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.…

Examines the problem that some high school graduates lack basic skills. Cites declining test scores, facts about illiterate graduates, and causes of public nonconfidence in education. Explores the conversion of minimum competency theory into functional programs, citing considerations related to minority students, test results, record keeping,…

Discusses the many facets of the role of television in developing countries and describes the unscripted television play, a technique being used in Kenya to inform, educate, and entertain the population. (LLS)

Discusses the procedure and objectives of studies on adult instruction in Creole and the use of Creole in the primary grades. The complexity of the sociolinguistic situation, the extent of illiteracy, the state of the educational system, and implications of change in attitudes to both Creole and French are discussed. (AMH)

Argues that modern literacy problems do not arise from a lack of exposure to language, rather to overexposure to a sterile and meaningless stream of I-It language addressed to no real person. Suggests "quiet writing," personal journal expressions, and listening activities to sensitize students to language. (KEH)

Discusses the global and analytical approaches to reading assessment. Points out that the first approaches reading as a self-contained activity, while the second presupposes both a reading model and a reader model. Applies each to the context of reading assessment in France. Suggests discarding the global approach as a diagnostic tool. (KO)

Describes the author's involvement in starting the Central California Writing Project in 1977. Relates anecdotes told by bilingual teachers about their experiences in bilingual and multicultural education. Observes that illiteracy is often accompanied by a silence that resembles censorship, and that writing (and writing projects) can empower…

Assesses illiterate and semiliterate speakers of Serbo-Croatian on reading, writing, phonological, and control tasks. Three groups, categorized with respect to the subjects' ability to identify the letters of their Cyrillic alphabet, differed on phoneme deletion and phoneme-counting tasks, but not on syllable-counting, picture vocabulary, or…

Analyzes the obstacles to universal literacy in Africa including the colonial creation of a two-tier society, rapid population growth, and multiplicity of languages. Suggests that the power structure is such that it has a vested interest in the providing a limited amount of literacy without raising the populace's consciousness. (Contains 30…

Discusses three forms of literacy--functional literacy, the ability to read and write, and workplace literacy. Includes "The Magnavox Experience" (Ford); "Aloha Means Goodbye to Workforce Illiteracy" (Beil); and "A Hospital's Prescription for Illiteracy" (Solovy-Pratt, Vicary). (JOW)

Today's literacy crusade still emphasizes economic rather than humanistic reasons for literacy education. However, lasting change will come only through breaking the familial cycle of illiteracy, integrating improvement of work-based, family, and generic learning skills. (SK)

Introduces the standardized safety sign system being established in the United States. Argues that these safety signs, symbols, and warnings may be a good place to begin a workplace literacy project for workers with limited reading skills. (SR)

This review covers the status of languages and literacy in the countries of southern Africa, policies of literacy promotion, and the emerging symbioses among spoken languages and among literacies in mother tongues, national or official languages, and metropolitan languages. Five statistical tables are included. (66 references) (LB)