Functional literacy is the learning of knowledge and skills for vital necessities as a higher level of basic literacy and then the operational use of this information in individual, socio-cultural, or economic fields. This research aims to examine the opinions of teachers in the context of functional literacy related to the II level primary…

In Pakistan, adult literacy programs are designed to empower individuals for personal, familial, and societal development; however, these programs continue to struggle with persistently low participation rates. This study uses a descriptive qualitative approach to explore the underlying factors contributing to this issue. Forty-five participants,…

This study examined the experiences of Adult Basic Education instructors implementing principles of servant leadership in the classroom, the perceptions of these educators as to the process of instilling student self-efficacy through educator use of servant leadership, and their perceptions of the role servant leadership plays in the Adult Basic…

Collaboration is a practice that many providers say they are doing but rarely do we see it translated into the actual work that staff connected with our learners--our customers--do. Our customers face multiple barriers in their desire to succeed and move forward. Leadership with a focus on creating partnerships to address the multiple barriers of…

Much of the public does not realize that incarcerated individuals have the opportunity, and at times are mandated, to participate in adult education programming. Thus, teaching in the corrections setting is something that many people never consider as a career option. There are no undergraduate or graduate majors that can prepare someone to teach…

This publication introduces Curriculum globALE, a basic competence framework for the training of adult educators worldwide. By providing a modular, competency-based framework and cross-curricular approach, Curriculum globALE is unique in its aim to professionalize adult learning and education (ALE) on an international scale, via the competencies…

In practice, adult basic education activities are educational activities that adults engage in systematically so they can gain new forms of knowledge, skills, attitudes, or values for self-sustenance to ensure self-improvement and national development. Achieving these requires an appropriate approach which is vital for the participation of…

The paucity of professional development opportunities in the adult basic education (ABE) teacher field is alarming, suggesting the need to explore the challenges that impede a stable professional development delivery among ABE teachers. Given that teacher professional development is repeatedly magnified in the K-12 educational sector, it is…

This chapter offers an update on efforts to provide all adult basic education teachers with access to high-quality professional development.

The focus of the Technology Solutions for Adult Basic Skills Challenges column is common challenges of adult basic skills practitioners, expressed, for example, in the Literacy Information and Communication System (LINCS) Integrating Technology group for which, David Rosen is the moderator, in other LINCS groups, in his national and state…

In this response to Stephen Brookfield's "Why White Instructors Should Explore Their White Racial Identity" (EJ1246146), Shantih Clemans agrees with Brookfield's strong assertion that white teachers need to carefully explore what it means to be white. However, she takes two primary points of departure: (1) she feels Brookfield falls…

In his rejoinder, Stephen Brookfield, responds to Edith Gnanadass and Shantih E. Clemans for their critiques of his article, "Why White Instructors Should Explore Their White Racial Identity"(EJ1246146). Brookfield thanks his two colleagues for engaging so passionately and accurately with his work and for problematizing all the omissions…

The questions that begin Stephen Brookfield's discussion of why he thinks white instructors in multiracial Adult Basic Education (ABE) classes need to explore their own whiteness include the following: (1) If racial identity is largely a cultural, not biological, construct, then why focus on "any" form of racial markers?; and (2) Doesn't…

With only four years of mandated state-standards in adult basic education (ABE), very little is known about the influence of state-standards implementation on the unique learning needs of its adult students. Two decades of research on standards-based education in the U.S. K12 system has yielded widely debated results regarding the impact of…

Transformative learning refers to a perspective transformation or change in worldview. Teachers in literacy education and adult basic education as well as GED instructors can learn how to foster transformative learning. These techniques can help learners engage in critical thought and discussion with others and may gain a broader, more inclusive…