Literacy should be viewed as a continuum of undereducation, stretching from those who cannot read and write at all at the low end to those who have less than a high school education at the high end. People at different points have different needs, which may differ greatly from those current literacy programs try to meet. The track record of…

Many older Canadians (almost half, by some surveys) have low levels of functional literacy that lead to problems with everyday life. More than half of Canadians over age 55 have less than a grade 9 education, and they often have lower incomes than more literate seniors. However, older people are the smallest group represented in adult basic…

This literature review observes that (1) there is an increasing need for enhancing job literacy skills among workers; (2) workplace literacy programs cover both basic literacy and job-related technical training; (3) successful curricula use job-related tasks and materials; and (4) management needs to be heavily involved and committed if a program…

After an analysis of eight mass literacy campaigns (USSR 1919-39; Vietnam, 1945-77; China, 1950-58; Cuba, 1961; Burma, 1960-1981; Brazil, 1967-80; Tanzania, 1971-81; and Somalia, 1973-75), a campaign strategy for a mass literacy campaign is proposed. A potentially successful mass literacy campaign has to be both an educational and a political…

Although the emphasis on adult literacy/basic education is increasing, the high dropout rate from programs in these areas is a concern. Why learners choose to participate or not to participate in such programs can be understood in terms of three sets of factors. Learner-inherent factors include self-evaluation, goals, and capabilities. Life…

Since its inception 20 years ago, adult basic education (ABE) has been implemented successfully at the state and local levels. The statute that originally authorized ABE has proven successful largely because of three factors--its tractability, its ability to structure implementation, and its success in gaining both sovereign and media support…

The trait-state model, a framework for understanding adult literacy, draws heavily on the social psychological literature. Allport (1961) first proposed the notion of trait. The overriding characteristics of focus on trait is the individual's possession of language control. Cattell (1950, 1979) emphasized the notion of state in relation to trait…

Although the National Workplace Literacy Program is relatively new, a new orthodoxy of program development based on particular understandings of literacy and learning has emerged. Descriptions of two model workplace education programs are the beginning points for an examination of the assumptions contained in most reports of workplace education…

This book presents a comprehensive examination of the nature and scope of the literature on adult education. It includes the historical perspective and interpretation necessary to understand links between the diverse and seemingly separate aspects of the field. The volume describes over 1,200 books, tracing the development of basic theories and…

Concern that Canadian Native illiteracy was being ignored or addressed ineffectively prompted this report, which includes a literature review, findings from a survey in several Native communities, and an overview of innovative practices and illustrative programs. The survey, conducted with 56 potential literacy learners from 8 geographically and…

This paper is a descriptive presentation of the state-of-the-art of competency-based adult education (CBAE). Readers are provided first with a brief history of the development of the concept and are presented with basic terminology. Then, because CBAE is multi-dimensional, varied notions of functional adult education are discussed and major…

This survey of vocational English as a second language (ESL) for adult learners covers the following areas: (1) language content (pronunciation, structure, vocabulary, style and conversational strategies, literacy training, motivation); (2) program design, including a variety of program models; and (3) materials development (needs assessment,…

In developing a community-based adult literacy program, program planners need to consider who the program will serve, which strategies will best serve the target population of the program, and exactly how much stability and change are to be encouraged in the program. Once the planners of a community-based adult literacy program have answered these…

Most presently existing literacy training programs for inmates in America's prisons are inadequate. Before program planners and developers can remedy this situation, they must be able to obtain accurate information on the numbers of illiterate inmates and the numbers of inmates currently receiving literacy instruction in America's prisons. The…

As a result of intensive advocacy, girls' and women's education is a developmental priority in India. Availability of international development assistance for basic education and women's education has gone up significantly. Government and donor perceptions of gender issues in education and the importance of reaching out to girls to achieve the…