Rebecca Stone|Thomas de Hoop|Andrea Coombes|Pooja Nakamura
What works to improve early grade literacy in Latin America and the Caribbean? A systematic review and meta?analysis
American Institutes for Research|American Institutes for Research|American Institutes for Research|American Institutes for Research
campbell systematic reviewsvolume 16 issue 1 e1067 systematic reviewopen access works improve early grade literacy latin america caribbean systematic review metaanalysis rebecca stone corresponding author rebecca stone rstoneairorg american institutes research washington district columbia correspondence rebecca stone american institutes research 1000 thomas jefferson street nw washington dc 20007 email rstoneairorgsearch papers authorthomas de hoop thomas de hoop american institutes research washington district columbiasearch papers authorandrea coombes andrea coombes american institutes research washington district columbiasearch papers authorpooja nakamura pooja nakamura american institutes research washington district columbiasearch papers author rebecca stone corresponding author rebecca stone rstoneairorg american institutes research washington district columbia correspondence rebecca stone american institutes research 1000 thomas jefferson street nw washington dc 20007 email rstoneairorgsearch papers authorthomas de hoop thomas de hoop american institutes research washington district columbiasearch papers authorandrea coombes andrea coombes american institutes research washington district columbiasearch papers authorpooja nakamura pooja nakamura american institutes research washington district columbiasearch papers author first published 30 december 2019 httpsdoiorg101002cl21067citations 4 linked article plain language summary campbell website aboutsectionspdf toolsrequest permissionexport citationadd favoritestrack citation shareshare give accessshare full text accessshare fulltext accessplease review terms conditions use check box share fulltext version articlei read accept wiley online library terms conditions useshareable linkuse link share fulltext version article friends colleagues learn morecopy url share linkshare onfacebooktwitterlinkedinredditwechat 1 plain language summary 11 early grade literacy egl interventions latin america caribbean lac effective certain conditions children across world acquiring basic reading math skills despite increases primary school enrollment attendance teacher training nutrition programs lac effective improving egl overall may certain conditions technology schools detrimental learning outcomes programs focus technology 12 review approximately 250 million children across world acquiring basic reading math skills even though 50 spent least 4 years school educational policies egl lac region long suffered disjuncture school practice research review examines effectiveness fidelity implementation various programs implemented lac region aim improve egl outcomes including teacher training school feeding computeraided instruction nutrition technologyineducation aim review campbell systematic review summarizes findings 107 studies inform policy egl lac region 13 studies included review includes four types egl studies lac region 1 quantitative interventions 23 studies 2 qualitative interventions 6 studies 3 quantitative noninterventions 61 studies 4 qualitative noninterventions 14 studies 14 main findings review overall programs statistically significant effects egl outcomes instances programs may positive negative effects example teacher training show positive effects egl outcomes study chile showed teacher training possibly positively affect egl outcomes highincome economies well implemented complemented sustained coaching similarly nutrition programs improve egl outcomes however study guatemala showed positive effects egl possibly guatemala high rates stunting wasting although statistically significant effect technologyineducation programs egl outcomes lac region study peru showed distribution laptops children adverse effects particularly complemented additional programs studies showed phonemic awareness phonics fluency comprehension associated reading ability furthermore poverty child labor negatively correlated egl outcomes finding supports result nutrition programs may effective settings high rates stunting wasting finally quality preschool promoting social learning positively associated egl outcomes 15 findings review mean teacher training nutrition technologyineducation programs average show positive effects egl outcomes lac region however several factors could potentially enable positive impacts include combining teacher training coaching targeting school feeding nutrition programs lowincome countries high rates stunting wasting combining technologyineducation programs strong focus pedagogical practices review also identifies opportunities improving design implementation egl programs studies support need teach phonological awareness pa skills early caution required considering small evidencebase lac region evidence also supports investing preschool quality wellimplemented teacher training finally ministries education lowincome countries high rates stunting wasting could consider investing programs improve nutrition outcomes students caution needed interpreting findings since evidence base works improve egl outcomes lac region weak indications publication bias 16 uptodate review review authors searched studies published february 2016 2 executive summary 21 background improvements students learning achievement lagged behind low middleincome countries despite significant progress school enrollment numbers approximately 250 million children across world acquiring basic reading math skills even though 50 spent least 4 years school united nations educational scientific