Adult basic education programs must teach the "social living skills" disadvantaged adults need, as well as basic literacy skills. In creating an ABE program, one must first assess the needs of the target population--through surveys, group meetings, an advisory council of members of the target population, demographic studies, and consideration of…

This study investigates the provision of a clinical social worker (CSW) in an adult literacy agency and focuses upon the impact on the learners, tutors, and organization. We conducted interviews with agency personnel, the CSW, a sample of learners, and a funding representative. Then we undertook inductive thematic analysis of the data. The results…

The Education for All (EFA) goal of increasing adult literacy by 50 percent reflects two simple facts: first, primary school attendance has positive effects, including better family health and increased productivity; and second, when parents learn to read, more children go to school. So why haven't more countries and donors supported adult…

Describes a project to offer free reading classes to raise the reading level of Job Training Partnership Act-eligible adults. Discusses procedural steps required to complete the project and the results. (JOW)

It has been recognized for many years that the educational levels of adult American Indians are low (2/3 have not advanced beyond elementary school) and the illiteracy rates are high (1/4 are functionally illiterate). Traditional adult programs have not met the needs of adult Indians who are uncomfortable in "white" classes and who will…

Approximately fourteen percent of English-speaking Americans are functionally illiterate. Given this high figure, it is important to understand the barriers that undereducated adults face when they decide to return to school to improve their literacy skills. This qualitative study examines spousal support as one of these barriers. Through…

Project CREATES stands for Combined Resources for Editing Automated Teaching to Enlighten Students, the Harvard University Computer-Aided Instruction Laboratory's part of "A Multi-Agency Developmental Adult Basic Education Program." The major emphases of Project CREATES have been in the area of program and procedure development for…

The purpose of this study was to assess the role that phonological, orthographic, and contextual sources of information play in a group of adults who were learning to read compared to adult skilled readers. Participants read short paragraphs that contained a correct homophone, an incorrect homophone, or a spelling control. Target words were…

AN ANALYSIS AND EVALUATION OF A READING IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM FOR MEDICAL LABORATORY ASSISTANT TRAINEES WHO NEEDED TO IMPROVE THEIR SKILLS IN ORDER TO SUCCEED IN THEIR TECHNICAL COURSE IS PRESENTED. THE STUDENTS WERE GIVEN TESTS OF VOCABULARY, COMPREHENSION, RATE, AND LISTENING COMPREHENSION. THEY KEPT RECORDS OF THEIR OWN PROGRESS, AND POST-TESTS…

Six practical and readily accessible informal assessment strategies for evaluating adult readers are described. These include (1) observation, (2) simplified reading inventories, (3) cloze procedures, (4) group reading inventories, (5) criterion-referenced tests, and (6) informal reading inventories. (CH)

This article reviews the research literature on political impacts linked to adult literacy. Despite the enormous importance of literacy, few studies exist on their interconnection. The majority of quantitative studies indicate higher levels of political participation by former adult literacy program participants compared to their non-participant…

THIS VOLUME IS THE SECOND OF THREE PUBLISHED BY THE AMERICAN FOUNDATION FOR CONTINUING EDUCATION AS PART OF A RESEARCH PROJECT TO DESIGN AND TEST STUDY-DISCUSSION PROGRAMS IN SCIENCE FOR ADULTS PLANNED TO HELP THEM FORM SOUND JUDGMENTS ON PUBLIC POLICY. PHYSICAL CONCEPTS WHICH LED TO THE DISCOVERY OF ATOMIC ENERGY AND OF THE STRUCTURE OF LIVING…

Describes the experience of a 19-year-old learning disabled woman who enrolled in a literacy program. After one year, she enrolled in a community college and was able to make plans for her future. (JOW)

The repeated reading technique has been used successfully with children to build fluency and enhance comprehension and can be a viable instructional and remedial technique for adult beginning readers. (SK)