logo logo European Journal of Educational Research

EU-JER is is a, peer reviewed, online academic research journal.

Subscribe to

Receive Email Alerts

for special events, calls for papers, and professional development opportunities.

Subscribe

Publisher (HQ)

Eurasian Society of Educational Research
Eurasian Society of Educational Research
Christiaan Huygensstraat 44, Zipcode:7533XB, Enschede, THE NETHERLANDS
Eurasian Society of Educational Research
Headquarters
Christiaan Huygensstraat 44, Zipcode:7533XB, Enschede, THE NETHERLANDS
Research Article

The COVID-19 Pandemic’s Impact on 9th Grade Students’ Mathematics Achievement

Lidon Moliner , Francisco Alegre , Gil Lorenzo-Valentin

In this research, the influence of the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic on 9th grade students’ mathematics achievement is analyzed throug.

I

In this research, the influence of the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic on 9th grade students’ mathematics achievement is analyzed through quantitative and qualitative methods. A posttest only with control group design was used to compare the mathematics marks of 9th grade students from the previous school year (before the pandemic, control group) and the current school year (during the pandemic, experimental group). Seventy-three students from a public high school in Spain attending class on alternate days participated in the study. Three focus group sessions were held with students, and five semi-structured interviews were conducted—two with teachers and three with students’ families. Results show statistically significant differences in students’ mathematics achievement, with students enrolled in 9th grade the previous (pre-pandemic) year outscoring their peers currently enrolled in 9th grade (during the pandemic) by 22.17%. An overall negative effect size of Hedge’s g = -1.11 was reported. Although significant statistical differences between groups were reported for both male and female students, the effect was 42.31% larger for male students (Hedge’s g = -1.11) than for females (Hedge’s g = -0.78). The qualitative information supported the quantitative results. Changes in educational settings, students’ lack of motivation, monotony, and students’ level of responsibility were qualitatively reported as factors that may explain this phenomenon. The main conclusion of this study is that the COVID-19 pandemic may be significantly and negatively affecting 9th grade students’ mathematics achievement.

Keywords: COVID-19, high-school, mathematics, Spain.

cloud_download PDF
Cite
Article Metrics
Views
2355
Download
1720
Citations
Crossref
5

Scopus
3

References

Aguilera-Hermida, A. P. (2020). College students’ use and acceptance of emergency online learning due to COVID-19. International Journal of Educational Research Open1, 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedro.2020.100011

Alegre, F., Moliner, L., Maroto, A., & Lorenzo-Valentin, G. (2020). Academic achievement and peer tutoring in mathematics: A comparison between primary and secondary education. SAGE Open10(2), 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244020929295

Alemany-Arrebola, I., Rojas-Ruiz, G., Granda-Vera, J., & Mingorance-Estrada, Á. C. (2020). Influence of COVID-19 on the perception of academic self-efficacy, state anxiety, and trait anxiety in college students. Frontiers in Psychology11, 1-7.  https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.570017

Aliyyah, R. R., Rachmadtullah, R., Samsudin, A., Syaodih, E., Nurtanto, M., & Tambunan, A. R. S. (2020). The perceptions of primary school teachers of online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic period: A case study in Indonesia. Journal of Ethnic and Cultural Studies7(2), 90‒109. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejecs/388   

Alkhawaja, M. I., Halim, M. S. A., & Afthanorhan, A. (2021). Technology anxiety and its impact on e-learning system actual use in Jordan public universities during the Coronavirus disease pandemic. European Journal of Educational Research, 10(4), 1639-1647. https://doi.org/10.12973/eu-jer.10.4.1639

Almanthari, A., Maulina, S., & Bruce, S. (2020). Secondary school mathematics teachers’ views on e-learning implementation barriers during the COVID-19 pandemic: The case of Indonesia. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education16(7), em1860. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/8240

Al-Maroof, R. S., Salloum, S. A., Hassanien, A. E., & Shaalan, K. (2020). Fear from COVID-19 and technology adoption: The impact of Google Meet during Coronavirus pandemic. Interactive Learning Environments. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/10494820.2020.1830121

Al Salman, S., Alkathiri, M., & Bawaneh, A. (2021). School off, learning on: Identification of preference and challenges among school students towards distance learning during COVID19 outbreak. International Journal of Lifelong Education, 40(1), 1‒19. https://doi.org/10.1080/02601370.2021.1874554

