The formal court system in Australia has long been criticised for its adversarial nature. As a result, there has been an increase in the use of alternative dispute resolution processes such as mediation. These are promoted as a means of increasing access to justice by disadvantaged groups and as an inexpensive way of solving legal or quasi-legal…

A survey of the literacy proficiency of 1,500 Australian adults indicates that: (1) people who demonstrate some proficiency with using printed material should not be classified as illiterate; (2) appropriate rating scales should be developed for assessing adults' literacy skills; (3) more detailed analysis of the characteristics of those who…

Illiteracy is seen to be a feature of the Australian prisoner population. This belief has remained largely untested. A study compared the literacy abilities of prisoners to those found in the adult general population. Additionally, the study compared male and female prisoner literacy abilities. Assessments were made on a profile of literacy…

This booklet, which was developed for adult literacy educators in Australia, summarizes selected research on health practices, communication, and literacy and outlines some issues that adult literacy teachers might consider in their work. The booklet begins with three anecdotes previewing the practical everyday challenges that literacy poses for…

A study investigated job search literacies for a small sample of Western Australian youth currently seeking employment. Participants were 10 females and 4 males aged 15-24. The research design involved the presentation of job search information and exercises to develop literacy competencies in a participative workshop format. Participants…

The pedagogical relationships existing between adult literacy and numeracy were examined in a study involving four data collection activities: historical review of development of the general concept of numeracy; semistructured interviews with adult educators and curriculum theorists, planners, and developers concerned with the relationships…

A study investigated ways employers and their apprentices and trainees perceive how these employees' English language and literacy (ELL) skills affect their learning and performance in the workplace in the current context of New Apprenticeships. The research design and methodology involved sending an opinion survey to a stratified random sample of…

This booklet, which was written for adult literacy practitioners in Australia, examines some key issues currently being raised about new information technologies and technological literacy. The following are among the topics discussed in the booklet's nine sections: innovation and dissemination (effects of videocassette recorders, computers, and…

Data drawn from 3 cycles of data collection for the International Adult Literacy Survey (IALS) were analyzed to identify the levels and distributions of literacy skills in the adult populations of 20 countries. The following were among the main conclusions: (1) in 14 of the countries, at least 15% of all adults have literacy skills at only the…