cultural organization unesco 2014 world development report world bank 2018 presents evidence showing learning unlikely improve unless quality factor improves lac region experienced positive trends educational outcomes last decade including improved egl outcomes thirdgrade students majority countries however educational policies egl lac region long suffered disjuncture school practice research result policy makers pedagogy curriculum specialists stakeholders region unable determine highquality research works improving egl outcomes reason unable shape policy practice programs evidencedriven manner 22 objectives systematic review examines effectiveness various programs implemented lac region aim improve egl outcomes including teacher training school feeding computeraided instruction programs emphasis nutrition technology education programs addition assess fidelity implementation programs aim improve egl outcomes well factors predict egl outcomes finally examine experiences perspectives various stakeholders egl lac region specifically review addressed following research questions 1 impact reading programs practices policies products aimed improving reading skills children birth grade 3 reading outcomes lac region 2 factors predict reading outcomes children birth grade 3 3 factors contribute improving reading outcomes children birth grade 3 23 search methods searched electronic databases gray literature relevant journals institutional websites performed keyword hand searches requested recommendations key stakeholders search conducted july august 2015 finalized search february 2016 addition used novel computational approaches specifically wikilabeling maximize comprehensiveness review 24 selection criteria review includes studies relevant literacy children early grades lac region literature included studies emphasis education studies focus enabling factors linked education programs reading outcomes example included studies focus nutrition may indirectly influence reading outcomes developed theory change identify enabling factors answer research questions included four study types first types experimental multivariate nonexperimental studies include control comparison group defined studies quantitative intervention studies included studies determine impact specific programs egl outcomes second study type consists qualitatively oriented studies focus interventions studies usually emphasize process program implementation experiences beneficiaries performance program defined studies qualitative intervention studies third study type emphasizes predictors reading outcomes focus effects specific program defined studies quantitative nonintervention studies included studies increase understanding intermediate outcomes ability predict reading outcomes fourth included qualitative studies discuss literacy lac region include emphasis specific program defined studies qualitative nonintervention studies 25 data collection analysis systematically coded information studies included review critically appraised conducted statistical metaanalysis sensitivity analysis using data extracted quantitative experimental quasiexperimental studies also used narrative synthesis techniques synthesize findings qualitative studies studies focused predictors literacy outcomes 26 results included 107 studies focus egl lac region initial searches resulted 9696 articles following manual review abstracts left total 164 studies underwent fulltext review phase additional 57 articles removed relevant resulting 107 studies included final review 107 included articles comprised quantitative intervention research quantitative nonintervention research qualitative intervention research qualitative nonintervention research included 23 articles studies experimental quasiexperimental focus effects specific development programs egl outcomes three 23 articles cardosomartins mesquita ehri 2011 larran strasser lissi 2012 vivas 1996 covered two distinct studies bringing number quantitative intervention studies included 26 also included 61 quantitative studies emphasis egl outcomes emphasize specific intervention 14 qualitative studies without focus specific intervention six qualitative studies focused specific intervention studies included review evidence published journal articles came either mexico south america significantly fewer articles central america caribbean almost articles published english spanish 90 articles focused high uppermiddleincome countries found quantitative intervention studies low risk bias 26 included studies seven rated low risk selection bias five rated medium risk selection bias eight rated high risk selection bias furthermore 11 studies rated low risk performance bias seven studies rated medium risk performance bias eight studies rated high risk performance bias rated 14 studies low risk outcome analysis reporting bias five studies medium risk outcome analysis reporting bias seven studies high risk outcome analysis reporting bias finally rated 17 studies low risk biases eight studies medium risk biases one study high risk biases metaanalyses show average statistically significant effects development programs egl outcomes narrative synthesis limited number highquality quantitative intervention studies show examples development programs may positive effects egl outcomes specific circumstances contexts example metaanalysis focused teacher training show positive effects egl outcomes 95 confidence interval ci 017 048 evidence two programs however study chile showed teacher training programs possibly positively affect egl outcomes highincome economies well implemented complemented sustained coaching teachers pallante kim 2013 addition metaanalysis focused nutrition programs show positive effects egl outcomes 95 ci 008 025 evidence two programs however