Faith-based programs for adult learners have environmental factors that differentiate them from non-faith based programs, but explicit empirical studies evaluating the impact of the psychosocial factors have been lacking in the literature. This study comparatively examines the achievement level of expressive communication skills as measured…

Although many adult basic education programs offer distance learning (DL) for GED (General Educational Development) and English as a Second Language learners, this topic has received little scholarly attention. This article examines the availability, usage, and effectiveness of DL for rural GED candidates in Pennsylvania; students' demographic and…

Purpose: Educational attainment is a robust predictor of disability in elderly Americans: older adults with high-school (HS) diplomas have substantially lower disability than individuals who did not complete HS. General Educational Development (GED) diplomas now comprise almost 20% of new HS credentials issued annually in the United States but it…

Transitions to postsecondary education for GED graduates are a growing concern for educators and policy makers. This article analyzes the educational, demographic, and financial characteristics of Pennsylvania postsecondary students with a GED credential compared with traditional high school graduates, and identifies rural-urban differences within…

GED testing candidates have many options available to them to prepare for the GED Test, including adult education classes, practice tests, and self-study. This study focused on candidates who voluntarily took the GED Test and could choose freely among preparation activities. We examined GED Test preparation activities and created eight mutually…

Dropping out of high school seriously impacts an individual's job opportunities, income potential and employment stability. To minimize those risks, individuals can earn a General Educational Development (GED) credential. Researchers have studied the impact of obtaining a GED on candidates' lives and found that the credential affects their…

The purpose of this study was to identify differences in performance if any, between learners with a high school diploma, and those with a GED credential, at two postsecondary institutions, Holland College on Prince Edward Island (PEI) and Nova Scotia Community College in Nova Scotia (NS). Of interest is how these adults perform in a postsecondary…

The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of two adult basic reading programs, Direct Instruction Corrective Reading Decoding and Laubach Literacy, on the reading achievement of incarcerated male adults (n = 27) in an Alabama prison. Participants were tutors and students taking part in a reading tutoring program at the facility. The…

Almost one of every seven persons who gets a high school-completion credential does so through the tests of General Educational Development (GED). A study based on figures gleaned from the annual reports of the GED Testing Service is reported. (MLW)

To identify characteristics of students in Florida's Early Exit Program (EEP) with respect to their performance in high school, names and General Educational Development (GED) test scores were obtained for all students who passed the GED tests as part of the EEP between January 1, 1981, and May 1, 1983. Four districts were identified that had…

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…

A study compared General Equivalency Development (GED) program completion and Adult Performance Level (APL) attainment in West Virginia. During the study, 97 GED program participants, who were not exposed to APL instruction or materials, completed the APL survey either just before or immediately after taking the GED examination. Seventy-seven of…

The adequacy of equipercentile, linear, one-parameter (Rasch), and three-parameter logistic item-response theory procedures for equating 12 forms of five tests of general educational development were compared. Results indicated the equating method adequacy depends on a variety of factors such as test characteristics, equating design, and sample…

The literacy skills of General Educational Development (GED) program graduates were compared to those of high school graduates and high school dropouts who did not pass the GED test. The sample of 1,012 young adults (ages 21 to 25 years) studied was obtained by selecting all Whites, African Americans, and Hispanics who were studied in the Young…

During 1987, a total of 758,367 people (3 percent more than in 1986) took the General Educational Development (GED) tests at 3,314 testing locations. Of these, 511,973 earned scores qualifying them for equivalency credit. Thus, approximately 74 percent of the examinees who completed the test battery in 1987 earned scores that were sufficient to…