Project UPGRADE Life Story Interview Questions (Learners)

Warm-up Questions

Start with easy questions so the child feels relaxed.

 What is your name?

 How old are you?
 What grade are you in?
 What is your favorite subject in school?
 What do you like to do when you are not in school?
 Who helps you study at home?

Before Joining the Reading Sessions

These questions help capture the “before” story.

 Before joining the reading activities, what was hard for you in school?
 Was reading easy or hard for you before? Why?
 What words or letters were difficult for you before?

Follow-up questions:

 Can you show me an example?

 What happened next?
 How did that make you feel?

Feelings Before the Project

These questions help capture emotions.

 How did you feel when you could not read well before?
 Did you feel shy when reading in front of your classmates?
 What made reading difficult for you before?

Experience During Project UPGRADE

These questions capture participation and engagement.

 What activities did you do in the reading sessions?

 What games or activities did you like the most?
 Did you enjoy the songs, games, or movements during the sessions? Why?
 Which activity helped you learn the most?
 Who helped you the most during the reading sessions?
 Changes After Joining the Project

These questions capture impact.

 What can you do now that you could not do before?

 Is reading easier for you now? Why?
 Can you read words or sentences better now?
 Do you feel more confident when reading in class?
 What did your teacher say about your reading now?
 What did your parents say when you started reading better?

Follow-up questions:

 Can you show me how you read now?

 Can you tell me a story about when you felt proud?

Meaningful Moments

These questions help you capture powerful quotes for life stories.

 What moment during the reading sessions made you happiest?

 When did you feel proud of yourself while learning to read?
 Can you tell me about a time when you read something successfully?

Dreams and Aspirations

These questions connect the story to the child’s future hopes.

 Why do you think reading is important?

 What do you want to become when you grow up?
 What do you want to learn next in school?

Message to Other Children

These help generate good closing quotes.

 What would you say to other children who are still learning to read?
 What advice would you give to a child who finds reading difficult?
 Why should children join reading activities like this?


Best Question for Strong Quotes

If you only ask one powerful question, ask this:

“What can you do now that you could not do before the reading sessions?”
 Interview Questions for Teachers / ARAL Tutors

These should draw out instructional changes, learner results, and concrete examples.

Background

 Please introduce yourself and your role in the school.

 How long have you been teaching or handling ARAL remediation?
 What learners were you supporting under Project UPGRADE?

Before the Project

 What was your perception about the use of play, music, and movement-based strategies in
teaching reading?
 Before Project UPGRADE, what reading difficulties did your learners usually show?
 What challenges did you face in conducting remediation?
 What gaps did you notice in materials, strategies, or support systems?
 How prepared did you feel to handle struggling readers at that time?

Feelings and Initial Challenges

 How did those challenges affect your work as a teacher or tutor?

 What frustrations or concerns did you have before the project interventions?
 What did you hope the project would provide?

Experience in Project UPGRADE

 How did you use the PMM task cards and remediation materials in your sessions?
 Which strategies worked best with your learners?
 How did Play, Music, and Movement affect learner participation?
 What support from the project helped you most?

Changes and Results

 What changes have you observed in learners since implementation?

 What changes have you observed in yourself as a teacher or tutor?
 Can you describe a learner or session that clearly shows improvement?
 How has the project changed the way you conduct remediation?

6. Sustainability and Recommendations

 Which practices from Project UPGRADE should continue even after the project?
 What support is still needed for teachers and tutors?
 What recommendations do you have for improving or scaling the project?
 What message would you share with other teachers handling struggling readers?
 Interview Questions for School Heads

These should focus on school-level change, implementation support, and sustainability.

Background

 Please introduce yourself and your role in the school.

 What was your involvement in Project UPGRADE?

Before the Project

 Before Project UPGRADE, what literacy challenges were most evident in your school?
 What school-level constraints affected remediation efforts?
 How were struggling readers usually supported before the project?

Feelings and Concerns Before

 What were your main concerns regarding literacy before the project?
 How did these challenges affect school performance or teaching practices?

