Teaching Adults to Read Better and Faster : Results from an Experiment in Burkina Faso
Two cognitively oriented methods were tested in Burkina Faso to help illiterates learn to read more efficiently. These were (a) speeded reading of increasingly larger word units and (b) phonological awareness training to help connect letters to spe...
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| Format: | Policy Research Working Paper |
| Language: | English en_US |
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World Bank, Washington, DC
2014
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| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2003/05/2378822/teaching-adults-read-better-faster-results-experiment-burkina-faso http://hdl.handle.net/10986/18181 |
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okr-10986-181812021-04-23T14:03:41Z Teaching Adults to Read Better and Faster : Results from an Experiment in Burkina Faso Abadzi, Helen ACHIEVEMENT ACHIEVEMENT TESTS ADDITION ADULT LITERACY ADULT LITERACY INSTRUCTION ADULT LITERACY TRAINING BILINGUAL EDUCATION CLASSROOMS COMPLEXITY EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH EXPERIMENTAL CLASSES FORMAL EDUCATION ILLITERACY ILLITERATES INSTRUCTIONAL METHODS INSTRUCTORS INTERVENTIONS LANGUAGES LEARNING LEARNING PROCESS LINGUISTICS LISTENING LITERACY LITERACY ACTIVITIES LITERACY CENTERS LITERACY CLASSES LITERACY INSTRUCTION LITERACY INTERVENTIONS LITERACY PROGRAMS LITERACY TEACHERS LITERACY TESTS LITERACY TRAINING LITERACY TRAINING PROGRAMS NONGOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS ORPHANS PAPERS PRIMARY SCHOOL PRIMARY SCHOOL ATTENDANCE PROFICIENCY READING READING ACTIVITIES READING COMPREHENSION READING INSTRUCTION READING METHODS READING SKILLS READING TRAINING RESEARCH DESIGN RURAL AREAS SCHOOLING SCHOOLS SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS SECONDARY SCHOOLS SHOW HOW SPEAKING STATISTICAL ANALYSES TEACHER TEACHER TRAINING TEACHERS TEACHING TRAINING PROGRAMS TRAINING TEACHERS WORD LISTS TEACHING READING INSTRUCTION READING COMPREHENSION READING SKILLS TRAINING LITERACY LEARNING TEACHER TRAINING CLASSROOM MATERIALS QUESTIONNAIRES RESEARCH WORD LISTS Two cognitively oriented methods were tested in Burkina Faso to help illiterates learn to read more efficiently. These were (a) speeded reading of increasingly larger word units and (b) phonological awareness training to help connect letters to speech. Learners were given reading tests and a computerized reaction time test. Although the literacy courses were shortened by the arrival of rains and government delays, the piloted methods helped adults read better than those in the standard "control" classes. Learners enrolled in the experimental classes performed better on the outcome tests than did learners enrolled in control classes. Ninety percent of the possible comparisons between treatment classes and control classes favored classes receiving treatments, and 72 percent of the measurements in favor of treatments were statistically significant. The evidence suggests that phonological awareness training is particularly effective in situations where the training period was short, and that rapid reading was more advantageous in longer training situations. Overall, the results are indicative of the potential that scientifically backed methods have in making adult literacy instruction more effective. However, due to the short duration of the classes (3-4 months) learners apparently did not receive sufficient practice to consolidate skills. Literacy skills may still be prone to being forgotten if readers do not learn to read automatically and if opportunities to read are few. 2014-05-05T20:54:04Z 2014-05-05T20:54:04Z 2003-05 http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2003/05/2378822/teaching-adults-read-better-faster-results-experiment-burkina-faso http://hdl.handle.net/10986/18181 English en_US Policy Research Working Paper;No. 3057 CC BY 3.0 IGO http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/igo/ World Bank, Washington, DC Publications & Research :: Policy Research Working Paper Publications & Research Africa Burkina Faso |
| repository_type |
Digital Repository |
| institution_category |
Foreign Institution |
| institution |
Digital Repositories |
| building |
World Bank Open Knowledge Repository |
| collection |
World Bank |
| language |
English en_US |
| topic |
ACHIEVEMENT ACHIEVEMENT TESTS ADDITION ADULT LITERACY ADULT LITERACY INSTRUCTION ADULT LITERACY TRAINING BILINGUAL EDUCATION CLASSROOMS COMPLEXITY EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH EXPERIMENTAL CLASSES FORMAL EDUCATION ILLITERACY ILLITERATES INSTRUCTIONAL METHODS INSTRUCTORS INTERVENTIONS LANGUAGES LEARNING LEARNING PROCESS LINGUISTICS LISTENING LITERACY LITERACY ACTIVITIES LITERACY CENTERS LITERACY CLASSES LITERACY INSTRUCTION LITERACY INTERVENTIONS LITERACY PROGRAMS LITERACY TEACHERS LITERACY TESTS LITERACY TRAINING LITERACY TRAINING PROGRAMS NONGOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS ORPHANS PAPERS PRIMARY SCHOOL PRIMARY SCHOOL ATTENDANCE PROFICIENCY READING READING ACTIVITIES READING COMPREHENSION READING INSTRUCTION READING METHODS READING SKILLS READING TRAINING RESEARCH DESIGN RURAL AREAS SCHOOLING SCHOOLS SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS SECONDARY SCHOOLS SHOW HOW SPEAKING STATISTICAL ANALYSES TEACHER TEACHER TRAINING TEACHERS TEACHING TRAINING PROGRAMS TRAINING TEACHERS WORD LISTS TEACHING READING INSTRUCTION READING COMPREHENSION READING SKILLS TRAINING LITERACY LEARNING TEACHER TRAINING CLASSROOM MATERIALS QUESTIONNAIRES RESEARCH WORD LISTS |
| spellingShingle |
ACHIEVEMENT ACHIEVEMENT TESTS ADDITION ADULT LITERACY ADULT LITERACY INSTRUCTION ADULT LITERACY TRAINING BILINGUAL EDUCATION CLASSROOMS COMPLEXITY EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH EXPERIMENTAL CLASSES FORMAL EDUCATION ILLITERACY ILLITERATES INSTRUCTIONAL METHODS INSTRUCTORS INTERVENTIONS LANGUAGES LEARNING LEARNING PROCESS LINGUISTICS LISTENING LITERACY LITERACY ACTIVITIES LITERACY CENTERS LITERACY CLASSES LITERACY INSTRUCTION LITERACY INTERVENTIONS LITERACY PROGRAMS LITERACY TEACHERS LITERACY TESTS LITERACY TRAINING LITERACY TRAINING PROGRAMS NONGOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS ORPHANS PAPERS PRIMARY SCHOOL PRIMARY SCHOOL ATTENDANCE PROFICIENCY READING READING ACTIVITIES READING COMPREHENSION READING INSTRUCTION READING METHODS READING SKILLS READING TRAINING RESEARCH DESIGN RURAL AREAS SCHOOLING SCHOOLS SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS SECONDARY SCHOOLS SHOW HOW SPEAKING STATISTICAL ANALYSES TEACHER TEACHER TRAINING TEACHERS TEACHING TRAINING PROGRAMS TRAINING TEACHERS WORD LISTS TEACHING READING INSTRUCTION READING COMPREHENSION READING SKILLS TRAINING LITERACY LEARNING TEACHER TRAINING CLASSROOM MATERIALS QUESTIONNAIRES RESEARCH WORD LISTS Abadzi, Helen Teaching Adults to Read Better and Faster : Results from an Experiment in Burkina Faso |
| geographic_facet |
Africa Burkina Faso |
| relation |
Policy Research Working Paper;No. 3057 |
| description |
Two cognitively oriented methods were
tested in Burkina Faso to help illiterates learn to read
more efficiently. These were (a) speeded reading of
increasingly larger word units and (b) phonological
awareness training to help connect letters to speech.
Learners were given reading tests and a computerized
reaction time test. Although the literacy courses were
shortened by the arrival of rains and government delays, the
piloted methods helped adults read better than those in the
standard "control" classes. Learners enrolled in
the experimental classes performed better on the outcome
tests than did learners enrolled in control classes. Ninety
percent of the possible comparisons between treatment
classes and control classes favored classes receiving
treatments, and 72 percent of the measurements in favor of
treatments were statistically significant. The evidence
suggests that phonological awareness training is
particularly effective in situations where the training
period was short, and that rapid reading was more
advantageous in longer training situations. Overall, the
results are indicative of the potential that scientifically
backed methods have in making adult literacy instruction
more effective. However, due to the short duration of the
classes (3-4 months) learners apparently did not receive
sufficient practice to consolidate skills. Literacy skills
may still be prone to being forgotten if readers do not
learn to read automatically and if opportunities to read are few. |
| format |
Publications & Research :: Policy Research Working Paper |
| author |
Abadzi, Helen |
| author_facet |
Abadzi, Helen |
| author_sort |
Abadzi, Helen |
| title |
Teaching Adults to Read Better and Faster : Results from an Experiment in Burkina Faso |
| title_short |
Teaching Adults to Read Better and Faster : Results from an Experiment in Burkina Faso |
| title_full |
Teaching Adults to Read Better and Faster : Results from an Experiment in Burkina Faso |
| title_fullStr |
Teaching Adults to Read Better and Faster : Results from an Experiment in Burkina Faso |
| title_full_unstemmed |
Teaching Adults to Read Better and Faster : Results from an Experiment in Burkina Faso |
| title_sort |
teaching adults to read better and faster : results from an experiment in burkina faso |
| publisher |
World Bank, Washington, DC |
| publishDate |
2014 |
| url |
http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2003/05/2378822/teaching-adults-read-better-faster-results-experiment-burkina-faso http://hdl.handle.net/10986/18181 |
| _version_ |
1764439096823906304 |