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Who Lost the Most? Mathematics Achievement during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Author

Listed:
  • Contini Dalit

    (University of Torino, Torino, Italy)

  • Di Tommaso Maria Laura

    (University of Torino, Torino, Italy)

  • Muratori Caterina

    (University of Torino, Torino, Italy)

  • Piazzalunga Daniela

    (CHILD – Collegio Carlo Alberto, Torino, Italy)

  • Schiavon Lucia

    (CHILD – Collegio Carlo Alberto, Torino, Italy)

Abstract

This article estimates the effect of school closures in the spring of 2020 on the math skills of primary school children in Italy, which was the first Western country hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, responding with a strict lockdown and total school closures through the end of the school year. Leveraging unique longitudinal data collected in the province of Torino, a large metropolitan area in northern Italy, we analyse the learning outcomes of two adjacent cohorts of pupils, the pre-Covid and the Covid cohort. The pandemic had a large mean negative impact on pupils’ performance in mathematics (−0.19 standard deviations). Learning loss was greater for girls and for high-achieving children of low-educated parents. Net of individual characteristics, the impact was harshest in schools with a disadvantaged social composition.

Suggested Citation

  • Contini Dalit & Di Tommaso Maria Laura & Muratori Caterina & Piazzalunga Daniela & Schiavon Lucia, 2022. "Who Lost the Most? Mathematics Achievement during the COVID-19 Pandemic," The B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy, De Gruyter, vol. 22(2), pages 399-408, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:bpj:bejeap:v:22:y:2022:i:2:p:399-408:n:4
    DOI: 10.1515/bejeap-2021-0447
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Di Tommaso, Maria Laura & Contini, Dalit & De Rosa, Dalila & Ferrara, Francesca & Piazzalunga, Daniela & Robutti, Ornella, 2024. "Tackling the gender gap in mathematics with active learning methodologies," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 100(C).
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    5. Contini, Dalit & Cugnata, Federica, 2020. "Does Early Tracking Affect Learning Inequalities? Revisiting Difference-in-difference Modeling Strategies with International Assessments," Department of Economics and Statistics Cognetti de Martiis. Working Papers 202018, University of Turin.
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    3. Ragni, Alessandra & Ippolito, Daniel & Masci, Chiara, 2024. "Assessing the impact of hybrid teaching on students’ academic performance via multilevel propensity score-based techniques," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 92(C).
    4. Alderighi, Lorenzo & Ballatore, Rosario M. & Tonello, Marco, 2023. "Hidden drop-out: Secondary education (unseen) failure in pandemic times," GLO Discussion Paper Series 1293, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    5. Levere, Michael & Hemmeter, Jeffrey & Wittenburg, David, 2024. "The importance of schools in driving children’s applications for disability benefits," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 239(C).
    6. Di Tommaso, Maria Laura & Contini, Dalit & De Rosa, Dalila & Ferrara, Francesca & Piazzalunga, Daniela & Robutti, Ornella, 2024. "Tackling the gender gap in mathematics with active learning methodologies," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 100(C).
    7. Ainoa Aparicio Fenoll, 2025. "The different effects of Covid on children with parents in teleworkable and non-teleworkable occupations," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 38(1), pages 1-28, March.
    8. Meneses, Francisco & Ortega, Lorena & Kuzmanic, Danilo & Valenzuela, Juan Pablo, 2025. "Analyzing the impact of COVID-19 on gender gaps in mathematics: The role of socioeconomic status in Chile," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 113(C).
    9. Mustafa Uğraş & Erdal Zengin & Stamatis Papadakis & Michail Kalogiannakis, 2023. "Early Childhood Learning Losses during COVID-19: Systematic Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(7), pages 1-29, April.
    10. Bastian A. Betthäuser & Anders M. Bach-Mortensen & Per Engzell, 2023. "A systematic review and meta-analysis of the evidence on learning during the COVID-19 pandemic," Nature Human Behaviour, Nature, vol. 7(3), pages 375-385, March.
    11. Taiwon Ha, 2024. "Does an economic crisis deflate education bubble and inequality? Lessons from South Korea 1997–2020," Asian-Pacific Economic Literature, The Crawford School, The Australian National University, vol. 38(1), pages 75-92, May.
    12. Léonard Moulin & Mara Soncin, 2023. "Persistent and Gender-Unequal Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Student Outcomes in Italy," Working Papers 277, French Institute for Demographic Studies.
    13. Patrinos,Harry Anthony, 2023. "The Longer Students Were Out of School, the Less They Learned," Policy Research Working Paper Series 10420, The World Bank.
    14. Shinsuke ASAKAWA & Fumio OHTAKE & Shinpei SANO, 2023. "The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Academic Achievement of Elementary and Junior High School Students: Analysis using administrative data from Amagasaki City," Discussion papers 23066, Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry (RIETI).

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    JEL classification:

    • I21 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Analysis of Education
    • I24 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Education and Inequality

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