Just the right amount of caution? Remote instruction and student performance in Sweden during the COVID-19 pandemic

2026/07/25 by Caroline Hall, Caroline Häll, Annika Lindskog +1
Psychology · Social Sciences · #COVID-19 and Mental Health #Global Educational Policies and Reforms #School Choice and Performance

paper · pdf · doi:10.1016/j.econedurev.2026.102818

openalex publication_date 2026/07/25 · openalex created_date 2026/07/26 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/27

Abstract

This study investigates how distance learning during COVID-19 affected educational outcomes of lower secondary students in Sweden. In contrast to most previously studied contexts characterized by prolonged and fully remote school closures, Sweden represents a school system with a high level of digital preparedness, in which distance learning was implemented for a limited period, often combined with in-person instruction, and accompanied by exemptions for students with special needs. Using a difference-in-differences design with entropy balancing, we compare pre-pandemic and pandemic-affected cohorts. Our findings suggest that students in schools that adopted remote instruction performed similarly on standardized tests to those in schools that maintained in-person teaching throughout the pandemic. Moreover, progression to upper secondary school was not negatively affected. In some cases, we even find positive effects of remote instruction.

Citations

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Related

• The impacts of remote learning in secondary education during the pandemic in Brazil
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• Learning loss due to school closures during the COVID-19 pandemic
• Analyzing the Heterogeneous Impact of Remote Learning on Students' Ability to Stay on Track During the Pandemic