African nations have always considered the knowledge of each other's official language, principally English and French, as a means for their scientists to exchange their research work and findings with their counterparts across the linguistic barriers on the continent and in the world, and thereby hasten the pace of national development. Nigerian…

Purpose: To investigate the nature and extent of oral language difficulties encountered by adults who are functionally illiterate. Method: Fifty-two men and women identified as functionally illiterate, together with a group of control individuals of comparable age, sex, and socioprofessional background, produced a narrative intended for an absent…

The role of functional literacy, linked to employment, leads to a narrow view of rural learners' need both economically and socially. The drive for individuals to take responsibility for their own learning and development is, indeed, a good thing. However, the burden of guilt felt by those who are unable, or unwilling, to achieve the standards set…

Some of the broad issues of literacy and national economy are addressed in this article, which provides a historical context for the claims frequently made by policymakers and employer organizations about the economic benefits of increased language skills. Contains 42 references. (LB)

Ways that literacy and numeracy can be integrated into adult basic education classes are discussed. A class of six adult students learning language and mathematics in the context of the federal election illustrates the effectiveness of integrated teaching. (Contains 12 references.) (LB)

English as a second language (ESL) teachers find the newspaper a terrific source for easy-to-prepare reusable materials. Travel ads with coupons from the travel section can be cut out for beginning level students to complete and mail in envelopes they address. Students can find places on maps. In addition, intermediate and advanced students can…

An analysis of the performance of 3,355 high school learning-disabled students on the State Student Assessment Test (part of Florida's minimum competency testing program) revealed that large numbers performed poorly on basic skills assessments. Less than half demonstrated mastery on 16 of 34 communication skills tested. (JW)