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Back to school after COVID-19 pandemic: Resumption or transitional disruption?

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  • Asadullah, M. Niaz

Abstract

Since its onset in 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has globally disrupted school operations, leading to a shift to some form of homeschooling arrangements. After two years, in March 2022, the government of Malaysia officially reopened all schools, ending its homeschooling program. In this paper, we exploit a purposefully designed, nationwide, cross-sectional survey of government-owned primary and secondary schools in Malaysia to document student learning experiences during the early months of the home-to-school transition. Our empirical analysis and choice of indicators is guided by a conceptual framework that distinguishes between two competing hypotheses related to school reopening experiences: resumption vs transitional disruption. We find that 59 % of secondary and 72 % of primary level students report that they are happy to be back in school. School reopening also coincides with a significant reduction in educational-related worries (e.g., concerns over dropout, learning loss, and loss of interest in study) and indices of negative emotions (i.e., feelings of being tense, depressed, and restless), particularly among secondary school students. More importantly, those satisfied upon return to school report a statistically significant reduction in worries related to learning loss. These correlations support the resumption hypothesis. Yet our data highlights an important puzzle: Even after school reopening, one-third of students report that they do not learn more, at least one-fifth report a struggle to catch up on studies, and up to 40 % are concerned about learning loss. The majority of learners additionally report not receiving more support from teachers and parents. Recipients of public aid as well as private (i.e., parental) support report being happy about school reopening and are less likely to report “not learning more.” We conclude by discussing these somewhat paradoxical findings and the need for remedial measures beyond financial support for struggling learners to minimize post school reopening, transitional disruptions.

Suggested Citation

  • Asadullah, M. Niaz, 2024. "Back to school after COVID-19 pandemic: Resumption or transitional disruption?," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 109(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:injoed:v:109:y:2024:i:c:s0738059324001081
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ijedudev.2024.103086
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    2. M. Niaz Asadullah & Anindita Bhattacharjee, 2022. "Digital Divide or Digital Provide? Technology, Time Use, and Learning Loss during COVID-19," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 58(10), pages 1934-1957, October.
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    6. Durmuş Burak, 2023. "The Effect of Risk and Protective Factors on Primary School Students’ COVID-19 Anxiety: Back to School After the Pandemic," Child Indicators Research, Springer;The International Society of Child Indicators (ISCI), vol. 16(1), pages 29-51, February.
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Edtech; Learning loss; Home-based education; School closure; Malaysia; School re-opening; Mental health; Government aid program;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D10 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - General
    • I21 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Analysis of Education
    • J22 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Time Allocation and Labor Supply
    • Q50 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - General

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