Indigenous communities have strengths and wisdom beyond Westernized culture's recognition and understanding. However, there continues to be significant difference in literacy and life skills between Indigenous and non-Indigenous adults. In this article, I reflect on a project that investigated how technology could best support adult literacy…

This article describes a Framework that can be used to help bridge the gap between theory and practice in adult learning. The Framework promotes practice informed by three strands important to adult literacy work: social theories of literacy, social-constructivist learning theory and principles of adult learning. The Framework shows how five key…

This paper presents the results of a multisite case study of adult basic education in Japan. A key finding of the study is that as part of community building within classrooms, students, teachers, and administrators prioritize human relations and expressions of empathy rather than academic skill development. In contrast to Japanese educational…

This article examines several research questions to establish a theory model for explaining factors that influence adult learners' preferences for constructivist Internet-based learning environments (CILE). Data were gathered from 541 individual participants enrolled in adult education institutes in Taiwan for structural equation modelling (SEM)…

The Distance Education Project for Rural Schools (DEPRS) was implemented by the Chinese government between 2003 and 2007 to improve the quality of basic education in rural areas of China, especially in the poorer western provinces. It has been referred to as "the largest ICT project in the world up to now" because "it serves a…

This paper presents the findings of a qualitative study that explored the impact of neo-liberal policy and ideology on educators and directors working in second-chance Private Training Establishments (PTEs) which were created at the height of the neo-liberal reforms in New Zealand. By examining the experiences of 14 educators and directors in four…

Responds to an earlier article that discusses six new "literacy crises." Raises the question of how the "dialectic," as described by Freebody, relates to Street's (1984, 1992) autonomous/ideological models of literacy. (Adjunct ERIC Clearinghouse for ESL Literacy Education) (Author/VWL)

When adult learners return to formal education after a period of absence, coping with change is a constant and often omnipresent challenge. As they come to break down previous barriers to success in an educational arena, many adult learners are able to change the perceptions they have of themselves as learners. Previously held assumptions are…

The arguments for the monitoring and evaluation of adult literacy and basic education programs are no different from those justifying monitoring and evaluation of any other educational program. The priority and status accorded different programs are likely to determine commitment to their internal and external evaluation and the form that these…

Written primarily for use in training, this monograph is addressed to the middle-level evaluation worker in literacy projects and programs. The 12 chapters deal with the following topics: evaluation as a link in the "ideology to technology" chain, evaluation models and approaches, the situation-specific strategy model of evaluation, making…

This book explores everyday social practices and how they influence who people are, their life quality, opportunities and possibilities open and denied, focusing on language and literacy components of social practices. Chapter 1 outlines an approach to thinking about language and culture and how they are related, developed from Gee's (1996)…

Leaders and decision makers in Africa and nations of African diaspora must face a number of challenges in their attempts to further development through literacy: (1) reinvent a concept of African development that is a product of the native genius of Africa and that is rooted in the matrix of indigenous cultural values, realities, and…

A study examined the quest for social equity by one adult education institution in New Zealand. It placed social equity in the wider context of recent developments in New Zealand society and explored models for conceptualizing social change. These models included the adaptive framework, helping/coping strategies, and allocation policies. A social…

This guide provides information on developing and implementing a class on oral communication for adults in literacy education in Australia. It is organized in five chapters. Chapter 1 puts the course in the context of changes in literacy education policy and provides information on oral communication competencies. Chapter 2 provides the teacher…

Describes the development of a set of training modules based on the learning by example paradigm, with modules differing in the degree of guidance offered to the learner. The program structure is outlined, and three kinds of loops used to adapt the program to the learner's performance are discussed. (MBR)