Micaela Ostry

Children throughout the world attend school and learn to read in a language of instruction (LoI) other than the language(s) they speak at home, which is one factor contributing to poor reading outcomes. Understanding reading development in multilingual, Majority World contexts is important for improving reading skills globally. In a linguistically diverse sample of children in rural Côte d’Ivoire, we examined how home language experience (monolingual, regional bilingual [two Ivorian languages], French bilingual [French + Ivorian language], French multilingual [French + two Ivorian languages]) relates to children’s (N = 1335) language and reading skills. Bilingual children (French and regional) outperformed monolingual children on French language tasks, suggesting bilingual experience benefits language skills regardless of whether it includes the LoI (French). However, this language advantage did not extend to reading; there were no differences in reading scores between groups and all children leveraged phonological awareness for reading regardless of their home language experience. The findings suggest that bilingual/multilingual education programs, and reading instruction that strengthens language skills, may support reading outcomes in multilingual, Majority World contexts.

Education is a protective factor against child labor; however, COVID-19 school closures threatened educational attainment and increased child labor. In this 2-year longitudinal study in rural Côte d’Ivoire, we investigated children’s (N=955, Mage=10.45) learning outcomes, educational resource use, and agricultural work pre-, during, and post-COVID-19 school closures. The number of children participating in agricultural work increased during school closures and persisted once schools reopened. However, children randomized to an educational technology (EdTech) intervention (Allô Alphabet) and children who reported receiving family tutoring during school closures were more likely to report reduced agricultural work. Children working in cocoa agriculture during school closures showed poorer reading scores the following year; however, reading scores marginally improved for children who used EdTech during school closures. Results are discussed in terms of negative COVID-19 impacts and the positive role of educational resources on the attainment of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals in Côte d’Ivoire.