Understanding the origins of poor literacy and numeracy skills in adulthood and how to improve them is of major importance when society places a high premium on proficiency in these basic skills. This edited collection brings together the results of recent longitudinal studies that greatly extend our knowledge of what works in raising skill…

A study was conducted to determine if visualization could be used as an organizational tool to help adult education students improve their reading comprehension by helping them to see the structure of what they are reading in a sort of verbal picture of organized ideas. Following a review of research, which identified five areas in which…

In an effort to determine the effectiveness of Lakeshore Technical Institute's (LTI's) Developmental/Remedial Reading Program, a comparative analysis was made of the grade point averages (GPA's) of 20 students who participated in the program and 24 students identified as having reading skills deficiences who did not participate in the program.…

To measure the effectiveness of the Basic Skills Education Program (BSEP) reading curriculum--eight reading skill modules employing military job-specific reading materials and used by the U.S. Army in Europe (USAREUR)--and to provide information for improving it, a study examined 183 soldiers from 38 European posts who were enrolled in the BSEP…

Many adult poor readers do not organize what they read in a way that best facilitates good comprehension. To help students overcome this problem, the Adult Day and Evening School in Oakland, California, organized a reading laboratory for their mostly low-income, educationally disadvantaged students with a diverse range of needs. Instruction in the…

Before World War II, more than one million people took part in literacy education programs in Thailand. Because of the chaos caused by the war, however, and the subsequent disruptions of the country's life, fewer adults were taking part in literacy efforts. During the late 1960s and the 1970s, an increased emphasis was placed on literacy education…

This comprehensive document replaces the previously published Benchmark Report, Benchmark Report Executive Summary, Iowa's Community College Basic Literacy Skills Credential Report, Iowa GED Statistical Report, GED Annual Performance Report and Iowa's Adult Literacy Program National Reporting System Annual Performance Report (Graphic…

The 1980-81 Jefferson County (Kentucky) Adult Reading Program served 601 students functioning below 6.0 grade level during the 1980-81 year. The project's instructional methods and materials were developed based on the experiences of the program for the previous two years. The program was considered a success not only from the viewpoint of the…

The most extensive research and development (R&D) into the adult cognitive skills essential for workplace literacy has been conducted by the U.S. military. Military R&D related to workplace literacy has been concentrated in the following areas: formulation of developmental model for literacy in four stages (basic adaptive processes, conscious…

The Vermont Institute for Self Reliance (VISR) conducted a Basic Educational Skills for Training (BEST) program, a national demonstration project in workplace literacy, from April 1990 to March 1992. BEST provided learner-centered, context-based literacy instruction onsite, on company time, at two General Electric (GE) Aircraft Engines Rutland…