This evaluation of the Harnessing Youth Volunteers as Literacy Leaders (HYVALL) project in Senegal explores the potential links between specific elements of the intervention and student reading gains. HYVALL brought together students, parents, and volunteers to help children learn to read. The project was designed to assess the impact on students at risk for poor literacy development after receiving continuous tutoring in literacy by community youth volunteers.

Key Findings

  • Intervention students were found to read significantly faster and with greater accuracy than their comparison counterparts.
  • Students in the intervention group surpassed their comparison counterparts after only 1.5 years of this out-of-school intervention.
  • Intervention students had an easier time answering comprehension questions, whether from memory or using a text support in front of them.
  • Intervention group girls gained significantly more than comparison group girls in reading comprehension and also outscored comparison boys.

Resource Details

Media Type
PDF
Resource Type
Reports
Regions
Authors
Education Development Center, Inc.
Date
2015
Length
12 pages