Amrhein, V., Trafimow, D., & Greenland, S. (2019). Inferential statistics as descriptive statistics: There is no replication crisis if we don’t expect replication. The American Statistician73(sup1), 262‒270. https://doi.org/10.1080/00031305.2018.1543137

Armah, S. E., Akayuure, P., & Armah, R. B. (2020). A comparative study of male and female distance learners’ mathematics achievement. Contemporary Mathematics and Science Education2(1), 1-8. https://doi.org/10.30935/conmaths/9288

Aucejo, E. M., French, J., Araya, M. P. U., & Zafar, B. (2020). The impact of COVID-19 on student experiences and expectations: Evidence from a survey. Journal of Public Economics191, 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpubeco.2020.104271

Bastian, P. (2017). Negotiations with a risk assessment tool: Standardized decision-making in the United States and the deprofessionalization thesis. Transnational Social Review7(2), 206‒218. https://doi.org/10.1080/21931674.2017.1313509

Bot, T. D. (2021). Bearing/distance problems in mathematics: teachers’ construction efficacy in the secondary school in Plateau state, Nigeria. European Journal of Mathematics and Science Education, 6(1), 35-45. https://doi.org/10.12973/ejmse.2.1.35

Browning, M. H., Larson, L. R., Sharaievska, I., Rigolon, A., McAnirlin, O., Mullenbach, L., Cloutier, S., Vu, T., Thomsen, J., Reigner, N., Metcalf, E., D’Antonio, A., Helbich, M., Bratman, G., & Alvarez, H. O. (2021). Psychological impacts from COVID-19 among university students: Risk factors across seven states in the United States. PLOS ONE16(1), 1-27. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0245327

Bulus, M., & Dong, N. (2021). Bound constrained optimization of sample sizes subject to monetary restrictions in planning multilevel randomized trials and regression discontinuity studies. The Journal of Experimental Education89(2), 379‒401. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220973.2019.1636197

Carrillo, C., & Flores, M. A. (2020). COVID-19 and teacher education: A literature review of online teaching and learning practices. European Journal of Teacher Education43(4), 466‒487. https://doi.org/10.1080/02619768.2020.1821184

Choi, B., Jegatheeswaran, L., Minocha, A., Alhilani, M., Nakhoul, M., & Mutengesa, E. (2020). The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on final year medical students in the United Kingdom: A national survey. BMC Medical Education20(1), 1‒11.  https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-020-02117-1

Daniels, L. M., Goegan, L. D., & Parker, P. C. (2021). The impact of COVID-19 triggered changes to instruction and assessment on university students’ self-reported motivation, engagement and perceptions. Social Psychology of Education, 24(1), 299-318. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11218-021-09612-3

Di Domenico, L., Pullano, G., Sabbatini, C. E., Boëlle, P. Y., & Colizza, V. (2021). Modelling safe protocols for reopening schools during the COVID-19 pandemic in France. Nature Communications12(1), 1‒10. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-21249-6

Dimosthenous, A., Kyriakides, L., & Panayiotou, A. (2020). Short- and long-term effects of the home learning environment and teachers on student achievement in mathematics: A longitudinal study. School Effectiveness and School Improvement31(1), 50‒79. https://doi.org/10.1080/09243453.2019.1642212

Drane, C., Vernon, L., & O’Shea, S. (2020). The impact of ‘learning at home’ on the educational outcomes of vulnerable children in Australia during the COVID-19 pandemicLiterature Review prepared by the National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education. Curtin University. https://bit.ly/3rkX0AZ

Forgasz, H., Tan, H., Leder, G., & McLeod, A. (2018). Enhancing survey participation: Facebook advertisements for recruitment in educational research. International Journal of Research & Method in Education41(3), 257‒270. https://doi.org/10.1080/1743727X.2017.1295939

Garris, C. P., & Fleck, B. (2020). Student evaluations of transitioned-online courses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in Psychology. Advance Online Publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/stl0000229

Gonzalez, T., De La Rubia, M. A., Hincz, K. P., Comas-Lopez, M., Subirats, L., Fort, S., & Sacha, G. M. (2020). Influence of COVID-19 confinement on students’ performance in higher education. PLOS ONE15(10). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0239490

Groothuijsen, S. E. A., Bronkhorst, L. H., Prins, G. T., & Kuiper, W. (2020). Teacher-researchers’ quality concerns for practice-oriented educational research. Research Papers in Education35(6), 766‒787.  https://doi.org/10.1080/02671522.2019.1633558

Han, E., Tan, M. M. J., Turk, E., Sridhar, D., Leung, G. M., Shibuya, K., Asgari, N., Oh, J., Garcia-Basteiro, A., Hanefeld, J., Cook, A., Hsu, L., Teo, Y., Heymann, D., Clark, H., McKee, M., & Legido-Quigley, H. (2020). Lessons learnt from easing COVID-19 restrictions: An analysis of countries and regions in Asia Pacific and Europe. The Lancet, 396(10261), 7-13. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(20)32007-9

Hasan, N., & Bao, Y. (2020). Impact of “e-Learning crack-up” perception on psychological distress among college students during COVID-19 pandemic: A mediating role of “fear of academic year loss.” Children and Youth Services Review118, 105355. https://doi.org/1016/j.childyouth.2020.105355

Idoiaga Mondragon, N., Berasategi Sancho, N., Dosil Santamaria, M., & Eiguren Munitis, A. (2021). Struggling to breathe: A qualitative study of children’s wellbeing during lockdown in Spain. Psychology & Health36(2), 179‒194. https://doi.org/10.1080/08870446.2020.1804570

Islam, M. A., Barna, S. D., Raihan, H., Khan, M. N. A., & Hossain, M. T. (2020). Depression and anxiety among university students during the COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh: A web-based cross-sectional survey. PLOS ONE15(8), e0238162. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0238162

Kaffenberger, M. (2021). Modelling the long-run learning impact of the Covid-19 learning shock: Actions to (more than) mitigate loss. International Journal of Educational Development81, 102326. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedudev.2020.102326

Koçoglu, E., & Tekdal, D. (2020). Analysis of distance education activities conducted during COVID-19 pandemic. Educational Research and Reviews15(9), 536‒543. https://doi.org/10.5897/ERR2020.4033

Kuhfeld, M., Soland, J., Tarasawa, B., Johnson, A., Ruzek, E., & Liu, J. (2020). Projecting the potential impact of COVID-19 school closures on academic achievement. Educational Researcher49(8), 549‒565.  https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X20965918

Lau, C., Kitsantas, A., Miller, A. D., & Rodgers, E. B. D. (2018). Perceived responsibility for learning, self-efficacy, and sources of self-efficacy in mathematics: A study of international baccalaureate primary years programme students. Social Psychology of Education21(3), 603‒620. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11218-018-9431-4

la Velle, L., Newman, S., Montgomery, C., & Hyatt, D. (2020). Initial teacher education in England and the Covid-19 pandemic: Challenges and opportunities. Journal of Education for Teaching46(4), 596‒608. https://doi.org/10.1080/02607476.2020.1803051

Lavigne-Cerván, R., Costa-López, B., Juárez-Ruiz de Mier, R., Real-Fernández, M., Sánchez-Muñoz de León, M., & Navarro-Soria, I. (2021). Consequences of COVID-19 confinement on anxiety, sleep and executive functions of children and adolescents in Spain. Frontiers in Psychology12, 334, 1-11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.565516

Le, D. L., Giang, T. V., & Ho, D. K. (2021). The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on online learning in higher education: A Vietnamese case. European Journal of Educational Research, 10(4), 1683-1695. https://doi.org/10.12973/eu-jer.10.4.1683

Lee, J., Finn, J., & Liu, X. (2019). Time-indexed effect size for educational research and evaluation: Reinterpreting program effects and achievement gaps in K–12 reading and math. The Journal of Experimental Education87(2), 193‒213. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220973.2017.1409183

Lee, K., Fanguy, M., Lu, X. S., & Bligh, B. (2021). Student learning during COVID-19: It was not as bad as we feared. Distance Education, 42(1), 164-172. https://doi.org/10.1080/01587919.2020.1869529

Lortie-Forgues, H., Sio, U. N., & Inglis, M. (2021). How should educational effects be communicated to teachers? Educational Researcher, 50(6), 345-354. https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X20987856

Los, R., & Schweinle, A. (2019). The interaction between student motivation and the instructional environment on academic outcome: A hierarchical linear model. Social Psychology of Education22(2), 471‒500. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11218-019-09487-5

Margulieux, L., Ketenci, T. A., & Decker, A. (2019). Review of measurements used in computing education research and suggestions for increasing standardization. Computer Science Education29(1), 49‒78. https://doi.org/10.1080/08993408.2018.1562145

