Do children speaking indigenous and regional languages benefit equally from updated curricula? A report on a longitudinal quasi-experimental pilot study in Central Asia

Abstract

This study examined the effects of an updated curriculum on the literacy and numeracy development of indigenous and regional language speaking children in Kazakhstan. A quasi-experimentally designed pilot study involved 1717 students from 27 schools. Multilevel parallel linear growth models were used to analyze the impact of the updated curriculum on the co-developmental trajectories of numeracy and literacy from Grade 1 to 3. We found that the benefits of the updated curriculum were experienced equally for both the indigenous Kazakh- and Russian-speaking children. We suggest that modern reform efforts should not assume school-based inadequacies a priori but first test for the equivalent advantage of planned curricula across varying school conditions. We also suggest that other jurisdictions where multiple languages of instruction exist might consider adopting some of the changes implemented in Kazakhstan’s new curriculum for the purpose of improving literacy and numeracy outcomes in early elementary school.