One hundred sixty adult basic education students functioning at or below the sixth-grade level rated the extent to which they needed to learn 20 functional tasks. Factor analysis suggested three broad categories: everyday reading and writing, math and measurement, and special literacy tasks. Cluster analysis identified distinct subgroups based on…

Observes the language and the literacy behaviors in evidence at a shopping center food court. Muses on the "functional literacy" of the writer's immigrant mother-in-law. Discusses the range and extent of the literacies possessed by an elementary school student who, at the start of the school year, did not consider himself to be either a…

There should not be a split between literacy of function (ability to deal with institutional procedures) and literacy of voice (expression of knowledge and experience). Acquiring functional literacy often involves voicing experience as well as questioning institutional power. Teachers and students should collaborate in bridging the gap. (SK)

Calls into question whether the role of literacy and the function of schooling is to accommodate economic, social, and political structures. Examines multiple viewpoints of literacy and the difficulty of constructing a concept of literacy appropriate for diverse persons and changing circumstances. (SK)

Describes the rationale, development, and administration of the test used for measuring levels of achievement in functional literacy in Guyana. Draws attention to the difficulty of attracting funding for literacy programmes from international aid agencies, given the inflated adult literacy rate that is reported for Guyana in international…

Contends most people in Third World need functional and development-oriented literacy (FDL) if they are to contribute meaningfully to illiteracy eradication and attainment of sustainable national development in respective countries. Arguing current literacy instruction approaches in most Third World countries can't sustain FDL, suggests adoption…

This article examines the historical literacy experiences and current literacy practices of the parents of one working class family as they shape the literacy learning of their four-year-old daughter. Data collected from field notes, observations, and videotaped interviews of the parents and daughter were analyzed and events sorted into categories…

Relates current trends in public interpretations of reading research, which are prone to exaggeration and paranoia, to G. Larson's "Far Side" cartoons. Notes a substantial gap between what is taught in the schools to develop literacy abilities and what is demanded in society to demonstrate literacy competence. (SKC)

Literacy Volunteers of America is described as a grassroots effort that has grown to national proportions. An overview of its development and case studies of library literacy projects in various states are provided, and recommendations are made for continued and future library participation in the literacy effort. (EM)

Reports on the problem of adult functional illiteracy in the workplace and discusses how some companies and business-sponsored organizations are dealing with this problem. Describes Polaroid Corporation's in-house literacy training program in detail. (CH)

Proposes redefining the problem of illiteracy in terms of a "social-interaction perspective" that would emphasize the need "to acculturate students to the practices of reading in their communities" and the broad range of reading competencies required by today's society. (JBM)

Discusses differing meanings of literacy implicit in three metaphors, each rooted in assumptions about the social motivations for literacy, the nature of existing literacy practices, and judgments about which practices are critical for individual and social enhancement. Provides a study of the social meaning of literacy in a traditional society.…

Ten-week tutorials focused on improving the reading competency of employees of a city housing authority. Materials and techniques for adult learners were used. Vocabulary and comprehension scores and high levels of attendance (17 of 19 students attended 80 percent of the time) indicated the success of the program. (SK)

Distinguishes between functional and elective illiterates and attempts to explain the extent and causes of elective illiteracy in Canada. Describes a model of reading activity that confirms expected bivariate associations between elective illiteracy and education, settlement type, language, age, and occupation but reveals three complicating higher…

Examines contemporary "technocratic" and "progressive" approaches to literacy. Discusses "functional literacy" in relation to the classical model of "high literacy." Suggests research be guided by considerations of contextual factors influencing acquisition and use of literate abilities and organized in…