Tracing the Impact of COVID-19 on Early Language and Literacy Development from Pre-K through First Grade
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| Title: | Tracing the Impact of COVID-19 on Early Language and Literacy Development from Pre-K through First Grade |
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| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Elizabeth Burke Hadley (ORCID |
| Source: | AERA Open. 2025 11(1). |
| Availability: | SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: http://sagepub.com |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 22 |
| Publication Date: | 2025 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Education Level: | Early Childhood Education Preschool Education Elementary Education Kindergarten Primary Education Grade 1 |
| Descriptors: | COVID-19, Pandemics, Language Acquisition, Literacy, Preschool Education, Kindergarten, Grade 1, Educational Change, School Districts, Emergent Literacy, Young Children, Distance Education, Preschool Children, Student Characteristics, Skill Development, In Person Learning, Achievement Tests, Institutional Characteristics |
| Geographic Terms: | Florida |
| Assessment and Survey Identifiers: | Measures of Academic Progress |
| ISSN: | 2332-8584 |
| Abstract: | COVID-19 disrupted early educational experiences for a generation of children, but research on how missing school impacted academic development for young children is limited. This paper investigated the longitudinal impact of COVID-19 on the language and literacy development of children in a Florida school district, specifically following children who were in pre-K in March 2020 through the end of first grade. This COVID-19 cohort (n = 1,167) was compared with a pre-COVID-19 cohort (n = 1,211) using propensity score matching, multilevel regression models, and linear growth modeling. Results indicated that the negative impacts of COVID-19 on language and literacy emerged late and increased over time for young children but were not driven primarily by remote learning. Young children showed especially severe learning loss in unconstrained literacy skills (e.g., comprehension) versus constrained skills (e.g., phonics). COVID-19 impacts were not moderated by child characteristics (e.g., poverty or race/ethnicity). |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2026 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1494455 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | COVID-19 disrupted early educational experiences for a generation of children, but research on how missing school impacted academic development for young children is limited. This paper investigated the longitudinal impact of COVID-19 on the language and literacy development of children in a Florida school district, specifically following children who were in pre-K in March 2020 through the end of first grade. This COVID-19 cohort (n = 1,167) was compared with a pre-COVID-19 cohort (n = 1,211) using propensity score matching, multilevel regression models, and linear growth modeling. Results indicated that the negative impacts of COVID-19 on language and literacy emerged late and increased over time for young children but were not driven primarily by remote learning. Young children showed especially severe learning loss in unconstrained literacy skills (e.g., comprehension) versus constrained skills (e.g., phonics). COVID-19 impacts were not moderated by child characteristics (e.g., poverty or race/ethnicity). |
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| ISSN: | 2332-8584 |
