Uses focus groups, a questionnaire, and in-depth interviews to reveal conditions needed for teachers' professional development: time to meet, solve problems, and reflect on practice and exposure to other teachers' strategies. Notes unexpected differences between adult literacy and English language teachers. (SR)

The extent to which current staff development mechanisms in Virginia meet adult basic education (ABE) teachers' needs for skill and knowledge development was the focus of an evaluation. (The state's staff development mechanisms were identified as a centralized resource center, a regionalized training program, a centralized annual conference, and a…

A dual workshop/questionnaire approach was used in a needs assessment of adult basic education (ABE) students conducted in Prince George's County, Maryland, in spring 1980. The workshop advanced and clarified the concept of career development to teaching and administrative staff. Participants completed a needs assessment questionnaire according to…

A study examined the acceptability of distance education as a means of staff development for literacy and adult basic education (ABE) providers in rural Pennsylvania and the perceived need and available resources for such a program. The major project activities were a review of the literature on literacy staff development by distance education in…

This summary reports on a research project that looked at the relationship of whole language instruction to adult basic education (ABE) learning. It begins with the background of the three research projects. This section discusses the staff development program that enabled teachers to understand whole language, its principles, and its strategies…

In May 1992, 22 Massachusetts mathematics educators who either teach or coordinate/direct adult basic education (ABE) and General Educational Development (GED) programs were recruited into a group called the Math Team. During their monthly business/training sessions in central Massachusetts, members worked on various individual and team…

The Greater Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania) Literacy Council (GPLC) is a volunteer-based literacy council that provides adult basic and literacy education services to the area's citizens. The GPLC conducted an action research project to determine whether adding monthly meetings for professional teaching staff and providing opportunities for interaction…

A study assessed the degree to which teachers in the Hidalgo-Starr Adult Education Coop in Texas support and practice the principles in the literature on adult education. During the project, 94 part-time teachers from the Hidalgo-Starr Adult Education Coop completed the Principles of Adult Learning Scale (PALS). (The PALS is a validated 44-item…

Program directors, teachers, and counselors of Adult Basic Education (ABE) and General Educational Development (GED) programs were surveyed about their attitudes toward and knowledge of their students with learning disabilities (LD), the availability of services for those students, the availability of staff development activities about LD, and…

The quarterly theme-based publication "Focus on Basics" was launched in January 1997 as part of a multipronged effort by the National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy to connect research and practice in the field of adult basic education (ABE). The effectiveness of "Focus on Basics" as a means of professional…

The implementation and effectiveness of the inclusion of literacy and numeracy in industry training packages was examined in a case study that focused on the use the horticulture industry training package in South Australia. Data were gathered from the following activities: a literature review; consultations with stakeholders in the package's…

The implementation and effectiveness of the inclusion of literacy and numeracy in industry training packages was examined in case studies of three programs in Western Australia. Two were certificate programs in cooking and food and beverage as specified in the hospitality training package, and the third was an aged care program based on the…

The effects of the inclusion of literacy and numeracy competencies within Australia's food processing industry training package were examined in two case studies of training at two food processing facilities in Victoria. The first case study involved a large pasta factory that had approximately 270 employees and a contract with a registered…

The effects of the inclusion of literacy and numeracy competencies within Australia's civil construction industry training package were examined in a case study in Queensland. Data were collected through the following activities: interviews with trainers, workplace teachers, and workers; observations of training at an on-site training session on…