With contributions from leading scholars, this compelling volume offers fresh insights into literacy teaching and learning--and the changing nature of literacy itself--in today's K-12 classrooms. The focus is on varied technologies and literacies such as social networking sites, text messaging, and online communities. Cutting-edge approaches to…

Coalitions have key roles in helping their communities accomplish the following: (1) Track the level of literacy in the community; (2) Use that information to help identify what, and how much, literacy assistance is needed; (3) Assess the extent to which community literacy programs are meeting the need, including how well existing literacy…

To teach students how to write for the workplace and other professional contexts, technical writing teachers often assign writing tasks that reflect real-life communication contexts, a teaching approach that is grounded in the field's contextualized understanding of genre. This article argues to fully embrace contextualized literacy and better…

A joint project carried out by Leeds University and Loughborough University, funded by JISC, studied the information literacy of non academic staff in higher education. The in-depth, qualitative study deployed an information audit, interviews and focus groups with eleven staff in the Finance and Research Departments at Loughborough University. The…

Purpose--The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of factors associated with e-learning, particularly computer attitudes and usability, on transfer of training in workplace e-learning courses. Design/methodology/approach--This study relied on quantitative data obtained from four online survey questionnaires. The sample of this study…

On-the-job writing of deaf college graduates at all degree levels was investigated. Institutional databases and questionnaires to alumni and employers were the sources for information. Respondents were asked about editing assistance, sources and types of assistance, and perceptions of such assistance by employers and employees. Results of the…

This comparative small-scale (Swedish and Polish sample) longitudinal qualitative study investigates political science students' conceptions of their studies, their future profession and their workplace learning. The students (10 in Sweden and 11 in Poland) were interviewed twice, first when they were at the end of their studies and a second time…

Purpose: This paper aims to analyse, through the lens of learning network theory, ways in which external VET practitioners work within private enterprises to promote learning within these organizations. Design/methodology/approach: The paper is based on analyses of six case studies in two Australian States, each comprising a vocational education…

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…

Examines the on-the-job writing of 60 front-line supervisors in a Midwest steel manufacturing plant. Presents information about the frequency, type, purpose, and length of writing produced along with the challenges supervisors faced as writers on the job. Argues that this information will help business communications instructors enhance their…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine the paid and unpaid work time and learning activities of a small longitudinal sample (n=286) of continuously employed Canadians over the 1998-2004 period. Design/methodology/approach: A sub-sample of those who responded to two national surveys carried out in 1998 and 2004 and who were continuously…

Purpose: The purpose of the paper is to explore individual and collective workplace learning and the connections between them in the contemporary industrial work. Design/methodology/approach: Two case studies were carried out in the Finnish package-supplier sector. The research methods applied were standardized observations and qualitative…

While research on globalisation can hardly be said to have ignored the phenomenon of the global corporation or the globally distributed supply chain, the focus has overwhelmingly been on "globalization from above"--on corporate structures and on the movement of global capital in global "knowledge economies". My focus in this…

Companies across the United States provide workplace English classes to non-native-English-speaking employees to increase productivity, retention, and on-the-job safety. Institutions that financially support the programs often require evidence of learning through standardized tests as a prerequisite for continued funding. However, the tests…

Argues that secretaries in the academy lack language to describe low-status, gendered and classed work. Suggests a shift of perspective and a better recognition of how to measure knowledge in workplace settings. Investigates some history of secretarial work in America, its relationship to similar female-dominated occupations, and its relationship…