Promoting Literacy Through Cognitive Science: Experimental Evidence from Morocco

Morocco ranked 48th of 50 countries in the most recent international study of primary school literacy (PIRLS). A key problem faced by Moroccan students learning to read is the difference between the colloquial Arabic used at home and the formal Arabic (Modern Standard Arabic; MSA) used for instruction. Learning MSA disruptions due to Covid-19 intensified the challenge of learning MSA. This study proposes a pilot randomized evaluation in Moroccan public schools of an early grade literacy curriculum based on cognitive science in language acquisition. The curriculum relies on perceptual and statistical learning of language to help students detect visual patterns and probabilistic structure in formal Arabic that they would not learn at home. While comparison schools would follow the status quo public school curriculum, intervention schools would follow the new literacy curriculum. Results will demonstrate whether the new literacy curriculum holds promise to improve early grade reading among a disadvantaged student population.