International comparative study and reading curricula analysis in Burkina Faso, Niger and Senegal

In the context of the project Improving reading outcomes in the early years of primary school (2013-2016), the IBE has launched, in partnership with the University of Geneva (UNIGE), a national and international diagnostic study that aims to identify the elements that have to be taken into account to improve the reading curriculum in each of the project’s countries (Burkina Faso, Niger and Senegal). This research encompasses two complementary components: an international comparative analysis of successful initiatives in the area of reading, and an analysis of the national curricula of the three countries involved in the project. Building on a wide range of curricular documents and on the observation of practices used to teach reading in the classroom, as well as interviews with actors of the educative system, the analyses will help respond to the following questions:

• What learning and teaching strategies are currently being discussed within the scientific community, and how are they implemented? Which methods already being used constitute good practice?
• What does “learning reading in a multicultural context” mean, especially when the language learnt is a second language and is barely or not used in the learner’s community?
• What is implied by situations that involve learning to read with particular didactic constraints, where textbooks are lacking, where teachers have little training, where students are numerous in the classroom, etc.? What should be envisaged in such contexts?
• In what ways is curricular alignment already present? Can an alignment between the prescribed curriculum, the textbooks and teaching material, teacher training, practical approaches to teaching and assessment be observed?
• What are the strengths and weaknesses of the teaching reading curricula currently in place and/or being reformed in the three countries of the project?

While dealing with these central questions, the report will constitute a solid basis for information and reflection allowing ministries of education in Burkina Faso, Niger and Senegal to make informed changes in their curriculum and thus contribute to the improvement of learning outcomes in reading in the first three grades of primary.