Mohamad Nasri, N., Husnin, H., Mahmud, S. N. D., & Halim, L. (2020). Mitigating the COVID-19 pandemic: A snapshot from Malaysia into the coping strategies for pre-service teachers’ education. Journal of Education for Teaching, 46(4), 546-553. https://doi.org/10.1080/02607476.2020.1802582

Moliner, L., & Alegre, F. (2022). Attitudes, beliefs and knowledge of mathematics teachers regarding peer tutoring. European Journal of Teacher Education, 45(1), 93-112. https://doi.org/10.1080/02619768.2020.1803271

Moliner, L., & Alegre, F. (2020). Peer tutoring effects on students’ mathematics anxiety: A middle school experience. Frontiers in Psychology11, 1610, 1-12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01610

Moliner, L., Alegre, F., Cabedo-Mas, A., & Chiva-Bartoll, O. (2021). Social wellbeing at school: Development and validation of a scale for primary education students. Frontiers in Education 6, 800248, 1-9. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2021.800248

Moliner, L., Lorenzo-Valentin, G., & Alegre, F. (2021). E-Learning during the covid-19 pandemic in Spain: A case study with high school mathematics students. Journal of Education and e-Learning Research8(2), 179-184. https://doi.org/10.20448/journal.509.2021.82.179.184

Moussa, N. M., & Ali, W. F. (2021). Exploring the relationship between students’ academic success and happiness levels in the higher education settings during the lockdown period of COVID-19. Psychological Reports. Advance Online Publication.  https://doi.org/10.1177/0033294121994568

Nieuwenhuis, R., & Yerkes, M. A. (2021). Workers’ well-being in the context of the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Community, Work & Family24(2), 226‒235. https://doi.org/10.1080/13668803.2021.1880049

O’Connor, C., & Joffe, H. (2020). Intercoder reliability in qualitative research: Debates and practical guidelines. International Journal of Qualitative Methods19, 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1177/1609406919899220

O’Neill, T. R., Gregg, J. L., & Peabody, M. R. (2020). Effect of sample size on common item equating using the dichotomous Rasch model. Applied Measurement in Education33(1), 10‒23.  https://doi.org/10.1080/08957347.2019.1674309

Oyediran, W. O., Omoare, A. M., Owoyemi, M. A., Adejobi, A. O., & Fasasi, R. B. (2020). Prospects and limitations of e-learning application in private tertiary institutions amidst COVID-19 lockdown in Nigeria. Heliyon6(11), 1-8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e05457

Palau, R., Fuentes, M., Mogas, J., & Cebrián, G. (2021). Analysis of the implementation of teaching and learning processes at Catalan schools during the Covid-19 lockdown. Technology, Pedagogy and Education, 29(5), 541-555. https://doi.org/10.1080/1475939X.2020.1863855

Parra, J. D., Said-Hung, E., & Montoya-Vargas, J. (2021). (Re) introducing critical realism as a paradigm to inform qualitative content analysis in causal educational research. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education34(2), 168‒182. https://doi.org/10.1080/09518398.2020.1735555

Perines, H., & Ion, G. (2020). How do prospective teachers understand educational research? The Teacher Educator56(1), 101‒116. https://doi.org/10.1080/08878730.2020.1846831

Putri, R. S., Purwanto, A., Pramono, R., Asbari, M., Wijayanti, L. M., & Hyun, C. C. (2020). Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on online home learning: An explorative study of primary schools in Indonesia. International Journal of Advanced Science and Technology29(5), 4809‒4818. https://bit.ly/3rLbiLC

Rahardjo, A., & Pertiwi, S. (2020). Learning motivation and students’ achievement in learning English. JELITA: Journal of English Language Teaching and Literature1(2), 56‒64. https://bit.ly/3nXcXfU

Rahiem, M. D. (2021). Remaining motivated despite the limitations: University students’ learning propensity during the COVID-19 pandemic. Children and Youth Services Review120, 105802. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.105802

Ribés, A. S., Miravet, L. M., & Ansuategui, F. J. A. (2020). Educación inclusiva y TIC: un análisis de las percepciones y prácticas docents [Inclusive education and ICTs: an analysis of teachers’ perceptions and practice]. Bordón. Revista de pedagogía72(3), 123-138. https://doi.org/10.13042/Bordon.2020.69852

