How did remote instruction during the COVID-19 pandemic affect students’ academic performance?

Many lower secondary school students in Sweden experienced some amount of remote instruction during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this project, we examine how the use of remote instruction affected students’ academic performance, focusing on results from national standardised tests and transitions to upper secondary school.

The study is based on survey data collected by Statistics Sweden (SCB) regarding the extent of remote instruction, which we have linked to information about students’ academic results, enrollment in upper secondary education, and parental background. To identify causal effects, we exploit local and regional variations in the extent of remote instruction. Specifically, we investigate whether academic outcomes developed differently over time for students who were exposed to more versus less remote instruction.