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Learning to read depends not only on having access to education, but on having access to quality education. In this research program, we develop a technology-based literacy intervention program for remote, rural communities of Côte d’Ivoire with the goal of providing quality, evidence-based educational programming via mobile phone to complement the school curriculum. No existing literacy intervention programs in Cote d’Ivoire currently offer scalable solutions to quickly address the problems of widespread student literacy failures. Our interdisciplinary approach combines expertise in literacy development, tech-based education solutions, and human-computer interaction in order to examine how technology-based literacy intervention, and its effective implementation and scalability, can improve literacy outcomes in communities with high illiteracy rates. We combine multiple research tools from the learning sciences (language, cognitive, and literacy assessment, longitudinal neuroimaging of the brain’s reading networks, and evaluation of technology use and integration into the community) to find an optimal and scalable strategy for literacy intervention that can be adopted in Cote d’Ivoire and throughout sub-Saharan Africa.

Ed-Tech tools can thus be useful instruments to complement traditional education, in particular in rural and remote communities. Easy to use, engaging, and cheap Ed-Tech tools, based on equipment that are readily available to families can provide effective support to children in their literacy development. The design of Allô Alphabet is based on previous research on literacy development in rural communities (led by K. Jasinska), and tailored to the rural Ivorian context. Allô Alphabet is (1) designed to be used after-school at home, enabling children who miss school due to agricultural activities to continue to receive literacy instruction and practice, (2) leverages children’s local language knowledge to bootstrap into reading in French by incorporating local language phonological structures, (3) builds phonemic decoding skills in a developmentally-appropriate manner (i.e. following saliency of phonological grain sizes), (4) is adaptive, and (5) provides a voice-based parent access platform accessible to non-literate parents that engages parents in children’s learning.  As shown by recent evidence, the larger effect sizes in programs that implement EdTech are, however, highly dependent on adult interaction (family or teachers/tutors). It is thus crucial that such Ed-Tech programs encompass the whole family in order to provide children with structure, engagement and support throughout their literacy development.

Allô Alphabet is currently undergoing an impact evaluation.

Collaborators: (Co-PI), , Dr. Fabrice Tanoh
Funding: