This study explores the potential of native language literacy instruction for adult immigrant English language learners who have limited formal schooling or have had interruptions in their formal education. By examining 3 programs that provide native language literacy in combination with English as a second language (ESL) instruction, this study…

A home-based Spanish literacy program for Spanish-speaking parents in Elgin, Illinois, which began as a project of the Elgin school district, is described. The program originated with a search for literacy instructional materials for this group. The curriculum was designed to focus on functional Spanish literacy and basic arithmetic skills, the…

This study investigated the use of drama in a Spanish native language literacy course to engage adult students in the process of discussing their world. Nine 2-hour class sessions with 18 students were videotaped. During this period, using the theory of emancipatory education, the students developed a theater script based on an incident in a…

This curriculum guide, almost entirely in Spanish, outlines adult basic education course content to be taught in a Spanish-language high school equivalency program. The course is designed to help students prepare for the General Educational Development (G.E.D.) exam in written expression. The guide begins with a Spanish skills placement test.…

In response to problems encountered in teaching Spanish to native speakers who had learned Spanish as their first (oral) language but because of their schooling were literate only in English, a study was conducted to explore issues related to development of native-language literacy skills after acquisition of second-language literacy. Two adult…

This guide is intended for use in the development of an English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) course, and civics. The guide was produced in response to the high proportion of amnesty applicants illiterate in Spanish, their native language, and in need of instruction in ESL and civics, which are necessary for legalization. The guide consists of five…

The report summarizes findings of research activities conducted over 2 years by the Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL) on the mother tongue and English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) literacy. The first section provides a review of existing literature in native language literacy for adults, including a summary of surveys, review of studies on native…

Siempre Adelante, a support organization for Central American and Mexican immigrants and refugees in Los Angeles, provided adult Spanish literacy classes inspired by Freire's practice of critical pedagogy. A 13-month ethnographic study of intermediate Spanish literacy classes examined how "critical student agency" was fostered or…

The evaluation report details the structure and outcomes of a workplace education program for members of the Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers' Union from May 1993 through March 1995, and assesses the program's design as a model for similar programs elsewhere. The program was designed to enhance workers' skills and meet personal educational…

The Bilingual Adult Basic Education Project provided bilingual life skills instruction, counseling, and informational services to approximately 150 non-English-dominant adults across Pennsylvania by means of contracts to local education agencies. Students were pre- and post-tested in English and/or their native language to measure their growth in…