This RAPID project aims at developing, evaluating and refining Kreyòl-based and technology-enabled learning environments for elementary schools in post-earthquake Haiti, and to initiate research on the effects of native (vs. non-native) language and student-centered technology in reading, writing, math and science. Such a study will provide crucial data toward improving education in Haiti, especially future implementation of policies on the respective roles of Kreyòl vs. French in Haitian schools. The main hypothesis of the project is that Kreyòl-based and technology-enhanced education will help create more progressive, collaborative, student-centered, and inquiry-based materials and methods. These resources can constructively enlist Haitian children's cognitive, linguistic and cultural assets to help them achieve academic levels that have been lacking so far.
This project will undertake an empirical study on the impact of Kreyòl-based and technology-enhanced pedagogical materials and methods on the academic performance of Kreyòl-speaking students. The project will use various methods such as informal pilot programs for comparison, initial development and refinement of Kreyòl-based and technology-enhanced learning environments, and qualitative assessments. The results of such an evaluation will help inform curriculum reforms and teacher training during reconstruction of post-earthquake Haiti. Furthermore, the results of this research may also shed light on issues in U.S. education related to immigrant and minority populations with native languages or dialects that are distinct from mainstream varieties of English. More generally, the findings from this project will bear on all educational contexts where students are taught in an "official" language that is distinct from their native "vernacular" language. This project further aims to plant additional seeds for research and teaching partnerships that will benefit society at large, including schools in Haiti and elsewhere.
