Performance increases in mathematics during COVID-19 pandemic distance learning in Austria: Evidence from an intelligent tutoring system for mathematics

Abstract

Background

In 2020, school closures during the COVID-19 pandemic forced students all over the world to promptly alter their learning routines from in-person to distance learning. However, so far, only a limited number of studies from a few countries investigated whether school closures affected students’ performance within intelligent tutoring system—such as intelligent tutoring systems.

Method

In this study, we investigated the effect of school closures in Austria by evaluating data (n = 168 students) derived from an intelligent tutoring system for learning mathematics, which students used before and during the first period of school closures.

Results

We found that students’ performance increased in mathematics in the intelligent tutoring system during the period of school closures compared to the same period in previous years.

Conclusion

Our results indicate that intelligent tutoring systems were a valuable tool for continuing education and maintaining student learning during school closures in Austria.