Page 9 - ELG2104 Apr Issue 475

NEWS

Impact of missed English lessons during pandemic

Students, parents and teachers They found that the progress
around the world are concerned made, as indicated by improved
about the consequences of the test scores, was remarkably similar
pandemic on education. A recent for the two year groups.
study by Holga Hopp, at the Hopp and Thoma investigated
University of Braunschweig, and further, for example, whether
Dieter Thoma, at the University weaker students were more
of Mannheim, asked whether affected than stronger students.
English-language learning in WORDS BY GILLIAN RAGSDALE. PHOTO BY SHUTTERSTOCK
German primary schools had been Despite school
affected by school closures.
Hopp and Thoma compared closures, weaker
the vocabulary and grammar test students were not
scores of nine-year-olds from
the 4th grade of four German disadvantaged by
primary schools. They compared missing lessons
improvement in test scores taken
at the beginning of the school
year (September), March and Generally, students with weaker yet students of all ages have programme of two English lessons
June/July during the 2018-2019 scores made greater gains on some capacity to consolidate and per week is barely tapping the
academic year with those of test the next test and, crucially, this improve without input or even potential for language learning
scores from 2019-2020. trend continued over the spring conscious practice – and this for these children.
The 15-week period in spring of 2020 despite school closures, may account for the improved
2020 included seven weeks when meaning weaker students were scores despite missing 15 weeks REFERENCE
schools were completely closed, not disadvantaged by missing of English classes. n Hopp, H. and Thoma, D. 2020.
followed by eight weeks where the lessons. While these results are ‘Foreign Language Development
the usual two 45-minute English Research generally supports reassuring for students, teachers During Temporary School Closures
classes per week were generally the intuitive assumption that and parents alike, the lack of in the 2020 Covid-19 Pandemic.’
co-opted to work on core subjects, there is a point where missed impact of school closures on Frontiers in Education 5:601017.
such as German and maths. instruction becomes detrimental, scores could also suggest that a doi: 10.3389/feduc.2020.601017

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