Monitoring and Evaluation for Pacific Early Age Readiness and Learning (PEARL) Reading Program, Tonga [Term 4 Monitoring and evaluation report]

Abstract or Summary

This report covers the second cycle of data collection for the Pacific Early Age Reading and Learning (PEARL) Reading Program Monitoring project in the Kingdom of Tonga for 2016. We replicated the results obtained for the 1st monitoring cycle. These monitoring activities were undertaken over a 5-week period, from 25 September to 2 November 2016. Our main objectives were to replicate the data-collection process the team had used in the 1st monitoring cycle. We therefore cross-reference the first report as the backdrop for the second data-collection cycle aimed at monitoring the “Come let’s read and write” (CLR&W) program using instruments provided by the technical team from the World Bank (WB). As before, a team of Tongan monitors applied two data-collection tools: the Classroom Observation Snapshot (Revised) (COS-R) and the Concerns-Based Adoption Model Stages of Concern Questionnaire (CBAM SOCQ) (George, Hall and Stiegelbauer, 2006). The findings of this cycle replicated the findings for the first cycle, among these, that the level of consistency of implementation of PEARL reading routines was significant and high for trained PEARL reading teachers.The differences in instruction between trained and yet-to-be-trained PEARL teacher were also significant. WE also found that the CBAM SOCQ continued to yield poor results, showing inadequate levels of discriminant and convergent validity. The report also includes several recommendations for project implementation and change.