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Technology-Based Tutoring To Improve Second Language Literacy Among Children: Proof-of-Concept Study in Rural Ghana

It is well understood that literacy is key to development. In Ghana, literacy levels are particularly low in rural settings. In these settings, the predominant language tends to be one of Ghana’s local languages. However, many schools use English as the primary medium of instruction at all levels of education, despite the country’s current policy of bilingual education in the first three years. The issue of language is thus a confounding factor in achieving child literacy in these settings, since many children, without having learned to read in their native language, must simultaneously learn to understand, speak and read English. This paper discusses a small pilot study exploring the use of an automated computer-based reading tutor to improve English reading literacy among children in a rural setting in Ghana, and investigates the effectiveness of a strategy in which the tutor bridges between a native language and English, by giving instructions in the native language while helping the child learn to read in English. Observations from the pilot study suggest that the approach of having the automated tutor bridge between the local language and English is a promising one for further development.