study guatemala showed evidence nutrition programs positive effects egl outcomes contexts stunting wasting high hoddinott et al 2013 average also find statistically significant effects technology education programs egl outcomes lac region smd 001 95 ci 013 010 evidence three studies however study peru showed distribution laptops children adverse effects egl outcomes particularly distribution laptops complemented additional programs cristia ibarrarn cueto santiago severn 2012 findings quantitative nonintervention studies indicate phonemic awareness phonics fluency comprehension associated reading ability research also indicates poverty child labor negatively correlated egl outcomes finding importance poverty socioeconomic factors egl outcomes supports quantitative intervention result nutrition programs may effective improving egl outcomes contexts high rates stunting wasting finally quantitative nonintervention studies show quality preschool positively associated egl outcomes qualitative quantitative studies indicated consideration context key improving reading outcomes frequently discussed topic qualitative nonintervention articles need promote social learning improve egl found indications publication bias studies focus effects teacher practices parental involvement information communication technology ict programs egl outcomes lac region possible studies focus egl lac region published find statistically significant effects 27 authors conclusions review highlighted several important implications practice policy related rollout design potential impact education programs aim improve egl outcomes lac region first quantitative evidence suggests teacher training nutrition technology education programs average show positive effects egl outcomes lac region however quantitative narrative synthesis shows several factors could potentially enable positive impacts programs egl outcomes factors include combining teacher training teacher coaching targeting school feeding nutrition programs lowincome countries high rates stunting wasting combining technology education programs strong focus pedagogical practices however evidencebase small derive strong conclusions ability components improve egl outcomes lac region second systematic review identified promising opportunities improving design implementation education programs aim improve egl outcomes found evidence strong correlation pa reading ability addition studies focused importance pa phonics help students become strong decoders findings suggest need teach pa skills early caution required considering small evidencebase lac region third review suggests resources may potentially need focused enhancing quality preschools wellimplemented teacher training findings review suggest teacher training could possibly enhance reading outcomes training complemented sustained teacher coaching evidencebase however small derive strong conclusions effects teacher training preschools fourth ministries education lowincome countries high rates stunting wasting could consider potentially investing programs improve nutrition outcomes students order improve egl outcomes efforts may less effective middle highincome countries however evidence needed derive strong conclusions effects programs aim improve nutrition egl outcomes general evidence base works improve egl outcomes lac region weak found small number studies present credible estimates impact development programs egl outcomes majority studies suffer either medium high risk selection bias medium high risk performance bias furthermore found indications publication bias studies focus effects teacher practices parental involvement egl outcomes lac region 3 background 31 problem condition issue evidence global learning crisis berry barnett hinton 2015 nakamura de hoop holla 2019 pritchett sandefur 2013 school enrollment improved egl math assessment data shown high zero scores literacy assessments many low middleincome countries eg annual status education report aser 2013 egra data nd findings latest world development report education highlight educational outcomes affected directly quality school inputs school management teachers well education preparedness learners theory improvements quality one factors could result improvements learning outcomes however world development report world bank 2018 presents evidence demonstrating learning unlikely improve unless quality factor improves systematic review snilstveit et al 2012 also argues education programs unlikely improve learning outcomes unless ease one constraint lac region composed 40 countries territories two continents five different official languages english spanish french dutch portuguese many regional languages region experienced positive trends educational outcomes last decade including improvements pupilteacher ratios increases percentage trained teachers unesco 2014 p 8 improved egl outcomes thirdgrade students majority countries see figure 1 figure 1open figure viewerpowerpoint change mean scores thirdgrade reading 20062013 1 changes shown blue black statistically significant 2 mean score region includes countries graph equal weight source latin american childrens reading skills improving highlights second third regional comparative explanatory studies serce terce washington dc american institutes research p 15 reprinted permission however still find great disparities among poor rural indigenous disadvantaged groups region addition one four third graders performed poorly categorized lowest level reading test 5 third graders performed well categorized achieving highest levels reading figure 2 depicts challenges demonstrating still significant number third graders scoring lowest levels reading fact 60 thirdgrade students achieved basic reading skills levels 1 2 figure 2open figure viewerpowerpoint