Words can change worlds: An impact evaluation of Shine Literacy

Abstract

The recent PIRLS report painted a dire picture of South Africa’s literacy: 80% of Grade 4 learners are unable to read for meaning. With a large body of research confirming how reading literacy holds predictive validity for later child development and academic success, Shine Literacy offers an intervention that is set as a measure for those who struggle to read. This quasi-experimental impact evaluation estimated the treatment effect of Shine Literacy via difference-in-differences. Average treatment effects range between 0.6 to 1.9 standard deviations. IsiXhosa and ‘At risk’ learners are the main beneficiaries of the programme.