Project Contribution

 How did Project UPGRADE support your school’s reading interventions?

 What project components were most helpful at the school level?
 How did the project affect teachers, learners, and volunteers?

Changes Observed

 What concrete changes have you observed in learners?

 What changes have you observed in teachers’ instructional practices?
 What changes have you seen in school-community participation?
 Can you share a specific example that shows the project’s effect in your school?

Sustainability

 Which Project UPGRADE practices can be sustained by the school?

 What actions has the school taken to continue these gains?
 What recommendations would you give to strengthen future literacy initiatives?
 What message would you share with other school leaders?
 Interview Questions for Community Support Volunteers

These should capture community ownership, learner support, and personal transformation.

Background

 Please tell me about yourself and your role as a community support volunteer.
 How did you become involved in Project UPGRADE?

Before the Project

 Before joining the project, what did you observe about children’s reading difficulties in your
community?
 What support did children usually receive outside school?
 What challenges did you see among families or learners?

Feelings and Motivation

 How did you feel seeing children struggle with reading?

 What made you decide to help?

Experience in the Project

 What activities or tasks did you do as a volunteer?

 How did the PMM materials or strategies help in your work?
 What did you find most meaningful in your participation?
 How would you describe your relationship with your partner teacher, in terms of ARAL
implementation?

Changes Observed

 What changes have you seen in the children you supported?

 What changes have you seen in parents, teachers, or the community?
 Has the project changed you personally? How?
 Can you share one story that best shows the project’s impact?

Sustainability and Message

 Why is community support important in helping children learn to read?

 What should be done so this kind of support continues?
 What recommendations do you have for the project?
 What message would you like to share with other volunteers or communities?
 Interview Questions for TWG

These should document technical support, implementation quality, and system-level learning.

Background

 Please introduce yourself and your role in the Technical Working Group.
 What specific contribution did you make to Project UPGRADE?

Before the Project

 What literacy or remediation gaps did you identify before implementation?

 What technical needs were evident among teachers, schools, or implementers?

Project Role and Contribution

 How did the TWG support the design, quality assurance, monitoring, or implementation of
the project?
 What technical processes were most important in ensuring quality implementation?
 How did you support schools during the implementation phase?

Changes Observed

 What changes have you observed in the quality of remediation sessions?

 What improvements have you seen among teachers, school heads, or volunteers?
 What project outputs or processes do you consider most successful?
 Can you share one example that best reflects the value of TWG engagement?

Lessons and Recommendations

 What key lessons did you gain from supporting the project?
 What should be improved in future implementation?
 Which elements should be sustained or scaled?
 What message would you share with other technical teams supporting literacy
interventions?
 Interview Questions for SDO Personnel

These should emphasize division-level relevance, policy alignment, and institutional value.

Background

 Please introduce yourself and your position in the Schools Division Office.
 What has been your office’s involvement in Project UPGRADE?

Situation Before the Project

 Before Project UPGRADE, what literacy concerns or remediation needs were evident in the
division?
 What gaps did you observe in school support for struggling readers?

Project Relevance

 How does Project UPGRADE respond to the division’s education priorities?

 In what ways did the project complement ARAL or other literacy-related initiatives?
 What aspects of the project were most relevant from a division perspective?

Changes and Results

 What results or changes have you observed in participating schools?

 How has the project contributed to strengthening literacy support systems?
 What changes have you observed in school-community collaboration?
 Can you share one example that shows the project’s significance at the division level?

Recommendations and Sustainability

 What recommendations do you have for strengthening similar projects?

 Which project practices are worth institutionalizing or scaling?
 What support is needed from the division moving forward?
 What message would you share with schools or partners about literacy interventions like
this?

Best Questions for Strong Quotable Lines

 What is the biggest change this project brought to your life?

 What moment in the project will you never forget?
 If Project UPGRADE were described in one sentence, what would you say?
 What would have happened if this project had not come to your school or community?
 What do you want other people to understand about children who struggle to read?