The use of instructional time in early grade reading classrooms: A study in Herat Province of Afghanistan

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate how much time teachers in sampled schools in Herat Province of Afghanistan spend teaching literacy in early grade classrooms, how they use the time, and what factors lead to instructional time loss. We found that the actual time spent teaching literacy was often shorter than the allocated time. We also identified a few shared teaching practices that indicate a poor use of instructional time. Time loss factors identified included teacher and student absenteeism and tardiness, unofficial school closures and summer break extensions, and teachers’ maternity leaves.