RESEARCH BRIEF. Evaluating strategies to improve early grade reading on the Kenyan Coast: Teacher training, text message support and buddy reading

Transcription

1 RESEARCH BRIEF Evaluating strategies to improve early grade reading on the Kenyan Coast: Teacher training, text message support and buddy reading SUMMARY Background: Many children in Kenya fail to learn to read effectively in the first 2 years of primary school. The Government of Kenya has recently introduced the Tusome program to tackle this problem. Further evidence is needed on the effectiveness of specific strategies to enhance national literacy programs. This brief describes an evaluation of two such strategies - enhanced literacy instruction and child-to-child reading groups ( buddy reading ) and their impact on the literacy skills of school children on the south coast of Kenya from Key findings: Enhanced literacy instruction through teacher training and text message support improved children s reading skills in Swahili and English. The intervention was effective because teachers increased their use of text and had a stronger focus on the teaching of letters and sounds. The intervention also reduced dropout from school by 50%. Text messages were important for providing support to teachers at a low cost. The buddy reading groups led to a small improvement in children s attitudes to reading but did not improve reading skills. Policy implications: A key aim of literacy instruction in the early grades should be the systematic teaching of letter-sound correspondence and text interaction. Text messages can be used as a cost-effective method to support teachers. Improving instruction quality can be an effective way of reducing dropout. Child-to-child reading groups are one option to increase children s reading motivation to complement improved reading skills resulting from classroom instruction. BACKGROUND Despite recent improvements in access to schooling, literacy rates remain low in sub-saharan Africa. Across the continent 63% of adults and 72% of youth aged are literate 1. A national survey in Kenya found that more than half of students in Class 3 are unable to infer meaning from short passages of text 2. The Tusome program has been introduced to improve reading outcomes for 5.4 million children in Kenya by The program is based on the evaluation of the PRIMR pilot program 3 but more evidence is needed to indicate which strategies are most effective and cost-effective for improving learning. 1

2 TEACHER TRAINING AND TEXT MESSAGE SUPPORT Students learn best when literacy skills are taught in an explicit, systematic and appropriate way 4. Preliminary research for the HALI project found that in schools on the Kenyan Coast insufficient attention is given to lettersound relationships, especially in English, and there is a lack of opportunity to interact with text to complement the focus on oral language skills. In addition, effective instructional techniques are encouraged in the current Kenyan curriculum but teachers lack support to help implement them effectively 5. To address these issues, the HALI literacy intervention 6 supported teachers in developing the literacy skills of one cohort of children through the first two years of primary school. It included: 140 sequential, semi-scripted lesson plans for literacy sessions in Swahili and English. Five days of professional development over 2 years. Ongoing support for teachers for two years through weekly text messages. Implementing the HALI literacy intervention BUDDY READING The Buddy Reading intervention was introduced in the third year of the HALI project to tackle additional challenges to improved literacy. Large class sizes are common in Kenya 7 and can be a barrier to effective instruction 8-9 Lack of reading materials deny children opportunities to read, which is critical for reading achievement 10. The Buddy Reading intervention contained the following elements: Mentors (Class 6) read with groups of buddies (Class 3) twice a week Buddy reading group Reading books provided in English and Swahili Training provided to class teachers and mentors In this way, the program helped to provide more individualized reading support in small groups and more opportunity to read. IMPACT EVALUATION Between 2010 and 2012, a randomized controlled trial was conducted to assess the effectiveness of enhanced literacy instruction and buddy reading on the literacy skills of school children in the coastal districts of Kwale and Msambweni in Kenya 11. These districts have a relatively poor record of examination results. The study also evaluated the impact of a malaria prevention program, reported elsewhere 12. The evaluation used a cluster-randomized design, with a total of 101 primary government schools randomly assigned to one of four groups: literacy instruction; buddy reading; literacy instruction + buddy reading; or neither intervention. The impact was assessed on a range of early grade literacy assessments. The literacy instruction was evaluated for 2 years from the beginning of Class 1 (January 2010). The buddy reading intervention was evaluated over 6 months during 2012 when buddies were in Class 3 and mentors in Class 6. The evaluation was funded by the Hewlett Foundation, 3ie, the World Bank s Spanish Impact Evaluation Fund and the Partnership for Child Development. 2

