Using the data from the Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC), this Data Point summarizes the number of U.S. adults with low levels of English literacy and describes how they differ by nativity status and race/ethnicity. PIAAC is a large-scale international study of working-age adults (ages 16-65) that assesses…

The promotion of adult functional literacy programs per se, neither creates the necessary motivation for learning, nor enhances the participation of adult learners in work-oriented or socio-cultural functional literacy programs. The task in learning-teaching transaction is to create the enabling environment for harnessing and enhancing…

Community based learning and outreach is a strategy through which academic institutions worldwide including University of Ghana have successfully stayed relevant to less privileged communities; they exist in bringing benefits of education to their (less privileged communities) doorstep. Learner's participation has been an objective that any adult…

Understanding the health literacy of America's adults is important because so many aspects of finding health care and health information, and maintaining health, depend on understanding written information. Many reports have suggested that low health literacy is associated with poor communication between patients and health care providers and with…

A study was conducted to determine: (1) characteristics of illiterate adults enrolled at St. Teresa's VIP, and (2) implications of these characteristics for training volunteer tutors. A review was conducted of related research and opinion articles. A total of 48 students were interviewed concerning educational background, reasons for attending…

The National Adult Literacy Project's research and development agenda, developed through a literature survey and consultation with practitioners and scholars, is elaborated in this paper. Each of the seven topic areas begins with a rationale for its importance and a brief review of relevant research. Proposals for research studies and/or…

This second report from the International Adult Literacy Survey (IALS) builds on the data analysis of seven countries presented in the first IALS publication in 1995 and adds literacy data for five additional countries--Australia, Belgium, Ireland, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. The introduction presents an overview of new key findings and…

There are more than 4 million small businesses across the country that provide more than half of private sector employment, generate 47 percent of the gross national product, and generate two out of every three new jobs in the United States. Because small businesses provide the majority of new workers with their first work experience, they are at…

IN THE MISSOURI ADULT VOCATIONAL-LITERACY MATERIALS DEVELOPMENT PROJECT MATERIALS WERE DEVISED FOR TEACHING ADULTS TO READ, WRITE, AND SPELL AT THE FUNCTIONAL (SIXTH GRADE) LEVEL. IN THE RESEARCH PHASE, THE NEEDS, CHARACTERISTICS, LITERACY LEVEL, OCCUPATIONS, AND INTERESTS OF THE ILLITERATE ADULT WERE STUDIED, AND TEACHING MATERIALS AND METHODS…

In 1985 the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) assessed the literacy skills of America's young adults. The survey stressed the complexity and diversity of literary tasks in American society rather than using a simplistic single standard for literacy. NAEP convened panels of experts whose deliberations led to this definition of…

THIS GUIDE PRESENTS A VARIETY OF MATERIALS, METHODS, AND IDEAS FOR TEACHING FUNCTIONALLY ILLITERATE ADULTS (WITH LESS THAN GRADE 4 READING ABILITY). EMPHASIS IS PLACED ON HELPING ADULTS TO READ INDEPENDENTLY AND TO ATTAIN A LEVEL OF SKILL SUFFICIENT FOR EVERYDAY READING TASKS. THE FIRST THREE CHAPTERS DEAL WITH THE NATURE OF THE PROBLEM OF…

Anticipated demographic changes in the United States adult population in the decade between the National Adult Literacy Survey (NALS) of 1992 and the National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL), which is scheduled for 2002, were reviewed. Next, the implications of those changes for the NALS and NAAL were analyzed. The analysis focused on births,…