A Synthesis of Early Literacy Intervention Research Conducted in Africa for Students in Kindergarten through Third Grade

Abstract

Literacy is essential to the development of any nation. Despite foreign aid to support education initiatives in Africa, high rates of illiteracy persist. This synthesis examined the extent to which early literacy intervention research has been conducted in Africa and the effects of these interventions on reading outcomes for students in kindergarten through third grade. Through an extensive search of published and unpublished research conducted in Africa between 1975 and 2019, 10 studies met inclusion criteria. Only four African countries were represented, with most studies being conducted in South Africa (k = 6). There was a wide range of effects (g = −0.88 to 6.98), with substantial variability in study methodology and intervention delivery. Findings from this review suggest that early literacy interventions are understudied in African countries and, as such, there is limited knowledge about the degree to which interventions with evidence of effectiveness are generalizable to these contexts.