A teacher from Cape Town, who now holds the position of deputy principal at Edgemead High School, has received international recognition for his master's research. The work focuses on how prolonged school closures due to Covid-19 affected the reading abilities of students in the Western Cape.
Llewellyn van der Ross reported that his study was selected for an award by the Antonio Meneghetti Foundation for Scientific and Humanitarian Research after his academic supervisor, Dr. Shannon Bishop Schwarz, nominated his work. This non-profit foundation, based in Switzerland, holds consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council.
Upon receiving the news, Van der Ross described his feelings as surreal, noting that he had to reread the email several times because it seemed almost unreal.
Research on the Impact of the Pandemic on Students
Van der Ross's master's thesis focused on the consequences of extended school closures caused by Covid-19 on the reading comprehension of seventh-grade students across three schools in the Western Cape. He analyzed what happened to students' reading comprehension skills during a period of unprecedented disruption to the educational process, using quantitative data from 2018 to 2021.
Van der Ross's interest in this topic stems from his personal experience as a teacher and his deep commitment to literacy. He emphasized that reading comprehension goes beyond simply knowing how to read words; it is the ability to access information, interpret it, and derive meaning from the curriculum as a whole.
The pandemic prompted him to consider the long-term effects on students, especially those from communities where educational inequality existed even before Covid-19 began. His goal was to move beyond isolated observations and use factual data to determine the scale of educational losses.
Uneven Support Exacerbated School Closure Consequences
One of the key findings from the research was the loss of reading comprehension skills linked to prolonged learning breaks. The study also highlighted the role of parental involvement and the differences in the level of support available to students outside the classroom.
He noted that when formal education was interrupted, the educational support available to students outside of school varied significantly. This demonstrated that the learning process does not occur in isolation from a child's socio-economic circumstances.
Van der Ross concluded that educational recovery cannot be reduced to simply returning to the curriculum and continuing classes as usual. Instead, schools need to identify exactly what students have lost and provide them with targeted support, particularly in basic literacy and reading comprehension.
International Recognition from Cape Town
For him, this recognition holds significance beyond the academic sphere. Van der Ross, who hails from Cape Flats, stated that this achievement proves that research based on local communities can attract international attention.
He added that his background has never been something he felt he needed to escape in pursuit of success. On the contrary, it has shaped the questions he asks, the work he values, and the people he wishes to serve with his work. He also noted that this recognition shows that issues arising in South African classrooms can contribute to broader international discussions on education, inequality, and sustainability.
Van der Ross is currently working on preparing aspects of his master's research for publication while also studying doctoral research on multilingual learners and how they process material when learning English. He appealed to the youth of Cape Flats, urging them not to let their circumstances define their perception of what is possible.