The heart of literacy is the construction of meaning, which is rooted in experience, culture, and language. Respect for cultural and linguistic backgrounds must be incorporated into teacher-learner relationships. This is an essential component of effective literacy programs. (SK)

Examines the reading habits of students in Adult Basic Education and High School Equivalency programs as a whole and by variables of race, gender, age, and reading level. Finds that, as a group, they were by no means nonreaders, though their time spent reading is less than the general population. (RS)

Describes, in a case study, how a functionally illiterate adult coped with the disabling effects of not being able to read and how, once he was involved in an educational therapy program, his attitude toward reading, his self-esteem, interpersonal relationships, coping strategies, and actual progress in reading were influenced by the treatment.…

A participatory English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) curriculum development project in South Africa, "Use, Speak and Write English" (USWE), is described. USWE's attempt to translate its curriculum framework into workable materials is reported. Suggestions for handling the challenges facing adult basic education are suggested. (Contains 40…

The adult basic education program at South Tyneside College in England involves the use of computer technology and partnership with vocational staff to ensure that the program is relevant. Student commitment and motivation have improved. (JOW)

Outlines the benefits of Goal Attainment Scaling, which involves setting measurable short- and long-term goals, developing a scale, and defining indicators. Demonstrates its use in a program to train college students as volunteer literacy tutors and in a family literacy program. (SK)

Reflections of an enterprise-based literacy teacher highlights three focal areas of workplace learning: (1) critical thinking/reflection/problem solving; (2) contextualized learning; and (3) attitudinal. A workplace teacher must have knowledge and understanding of culture gained through action, feedback, reflection, and theorizing. (SK)

Cognitive Enrichment Advantage is a student-centered literacy education method used in Canadian prisons. It emphasizes the teacher's role as mediator of learning; its 12 building blocks of thinking and 8 tools of learning embody a constructivist approach. A goal is fostering independent and interdependent lifelong learning. (SK)

Describes the work of an Australian adult literacy and basic education teacher who mixes research and practice and a professional development project undertaken in the United Kingdom that was inspired by her work. (SK)

Outlines the deep and complex challenge faced by Mexico in its quest for closer economic integration with so-called advanced economies. Discusses extensive poverty and illiteracy, and the systematic exclusion of many people from access to the very kinds of learning required by Mexico's economic project. Argues that extraordinary efforts and…

A study to determine the extent of differences between inmates who used computer-assisted instruction and those who received traditional instruction in a prison education program found no differences in posttest scores. Possible explanations included attitudes toward testing, motivation, teacher support, dynamics of prison culture, and software…

Describes the FORECAST readability formula for adults working with job materials, which was developed in the early 1970s. Suggests that it is a better measure of who wants and needs basic skills than the International Adult Literacy Survey. (JOW)

Prison inmates (n=71) were randomly assigned to an experimental group (computer-assisted and traditional instruction) or control group (traditional only). The study attempted to avoid flaws of similar research by using the same traditional instructors, same length of instruction, and posttest administration after 4 weeks. No differences in reading…

Discusses resiliency programming as an alternative approach to program development for incarcerated adults, and describes a pilot project in a Georgia prison, Leadership Development, that uses the concept of resiliency to frame inmate education. Discusses implications of this model of correctional education. (SLD)

Discussions with 26 Nebraska adult basic education practitioners, 14 survey responses, and interviews with 3 administrators obtained their views of the impact of welfare reform. They have concerns about the emphasis on economic over individual development, the quality of education and training for welfare recipients, time limits on learning, and…