There are many references to reading, and some to writing, in Shakespeare's plays; a list is provided in an Appendix. They are analysed for what they reveal about the social status of literacy in Shakespeare's day, and the references to reading are analysed further according to oral v. silent reading, and whether characters have company on stage,…

This article examines the invention of counting literacy on a national basis in nineteenth-century Britain. Through an analysis of Registrar Generals' reports, it describes how the early statisticians wrestled with the implications of their new-found capacity to describe a nation's communications skills in a single table and how they were unable…

Dispels several myths: literacy leads to greater equality, literacy and orality are distinct, and literacy is superior to orality. Gives examples of oral literature traditions that are a rich resource upon which literacy workers should draw. (SK)

Indicates the likelihood that the initial period of the Industrial Revolution was one of deteriorating educational standards in most areas, especially in those that were seats of displaced domestic textile industries. (Author)

Discusses the relevance of providing literacy education for offenders and the problems involved in getting them to take advantage of available programs. (JOW)

This study examined whether parents who lack numeracy, literacy, or writing skills transmit their difficulty to their children. The study also sought to determine whether other family or child characteristics relate to children's basic skills; if child outcomes or predictors display between-family variation; and if child outcomes display any…

The first book about adult education, reprinted here in a limited edition, was published in 1816 in Bristol, England. It marked the beginning of the modern era in education by acknowledging the importance of adult education in the total educational scheme of a society. The author, Thomas Pole, was born in Philadelphia in 1753 and was brought up as…

Volume 1 begins with an introduction by the Commissioner of Education, followed by statistics of state school systems. Other chapters include: (1) general laws relating to agricultural and mechanical land-grant colleges; (2) Benjamin Franklin's influence on American education, written by Francis Newton Thorpe; (3) the college-bred negro; (4)…

Examines how the contrast between working class resistance against an imposed culture and the struggle for hegemony (bringing class factions into a political alliance) operated in conflicts and negotiations concerning language, literacy, and mass education in England during the nineteenth century. (Author/MJL)

The study described in this book was designed to create an overall picture of the type of student found at a school for educationally substandard army recruits in England, to establish the causes of the student's educational backwardness and relate these to linguistic performance, and to compare the effectiveness of the approaches and methods used…

This collection of papers is intended to provide adult educators and administrators information that will assist in making decisions about, initiating, financing, and evaluating adult literacy programs in England. Papers in the first part of the book focus on definitions of adult literacy, examining the dimensions of the problem, the potential…

In developed countries like the United States and Britain, the continuing challenge for educators is to sort through the choices of an all-you-can-eat school system and teach the basic skills. Despite so-called universal education, an alarming number of people still fail to reach even basic levels of literacy. The "literacy hour" was…

A project invesitgated the current whereabouts of students whose names appeared on adult basic education class registers during October 1986 in Hackney, England. The city was identified by 1981 census data as the most deprived local authority area in England and Wales. Returns were received from 375 students (out of 506 to whom questionnaires were…

The importance of health and its relationship to personal and community life are explored in this issue of PROBE. Designed to acquaint British secondary school youth with topical problems, the series contains discussion and case studies of national and world issues, followed by questions for student discussion and research. Nine chapters comprise…

This handbook is a practical aid intended to help the tutor of adult illiterates assess the student's needs, evaluate his progress, and plan a program which will assist him in reaching the level of functional literacy (i.e., the ability to develop reading skills and vocabulary, using reference books, without outside help). Evaluation and lesson…