Reading skills intervention during the Covid-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly disrupted education globally, forcing schools to adopt online learning. This study investigates the impact of this disruption on second graders' reading skills in Portugal, specifically focusing on the period after a final trimester of first grade conducted entirely online. Research suggests that school closures disproportionately affect low-achieving students, and that impairments in reading acquisition can have severe long-term consequences. This is particularly concerning given that online learning may exacerbate existing inequalities due to differences in home learning environments and access to resources. Many working parents struggled to balance work and childcare, and children from disadvantaged families often lacked access to necessary technological equipment and parental support. The study aims to assess the extent of the negative impact of the pandemic on reading skills and evaluate the effectiveness of a targeted intervention program designed to mitigate these effects. The Portuguese context is particularly relevant due to the significant digital divide and the government's response, which, although aiming to provide resources, faced delays and logistical challenges in reaching students in need. The timely intervention in reading skills is crucial as untreated reading difficulties can generalize to other academic areas, leading to decreased motivation and future academic setbacks. This study, therefore, is vital for understanding the lasting impact of the pandemic on education and informing effective interventions.

Existing literature highlights the significant learning losses caused by COVID-19 school closures, especially for low-achieving students. Studies show a strong correlation between socioeconomic status (SES) and academic achievement, with children from disadvantaged backgrounds often receiving less academic support at home and lacking access to necessary resources like computers and stable internet. The digital divide widened during the pandemic, with many low-SES students having limited access to technology and online learning support. While parental involvement and reading to children at home can mitigate some learning losses, they cannot replace formal education. The importance of early reading intervention is underscored by research demonstrating that early identification and intervention of reading difficulties greatly increase the likelihood of reversing negative trajectories. International studies have shown the effectiveness of early intervention programs focusing on phonemic awareness, letter-sound correspondence, and decoding skills. This paper draws on this established literature to design and evaluate a reading intervention specifically tailored to address the challenges faced by Portuguese second graders following the pandemic-induced school closures.

This study employed a pre-post intervention design to assess the reading skills of second graders in Portugal after a period of online learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 542 second graders from 19 public schools in the North Coast of Portugal participated in the pre-intervention assessment (T1) at the beginning of the school year in September 2020. The sample included students from both non-priority intervention educational territories (NTEIP) and priority intervention educational territories (TEIP), allowing for analysis based on socioeconomic status (SES). NTEIP schools represent average SES, while TEIP schools represent low SES. The Reading Screening Test (TRL) was used to assess reading skills. TRL is a multiple-choice test with 30 incomplete sentences; 20 with orthographically simple words and 10 with orthographically complex words. Students were given five minutes to complete the test. A sub-sample of 446 students completed both pre- and post-intervention assessments (T2), conducted five weeks after the intervention began. The reduction in the number of participants between T1 and T2 was due to quarantining measures and COVID-19 outbreaks. The Reading Skills Consolidation Program (RSCP) was a 5-session intervention focusing on promoting decoding competence through activities designed to enhance phonemic awareness, letter-sound correspondence, and spelling. Two intervention options (A and B) were offered, tailored to students' pre-existing skills. Option A targeted letter-sound skills, while Option B focused on orthographic decoding. The choice of intervention option was made by the teacher based on students' pre-test performance. The data analysis involved descriptive statistics to characterize participants and their reading skills according to SES. A paired sample t-test was initially used to compare pre- and post-intervention scores, but as normality assumptions were not met non-parametric tests were also conducted. The study received authorization from the school board and parents/legal guardians, and data confidentiality was ensured.

Pre-intervention assessment (T1) revealed that the mean accurate answers on the TRL was 12.3 (SD = 10). A concerning 27% of students scored at or below the 10th percentile, and 45% scored at or below the 30th percentile. A significant difference existed between average SES and low SES students, with average SES students performing significantly better (t(540) = 2.46, p = 0.01). Following the RSCP intervention (T2), a significant improvement in reading skills was observed across all students (p < 0.001). The percentage of students scoring at or below the 10th percentile dropped from 25.5% to 13.2%, and the percentage of students scoring above the 30th percentile increased from 53.4% to 73.1%. Importantly, the significant pre-intervention SES difference disappeared post-intervention, indicating that the RSCP effectively mitigated the impact of SES on reading performance (t(444) = 1.52, p = 0.13). Table 5 displays a detailed breakdown of average correct answers by educational territory and assessment moment, showcasing this significant improvement across SES groups after the intervention. Tables 6 and 7 further detail percentile distribution at T1 and T2, illustrating the positive shifts and the reduction in the inequality gap. The post-intervention average correct answers increased to 17 for average SES and 15.56 for low SES.

The findings strongly support the effectiveness of the RSCP in improving second graders' reading skills following a period of pandemic-related school closures. The initial alarmingly high percentage of students with low reading abilities, particularly among low-SES students, highlights the significant impact of the pandemic and the educational inequalities it exacerbated. The RSCP's success in closing the SES gap and significantly improving reading skills across all students demonstrates the potential of targeted, intensive interventions to mitigate the negative consequences of educational disruptions. The program's focus on foundational reading skills—phonemic awareness, letter-sound correspondence, and decoding—appears to have effectively addressed the weaknesses revealed by the pre-test. The lack of a control group, due to the urgency of the pandemic situation, limits the ability to definitively attribute all improvement solely to the RSCP. However, the substantial and widespread improvement observed strongly suggests the program's effectiveness. These results align with previous research on the importance of early intervention in reading difficulties and highlight the need for similar programs in other contexts facing similar challenges.

This study demonstrated a significant improvement in second graders' reading skills following a brief, targeted intervention (RSCP) designed to address learning loss caused by pandemic-related school closures. The intervention effectively mitigated the disparity in reading skills between students from different socioeconomic backgrounds. This underscores the urgent need for early and intensive reading interventions to support students affected by disruptions in schooling. Future research should include a control group to isolate the effect of RSCP, investigate the role of parental involvement and resource access, and explore the long-term impact of this intervention on reading development. The RSCP offers a valuable model for educators and policymakers seeking to implement effective reading interventions in similar situations.

A key limitation of this study is the lack of a control group. The urgency of the situation prevented the researchers from selecting a non-intervention group. Consequently, it is impossible to definitively isolate the impact of the RSCP from other factors that may have contributed to the observed improvements. Additionally, the sample size decreased between the pre- and post-tests due to COVID-19 related absences. Finally, the study focused on a specific region of Portugal, limiting the generalizability of findings to other contexts.