This paper, commissioned by [National Postsecondary Education Cooperative] NPEC--Sample Surveys, considers issues important to any effort in which the [National Center for Education Statistics] NCES chose to engage the higher education community in a deliberative process that explores the development of data on student learning through a…

This paper will review the article entitled, "Shopping {For} Power: How Adult Literacy Learners Negotiate" [EJ756994] by authors Julie L. Ozanne, Natalie Ross Adkins, and Jennifer A. Sandlin. The authors argue that functional literacy in the United States is an important issue and needs to play a larger role in adult literacy programs.…

Learning to read and write in the English language is a challenge faced by numerous foreign-born adults who arrive in the United States each year. Since 1970, the foreign-born population living in the United States has increased both in number and as a percentage share of the entire population (Census 2007; Schmidley 2001). This growth contributes…

In this study the print awareness of 25 unschooled adult illiterates in the Netherlands was compared with that of 24 pre-reading children and of 23 low-educated literate adults with approximately four years of primary schooling. The illiterates were interviewed about their experiences with writing and all participants completed six assessments of…

Younger workers, particularly those entering the workforce at ages 25-34 years, are more educated than ever before. The potential for these workers to be over-educated in their jobs might therefore be high. But does it follow that they are mismatched to the skill requirements of their jobs? This study examines the link between over-education and…

Struck by the paucity of research into how older people use information and communication technologies, a group of "senior learners" at Lancaster University examined older adults' changing experience of technology and what motivates them to become engaged. Through group discussions, interviews and photographs they explored their changing…

In Timor-Leste, many adults learn to read and write in a multilingual context. The official languages are Tetum and Portuguese, 15 regional languages are being further developed and Bahasa Indonesia and English are accepted as working languages. Most literacy programmes take place in Tetum, the lingua franca, and often regional languages are used…

This issue of "literacy.ca EXPRESS" features new and exciting developments, updates and exciting new resources. Articles included in this issue are: (1) Introducing CLLN (Canadian Literacy and Learning Network)!; (2) Supporting Learner Leadership; (3) Involving Learners by Patricia Ashie; (4) Catching Confidence; (5) CALL (Committee of…

In 2009, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) published a technical report titled "Indirect County and State Estimates of the Percentage of Adults at the Lowest Literacy Level for 1992 and 2003," (ED503830). NCES also published a corresponding online tool (http://nces.ed.gov/naal/estimates/index.aspx) that allows users to…

Illiteracy is a huge problem, socially, economically and educationally. This study of the history and current practices of American public libraries examines their role in supporting the development of human literate abilities and in helping all Americans to be critically literate in order to participate fully and successfully in our society. This…

This article uses data from longitudinal, ethnographic research to examine how, six years after attending literacy classes, 12 adults in rural El Salvador used literacy, their perceptions of the temporary and longer-term psychosocial and economic benefits of literacy education, and their memories of literacy classes. The findings support prior…

Low literacy levels in adult learners pose an educational and public health challenge to practitioners and the scientific community. Increasing demands placed on literacy can limit opportunities in the workplace and access to health-related resources, negatively affecting public health. Current estimates from the National Center for Education…

In this study, confirmatory factor analyses were used to examine the interrelationships among latent factors of the simple view model of reading comprehension (word recognition and language comprehension) and hypothesized additional factors (vocabulary and reading fluency) in a sample of 476 adult learners with low literacy levels. The results…

In March 2009, Movement for Canadian Literacy (MCL) commissioned "Resources for Results", a private research and evaluation firm, to conduct a baseline study to explore the effects of the recent economic downturn on literacy and essential skills programs across Canada. The "Resources for Results" research team interviewed 35…

Quantitative literacy involves a set of skills necessary to reason about data. Such skills are imperative in our increasingly data-oriented world. Despite the importance of such skills, assessment of quantitative literacy has not been a focus in education and there is a lack of assessment tools that specifically address these skills. This study…