Abstract
A four-year research and development program at CAPOLSA (the Centre for the Promotion of Literacy in Sub-Saharan Africa) was inspired by widespread dissatisfaction with poor literacy outcomes of mass basic schooling in Zambia and sought to test the generalizability of a scientifically grounded, computer-mediated instructional resource developed in Finland, for effective intervention in an African society where different linguistic and educational conditions obtain. Specific challenges and opportunities posed by the local sociocultural context included the prevalence of multilingualism, the relatively transparent orthographies of local languages, and poor infrastructure of the public school system. Software was translated and field-tested under ecologically realistic conditions. Complementary influences on initial literacy learning were systematically explored of children’s home literacy environments, teachers’ attitudes and practices, biological and social constraints on learning among children with special needs, curriculum development, and teacher training. Complementary instructional resource development focused on creation of child-friendly reading materials in seven indigenous languages, translation of stories across those languages, harmonization of their orthographies, and exploring the potential of multiple media for dissemination of literacy materials. Effective application of scientific and technological innovations to educational policy and practice called for systematic coordination of insights from multiple disciplines to situate developmental science within sociocultural context.
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- 1.
chiTonga book1 ISBN:978 998,212,475 1, chiTonga book2 ISBN: 978 9982 12,472 0, ciNyanja book1 ISBN:978 9982 12,474 4, ciNyanja book2 ISBN:978 9982 12,471 3, iciBemba book1 ISBN:978 9982 12,473 7, iciBemba book2 ISBN:978 9982 12,470 6, KiKaonde Book 1 ISBN: 978 9982 2409 70, Lunda Book 1 ISBN: 978 9982 2409 87, Luvale Book 1 ISBN: 978 9982 2409 94, siLozi book1 ISBN:978 9982 12,476 8, siLozi book2 ISBN 978 9982 12,469 0)
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Serpell, R. et al. (2017). A Culturally Sensitive Approach to Promoting Initial Literacy Development in Africa: Ongoing and Planned Research and Development at the University of Zambia’s Centre for Promotion of Literacy in Sub-Saharan Africa (CAPOLSA). In: Abubakar, A., van de Vijver, F. (eds) Handbook of Applied Developmental Science in Sub-Saharan Africa. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-7328-6_17
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