Community-Based Literacy Empowerment for Indigenous Children in the Remote Highlands of Papua New Guinea
Keywords:
indigenous literacy, community-based education, Papua New Guinea highlands, culturally responsive pedagogy, bilingual scaffolding, participatory action researchAbstract
Persistent gaps in foundational literacy among indigenous children in the remote highlands of Papua New Guinea (PNG) represent a critical intersection of geographic isolation, cultural discontinuity, and systemic educational underinvestment. This community-based participatory action research (CBPAR) study examined the effectiveness of a culturally responsive literacy empowerment program implemented across three highland community clusters—Enga, Simbu, and Western Highlands Provinces—over a 12-month intervention cycle. Engaging 120 indigenous children aged 6–12 years alongside their caregivers, village elders, and locally trained literacy facilitators, the program integrated oral tradition, indigenous narrative structures, and bilingual instructional scaffolding within a formal literacy framework. Mixed-methods data collection protocols, including pre- and post-intervention literacy assessments, ethnographic observation, and semi-structured focus group discussions, revealed statistically significant improvements across all six literacy indicators, with a mean effect size of Cohen's d = 0.90. Critically, community ownership, elder mentorship, and intergenerational knowledge transfer emerged as pivotal mechanisms sustaining literacy gains beyond the formal program cycle. Findings affirm that culturally embedded, community-anchored literacy interventions constitute a viable and equitable model for bridging the educational divide in indigenous highland communities.
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Copyright (c) 2023 Michael Andrew Collins, Sarah Elizabeth Turner, Daniel Robert Hughes
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