Action research on measuring literacy programme participants’ learning outcomes

The provision of non-formal literacy programmes for adolescents and adults is very diverse. On the one hand this diversity is a rich source because of the flexibility it offers, on the other hand it makes the governance of literacy policies more complex. UIL has initiated a multi-country action research project (RAMAA) to measure literacy programme participants’ learning outcomes. The project takes account of governance issues in such diversity.

The research project is a partnership between UNESCO and the ministries in charge of adult literacy and non-formal education in Burkina Faso, Mali, Morocco, Niger and Senegal. At national level the activities are carried out by a coordinator and a multi-disciplinary team. International coordination is assured by UIL with the support of the Regional Bureau for Education in Africa (BREDA) and UNESCO’s multi-country offices in Mali and Morocco.

This research project runs from 2010 to 2013, and is the first step in initiating a medium- and long-term process that will lead to national evaluation systems for non-formal education programmes in developing countries. In the light of the magnitude of this domain and the little that is known about it as well as the enormous need in terms of national capacities, the study focuses on adults’ (older than 15 years) learning outcomes, focusing on quality determinants for basic competences and their use.

The ultimate objective of the research is to develop and test measurement instruments. These instruments will refer to a joint reference framework guided by the following research question: Do adult literacy programmes equip beneficiaries to become lifelong learners?

This research encourages an interdisciplinary and comparative approach between countries in a region which face similar challenges. It contributes to the strengthening of national capacities in terms of assessment, monitoring and evaluation and stimulates South-South cooperation. It is a project that complements two flagship UNESCO programmes, Literacy Assessment and Monitoring Programme (LAMP) and Non-Formal Education Management Information System (NFE-EMIS), by providing some answers to questions concerning the evaluation of non-formal basic education programmes.