Revisión sistemática sobre intervenciones en alfabetización temprana: implicancias para intervenir en español / A systematic review on early literacy interventions: implications for interventions in Spanish

Resumen Contar con herramientas para el diseño y la implementación de intervenciones en alfabetización con niños hispanohablantes reúne cada vez mayor interés entre docentes e investigadores. Para contribuir a esta demanda, realizamos una revisión sistemática con el objetivo de sintetizar la información disponible sobre intervenciones basadas en la evidencia (IBE) con niños de primero a tercer grado escolar. Nuestros resultados recogen información sobre 20 IBE, que buscaron mejorar al menos uno de los siguientes componentes críticos nombrados por el NRP (2000): conciencia fonológica, principio alfabético, fluidez, vocabulario y comprensión. Dado que el 90% de ellos fue realizado con niños angloparlantes nos dedicamos a discutir críticamente la aplicabilidad de esta evidencia al contexto particular de países hispanohablantes. Si bien muchas de las características generales de las IBE implementadas en inglés podrían servir de guía para intervenir en español, resulta imprescindible tener en cuenta las diferencias estructurales en la ortografía de ambas lenguas. A su vez, identificamos estrategias transversales y técnicas de implementación en las IBE, que por su carácter universal podrían ser de utilidad práctica también para intervenir en el desarrollo lector en español.

Abstract An area of increasing interest amongst teachers and researchers is the availability of tools for the design and implementation of literacy interventions with Spanish speaking children. The present systematic literature review contributes to this need by summarizing available findings on evidence-based literacy interventions (EBI) for children from first to third year of primary school. Our results are based on 20 EBI that aimed at improving at least one of the critical components mentioned by the NRP (2000): phonological awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension. As 90% of the studies were completed with English-speaking children, we critically discussed the applicability of this evidence to the specific context of Spanish-speaking countries. Although many of the general characteristics of the EBI completed with English speaking children could also guide interventions in Spanish, it remains crucial to take into account structural differences between the orthographies of both languages. Moreover, we identified transversal strategies and implementation techniques that due to their universal character could also be useful for early literacy interventions in Spanish.

An Asian perspective on HIV/AIDS

Almost 5 million Asians are currently living with HIV. Without good prevention efforts, HIV prevalence in the region could double by 2020. AIDS is estimated to be the largest cause of death and morbidity due to disease for Asian adults aged between 15 and 44 years. HIV transmission in Asia is driven by three high risk behaviours, and these are unprotected commercial sex, injecting drug use and unprotected sex between men. Approximately three quarters of the people living with HIV in Asia are men, and in many countries, the men who buy sex are a powerful driving force in Asia’s HIV epidemics. These men and others exhibiting high risk behaviours can transmit HIV to their female sexual partners, who can in turn pass HIV onto their unborn or newly born children through mother to child transmission of HIV. Regionally relevant, effective prevention programmes now provide good evidence for changing the course of HIV epidemics: Thailand and Cambodia have demonstrated that even in the face of a severe epidemic, targeted interventions are successful if implemented both with high coverage and intensity. Some countries in the region have seemingly been protected to date, but risk serious epidemics if prevention services are denied to those who need them. When designing intervention strategies, it is important to consider the social, political and cultural contexts which shape risk behaviours in any particular country, so that appropriate and effective prevention strategies can be implemented. The provision of effective antiretroviral treatment must be seen as a complimentary strategy to other behavioural and risk reduction interventions. Commitment and integrated action by country leaders, health care providers and all sectors of the community are essential so that effective prevention and treatment programmes can become a reality for all Asian countries.