Academic language is a challenging yet increasingly important skill for Adult Basic Education/English as a Second or Other Language learners. Related to academic language learning is an adult's developmental perspective. Developmental perspectives have been shown to vary in adulthood and shape qualitatively distinct ways of reasoning and learning…

Drawing on a large corpus of video-recorded classroom data, the goal of this study was to understand the processes and mechanisms associated with learning in individuals who have had little education in their home countries. In order to accomplish this goal, we measured the socio-interactive behaviors and the expression of personality behaviors in…

This article challenges the theory and practice of the exclusion of the adult learner's first language (L1) by reporting learners' overwhelmingly positive perceptions of its incorporation in foreign language teaching and learning. Classroom-based research was undertaken with university students in an English as a foreign language course which…

For this research, learners did extensive graded reading (EGR) with traditional graded readers, and they also interacted with short graded stories in the liberal arts and sciences (LAS). This study describes the purpose and format of the LAS stories used by hundreds of university students and adult learners in Japan. It summarizes the results of…

This article describes an action research project in which the members of a basic English class for adults over 50 at a Colombian public university undertook the mission of discovering their potentialities as autonomous learners. By means of the reflective use of the language portfolio, the members of this course guided the planning and execution…

The focus of this article is on adult literacy in adult basic education (ABE) programs with special emphasis on English as a Second Language (ESL) students. The article intends to highlight several relevant points in ABE ESL literacy instruction. It focuses on (a) the nature of adult learning, (b) the structure of ABE programs, (c) who the…

This article is a report on research conducted to support the development of a multilingual literacy learning software programme for adult learners in rural Limpopo Province, South Africa. The topic of inquiry for the research was literacy learning in a multilingual environment, with special attention paid to attitudinal and metacognitive aspects.…

The globalisation of English and a growing demand for good English-speaking skills in the job market in particular have been placing a greater emphasis on the teaching of English speaking skills in Bangladesh. The private universities emphasise developing English skills. It seems that students of public and private universities have the same level…

There is a need for instructional models in English as a second language (ESL) and adult basic education (ABE). However, before adequate models can be built, a unifying theory of learning for this unique instructional category must be advanced. Existing learning theories, particularly for adult learners, are helpful but need to be refined to fit…

Focus on Basics is the quarterly publication of the National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy. It presents best practices, current research on adult learning and literacy, and how research is used by adult basic education teachers, counselors, program administrators, and policymakers. Focus on Basics is dedicated to connecting…

The four 1990 issues of the Adult Literacy and Basic Skills Unit (ALBSU) Newsletter are gathered in this packet. The newsletters are published quarterly by the ALBSU for persons teaching in adult literacy, English as a Second Language, and basic skils programs; for persons responsible for funding and organizing such programs; and for those who are…

The Gila Literacy Program, a project of the Gila County Library District (Miami, Arizona), involved recruitment, retention, coalition building, public awareness, training, rural oriented, basic literacy, tutoring, computer assisted, and English as a Second Language (ESL) programs. The project served a community of 10,000-25,000 and was targeted at…

This handbook defines and describes the benefits of both collaborative approaches and cooperative techniques. An introduction uses watercolor marbling as a metaphor for collaborative approaches and cooperative activities. Section I provides research results regarding problems of adult literacy programs, skills employers want, and Bloom's taxonomy.…

The guide is one of a series designed to assist adult basic education (ABE) and English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) instructors, both professionals and volunteers, in developing teaching skills. The materials are intended for a two-workshop series, with activities for participants to accomplish between the sessions, which are scheduled ideally…

This instructional guide is designed to assist those teaching intensive English-as-a-second-language (ESL) courses geared toward Indochinese refugees. It offers suggestions for making culturally sensitive and responsive decisions while providing basic cultural orientation and second language instruction to refugees. The first part of the guide…