Effects of Story Read‐Aloud Lessons on Literacy Development in the Early Grades: Experimental Evidence From Nigeria

Abstract

Research has indicated that reading aloud to young students can enhance their foundational reading skills and their reading motivation, but such research has been lacking in African contexts. In this study, we assessed the efficacy of story read-aloud lessons in improving students' foundational reading skills in Nigeria. The experiment took place in a cluster randomized trial of 199 schools in Northern Nigeria. In treatment schools, second-grade teachers conducted weekly read-aloud lessons as an addition to the core learning curriculum. In control schools, second-grade teachers implemented only the core curriculum, without weekly read-aloud lessons. We found that story read-alouds led to positive effects on listening comprehension, letter sound recognition, nonword decoding, and reading fluency, with effect sizes between 0.17 and 0.33 standard deviations. These outcomes suggest that enhanced student motivation from read-alouds may enhance text-based skills. To identify the effects of increased teacher experience on read-aloud effectiveness, we employed a two-period difference-in-differences approach. We found that increased teacher experience explained between 26% and 51% of the overall read-aloud effect, depending on the literacy subskill. We also found that the read-aloud effects coupled with increased teacher experience had an equalizing effect on the reading outcomes of students from divergent home literacy environments.I n recent decades, the international development community has increased its focus on learning outcomes generally and on literacy outcomes specifically (Bartlett, Dowd, & Jonason, 2015).

Evidence-based teaching: effective teaching practices in primary school classrooms

“…Modelling is another instructional strategy that has been shown to be particularly successful at promoting student learning gains (Purdiyanto et al, 2021), motivation (Moussa and Koester, 2021) and self-regulation (Schunk and Zimmerman, 2007), which are central to students' learning process (Checa et al, 2008). Westbrook et al's (2013) rigorous literature review of pedagogic practices that best support all students learning at both primary and secondary levels in low-income countries, for example, identified demonstration as a key teaching strategy associated with positive student outcomes.…”

“…Moreover, Hattie (2009) synthesised over 800 meta-analytic studies of various designs and found that learning activities where the teacher is actively involved with the lesson (for example, working through the problem step by step with the students) are particularly effective at promoting learning gains in students, compared with activities where the teacher is less involved (for example, the teacher instructing students to complete a problem sheet independently). Research from Nigeria has also pointed to the positive impacts that teacher modelling of reading aloud can have on primary pupils' listening comprehension, letter sound recognition, non-word decoding and reading fluency, along with their motivation to read (Moussa and Koester, 2021). Further, by thinking aloud and walking students through thought processes, they will then be able to take a similar approach to solving similar problems on their own.…”

Teaching Strategies And Support Extended By Parents To Children With Special Needs In Distance Learning

“…These activities allow parents to read stories aloud (Epstein, 2018). The study of Moussa and Koester (2021) indicated that reading a story or context aloud enhances a learner's fundamental reading skills and develops the learner's reading motivation. The fifth type of parental involvement is decision-making.…”

Joining the adventures of Sally Jones – Discursive strategies for providing access to literary language in a linguistically diverse classroom

“…In the Nordic context, researchers have noted that Nordic language arts curricula foreground language and literacy skills in relation to literature teaching ( Gourvennec et al, 2020 ;Liberg et al, 2012 ), leading to an emphasis on literary texts as a resource for developing literacy skills. Studies have highlighted the use of literary texts to foster disciplinary skills of analysis and interpretations ( Moore & Schleppegrell, 2014 ;Spires et al, 2018 ), genre-specific writing skills ( Gabrielsen et al, 2019 ;Moore et al, 2018 ;Walldén, 2021 ), as well as generic literacy skills ( Moussa & Koester, 2021 ). Some of the cited studies express concerns that the use of literature is subsumed under the literacy paradigm ( Gabrielsen et al, 2019 ;Gourvennec et al, 2020 ;Liberg et al, 2012 ), while others show that an explicit focus on language and text structures may promote meaningful engagements with texts ( Moore et al, 2018 ;Walldén, 2021 ).…”