Suggests that a limited, substantive theory inductively derived from comparative analysis of actual program operation can be practical. A comparative field study of public school adult basic education programs is given as an example. (Author/DR)

This final four-part report describes and evaluates the Vocational Adult Secondary Training Project (VAST) whose goals were to revise and develop: adult basic education curriculum in the areas of mathematics, communications, and science; individualized instruction with clearly defined objectives; a methodology for pretesting and selection of…

There have been few, if any, significant changes in educational policy regarding the provision of adult literacy education in India over the past two decades. The changes that have taken place in India's adult literacy programs have occurred in the realm of technology rather than ideology, thereby supporting a continuity in the existing…

A Dallas County consortium study investigated use of the Control Data Basic Skills Learning System (computer-based education) as a means for providing a comprehensive, high quality program of individualized instruction in reading, mathematics, and language arts. It also examined issues related to the motivation of students whose training was…

A statistical analysis was conducted of the New York City adult literacy database for program year 1989-90. Data included extensive information on enrollees in city- and state-funded classroom and tutorial programs throughout the city, as well as information on hours of instruction received and students' achievement test results. Demographic and…

Nebraska Adult Basic Education (ABE) program administrators have been studied in terms of their general characteristics and part-or full-time positions in an attempt to gather data to assist in future program development, administrator recruitment, and administrator training programs. A questionnaire was sent to all known administrators in the…

The Greater Pittsburgh Literacy Council tested four systems that could be used to provide supportive services to a minimum of 100 volunteer literacy tutors. The following four support systems were developed: a program providing for telephone consultation by a reading specialist, informal meetings of volunteer tutors, workshop class reunions, and a…

A two-phase study examined the incidence and nature of dropout and progression from basic skills programs in England and Wales. During the first (retrospective) phase, data about 1,920 students' attendance/dropout patterns and reasons' for finishing/leaving their basic skills programs were obtained from 82 tutors (of more than 300 contacted) in 8…

The pros and cons of integrated learning systems (ILS) and stand-alone software for adult literacy instruction were examined in a comparative analysis that focused on their use in adult literacy programs in Canada. The comparison focused on the following variables: achievement gains in reading; changes in students' attitudes toward computers;…

Cost effectiveness analysis in terms of personnel, facilities, equipment, materials, and overhead was made of two adult basic reading programs: Technology for Literacy Center's tutor-based program and Principle of the Alphabet Literacy System (PALS), computer-assisted instruction. Costs per unit of gain in reading skills clearly favored the PALS…

Reflecting the philosophy and policy of the National Advisory Council on Adult Education, the report first examines the adult basic education (ABE) target group from the vantage point of the discipline of economics, focusing on: educational attainment and occupation distribution; education, mobility, and occupation; technology and increasing…

Determination of problems and needs in Adult Basic Education programs, as perceived by teachers, and provision of a model for examining ABE needs on a statewide or regional level were the major goals of the study. Information was gathered from teachers by questionnaire; comparable data on programs in other States was obtained from a national…

A study compared the effectiveness of computer-assisted reading instruction to that of a direct teaching model. Nineteen adult male inmates from Windham School System's Ellis II Unit (located in Texas) special education classrooms served as subjects. The subjects were divided into two groups each of which spent one hour a day on reading. One group…

One in a series of studies of lifelong learning, this paper discusses the cultural and educational needs of selected urban and rural communities in Senegal and Ghana, emphasizing grassroots initiative and the community's analysis of its own needs. Information is drawn in part from surveys, public meetings, and interviews in three communities:…

The progress made by adults in dedicated mainstream basic skills provision in England and Wales and factors associated with students' progress were examined. Of the 2,135 students from 71 colleges of further education and local education authorities who took the reading pretest, 1,224 (57%) took the reading posttest. Writing scripts were received…