Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of limited English proficiency on employee performance in manufacturing companies to help explain the degree to which employers are willing to invest in ESL or other initiatives designed to overcome language barriers. Design/methodology/approach: While the primary emphasis of this study…

Examines the job performance and job literacy strategies of nurses. Differences were found among nurses in training, experienced nurses, and supervisors. Differences were also found in job literacy strategies employed by superior as compared to adequately performing nurses. Differences tended to be in higher-level critical applications of…

Assesses the relationship between literacy abilities and on-the-job performance of electronics technicians from three employment levels (training, experienced, and supervisory). Finds no significant correlation between reading ability and job performance but finds that metacognitive aspects of literacy consistently and significantly correlated to…

In a study designed to analyze differences between job performance and level of experience, 27 nurses from three different employment levels (in training, experienced, and supervisory) were observed, interviewed, tested, and rated for job performance. An observation checklist recorded job behavior in terms of the type of activity observed, the…

A study explored the relationship between literacy and on-the-job performance. Subjects were 29 electronics technicians who were employed at a technical school, a naval base, a major Fortune 500 electronics plant, and a small local electronics plant. Subjects, classified according to three different employment levels (training, experienced, and…

A study was conducted that addressed job literacy in a cross-section of occupations. The Diehl-Mikulecky Job Literacy Survey was administered to 107 subjects who represented a full range of occupational types and levels and who comprised a sample similar to the adult working population on the demographic variables of sex, race, income earned, and…

The literacy demands encountered in schools are considerably different from those encountered in the workplace. Existing measures used to analyze literacy demands and abilities in the workplace are not suitable for analyzing the same demands and abilities in schools. Methods that are effective for general job analysis can be specifically applied…

Examines increased print-communication demands in business organizations. Identifies three employee needs: (1) long-term support to move from illiteracy to productive skill levels; (2) basic skills training integrated with regular job training; and (3) short-term targeted training or access to redesigned documents and job performance aids. (KEH)

This handbook provides guidelines for designing evaluation materials and for conducting the evaluation of workplace training programs. It includes a variety of evaluation instruments, which are described briefly in the introduction and explained in more detail in the remainder of the handbook. These evaluation instruments are included: employee…

A response to United States Senator George McGovern's call for congressional legislation to establish an independent national commission on literacy is necessary. Two considerations that must be taken into account by any individual, group, or commission addressing issues of criteria for competency in literacy are: (1) literacy competence is a…

Focusing on the past decade's research, this literature review concentrates on what is known about literacy demands in the workplace and the abilities of various segments of the adult and adolescent population to meet them. The review argues that since a majority of adult reading is performed upon workplace related material, understanding the…