Learning impacts on elementary education students during physical and social distancing due COVID-19.
Alexandre Lucas de Araújo Barbosa, Ana Beatriz Leite Dos Anjos, Cíntia Alves Salgado Azoni
PMID 35766749WHAT IT FOUND
School closures widened learning gaps for low-income children due to lack of devices, internet, and school meals.
Girls faced higher dropout risks from domestic labor and early pregnancy. No studies measured specific reading or math outcomes.
Key findings
01Low-income children faced greater learning risks due to limited access to devices, internet, and school meals compared to higher-income peers.
02Girls were at higher risk of not returning to school due to early pregnancy, forced marriage, and increased domestic labor reducing study time.
03The review found no studies addressing specific academic outcomes in reading, writing, or mathematics, nor any research conducted in Brazil.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they found
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What it does not show
The search period ended in July 2020, capturing only early pandemic data. No studies in the review measured specific academic outcomes like reading or math scores, limiting clinical applicability for assessing learning deficits. The review found no studies conducted in Brazil, despite the country's specific socioeconomic context. Most included studies were descriptive or policy-focused rather than clinical trials or detailed observational cohorts.
Declared interests
Financial support was provided by Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior – Brasil (CAPES) – Finance Code 001.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume this review provides evidence on how specific speech-language or occupational therapy interventions affected learning outcomes. It reports broad socioeconomic and access barriers, not clinical efficacy or specific skill deficits in reading or math.