Home and School Factors Associated with Math Trajectories Before and After COVID-19 in Ghana

• In Event: Learning Environments and Academic Growth in Diverse Contexts

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic had well-documented short-term consequences for children’s learning,
but less is known about their developmental trajectories after schools reopened. This study draws on a sample of 2,901 children from peri-urban Ghana (Mages = 5.1−13.2 years) collected from 2015-2024. After establishing longitudinal measurement invariance, a piecewise latent growth curve model examined children’s math development across pre-pandemic, pandemic, and post-pandemic periods, and subsequently incorporated home and school predictors. Findings show math growth slowed significantly during school closures, with partial recovery afterward. Wealthier households, cognitively stimulating caregiving, and private school attendance were protective, while harsh discipline and lower teacher job satisfaction were associated with less favorable trajectories. Findings inform equitable strategies for children’s educational recovery during and after crises.

Authors

• Clara-Christina Gerstner, University of Alabama

• Noelle Suntheimer, University of Pennsylvania

• Emily M. Weiss, Fordham University

• Richard Appiah, Harvard University

• Elisabetta Aurino, University of Barcelona

• Sharon Wolf, University of Pennsylvania