Impacts of COVID-19 on primary, secondary and tertiary education: a comprehensive review and recommendations for educational practices

Abstract

COVID-19 lockdown has caused disruption to education of all levels with far-reaching implications and unveiled the shortfalls of the current education model. Cycles of tightening and relaxation of COVID-19 lockdown confer uncertainty to the continuity of education. This article aims to comprehensively present the impacts of COVID-19 on primary, secondary and tertiary education and propose sound educational practices in the COVID-19 era. Papers related to educational impacts and implications of COVID-19 were selected for this review through a PRISMA model. The review shows that a shift of learning remotely or online has affected educators and learners, especially in relation to learning loss among learners, limitations in instructions, assessment and experiential learning in virtual environment, technology-related constraints, connectivity, learning resources and materials, besides psychosocial well-being. These impacts are exacerbated by inequalities in the distribution of resources as well as inequities attributed to socioeconomic status, gender, ethnicity, learning ability and physical conditions. The recommendations for future educational practices comprise adaptability of curricula to embed independent and online learning options, concurrence of diverse learning modalities for seamless learning transitions and flexibility, flexible staffing and learning model, enhanced support, technological and curricular innovation with simplification and standardization, as well as interactive, responsive and authentic virtual environment. This review contributes significantly to enhance preparedness of education to crisis while ensuring continuity and quality of education in the era of COVID-19 uncertainty.

The impact of Covid-19 on student achievement: Evidence from a recent meta-analysis

“… Bubb and Jones (2020) found that in Norway, during the peak of the Covid-19 lockdown period, the proportion of parents/carers who reported having gained more information about their children's learning was higher in lower grades than in higher grades. Besides learners' age considerations, one should also observe that the shift towards online learning could have had a detrimental impact on the knowledge and skills of those students, mainly at secondary and tertiary levels, whose curriculum includes experiential learning experiences (e.g., field trips, hands-on activities) that cannot take place virtually ( Tang, 2022 ). However, at the same time, given that our analysis was not conducted at grade level, one cannot rule out the possibility that the pandemic has disproportionately affected the achievement of very young pupils (e.g., grade 1).…”

Gamification to Improve Participation in an Environmental Science Course: An Educator’s Reflection

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Reflection of an Online Climate Change Course and Its Pedagogies: Retrospection and Prospect

“…In the era of COVID-19, its severity and control add a layer of complexity to teaching and learning, especially in China [52]. In the event that the number of cases increases, and the control is tightened, any physical activities would not be possible, including attending physical classes for online learning.…”