The counterbalancing role of personality traits? Coping with school closures and learning

During the Covid-19 pandemic, education faced unprecedented physical school closures. These school closures and remote learning were associated with learning loss. Furthermore, studies have shown that the personality traits of students affected how they coped with the pandemic and measures in education. This study brings together both findings and investigates whether learning loss in primary education is associated with personality traits. Using data from the Education Monitor Limburg including standardized tests in reading comprehension, spelling, and math as well as personality traits, this study includes around 2000 sixth-grade students from 100 different schools. Resembling a difference-in-difference design we compare the relationship between test scores and personality traits between a cohort before Covid-19 and a cohort since Covid-19. The findings show that learning loss occurred for students who experienced the Covid-19 pandemic in all three domains. For math, a relationship is found between personality traits and learning loss. Namely, students with low levels of conscientiousness and emotional stability, on average experienced more learning loss since the pandemic.