This digest defines the concepts of "whole language,""learner-centered," and "participatory," and discusses their application to adult learning in ESL literacy programs. All three approaches advocate that the learner should inform literacy instruction with his or her own particular input, that learners and their…

This report examines recent research and program developments designed to improve the education of children by improving the literacy skills of their parents, particularly their mothers, who did not graduate from high school. Traditional research has revealed that more highly educated mothers have greater success in providing their children with…

The 11-lesson instructional unit, "Work and Your Life," is designed for adult English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) students at intermediate to advanced levels. Its focus is on the student's exploration of work and other lifestyle issues. The teacher functions as the facilitator or guide, while the student uses self-knowledge and outside resources to…

This workshop engages students of adult basic education (ABE) and English as a second language (ESL) students in the higher levels of communication necessary in the workplace: essay writing, filling out forms, and analyzing data. Students use statistics from the workplace to practice reading and manipulating data, workplace forms to practice…

This review attempts to clarify adult education's role in moving individuals from welfare to work. Part 1 reviews research on this role, job prospects for low-skilled workers, and literacy requirements of workplaces. Part 1 reports these findings: the likelihood of being on welfare goes up as literacy goes down; a labor force attachment approach…

Passage of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA), which includes the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) block grant program, has caused dramatic changes in welfare reform. PRWORA emphasizes a Work First approach to welfare reform; to receive full TANF funding, states must meet the minimum required…

All state directors of adult education in the United States were asked to complete a questionnaire requiring them to consider health within the context of learning and offer priority ratings for health from the various standpoints. An 88% response rate was achieved. On a 5-point scale, the state directors' mean ratings of health from selected…

This document consists of four consecutive issues of a literary magazine written by adult workplace literacy students of the Casco Bay (Maine) Partnership for Workplace Education. The Partnership was a federally funded workplace literacy program that provided customized basic skills education at seven business sites in the Portland area, serving…

This instructor's manual for workplace trainers contains the materials required to conduct a course on working in teams. The course includes six lessons for workers, two lessons for supervisors, and strategies for helping workers continue to develop the skills taught in the course. The following materials are provided for each course: lesson plan,…

Distance education occurs when distance and/or time prevents the learner and instructor from meeting face to face. Ways of providing distance learning opportunities include traditional materials by mail (print materials, audio and video support materials, audio and video lectures) and electronic materials (faxed information, telephone, electronic…

This publication presents a collection of materials on the German experience with literacy education. A timeline offers a brief account of adult literacy in the Federal Republic of Germany. "Literacy as a Problem in the Federal Republic of Germany" identifies the causes and impacts of "second-order illiteracy" (the loss of…

A study compares the adult functional literacy campaigns and programs developed in seven African nations: the Gambia, Liberia, Mali, Burundi, Rwanda, Kenya, and Seychelles. After an introductory chapter outlining the background of African adult functional literacy efforts and some of the constraints on them, the second chapter gives an overview of…

Researchers at Rio Salado Community College (Arizona) directing an educational research project, called the Southwest Advanced Learning System for Adults (SALSA), placed personal computers in the homes of production line workers as a supplement to traditional classroom basic skills training. Objectives were to determine whether this supplemental…

This two-part document reports the results of a literature review of workplace literacy program evaluation and then details a study of two current workplace literacy programs. The five chapters of the first part summarize findings on what is known about workplace literacy programs, methods for evaluating workplace literacy programs, assessing…

The background and major activities of a 2-year study on adult English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) programs and practices are reported. Descriptions are provided of the nomination process for programs that teach literacy to adults not fully proficient in English, and the study site selection and case studies of nine programs are described. The…