This one year study was conducted to discover the potential of an Interactive Radio Instruction (IRI) technology for a LEARNING ENGLISH AUDIO PROJECT (LEAP) pilot in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. The pilot study was done between May 2014 and June 2015.
Using our Lifeplayer, SSN and the British Council uploaded literacy content onto 132 Lifeplayers. Synthetic phonics content was provided free of charge by Jolly Learning.
The target population included 52 schools, many of which are difficult to access by road and have no access to electricity. Primary 1 and Primary 2 teachers from these schools were trained in the use of Lifeplayers to teach Jolly Phonics.
The key objectives of the project were to:
- Discover the extent to which Lifeplayers can raise literary levels using the Jolly Phonics programme
- Provide teachers with suitable audio resources for the development of listening, speaking and reading skills
- Improve awareness of synthetic phonics initiatives amongst community members
The research found that using the Lifeplayer to teach Jolly Phonics did bring about improvement in pupils’ reading skills, thus raising literacy levels. Teachers liked using the Lifeplayer to teach Jolly Phonics, and found it more effective, with more than 97% saying that pupils learnt better with the Lifeplayer.
The research team strongly recommended that the LEAP project be expanded in the State to include more schools and more content, saying, “All schools that have been implementing the phonics programme should now use the Lifeplayer to build vocabulary, passage reading and comprehension skills. Further training should be provided to the current Lifeplayer schools in order to improve use of the stories and songs, as well as simple technical operations.”
The findings showed that this project is viable and sustainable, and should be expanded.
The full report can be found here: LEAP (Learn English Audio Programme) in Nigeria