The Test of Workplace Essential Skills (TOWES) assesses cognitive skills in three areas using the following three separate subscales: Reading Text, Document Use, and Numeracy in Working-Age Adults. The sample was composed of 2,688 working-age English-speaking Canadians who came from a variety of settings (e.g., trades training programs, adult…

Planning adult literacy education in developing nations is largely viewed as a technical process reserved for government officials at the Ministry of Education. This empirical study argues that in Botswana, state sponsored adult literacy asserts its hegemony and stifles learner participation and district initiatives. The paper provides an overview…

The purpose of this study was to measure and compare the extent to which three groups of stakeholders in the welfare-to-work process judge a selected list of workplace topics as important for inclusion in the curriculum. Topics were derived from the 1991 report of the Secretary's Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills (SCANS). A 45-item survey…

The Financial Services Authority (FSA) is leading a national strategy to improve the United Kingdom's financial capability (FSA, 2006). The strategy recognises that there is a need for Financial Literacy education across all areas of society, from children in school to mature adults in all walks of life. In order to meet this need and to be…

The purpose of this study was to investigate how Canadian adult students collaboratively learn with peers in both formal and non-formal adult literacy programs. A multisite case study research design was used involving several local literacy organizations. Data collection occurred over a four-month period and focused on nine different program…

This product checklist can be used to determine whether a particular workplace literacy product (such as a series of instructional workbooks, curriculum guides, or computerized instructional systems), follows best practice and will meet the needs of a particular business firm and build the productive capacity of its employees. The checklist was…

This document chronicles some of the innovative uses of technology in the adult basic education and literacy field and the creative and cooperative efforts of local service providers to increase the instructional resources for learners. In 1-2 page profiles, it provides information about how the 50 states and the District of Columbia are using…

Adult functional illiteracy is estimated at more than 20 percent of the U.S. population and 12-19 percent of Indiana residents over age 25 (390,000 to 600,000 adults). In addition, high school dropouts and those who do not seek education past high school also need additional training. Functional illiteracy costs government and business through…

The Adult New Reader Collection-Model Project proposed to serve five targeted groups by providing literacy, language development, and English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) materials. The five groups included: literacy tutors; students identified by the staff and matched to their trained tutors; adult library users not connected to a literacy program…

The Labour Adjustment Initiative was developed in Ontario to provide the ever-increasing number of laid-off workers with remedial basic skills training in order to prepare them for other jobs or further training. The model developed by the Literacy Branch of the Ontario government emphasized a collaborative approach that drew together all of the…

This bibliography provides a listing of 53 publications that were funded under the Adult Education Act, as amended by the National Literacy Act of 1991, or that provide support to adult education and literacy activities. The listing includes reports, studies, surveys, and guides on the following topics: assessment and testing, curriculum…

Research studies and theoretical works on the following aspects of professionalization of adult literacy teachers were reviewed: preparation, certification, and licensure of adult educators; history of the professionalization process of other occupations; state certification requirements for adult basic education (ABE) teachers; and preparation…

This theme issue for people working in the field of adult literacy focuses on the impact of learning disabilities (LD) on an adult's social skills. It explores various social, emotional, and daily living concerns which adults with learning disabilities may face. The following articles are included: (1) "Social Skills and Adults with Learning…

This booklet is part of a series on state-level family support and education policy published by the Harvard Family Research Project. It is based on a more detailed set of studies collected in "Innovative Models to Guide Family Support and Education Policy in the 1990s." Connecticut's Parent Education Support Centers program offers…

A 3-day working conference on adult mathematical literacy took a first step toward ensuring that all adults acquire the mathematical skills they need to function on the job and in society, to achieve personal goals, and to support their children's education. Participants were adult educators involved in numeracy-related instruction, teacher…