Page 397 - RUICHSS 2023 Proceeding

University of Ruhuna ISSN: 2706-0063
Matara, Sri Lanka

and 2020, which
is about half of
the standard
deviation.
As Table 3 shows, learning loss exists due to school closure. The findings of five studies show

that students experience learning losses. Even though Anna et al. (2022) state that there was no
learning loss, Sweden was the country that did not close schools during the pandemic.

However, researchers emphasise that even though Sweden didn’t close the schools, the
attendance of teachers and students was significantly affected.

The learning loss is not similar among all the subjects. Andreu (2022) states that, compared to

the language subjects, Mathematics has a higher learning loss. Likewise, Anna and Linda
(2022), and Nicola and Loris (2022) revealed that learning loss is not significantly different

among the different socioeconomic statuses, but Felipe et al. (2022) state that learning loss is
severe among students of low socioeconomic statuses. Gender is also one of the factors

affecting learning loss. As Turker (2022) states, girls are the most vulnerable group to

experience learning loss during the closure of schools.

Most of the studies indicate that students experiencing learning loss in academic subjects have
a severe loss of socio-emotional well-being compared to learning loss in subjects (Andreu,

2022). Most of the studies indicate that the family background, especially the mothers’

education, is the most affecting factor for learning loss during school closures.

Because this subject is relatively new, education researchers have begun to study how students

are affected by learning loss. However, a stronger understanding of how COVID-19 school
disruptions have affected student learning, is still needed. To support this, further studies are

needed. Additionally, the current studies are limited in their geographical span.

There is no proper study conducted in the developing countries; especially in the Sri Lankan

context. It is crucial that researchers continue to look at the degree of learning loss associated

with COVID-19 in countries where there is little study done, since educational institutions vary
greatly between countries in terms of quality, duration of school closures, and distance learning

tactics. There were a few samples in several of the research examined in this systematic review.
Policy-makers should prioritise research that properly reflects larger groups of samples of

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