Textbooks and teaching methods for adult basic education courses are frequently inappropriate for the cognitive ability level of the students. The assumption that these students have formal reasoning skills is often erroneous. (JD)

Interviews with 19 adults participating in adult basic education or literacy programs were conducted to ascertain the strategies they used to compensate for reading and writing difficulties. Although the project intended to secure this information from adults diagnosed as learning disabled, it had to rely on self-reports and educational history to…

A cooperative project received a federal education grant to provide workplace literacy education in communications, mathematics, and problem-solving skills for the printing/graphic arts industry. Partners in the 18-month program were Catonsville Community College in Baltimore (Maryland), the printing industries of Maryland and Southern…

Organizational development (OD) is a systematic approach to (1) identifying the needs, problems, and objectives of an organization; (2) providing feedback needed for decisions regarding design and implementation of change strategies; (3) implementing and monitoring actions; and (4) evaluating their effects. Decisions in all phases of OD are…

Formative, in-process evaluation results can be used to refine or "fine tune" Even Start programs. The assumption is that the programs have obtained comprehensive and appropriate empirical data on the assessment of the program as a whole as well as its specific goals. This six-step model uses evaluation data to improve program delivery.…

This report contains six research papers and a summary of a panel discussion on the topic of cognition and the adult learner. The papers are as follows: "Psychology and Adult Cognition" (Wilbert J. McKeachie); "Biology and Adult Cognition" (Frank Farley); "Technology and Adult Cognition" (Barbara Grabowski); "Enhancing Cognitive Skills" (Richard…

A follow-up study examined the life and educational histories of selected adult basic education (ABE) students and the perceived impact of such experiences on their personal growth. Interviewed survey participants were asked about the effect of ABE on the following areas of their lives: self-image, attitudes towards life, self-direction, ability…

Having used the apperception-interception method (AIM) of adult basic education (ABE) successfully abroad, World Education, with Office of Education funding and working at several American sites, developed a model of innovative ABE methods and materials for the United States, based on addressing learners' motivational problems. By using…

A study examined the strategies and processes used by a sample of 33 Argentinean adults with little school experience to solve problems and acquire knowledge at work. A Piagetian methodological approach was used to observe adults in building, rural, and domestic work settings and to analyze empirical data regarding their behavior in task-oriented…

Because adult basic education (ABE) students often have difficulty with problem solving and comprehension, a study was initiated to determine (1) at what levels of cognitive development ABE students are operating and (2) how teaching materials and methods relate to these cognitive levels. Thirty-two ABE students were given a written test of…

In 1988 SPD1, a division of Motorola, began an extensive 4-year endeavor to transform itself into an organization built on excellence and customer satisfaction. SPD1 contracted with Merex Corporation to provide three services that would enable employees to take on their new responsibilities more effectively. Merex conducted Skills Enhancement…

The document reports on the second and final year of a demonstration Adult Basic Education (ABE) project in Washington, D.C., administered by the National Council of Negro Women. Operation COPE: A Family Learning Center served the needs of educationally disadvantaged, low-income young mothers who head households. The learners' expressed interests…

The Working Smart workplace literacy project was sponsored by a public school district and several profit and nonprofit companies and conducted for the hotel and food industry in the Los Angeles area. Literacy instruction was merged with job requirements of the customer service job classifications. Videodisc courseware was developed, as were…

This document is the first in a series of two reports on demand-led strategies to support welfare-to-work clients. The authors believe employment retention programs that demonstrate they can meet the needs of employers for effective employees follow a demand-led approach, which has the potential to expand the opportunities available to welfare…

Profiles of 104 welfare recipients in Georgia were examined to identify social indicators and cognitive variables that influenced work role participation. Three instruments were administered the Career Thought Inventory, the Career Decision-Making Self-Efficacy Scale-Short Form, and the demographic profile and participation scale of the Salience…