A study was conducted of part-time instructors--called "animators"--who teach literacy in villages in Tamil Nadu, India. Three literacy programs were studied: a state-run program, a voluntary program, and a university-run program, all in rural areas. Structured interviews were conducted over several weeks with 52 animators to see how…

The assessment process is necessary to determine what adults need to know in order to do what they need to do--that is, to be literate. The characteristics of "good" assessment need to be identified using multiple indicators that determine progress toward goals for learners, programs, and policies. Ongoing learner-centered assessment…

Literacy councils in central Pennsylvania recruited more potential students within their communities and increased the number of students enrolling in their programs through a staff development project. Direct-service personnel from local human service agencies that constituted important referral sources for literacy councils were targeted for…

This paper outlines the conceptual framework underpinning the development of competency rating scales for adult literacy. It provides a rationale for a project that was conducted in Australia during International Literacy Year (1990) to develop appropriate ratings scales to assess adults' literacy and numeracy skills. The paper examines the…

The International Seminar on Functional Illiteracy and Professional Incompetence as Risk Factors of Modern Civilization and the Role of Adult Continuing Education in Overcoming Them examined the modern problem and definition of illiteracy, the causes of professional illiteracy, measures to eliminate the causes, and recommendations for further…

Frontier College hosted a 2-day national forum to discuss workplace literacy issues. The following issues were identified for inclusion: (1) delivery models for workplace literacy; (2) "show and tell" sessions; (3) networking opportunities; (4) discussion of literacy and English-as-a-Second-Language training; (5) services and supports to…

This document provides a framework for local education agencies to monitor, support, and evaluate basic skills provision for adults. It sets out a general approach to evaluation based on three crucial factors in basic skills provision: inputs, process, and outcomes. It suggests some possible program indicators for basic skills, including average…

Like many other newly independent countries of the Third World, Botswana, at independence in 1966, sought strictly utilitarian uses of education to train manpower for modernization. By the mid-1970s, however, the country had assumed a more humane development ideology, promising economic equality, democracy, and social justice. The policy of…

Learning centers are student centered. That is, instructional goals are matched to learner needs and desires and student learning is self-paced. Teachers coordinate the learning process while students explore and experiment with learning materials. The learning center has several advantages over the traditional classroom: (1) it is success…

Using James Britton's model of discourse as a touchstone, this paper develops a theoretical base for writing instruction in adult literacy programs. The paper explores writing from an interactionist perspective that views writing as a complex recursive process in which the writer builds meaning with a text according to the purposes for writing,…

Offering an overview of the Chinese experience in the field of literacy, standards, basic policies of mass education, political incentive, and language complexity are topics considered. Literacy programs, particularly the project in Tachai, are examined and evaluated. (MW)

Each year, a million new illiterates are being added to the pool of 50 million illiterates in Pakistan. An adult and continuing education program is reviewed. Objectives and needs, program implementation, curriculum requirements, and the role of international cooperation are topics considered. (MW)

A survey in 1970, the first of its kind undertaken in the United Kingdom, focused on the problem of illiteracy at national and local levels. Findings are discussed and tabulated regarding total numbers by age, sex, marital status, intelligence, and causes of disability. A proposed course of action is offered. (MW)