Adult Basic Education (ABE) is a critical part of the educational landscape in the United States; its aim is to improve the basic reading, writing, and numeracy skills of the very diverse population of adults in America who lack proficiency in these skills, and more often than not, a high school graduation credential (U.S. Department of Education,…

This quantitative study examined the current level of literacy skills of three cohorts of learners after they completed a non-formal basic literacy programme in 2017, 2018 and 2019. The purpose of the study, conducted in late 2019, was to identify major factors that influenced the maintenance of their levels of reading and calculating skills. The…

"Focus on Basics" is the quarterly publication of the National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy. It presents best practices, current research on adult learning and literacy, and how research is used by adult basic education teachers, counselors, program administrators, and policymakers. "Focus on Basics" is…

Describes the evolution and success of Scotland's Adult Basic Education (ABE) program, staffed with paid and volunteer tutors in literacy, numeracy, social, and other skills. Illustrates regional differences in ABE skill offerings, students, and staffs with examples from various areas. Stresses the underlying adaptability of ABE to student needs.…

Utilizing Michael Polanyi's theory of knowledge as a framework, the author outlines an approach in which illiterate adults might increase their motivation and chances of success in developing reading skill. (EM)

First-year evaluation results of Iowa's Basic Skills Certification pilot program were reported for the four community colleges participating: Northeast Iowa, Des Moines Area, Western Iowa Tech, and Iowa Western. The pilot sites represented a variety of adult basic education instructional environments that included a workforce development center,…

A visually oriented educational model that was originally developed for use with children was adapted for use with adults in an adult basic and literacy education class. The four-step visual literacy model required students to perform the following actions while reading an entire novel: visualize, inquire, read, and apply. A General Educational…

The pros and cons of integrated learning systems (ILS) and stand-alone software for adult literacy instruction were examined in a comparative analysis that focused on their use in adult literacy programs in Canada. The comparison focused on the following variables: achievement gains in reading; changes in students' attitudes toward computers;…

The benefits of family literacy programs for children were examined in a 1997 follow-up study in which 154 parents and 237 children who had participated in a family literacy demonstration program in 1994-1995 were interviewed along with the teachers of a subsample of the children and the demonstration program coordinators. The demonstration…

Findings of an investigation of ten public school adult basic education (ABE) programs in New York State indicate important implications for ABE programs which foster self-directed learning. Because of the significant relationship between the fostering and student preference for self-directed learning, adult educators should plan ABE programs to…

This series of five short papers describes an interdisciplinary, community action research project in Newfoundland that sought to enhance and extend the traditional and technological literacy of adults. The papers were part of an action research project conducted by the directors and tutors which made computers available in community resource…

Because an English-as-a-second-language (ESL) teacher in Pennsylvania observed from the intake questionnaires completed by her students that many ESL students lack short- and long-term goal-setting skills, she undertook an action research project to help ESL students develop the short- and long-term goal-setting skills needed for educational,…

This document contains information about and from a study of the experiences of 41 adults enrolled in adult basic education/English for speakers of other languages (ABE/ESOL) programs that was conducted to determine what their learning meant to them and to identify strategies for developing a new pluralism in ABE/ESOL classrooms and teaching to…