-5749 2472-5730 |
| Abstract: | The COVID-19 pandemic led to worldwide school closures and a sudden shift to online instruction, which adversely effected academic performance for many students. This study investigated whether demographic characteristics were associated with decreased academic outcomes among newly struggling high school students during COVID-19 online learning. Specifically, the study examined four key characteristics: 1) gender, 2) race/ethnicity, 3) low household income status, and 4) special education status. Newly struggling students were defined as those who received a D or F as their final course grade in two or more classes during the first semester of online learning in 2020, compared to one or no D or F final course grades during the same period in 2019 with in-person instruction. Data from a high school in the Midwestern United States were analyzed to compare final course grades between fall 2019 and fall 2020. Correlational analysis revealed that students from low-income households experienced a more significant decline in grades than their peers not from low-income households. These students were not only more likely to struggle, but also showed a greater increase in D and F course grades between semesters. In contrast, while special education students also saw an increase in D and F final course grades between semesters, the rise was less pronounced compared to their newly struggling sample group peers. This study highlights the impact of demographic factors on academic outcomes during the pandemic, addressing a gap in research on how specific characteristics influenced academic performance amid the shift to online learning. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2024 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1446842 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | The COVID-19 pandemic led to worldwide school closures and a sudden shift to online instruction, which adversely effected academic performance for many students. This study investigated whether demographic characteristics were associated with decreased academic outcomes among newly struggling high school students during COVID-19 online learning. Specifically, the study examined four key characteristics: 1) gender, 2) race/ethnicity, 3) low household income status, and 4) special education status. Newly struggling students were defined as those who received a D or F as their final course grade in two or more classes during the first semester of online learning in 2020, compared to one or no D or F final course grades during the same period in 2019 with in-person instruction. Data from a high school in the Midwestern United States were analyzed to compare final course grades between fall 2019 and fall 2020. Correlational analysis revealed that students from low-income households experienced a more significant decline in grades than their peers not from low-income households. These students were not only more likely to struggle, but also showed a greater increase in D and F course grades between semesters. In contrast, while special education students also saw an increase in D and F final course grades between semesters, the rise was less pronounced compared to their newly struggling sample group peers. This study highlights the impact of demographic factors on academic outcomes during the pandemic, addressing a gap in research on how specific characteristics influenced academic performance amid the shift to online learning. |
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| ISSN: | 2472-5749 2472-5730 |
