Teachers' Knowledge, Perceptions, and Practices to Develop Literacy Skills and Reading Habits – Learnings from Recent Studies in Asia and Africa

• In Event: Inclusive, Equitable and Transformative Approaches to Education

Proposal

Empirical studies underscore the critical role teachers play in the success of education, highlighting the importance of effective teaching practices in developing children’s literacy skills. These studies also recognize teachers as the most significant ‘inputs’ in the development of education (Adedoyin, 2011; Akiba, LeTendre, & Scribner, 2007; Barton, 1997; Blömeke, Suhl, & Kaiser, 2011; Stronge, Ward, Tucker, & Hindman, 2007). The quality of education is increasingly judged based on children’s literacy skills, what they learn, and how well they learn it (Mapunda, 2007). The output from the education system greatly depends on the teachers, who are the direct providers of education (Smith, 1999). Smith added, “No education system can rise too far beyond the level of teachers in it” (p. 40).

The authors work for an NGO that implements comprehensive literacy interventions in more than 10 countries to develop children’s literacy skills and reading habits in early grades, with support from local governments and communities. The program includes professional development for teachers, provision of supplementary Teaching Learning Materials (TLMs), on-site coaching for teachers, family and community engagement activities, and concurrent program activity and output monitoring. Frontline program workers are trained to record data using pre-defined forms during support visits to classrooms to assess whether teaching practices during language lessons align with set expectations.

Across all program locations, the NGO conducts periodic summative evaluations to assess whether children are reading fluently with comprehension and demonstrating grade-appropriate writing skills by the end of early grades. In recent evaluations, teachers’ Knowledge, Perception, and Practices (KPP) were assessed using a locally developed and contextualized tool. This tool is used to understand teachers’ knowledge of children’s literacy skills and reading habits, their practices related to developing such skills and habits, and their perceptions of the relationship between literacy skills and reading habits. Teachers’ KPP data, collected through key informant interviews, help in understanding how and why children’s early grade literacy skills and/or reading habits are achieved (or not) across contexts.

To understand teachers’ knowledge of children’s literacy skills, four standardized indicators were developed based on the KPP assessment data from different evaluations. These indicators include the age/grade when a child should begin to develop and master literacy skills, descriptions of the features of a skilled reader, extent of agreement/disagreement on several statements that accurately and inaccurately describe children’s literacy skills, and identification of key literacy skills that could be developed through classroom teaching. For teachers’ practices on children’s literacy skills development, indicators included types of teaching techniques used during classroom language lessons, use of various TLMs during teaching, use of different types of books during teaching, frequency of classroom-based assessments and types of assessment processes used, efficacy in adapting teaching practices based on classroom-based assessments and types of adaptations, and use of the gradual release of responsibility approach during teaching.

For teachers’ knowledge on children’s reading habits, indicators were developed to assess their ability to accurately describe the meaning of reading habits, their awareness of the roles and responsibilities of different entities (e.g., parents, community, school, teachers) in developing reading habits among children, and the age/grade when a child should be motivated to develop reading habits. Teachers’ practices in developing reading habits were examined through indicators such as the number of different practices used to develop habits, the conduct of various types of reading activities (e.g., read-aloud, independent reading), and the use of different types of books for reading activities. Lastly, an indicator on teachers’ perceptions was developed based on their level of agreement/disagreement with a set of statements on the relationship between literacy skills and reading habits.

Findings from recent evaluations using the teachers’ KPP assessment tool were quite interesting. For example, an evaluation conducted in 2024 in the Gorkha district of Nepal found strong evidence of a positive association between children’s literacy skills and teachers’ knowledge and practices regarding literacy skills. However, a study conducted in the Natore and Pabna districts of Bangladesh in 2023 showed weak evidence of this association. Currently, data analyses for similar evaluations conducted in 2024 in Jharkhand (India) and Luang Prabang (Laos) are ongoing. Moreover, comparable evaluations will be completed by the end of 2024 in Narail (Bangladesh), Mkuranga and Ubungo (Tanzania), and KwaZulu Natal (South Africa).

Data from these different sources will be analyzed to answer the following research questions: 1) How reliable is the teachers’ self-reported KPP data in developing children’s literacy skills and reading habits across different contexts? 2) To what extent does it vary across different contexts, and what factors contribute to these variations? 3) To what extent do teachers’ KPPs influence children’s early grade literacy skills and their reading habits across contexts?

It is universally accepted that teachers play a vital role in children’s learning in the early stages of their lives. The strong emphasis on teacher professional development in government education policies and programs, and interventions implemented by non-government actors, testifies to this. Several EdTech initiatives are being tried globally alongside traditional approaches (e.g., pre-service and in-service training) to enhance the capacity of teachers. However, in this technology-intensive era, it is crucial to understand where to invest resources, either through traditional or EdTech approaches, or both, to enhance the capacity of teachers. The authors envision that the teachers’ KPP assessment tool will help government and non-government actors identify areas requiring attention in a meaningful way. 

Authors

• Japheth Ogol, Room to Read

• Rebecca Alice Westbrook, Room to Read

• Pinaki Joddar, Room to Read