Welfare-to-work programs are bringing more adults back to school. These programs are aimed at those who are 16 years or older without a high school diploma or its equivalent. However, many adult students leave school for a variety of reasons, including pregnancy, lack of interest, and transportation problems. Lists benchmarks for good adult…

Imagination is indispensable for knowing the world. However, visual and musical imagery are ignored in education. Adult literacy education can be enhanced by the process of reading the world through print, pictures, and music. (SK)

Offers a follow-up look at the life of an adult disabled reader and the academic, career, and personal success he has achieved in spite of his limited reading ability. (SR)

A sociocultural approach takes into account how literacy is acquired and used in social contexts. Socially determined meanings of literacy practices and the different ways cultures are valued reflect tensions between practical consciousness and official or dominant consciousness. Literacy education should recognize literacy as a cultural practice…

This call for a policy focuses on the need for understanding that for literacy to be an investment, it must provide desired outcomes for people and the societies in which they live. (Adjunct ERIC Clearinghouse for ESL Literacy Education) (Author/VWL)

A study of the various facets and dimensions of literacy programs in South Asia indicates that literacy is viewed as a means of human resource development geared toward meaningful participation of all sectors in society, with individual programs varying according to the magnitude of illiteracy, national goals, linguistic setting, and regional…

The National Issues Forum's Literacy Program uses study circles and group discussion to promote empowerment and enhance adult literacy through civic education. The program has helped the Westonka (Minnesota) Adult Basic Education project accomplish its mission and has expanded the staff's view of adult learning. (SK)

Summarizes the advantages and disadvantages of using computers in adult literacy instruction. Presents a matrix which permits teachers to see at a glance how any one of 112 specific software programs may be used. (RS)

Presents 10 tips for effective adult literacy programs, which were culled from presentations at the 1988 annual conference of American adult education directors. States that the key to success is having a sense of mission--nurturing a team spirit among the literacy program's staff and students. (RS)

Twenty-seven participants in a Job Training Partnership Act-funded literacy program at Houston Community College received one of three types of computer-assisted instruction (CAI). The longer CAI was used, the higher the posttest reading and mathematics scores. Students with higher skill levels at entry learned faster with CAI systems. (SK)

Examines the failure of adult literacy programs in North America. Argues that the problem's scope and funding limitations demand cost- effective measures: prevention of early childhood deprivations that stunt cognitive development, replacement of many full-time programs with part-time or drop-in programs, and use of volunteers. (SV)

A study used the Intellectual Achievement Responsibility Questionnaire and the Nowicki-Strickland Internal-External Control Scale to understand the nature of internal and external factors in the lives of two groups of low literate adults--26 prisoners and 26 persons in noninstitutional settings. Results showed that both groups attribute their…

Describes an intergenerational reading program using children's literature in adult literacy classes. Discusses the adult literacy training sessions and the adaptations of the model in a variety of instructional settings. (JOW)

One hundred sixty adult basic education students functioning at or below the sixth-grade level rated the extent to which they needed to learn 20 functional tasks. Factor analysis suggested three broad categories: everyday reading and writing, math and measurement, and special literacy tasks. Cluster analysis identified distinct subgroups based on…

Reviews three volumes that address national and international efforts to increase adult literacy. The books focus on: (1) case studies of literacy campaigns since 1560, and better known, contemporary mass education programs; (2) literacy work as a form of cultural politics; and (3) United Nations field-based literacy projects. (SV)