This paper examines the different views about the definition of "literacy" and how it is applied in the Zambian context. It argues that the absence of a contextual definition of literacy or illiteracy has raised some doubt on the magnitude of the problem and the extent to which success has been achieved through various literacy…

Literacy has become an important predictor of well being in old age. Being literate in today's society demands a myriad of functional abilities, which, when absent, can have dramatic health, economic, and social consequences. The purpose of this study was to develop a framework for defining literacy within an increasingly technological society,…

Literacy has become an important predictor of well being in old age. Being literate in today's society demands a myriad of functional abilities, which, when absent, can have dramatic health, economic, and social consequences. The purpose of this study was to develop a framework for defining literacy within an increasingly technological society,…

Thirty bibliographies of easy reading materials appropriate for adults are presented with full bibliographic information and a brief annotation. (SJ)

Explores causes of adult illiteracy and examines the effectiveness of adult literacy programs. (MM)

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…

Pakistan, like the rest of the world, is confronted with urbanization, industrialization, the information explosion and all the complexities that characterize the atomic age; however, the majority of Pakistanis have yet to acquire basic reading, writing and arithmetic skills which are essential to meet the simplest demands of modern living. An…

Identification of the clientele of adult education programs will prevent difficulties which may arrive when individuals with varying degrees of literacy are combined under one learning program; findings indicate those for whom the programs are truly intended (the illiterate) drop out because of inferior feelings. (Author/JB)

Describes a literacy expert's frustrating experience with Harry, an intelligent, resourceful, and illiterate man who was more afraid of tackling reading and writing than of jumping out of a helicopter. Unfortunately, some adults who have been mistreated in school are eager to become literate but lack courage to take the first step. (six…

Analyzes the usage of four metaphors (school, medical and industrial, military, and banking) that commonly appear in the United States' media and in public speeches that dramatize illiteracy. Argues that educators need to be aware of the strategic use of language in this adult literacy context. (SR)

Designed to encourage newspaper involvement in adult literacy and to assist in launching newspaper literacy campaigns, this handbook complements the American Newspaper Publishers Association Foundation's slide/video media show. The handbook is in five sections: (1) The Challenge; (2) Why Become Involved in Literacy? (discussing personal and social…

Presents the instructional rationale used in design of the Basic Skills Learning System, a modularized network of computer assisted tutorials, drills, tests, printed materials, and videotaped presentations directed at improving basic reading, math, and language skills of adults below eighth-grade level. Teaching strategies that impact reading…

Presents the case history of an adult nonreader taught to read through the language experience approach, rereading, retelling, assisted reading, and sustained silent reading. (DD)

The experiences of men and women who participated in a Salvadoran adult literacy program belie the instrumentalist discourse of adult education, for they identified psychosocial benefits as the most meaningful aspects of the program. Attending literacy classes did not change their material situation as underemployed "campesinos/as," but…

This annotated bibliography contains 34 references on issues concerning adult literacy listed in the ERIC database. It contains citations from the period between 1987 and 1989 and is divided into four sections. The first section provides an overview of adult literacy. Articles and papers in the second section describe and discuss adult literacy…