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)

Suggests that college students could begin to repay their debt to society during their studies by participating in a nonformal system of community education and outreach. Describes how this strategy was implemented in India to provide political education for older members of society. (DMM)

In nonindustrialized countries, populations with the lowest literacy rates have the poorest health. Proposes research exploring the relationship between illiteracy or impaired literacy and health status in the United States. Calls for development of non-literacy-dependent materials for patient education, obtaining informed consent, and…

Describes a university literacy tutorial program in which older adult college students received tutor training and then carried out one-to-one reading tutorials with adult male learners who were rehabilitating addicts. Offers two case studies, and shows that the program had a significant impact on tutors' commitment to community volunteerism and…

"Illiteracy" is still a powerful concept in adult literacy education. St. Clair and Sandlin examine the use of the term and the policies and programs it currently justifies. The authors argue that the concept of illiteracy should be avoided due to its inherent deficit focus.

American schools have debated the merits of a national canon since the inception of English as a subject a century ago. In earlier years, the mission of the language arts was much more elitist and hierarchical. English was a subject that taught the great works, so that aspiring students could be familiar with the standard pantheon of authors and…

The world has a population of 6 billion. India alone has a population of 1 billion. This is despite the fact that India was the first country in the world to have a population policy. It is important to understand the factors that led to this population explosion and the complex links between population growth rates and levels of development.…

This handbook is designed for individuals who tutor hearing impaired adults in literacy skills. It provides general information about a number of topics: adult learners; deaf adult learners; deaf awareness; deaf culture; communication tips; language, communication, and literacy for deaf adults; and teaching strategies. A 13-page report describes…

A study evaluated Macomb Reading Partners (MRP), the tutoring program of the Macomb Literacy Project. It researched the effectiveness of literacy training and its impact on the lives of a target group of 30 automotive workers. Data sources were a structured interview, the Word Opposites Test of the Botel Reading Inventory (1962), and participant…

This report represents elements of 105 replies received from UNESCO Member States to the International Bureau of Education (IBE) questionnaire. The report does not always reproduce the complete answers given, and the extracts presented are usually presented in the language used in the relevant answer. The report begins with a list of member…

This paper analyzes the 105 replies received from UNESCO Member States to the International Bureau of Education (IBE) questionnaire. All the data appearing in the paper, including the statistics, were drawn exclusively from the replies of the member countries. The one- or two-paragraph responses in the paper to the 71-item questionnaire are…

Family literacy is relevant in the education of the child, especially in the South African context with its millions of people, especially those in disadvantaged rural areas, who are currently illiterate or insufficiently literate. The level of literacy in the home and a child's exposure to learning experiences influence the success of instruction…

This paper is based on the premise that the myth of the "Twice-Born" perpetuated by the high-caste Hindus of ancient India; the metaphors of re-birth, freedom, and light used by new literatures coming out of adult literacy classes; and current socio-biological theories of human evolution all speak to the truly transformational character…

This fact sheet provides basic information on closed captioning as a source of information and entertainment for people with hearing impairments. It describes the role of the National Captioning Institute (NCI), defines closed captioning, and notes NCI activities in three areas: development of the TeleCaption decoder, obtaining the cooperation of…

Noting that one of the three major themes for the 1991 White House Conference on Library and Information Services is the role of the library in literacy education, this digest begins by describing how national awareness of the problem has led to legislation, both at the state and federal level, to fund new literacy programs and expand existing…