The major purposes of the project were to determine the nature of the literacy problem in the Army by studying the literacy demands of Army jobs together with the literacy skills of Army personnel, and to develop a literacy training program to provide job-related-functional, literacy skills. Literacy research and development performed by HumRRO…

This report summarizes literacy research performed in HumRRO Work Units REALISTIC, READNEED, and FLIT. Data are reported that show reading demands of various Army jobs and reading ability levels of personnel prior to, during, and after Project 100,000. Research and development of a new job-related, functional literacy training program for the Army…

Three studies were conducted to determine the validity of the idea that adult literacy students have greater reading potential (and thus can learn in much shorter periods of time) than school children who score at comparable levels to the adults on standardized reading tests, and that adults are more efficient learners than such children. The…

This report was prepared to fulfill the need for an information source on basic skills in the armed services. To prepare the report, researchers obtained and reviewed published literature from various document files. Service representatives of the Joint Service Working Group on Literacy/Basic Skills established by the Assistant Secretary of…

This report discusses evaluation as required under the Department of Education rules and regulations for the National Workplace Literacy Program (NWLP). It is intended to help workplace literacy programs meet the requirements of the rules and regulations governing the NWLP so that the Department of Education can determine the value of programs.…

A developmental model of literacy based on language and cognitive skills is presented in this paper. Two independent learning strands suggested as major factors in achieving literacy are learning to understand language by eye (reading) as skillfully as one can understand language by ear (auding) and learning to use the printed medium for literacy…

This paper explores some of the issues involved in developing an index of functional literacy that can serve diagnostic purposes. In 1985, Secretary of Education William J. Bennett outlined principles for the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), including a principle calling for NAEP to "develop an index of functional literacy…

This compendium of statistical data on adult literacy assessments spanning a 75-year period is designed to serve as a concise and comprehensive reference source for policymakers, practitioners, and researchers. The introduction provides a theoretical framework for interpreting the assessments described. Summarized in Part 1 are major military and…

The Adult Education and Literacy System (AELS) has been systematizing and promoting adult education in the United States since 1966, when the Adult Education Act (AEA) was passed. Today, some 4,000 organizations operate under the rules and regulations of the latest reauthorization of the AEA, the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act (AEFLA).…

This paper discusses the use of telephone surveys as a substitute for, or addition to, the use of door-to-door surveys in assessing adult literacy ability. Part 1 addresses issues of validity in adult literacy assessment, including the concepts of construct or inferential validity and action or use validity. Part 2 is a review of related research…

Recent research on adult education and literacy development (AELD) programs in workplaces that teach English, reading, and mathematics skills integrated with job knowledge indicates they contribute to improved job-related literacy and mathematics skills, improved job productivity, and increased reading to children at home. AELD programs can help…

As articulated by President Reagan, the Adult Literacy Initiative has two goals: to raise all adults in the country to a functional reading level and to focus on promoting literacy among adults--not "stamping out" or "attacking" illiteracy. Professionals at the National Adult Literacy Project and Conference considered the…

This report provides a 5-year perspective on the adult literacy education (ALE) system in the inner city of San Diego, California. Chapter 1 introduces the research. Chapters 2-5 in part 1, "The Struggle To Learn," contain the following: information about the difficulties of determining how many adults might benefit from basic skill…

U.S. citizens can get two to three times the educational and employment benefits now being obtained if all government funding for youth and adult basic education and job skills training is required to be directed to two investment strategies. The first is to increase intergenerational transfer of cognitive skills. Evidence from studies suggests…

Since thousands of the men who entered military service during World War II were illiterate, the Army developed an "Army Reader," a four-part series featuring Private Pete, that led learners through literacy levels 1-4. Part 1 introduced Private Pete and talked about the things the men experienced when they entered the Army. Part 2…