In the fall of 1993, a study was begun on how adult basic and literacy education (ABLE) students reacted to working in groups. The research was conducted through a joint vocational school's ABLE program using three target groups at two of its ABLE centers. The groups met two times per week and were facilitated by three different teachers. More…

This paper reports on the progress of a project to redevelop the Certificates in General Education for Adults (CGEA) in Australia. It describes the progress to date and the expected next steps, and it lists 10 Accreditation Principles that must be met for a curriculum to be approved. Descriptions of routes for attaining the CGEA (foundation and…

A comparison study used the National Adult Literacy Survey (NALS) to describe the English-language literacy skills of individuals who passed the Tests of General Educational Development (GED Tests) and of those who did not. The research explored what the GED and NALS instruments measured in common and what was measured separately. Findings…

This study explored the teaching processes in mathematics education for adults and how they are shaped by certain social and institutional forces. The study addressed three broad questions: (1) What happens in adult mathematics classrooms? (2) What do these phenomena mean for those involved as teachers or learners? and (3) In what ways do "frame…

A study identified the characteristics of women in an adult literacy program who had been successful in their return to studies. It was designed to learn more about the needs of women learners and what literacy programs can do to help women be successful in their return to studies. The literature review focused on these topics: women's knowledge,…

Twelve case studies of learners in workplace literacy programs at cosmetics and medical instruments firms and a municipal services department were conducted to identify key elements related to broad transfer of the skills learned in the classes to life outside the classroom. A general model of the factors (instructional elements, learner…

The report on areas needing further development in provision of quality literacy services for Ontario's (Canada) native populations, based on site visits to native literacy programs, identifies seven key areas for change: (1) strategic planning for program development and implementation and advocacy; (2) program growth and administration; (3)…

This conference report on adult basic education in European prisons contains the following introductory materials: a list of participants, the program, and introductions to the seminar by Frank Dunne and Pierre Freynet. "Keynote Address" (Robert Suvaal) discusses five items a prison educator must deal with: philosophy, position of…

The Kentucky Competency-Based Adult Education (KCBAE) curriculum was developed over a 3-year period and ultimately distributed to all Kentucky adult education and literacy programs in 1995-96. Sixteen competency/duty areas define the subject content. Although each duty area is divided into three skill levels (beginning and intermediate adult basic…

A study produced a profile of family literacy in Colorado to provide information on current services and baseline data for evaluating future development. Surveys were sent to 84 adult basic education (ABE) programs, 5 EvenStart programs (a national family-focused program), and 2 programs that were both ABE and EvenStart. Surveys were completed by…

This book is a personal account of 8 years of teaching in Texas jails and prisons. It recounts numerous anecdotes of life in prison and the experience of teaching prisoners, most of whom had very low literacy skills. It describes the prison culture and what inmates must do to survive in it. The book details the methods that have worked in reaching…

Approximately 35 literacy practitioners in Pennsylvania were trained and mentored in action research from July 1995-June 1996. The project used two models of delivery. With a team of five trainers/mentors, the urban model was developed in the Pittsburgh and Erie western region and an outreach model was used in the northern, northeastern, and…

This document provides a preliminary report on the implementation of operational policies, strategies, and programs for the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in the areas of literacy and basic education. The first section contains an analysis of replies to a questionnaire distributed to 79 member states by…

The validity of the Southam News 1987 survey of literacy in Canada was questioned relative to its content and structure. The survey viewed literacy as a set of complex information processing skills and adopted a hierarchical view of these skills. This hierarchy model set up illiteracy as a deficiency. The Southam study's underlying assumption was…

This report contains the strategic policy recommendations of the Wisconsin Statewide Basic Skills Task Force. Introductory material describes the need for basic skills education within Wisconsin's adult population, and role of Wisconsin Technical College System (WTCS) in meeting that need. The next section considers the Task Force's formation to…