Rios, J. (2021). Improving test-taking effort in low-stakes group-based educational testing: A meta-analysis of interventions. Applied Measurement in Education, 34(2), 85-106. https://doi.org/10.1080/08957347.2021.1890741

Ripoll, V., Godino-Ojer, M., & Calzada, J. (2021). Teaching chemical engineering to biotechnology students in the time of COVID-19: Assessment of the adaptation to digitalization. Education for Chemical Engineers34, 94‒105. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ece.2020.11.005

Rohman, B., Aziz, J. A., & Ali Imran, J. (2020). Distance instructional strategies and learning motivation towards learning outcome of the study Al-Qur’an in situation a COVID-19 pandemic. Universal Journal of Educational Research8(12), 6609‒6619. https://doi.org/10.13189/ujer.2020.081225

Santiago, I. P., Ángel, H. G., Julián, C. P., & Prieto, J. L. (2021). Emergency remote teaching and students’ academic performance in higher education during the COVID-19 pandemic: A case study. Computers in Human Behavior, 119, 1-18. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2021.106713

Segarra, J., & Julià, C. (2022). Mathematics Teaching Efficacy Belief and Attitude of Pre-service Teachers and Academic Achievement. European Journal of Science and Mathematics Education, 10(1), 1-14. https://doi.org/10.30935/scimath/11381

Semeraro, C., Giofrè, D., Coppola, G., Lucangeli, D., & Cassibba, R. (2020). The role of cognitive and non-cognitive factors in mathematics achievement: The importance of the quality of the student-teacher relationship in middle school. PLOS ONE15(4), e0231381. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0231381

Shim, T. E., & Lee, S. Y. (2020). College students’ experience of emergency remote teaching due to COVID-19. Children and Youth Services Review119, 1-7. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.105578

Singh, A., Uwimpuhwe, G., Li, M., Einbeck, J., Higgins, S., & Kasim, A. (2021). Multisite educational trials: Estimating the effect size and its confidence intervals. International Journal of Research & Method in Education. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/1743727X.2021.1882416

Sintema, E. J. (2020). Effect of COVID-19 on the performance of grade 12 students: Implications for STEM education. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education16(7), 1-6. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/7893

Smith, J., Guimond, F. A., Bergeron, J., St-Amand, J., Fitzpatrick, C., & Gagnon, M. (2021). Changes in students’ achievement motivation in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic: A function of extraversion/introversion? Education Sciences11(30), 1-8. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci11010030

Soares, R., De Mello, M. C. S., Da Silva, C. M., Machado, W., & Arbilla, G. (2020). Online chemistry education challenges for Rio de Janeiro students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Chemical Education97(9), 3396‒3399. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jchemed.0c00775

Toquero, C. M. (2020). Challenges and opportunities for higher education amid the COVID-19 pandemic: The Philippine context. Pedagogical Research5(4), 1-5.  https://doi.org/10.29333/pr/7947

van Putten, S., Blom, N., & van Coller, A. (2020). The developmental influence of collaborative games in the Grade 6 mathematics classroom. International Journal of Mathematical Education in Science and Technology. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/0020739X.2020.1829139

Vladova, G., Ullrich, A., Bender, B., & Gronau, N. (2021). Students’ acceptance of technology-mediated teaching–How it was influenced during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020: A study from Germany. Frontiers in Psychology12, 1-15. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.636086

Wang, C., & Zhao, H. (2020). The impact of COVID-19 on anxiety in Chinese university students. Frontiers in Psychology11, 1168. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01168

Weiner, J., Francois, C., Stone-Johnson, C., & Childs, J. (2021). Keep safe, keep learning: Principals’ role in creating psychological safety and organizational learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. Frontiers in Education, 5, 1-17. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2020.618483

Yates, A., Starkey, L., Egerton, B., & Flueggen, F. (2020). High school students’ experience of online learning during Covid-19: The influence of technology and pedagogy. Technology, Pedagogy and Education, 29(5), 1‒15. https://doi.org/10.1080/1475939X.2020.1854337

Zulherman, Z., Napitupulu, D., Sailin, S. N., & Roza, L. (2021). Analyzing Indonesian students' Google Classroom acceptance during COVID-19 outbreak: Applying an extended unified theory of acceptance and use of technology model. European Journal of Educational Research, 10(4), 1697-1710. https://doi.org/10.12973/eu-jer.10.4.1697

 

...