Effects of a Literacy Intervention on Reading Skills of Primary School Students: Project USAID Read
Authors
Laura Virginia Sánchez-Vincitore
Universidad Iberoamericana (UNIBE)
[email protected] https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6343-1217Aída Mencía-Ripley
Universidad Iberoamericana (UNIBE)
[email protected] https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7510-4072Carlos B Ruiz-Matuk
Universidad Iberoamericana (UNIBE)
[email protected] https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2681-4953Detalles
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Abstract
Project USAID Read is a reading and writing intervention in public schools in the Dominican Republic, in response to its low levels of reading comprehension. To determine the effectiveness of project USAID Read through two cross-sectional studies (at the beginning of the project and in the middle). An experimental study was carried out with randomization of groups (experimental vs. control) and an estimate of the counterfactual based on the baseline evaluation. Second grade students (N = 2,399) participated in the baseline study, and fourth grade students (N = 2,359) participated in the midline study. They were tested on reading comprehension and its precursor skills (oral comprehension, phonological awareness, letter knowledge, words per minute, pseudowords per minute and fluency), and general cognitive abilities (working memory for words and pseudowords). There were no differences between the groups at baseline. In the midline study, the experimental group obtained better scores than the control group in oral comprehension, phonological awareness, letter knowledge, words and pseudowords per minute and working memory for pseudowords. There were no differences between the groups in fluency or reading comprehension. We concluded that the intervention was effective but had not yet reached the threshold necessary for its effects to be reflected beyond the reading comprehension precursor skills. The results are interpreted under the theory of reading automaticity and the need for greater independent reading practice while students learn to read.
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