Evaluation report
Can Small-Group Sound Games Strengthen Early Literacy in Luganda? Findings from a Pilot Cluster-Randomised Feasibility Study in Primary Two
Kabugo D ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This pilot study tested whether small-group sound games could improve early literacy skills in Luganda for Primary Two children in central Uganda. Eight schools were randomly assigned to either receive the sound games supplement alongside regular lessons or continue with standard teaching. The intervention met all feasibility targets and showed children in intervention classrooms gained more in blending and segmentation skills than those in comparison classrooms, though the study was small and only measured short-term gains.
Key points
- All pre-specified feasibility criteria were met: 80% school recruitment, 92.8% child consent/assent, 93.8% retention, 89.6% dose delivery, 85.2% fidelity, 4.5/5 teacher acceptability, and 4.3/5 child engagement
- Intervention children's blending scores improved from 4.31 to 8.49 out of 12, compared to 4.06 to 6.32 in comparison classrooms
- Intervention children's segmentation scores improved from 3.84 to 7.71 out of 12, compared to 3.70 to 5.41 in comparison classrooms
- Baseline-adjusted estimates favored the intervention by approximately 2 points on both blending and segmentation
- The authors conclude the findings support feasibility and provide a promising learning signal but do not establish definitive effectiveness
Limitations
The study had only eight clusters, measured only proximal phonological awareness outcomes without assessing longer-term impacts on decoding, spelling, or reading comprehension, and lacked long-term follow-up data. The small sample size and possible partial unmasking during a few assessments limit the strength of conclusions about effectiveness.
Abstract
Abstract This article reports a pilot cluster-randomized feasibility study of a short Small-Group Sound Games supplement for Primary Two Luganda literacy lessons in central Uganda. Eight classrooms in eight schools were randomized after baseline assessment to either the supplement or standard P2 Luganda teaching. The supplement was not a replacement curriculum. It used familiar words from the “I Can Read and Write / Nsobola Okusoma n'Okuwandiika” pupil book and teacher guide, followed the “I do, We do, You do” routine, and gave children repeated turns to blend and segment Luganda sounds in small groups of six to eight learners. Across the eight schools, 181 children were eligible, 168 had caregiver consent and child assent, 162 completed baseline assessment, and 152 completed post-test assessment. The 8-week package planned 24 sessions per intervention classroom, each about 20 minutes. All pre-specified feasibility criteria were met: school recruitment was 80.0%, child consent/assent was 92.8%, retention from baseline to post-test was 93.8%, dose delivered or shortened-but-counted was 89.6%, mean observed fidelity was 85.2%, teacher acceptability was 4.5/5, and observed child engagement was 4.3/5. Children in intervention classrooms showed larger short-term gains on the two proximal Luganda outcomes. Mean blending scores rose from 4.31 to 8.49 out of 12 in the intervention arm and from 4.06 to 6.32 in the comparison arm. Mean segmentation scores rose from 3.84 to 7.71 and from 3.70 to 5.41, respectively. Exploratory baseline-adjusted estimates favored the intervention by 2.0 points for blending and 2.1 points for segmentation. The findings support feasibility and provide a promising learning signal, but they do not establish definitive effectiveness. The study had only eight clusters, proximal outcomes, possible partial unmasking during a few assessments, and no long-term decoding, spelling, or comprehension follow-up. A larger, time-equivalent, cluster-randomized trial is warranted.
Findings the Hub has extracted
Each claim below is labelled by its type of design and links back to this report.
- Intervention
- An 8-week small-group sound games supplement using familiar words from standard pupil materials, structured with 'I do, We do, You do' routine, delivered to groups of six to eight learners for approximately 20 minutes per session (24 sessions planned)
- Population
- Primary Two children in eight schools in central Uganda; 152 children completed post-test assessment (intervention and comparison arms)
Key finding
Intervention blending scores: 4.31 to 8.49 out of 12 vs comparison 4.06 to 6.32, favoring intervention by 2.0 points baseline-adjusted