Post-pandemic impact of COVID-19 lockdown on the academic performance of multi-grade school students (Original)

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted in-person classes, leaving a persistent, silent mark on the learning of thousands of students. More than five years after that lockdown, its effects remain, especially in vulnerable contexts such as rural multi-grade schools, where the lack of technology, limited connectivity, and a lack of resources exacerbated pre-existing inequalities. Consequently, this article aims to determine the post-pandemic impact of the COVID-19 lockdown on the academic performance of students in a multi-grade school. A mixed-methods approach was employed, using as instruments a documentary review of academic records from the 2019-2020 academic periods, a Pedagogical Test, interviews with teachers, and focus groups with parents. The results revealed a significant increase in post-pandemic grades, especially in Language Arts and Mathematics, with an 80% group average scoring above 8/10. However, data triangulation revealed that learning gaps persist for some students, stemming from limited connectivity, insufficient family support, and a lack of sustained institutional strategies during and after the lockdown. Furthermore, socioemotional repercussions were identified that affected students' motivation and adaptation to the return to in-person learning. In response to this problem, a comprehensive remediation plan and pedagogical, family, technological, and socioemotional support are proposed, which constitutes a viable strategy to reduce educational inequalities and strengthen learning in multigrade contexts.