Innovative practices in early literacy: a review of pedagogical experiences in intercultural educational institutions in Ecuador

Abstract

This study conducted a systematic review with mixed‑methods synthesis to identify and assess innovative early literacy practices in intercultural schools in Ecuador, with a territorial focus on Jipijapa (Manabí). We searched Scopus, Web of Science, ERIC, SciELO, Redalyc, and Latindex, plus high‑quality gray literature, for publications from January 2019 to September 2025. Following PRISMA screening, 112 studies were included (27 randomized/quasi‑experimental, 39 pre‑post, 23 qualitative, and 23 mixed‑methods), 41 of them from Ecuador (11 in Manabí; 4 explicitly located in Jipijapa). Standardized effect sizes were computed under random‑effects models and qualitative findings were synthesized using JBI meta‑aggregation. Practices were grouped into five families: guided play for phonological awareness; dialogic reading and home‑language oral practices; multimodal print‑rich environments; low‑cost ed‑tech; and community‑based projects. We found small‑to‑moderate, statistically significant improvements in phonological awareness (g=0.46; 95% CI 0.32–0.60), letter knowledge (g=0.52; 0.33–0.71), vocabulary (g=0.38; 0.25–0.51), emergent writing (g=0.35; 0.18–0.52), and oral comprehension (g=0.31; 0.12–0.50). Effects increased when home languages were used and families participated, when interventions lasted ≥12 weeks, included ≥4 weekly sessions, and teachers received training. Qualitative synthesis emphasized situated linguistic relevance, play‑based scaffolding, family mediation, locally grounded materials, offline technologies with instructional design, and situated professional development. We concluded that combining guided play, bilingual dialogic reading, multimodal environments, and family mediation—supported by teacher training and context‑sensitive formative assessment—consistently improved emergent literacy in Jipijapa and similar settings. We recommend feasible packages for resource‑constrained schools (phonological micro‑games, oral language corners, traveling libraries, and offline audio‑stories) and outline research avenues on effectiveness, cost‑utility, and bilingual instrumentation