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Observational analysis tracked essay performance across COVID in 635 university students, indicating sex differences may persist in cognitive development.
This ten-year study analyzes sex differences and cognitive development in essay writing among 635 university students at the University of Costa Rica’s Golfito campus, based on 1,863 essays from Theatre and Film Appreciation courses. Using a fixed rubric and a single evaluator, the study tracked essay performance across pre-, during-, and post-COVID periods (2015–2024). Female students consistently outperformed male students in average essay grades, with the gap widening during the pandemic. Both sexes, however, showed similar improvement trajectories throughout the semester. Students with lower initial scores improved more over time, suggesting motivational and instructional effects not captured by sex alone. A marginal interaction between sex, initial performance, and the COVID period appeared only in isolated models and did not persist longitudinally. These findings highlight the effectiveness of essay-based assessment in promoting higher-order thinking and tracking learning progression. The study also emphasizes the importance of sustained, context-aware evaluation to reveal both persistent inequalities and resilient cognitive growth.
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Quirós et al. (2025) studied this question.
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