This paper presents several "tips" for Spanish speaking adults who start a reading comprehension course in English. The document is the product of my twenty-five years of experience as a language teacher. By using these practical pieces of advice, learners understand the differences between English and their own language, are able read,…

Only 26.4% of the 100 millon people living in Pakistan are literate. There are sharp differences between urban and rural literacy rates, literacy rates in the four provinces of Pakistan, and the literacy rates for men and women (with females constituting the largest group of illiterates in the country). Politically there has been a great deal of…

This paper suggests that reading offers a partial solution to the adaptation problems that older adults must face. Reading materials provide a means of disseminating information among older adults, and offer a source for consumer services information and basic education in living for those adjusting to retirement or old age. In addition, reading…

The concept of an administrator of literacy programs as one who is reflective of the values of those responsible for the program is explored in this paper. The paper places literacy in a framework of values as an instrumental value, or journey toward an end state, requiring competency from the individual. The theories of Paulo Freire, who…

The Intern Training Program in the Learning Assistance Center (LAC) at California State University, Long Beach, represents a systematic training program for college reading/study skills specialists. The internship consists primarily of participants processing information on the rationale, operations, and procedures of a Learning Assistance Support…

This paper briefly describes a project designed to provide for assessment, materials, and instruction for adult rural Oregon students reading at less than a fifth grade level. An overview is provided of the resulting curriculum guide, "C.A.R.E.-Challenging Adults to Read Effectively," which was intended for teachers, tutors, or paraprofessionals…

The social context activity model of adult literacy instruction posits that literacy is a relative phenomena and literacy needs are specific to the individual and the social context within which the individual operates. Instruction is based on the concept of activity with a prospective focus on the formation of students' shared and personal…

The purpose of this paper is to consider how two distinct research methodologies differently structure for study the inputs, transactions, and outcomes of adult literacy programs. It is suggested that the appropriateness of a methodology for the study of adult literacy programs be determined by assessing the extent to which the methodology speaks…

It was hypothesized that a study skills package, based on active information strategies and incorporating test taking techniques, could be very beneficial to students enrolled in one of the four technical specialties courses in the Air Force Instructional System, a computer managed instructional system. The study skills materials consisted of…

To establish criteria for the selection of appropriate reading materials for adult beginning readers, a study was conducted to determine such readers' instructional level and ability to answer literal and higher level questions in three types of materials: narrative, familiar content, and unfamiliar content. Twenty-one adult learners reading at…

A model for evaluation planning of post-literacy programs involves listing possible evaluation needs, administration of evaluation, and dissemination of evaluation results for utilization by all potential users. Questions that should be pursued in evaluating post-literacy can be divided into these categories: (1) questions at the interface…

Readarama, a weekly reading group, was conducted in a retirement center in Athens, Georgia. Participants in the voluntary group were retired women who were lifelong readers and who continued to enjoy reading as a hobby. Because of differences in reading interests and in time available for reading, members read independently during the week;…

Suggesting that the continuing rise in illiteracy is due to the decrease of simple forms of communication including conversation, stories, songs, and rhymes, this study investigated the possibility of reestablishing the connection between literacy and orality through education, especially with English-as-a-second-language (ESL) students and with…

The process model of reading suggests that even the effective reader makes recurring regressions to lower levels of functioning when faced with unfamiliar topics or texts. The gradual formulation of new linguistic and cognitive structures necessitated by the task of reading is similar to the acquisition of language, and the process model suggests…

This study reviews the literature on past, present, and projected literacy requirements for United States Navy enlisted personnel, literacy skills of those entering the Navy, and activities developed to bridge the gap between the two. Through an examination of research reports, historical accounts, and instructional methods and materials, the…