Promoting Reading Proficiency Among Children in Zambia: Evidence From a Randomized Experiment of a Teacher-Assisted Reading Program

Last registered on March 26, 2025
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Promoting Reading Proficiency Among Children in Zambia: Evidence From a Randomized Experiment of a Teacher-Assisted Reading Program
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0014251
Initial registration date
March 21, 2025

Initial registration date is when the trial was registered.

It corresponds to when the registration was submitted to the Registry to be reviewed for publication.

First published
March 26, 2025, 9:25 AM EDT

First published corresponds to when the trial was first made public on the Registry after being reviewed.

Locations

Country
Zambia
Region
sub-Saharan Africa

Primary Investigator

Name
Sherinah Saasa
Affiliation
Brigham Young University
Contact Primary Investigator

Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Cleopas Sambo
PI Affiliation
The University of Zambia
Contact Investigator

Additional Trial Information

Status
Completed
Start date
2022-07-17
End date
2023-02-28
Keywords
Education
Additional Keywords
JEL code(s)
C93, I21
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
This study investigates the effectiveness of an after-school teacher-assisted reading intervention among 5th grade children in improving reading proficiency (comprehension and reading speed), math and English exam performance. We also assess whether gender, hope and self-efficacy moderate intervention effects. Findings show no significant differences in outcomes between experimental and control groups immediately post-intervention. However, our findings show delayed effects of the intervention for the experimental group with significant gains in reading proficiency, math and English performance from post-treatment to 3-month follow-up. In addition, the waitlist control group showed improvement in reading proficiency, math and English performance immediately post-treatment, with gains maintained from post-treatment to 3-month follow-up. We find significant moderation effects of hope and self-efficacy on English and math exam outcomes but not for reading proficiency.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Saasa, Sherinah and Cleopas Sambo. 2025. "Promoting Reading Proficiency Among Children in Zambia: Evidence From a Randomized Experiment of a Teacher-Assisted Reading Program ." AEA RCT Registry. March 26. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.14251-1.0
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
The intervention was assisted-reading where a proficient reader helps children struggling with reading to build reading fluency. It included added instructional time and more one-on-on time where teachers spent time with about 8-10 children to assist them with reading skills. Assisted reading sessions were held after school for about 1.5 hours a session, twice a week for 6 weeks. A total of 12 sessions with 18 hours of instructional time.
Intervention (Hidden)
Intervention Start Date
2022-09-05
Intervention End Date
2022-11-23

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Reading speed
Reading comprehension
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Math exam scores,
English exam scores
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
The study employed a randomized cluster sampling design. Four schools from low income neighborhoods were randomly selected from a list of schools in Lusaka District using data from the Zambia Subnational Poverty Mapping report. Within each schools, a universal recruitment approach was used to identify 5th grade children that met eligibility for study participation (i.e. very poor reading levels per teacher report). Schools were the unit of randomization into the waitlist control or experimental arm.
Experimental Design Details
Randomization Method
Randomization done in office by computer.
Randomization Unit
schools
Was the treatment clustered?
Yes

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
4 schools
Sample size: planned number of observations
4 schools - 100 pupils
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
2 schools wait-list control, 2 schools reading intervention
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
Brigham Young University Institutional Review Board
IRB Approval Date
2022-05-17
IRB Approval Number
IRB2022-180
Analysis Plan

Post-Trial

Post Trial Information

Study Withdrawal

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Intervention

Is the intervention completed?
Yes
Intervention Completion Date
November 23, 2022, 12:00 +00:00
Data Collection Complete
Yes
Data Collection Completion Date
February 28, 2023, 12:00 +00:00
Final Sample Size: Number of Clusters (Unit of Randomization)
4 schools
Was attrition correlated with treatment status?
No
Final Sample Size: Total Number of Observations
69
Final Sample Size (or Number of Clusters) by Treatment Arms
2 schools waitlist control 2 schools intervention
Data Publication

Data Publication

Is public data available?
No

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Program Files

Program Files
No
Reports, Papers & Other Materials

Relevant Paper(s)

Reports & Other Materials