Describes an experimental literacy class for socially and economically disadvantaged parents in the United Kingdom. Looks at the many factors affecting these adult students' participation and learning. Notes that the literacy students wanted more than functional literacy--literacy had to fulfill the need to express feelings, the need for…

A case history of a female literacy student examined how journal writing about her literacy experiences increased her metacognitive self-knowledge, reading comprehension, writing performance, and self-esteem. With one-to-one tutorial guidance, she learned to assess her literacy learning from her own perspective. (SK)

Evaluated a service learning course that matched preservice teachers and older adult literacy learners and aimed to address widespread attrition in adult education programs and the need for multicultural education for preservice teachers. Data revealed two essential elements of successful, reciprocal learning relationships: connecting across…

Adult literacy students (n=94) were interviewed upon program entry; follow-up interviews with 69 were conducted over 3 years. They perceived positive cognitive, psychological, and social changes from participation, especially initially. Increased school demands and minimal social support made some less positive about themselves by the end of their…

Explores the place of education in Indian society and recent outreach programs in preliteracy and adult literacy. Looks at traditions both before and after the formation of the Republic of India, reviews two programs for encouraging literacy, and identifies future challenges for Indian education. (DLH)

Describes Thirteen/WNET's wNetSchool and other Web sites of interest to adult learners and adult educators. Sites offer a variety of resources, including lesson plans, learning objectives, suggested activities, online video, links to other Web sites, continuing education programming, and adult literacy programs. (Author/LRW)

Presents highlights of a panel discussion on workplace literacy at the Literacy in the 21st Century Research Conference (Edmonton, Alberta, October 1997). Participants from business, government, and university discussed Syncrude Canada's Workplace Literacy Program, implications of the International Adult Literacy Survey for the labor market, and…

Analysis of data from 1,600 adult participants in Total Literacy Campaigns in India shows how adult acquisition of literacy skills improves their health habits, increases their participation in business startups and voting, and gives them higher aspirations for their children. Children have better enrollment and health status. Women improve their…

Includes task force recommendations on the role of the International Council for Adult Education in monitoring achievement of adult education objectives, qualitative and quantitative indicators, and diverse data collection methods. Eleven workshop reports discuss progress on adult education policy advocacy, documentation, health care reform,…

What does it mean to be literate in the 21st century? Fifty years ago a high school graduate with some basic reading and writing ability could get a well-paying blue-collar job. Today a person at the same level might have trouble finding good work and may be considered illiterate in some circles. The past half-century has brought us not only…

Early in 2004 the New England Board of Higher Education bestowed its annual award for excellence on Changing Lives Through Literature. A 1991 experiment that has spread by word of mouth through a dozen courts in Massachusetts, Changing Lives puts the classroom study of literature at the core of an alternative-sentencing program for criminal…

This article reports the development of an evaluation technique that uses adjective checklists as instruments for use by low-literate and marginally literate adults to provide assessments of their learning experiences in adult education and development programs. Vignettes of activities from three stages of the development process depict the range…

Phonological and metaphonological skills are explored in 97 Brazilian illiterate and semiliterate adults. A simple letter- and word-reading task was used to define the degree of illiteracy. Phonemic awareness was strongly dependent on the level of letter and word reading ability. Phonological memory was very low in illiterates and unrelated to…

The cut-off levels of insufficient literacy skills used in national and international literacy studies have not been validated. Thus, it remains uncertain whether adult poor readers are handicapped by insufficient reading skills in everyday life, i.e. in job-related or educational activities. The primary purpose of the study was to identify a…

The goal of this study was to investigate how adult English speakers, who are good readers, but who differ in spelling ability, remember word-specific spelling information. In the first experiment, participants learned the spellings of words they had previously misspelled, while "thinking out loud." The main strategies observed in order of…