Tracking early literacy development and COVID-19 learning loss

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dc.contributor.authorBoulet, Lila Anne
dc.contributor.supervisorHarrison, Gina Louise
dc.date.accessioned2025-05-05T20:27:22Z
dc.date.available2025-05-05T20:27:22Z
dc.date.issued2025
dc.degree.departmentDepartment of Educational Psychology and Leadership Studies
dc.degree.levelDoctor of Philosophy PhD
dc.description.abstractThe COVID-19 pandemic significantly disrupted global education, amplifying the need to understand its long-term effects on literacy development. This multi-study dissertation examines the impact of COVID Learning Loss (CLL) on foundational reading skills in early elementary students. Paper 1 investigates a cohort of students who were in Grade 1 during the 2020 pandemic school closures and who were assessed one year after regular instruction resumed. Results revealed that 74% of students remained at risk in on or more foundational reading skills, such as vocabulary, phonological awareness, and decoding, performing comparably to peers with no prior English instruction, suggesting an enduring floor effect. Paper 2 extends the analysis, tracking 247 students through Grade 4. While recovery from CLL was ongoing, most students had not regained pre-pandemic achievement levels by Grade 4. Notably, typical protective factors, such as SES and vocabulary, had limited influence on recovery rates, indicating a broad, systemic impact on learning during critical developmental phases. These findings emphasize the urgent need for comprehensive academic recovery plans, as resilience alone is insufficient for spontaneous recovery, raising concerns about future academic and societal outcomes without targeted interventions.
dc.description.scholarlevelGraduate
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/1828/22129
dc.languageEnglisheng
dc.language.isoen
dc.rightsAvailable to the World Wide Web
dc.subjectFoundational reading skills
dc.subjectCOVID -19 pandemic
dc.subjectCOVID learning loss
dc.subjectEducational disruptions
dc.subjectComponent reading skills
dc.subjectDirect and indirect effects of reading model (DIER)
dc.subjectPhase theory of reading development
dc.subjectRisk factors
dc.subjectProtective factors
dc.titleTracking early literacy development and COVID-19 learning loss
dc.typeThesis

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