3 WHAT DID WE LEARN? 1) ENHANCED LITERACY INSTRUCTION The teacher training and text message support improved children s literacy. Children who received the literacy intervention showed significantly greater increases in scores for English spelling, Swahili letter reading and the reading of words and passages in both English and Swahili (Fig. 1). This improvement was achieved with no direct coaching for teachers and no books for students. The text message support reduced the cost of the literacy intervention which was estimated at US$ 8.29 per child. Figure 1. Literacy scores after 24 months of literacy instruction intervention Figure 2. Dropout rates after 24 months of literacy instruction intervention 6% 5% Dropout rate 4% 3% 2% 1% 0% Control HALI Children s literacy improved because of a greater use of text and a stronger focus on the teaching of letters and sounds. Teachers in the literacy intervention group spent more time teaching letters and sounds and less time focusing on whole sentences. Students in intervention classrooms spent more time reading and interacting with text and less time writing and copying from the blackboard. These factors were key to the success of the intervention. The literacy intervention reduced dropout from school. Only 2% of the intervention-group children in the younger classes had dropped out of school by the 24-month follow-up, compared to over 5% of the control group (Fig 2). 3

4 2) BUDDY READING Buddy reading groups improved children s attitudes to reading. As a result of the program, Class 3 buddies were more likely to prefer English and to read in their spare time. Class 6 mentors were more likely to prefer storybooks over text books. Teachers and students were strongly supportive of the program. They report that the program improves reading culture, motivation for school and leadership skills. Buddy reading group did not improve reading skills over a 6 month period. Reading skills did not improve for either mentors or buddies. Figure 3. Attitudes to reading after 6 months of Buddy Reading program % children agreeing 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% English is my favourite subject If I have free time I prefer to read a book Prefer to read story books Class 3 Class 6 Buddy Reading Control POLICY IMPLICATIONS A key aim of literacy instruction in the early grades should be the systematic teaching of letter-sound correspondence and text interaction. Focusing on the specific skills of putting letters, sounds or syllables together and breaking them down can increase children s literacy abilities. Displaying more text in the classroom with which children can interact, such as teachercreated posters, can also contribute to improved literacy skills. Text messages can be used as a cost-effective method to support teachers. Text messages, with responses from teachers, can be used to give teachers prompts, increase motivation, monitor progress and to create a community of practice among teachers. Improving instruction quality can reduce dropout. In areas where dropout is common, improved instruction may be an effective way to keep children in school. Child-to-child reading groups can improve attitudes to reading. In addition to improved instruction, buddy reading groups may be important for developing motivation for reading. COLLABORATING PARTNERS Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, Kenya University of Nairobi, Kenya Innovations for Poverty Action, Kenya KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Nairobi, Kenya Ministry of Public Health and Sanitation, Kenya London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, United Kingdom Graduate School of Education, Harvard University, United States of America 4

5 REFERENCES 1. UNESCO. (2012). EFA Global Monitoring Report: Youth and skills, putting education to work. Paris: UNESCO. 2. Wasanga, P. M., Ogle, A. M., & Wambua, R. M. (2010). Report on monitoring of learner achievement for class 3 in literacy and numeracy. Nairobi: Kenya National Examinations Council. 3. Piper, B., Zuilkowski, S. S., & Mugenda, A. (2014). Improving reading outcomes in Kenya: First-year effects of the PRIMR Initiative. International Journal of Educational Development, 37, Snow, C. E., Burns, M. S., & Griffin, P. (Eds.). (1998). Preventing Reading Difficulties in Young Children. Washington, DC: National Academy Press. 5. Dubeck MM et al. (2012). Early primary literacy instruction in Kenya. Comparative Educational Review, 56, Dubeck, M. M.,et al. (2015). Designing a program of teacher professional development to support beginning reading acquisition in coastal Kenya. International Journal of Educational Development, 41, UWEZO (2012). Are our Children Learning? Literacy and Numeracy across East Africa. Nairobi, Kenya: UWEZO. 8. O Sullivan, M. (2004). The reconceptualization of learner-centered approaches: A Namibian case study. International Journal of Educational Development, Schweisfurth, M. (2011). Learner-centred education in developing country contexts: From solution to problem? International Journal of Educational Development, 31, Cunningham, A. E., & Stanovich, K. E. (1998). What reading does for the mind. American Educator, 22, Brooker S et al. (2010) Improving educational achievement and anaemia among school children: design of a cluster randomised trial of school-based malaria prevention and enhanced literacy instruction in Kenya. Trials 11, Halliday, K. E, et al. (2014). Impact of Intermittent Screening and Treatment for Malaria among School Children in Kenya: A Cluster Randomised Trial. PLoS Medicine, 11(1), e doi: /journal.pmed July