Testing the Feasibility and Impact of Train-the-Trainer Delivery for a Peer Tutoring Reading Programme in Chile

Peer tutoring through a structured low-cost approach to reading in pairs using the Paired Reading programme has resulted in attainment gains in reading in English (UK) and Spanish (Colombia), using developer-led training in schools. Given the continued issues with poor reading attainment globally, in preparation for the scalability of Paired Reading in the Global South, a train-the-trainer delivery programme was developed, implemented, and assessed using a matched study design including 6 classes and 98 Grade 6 students in a high-poverty region of Chile. The results indicate that the Paired Reading train-the-trainer programme (Latin American Spanish version) is feasible to implement in elementary schools in high-poverty areas in Chile and is capable of improving children’s reading ability as measured by an independently designed standardised reading assessment. Positive results were found (effect size d = +0.67, g = +0.66) for the children who engaged in the technique when assessed against a matched control group. The results indicate that this programme is now ready for assessment using a randomised controlled trial in Chile to test the effectiveness of using this more scalable method of delivery, including with standardised digital resources, for sustainable delivery in the Latin American region.