Country:            Singapore
Title:              Reading and English acquisition programme (REAP).
Institution:        English Unit, Languages & Library Development
                    Branch, Ministry of Education.  
Address:            Kay Siang Road.  
Town/City:          Singapore.  
Zip/Postcode:       1024.  
Country:            Singapore.  
Telephone:          4739111.   - Facsimile: 4756128.  
Objectives:         The main aim of this programme is to develop the
                    English Language skills of the pupils in P1 - P3
                    through extensive exposure to carefully selected,
                    mainly fiction books and through engaging them in
                    language experience activities based on the
                    reading model proposed by Lee & Allen : "Learning
                    to Read through Experience", Prentice Hall, 1963.
Methodology:        Initially, the REAP team was made up of personnel
                    drawn from Curriculum Development Institute of
                    Singapore, Institute of Education, Ministry of
                    Education, and teachers from schools who were
                    appointed as project officers.  The Specialist
                    Inspectors and Project Officers have since been
                    implementing the programme in schools.  A
                    multi-pronged approach was adopted to train and
                    support the teachers in the implementation of the
                    programme by providing them with books,
                    guidelines, training workshops and monitoring
                    visits.  Evaluation of the programme was done
                    each year for the first three years.  A series of
                    monitoring forms was prepared to collect feedback
                    from teachers to improve on the programme.  A
                    comparable sample of REAP and non-REAP pupils
                    were tested on both individual standardized tests
                    and group tests prepared by the team.  
Background:         First implemented in 30 schools in 1985, REAP was
                    conceptualised to address a perceived weakness in
                    the primary pupils' command of English.  The
                    programme involves P1 - P3 pupils in Shared
                    Reading and Language Experience activities.  To
                    date, REAP is carried out in all the 207 primary
                    schools in Singapore.  
Results to Date:    The findings were that REAP pupils could speak
                    and write better and they were more positive
                    towards reading.  It was found that they were 7
                    months ahead of non-REAP pupils in reading
                    ability.  At the end of the programme, lower
                    primary teachers will continue to use the REAP
                    strategies and skills as they have now been
                    incorporated into the new English Language
                    syllabus.  
Recommendations:    S$5,000,000.  
Commencement Date:  1985.                  Duration: 8 years.  
Completion Date:    1992.  
Descriptors:        English; Primary schools
Identifiers:        Reading and English Acquisition Programme (REAP).