percentage third graders scoring level 1 reading 2013 1 lowest levels include level 1 2 mean score region includes countries except cuba el salvador honduras equal weights 3 cubas el salvadors scores 2006 source latin american childrens reading skills improving highlights second third regional comparative explanatory studies serce terce washington dc american institutes research p 19 reprinted permission many reasons explain poor literacy outcomes region one key potential reasons lack evidencebased training preparation support teachers according bruns luque 2015 seven million teachers lac critical actors regions efforts improve education quality raise student learning levels lag far behind oecd countries east asian countries china reasons cite low standards entry teacher training poor quality training programs removed realities classroom career incentives weak support teachers job addition teachers receiving training need deal students different learning levels different ages speaking different languages forth reality lac classrooms evidenceinformed egl policy contribute mitigating concerns associated egl outcomes lac region however education policies improve reading outcomes informed evidence limited extent 32 interventions national governments development agencies lac region created range programs improve egl outcomes programs specifically aim improve egl outcomes others might improve egl indirect mechanisms review aimed include program potential affect egl outcomes found included research following program types practices teacher training technology education programs school feeding nutrition programs school governance programs preschool programs teacher practices general pedagogical approaches parental community participation curricula discuss intervention types teacher training programs take several forms ranging extensive multiyear oneonone coaching delivered teachers classrooms training workshops delivered outside classroom emerging evidence suggests teacher training models emphasize sustained inclass coaching may produce larger effects learning outcomes shortterm training models developing countries kraft blazar hogan 2018 instance study south africa showed monthly visits specialized training coaches resulted statistically significant effects reading outcomes 025 standard deviations two 2day training sessions provided course year result statistically significant effects reading outcomes cilliers taylor 2017 technology education programs involve providing technological equipment eg laptops digital gamebased technology mobile phones teachers learners integrating tools existing curriculums including technology additional tools equipment may refurbished donated private sector produced specifically classroom instruction barreraosorio linden 2009 cristia et al 2012 programs may complement distribution technological equipment training modules teachers use technology classroom specific subjects programs provide complementary training studies examined impact technology education programs learning outcomes low middleincome countries suggest mixed evidence pattern null results programs focus complementary training teachers bulman fairlie 2016 p 2 however recent evidence shows promising results programs include strong focus teaching right level example muralidharan et al 2019 showed technologybased afterschool instruction program strong emphasis learning right level produced large statistically significant effects reading outcomes india school feeding nutrition programs vary modes delivery expected outcomes programs delivered within schools provide meals typically breakfast lunch participating children adrogue orlicki 2013 powell walker chang granthammcgregor 1998 programs may provide children specific nutrients might missing diets maluccio et al 2009 nutrition programs may aim improve school attendance boost learning outcomes addition aiming aiming improve childrens food security nutritional status school governance interventions address school management issues affect delivery quality financing education programs often focus decentralizing decisionmaking school level improve parents communities involvement school management school governance interventions involve cash transfers schools provision matching funds private investment schools along institutional changes allows parents decide allocate funds bando 2010 models might provide support poor performing schools based needs identified school improvement plan lockheed harris jayasundera 2010 early childhood education programs often focus preschool start primary education effects preschool moderated variations length time spent preschool availability quality school resources quality instruction extraschool factors household income gardinalpizato marturano fontaine 2012 interventions aimed supporting parents fostering childrens early literacy take varied approaches shown mixed results developed countries several interventions focus addressing parent tutoring improve childrens literacy hannon 1995 tizard schofield hewison 1982 topping 1995 several reviews summarized findings literacy training programs parents brooks 2002 national literacy trust 2001 effectiveness parent training childrens literacy established systematic reviews largely methodological discrepancies among studies sylva scott totsika erekystevens crook 2008 interventions target curriculum teacher practices literacy instruction take varied approaches well instance interventions encourage teachers explain unknown words learners storybook reading order boost reading comprehension larran et al 2012 interventions focus providing pa training boost learners letter sound recognition cardosomartins et al 2011 curricular interventions involve actors may 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