In this forum, Stephen Reder argues that adult literacy education needs to be repositioned within a new framework of lifelong and life-wide learning, a framework in which new policies are formulated, programs are designed and evaluated, and research is funded and carried out. To appreciate how much this suggested framework differs from the…

Adult basic education's role, from the beginning, has been about serving people with foundational skill needs. The author, Judy Mortrude, agrees with the argument that adult literacy education needs to be repositioned within a new framework of lifelong and life-wide learning, a framework in which new policies are formulated, programs are designed…

Dr. Jacobson's analysis of "hard to serve" is well founded, especially from an academic and theoretical perspective, yet the author is left wanting. Is the solution to merely change the language, the terminology of the legislation, or the terminology used by policy makers as well as practitioners? Are these adults hard to serve or ill…

According to Debra Bragg, Amy Pickard's article "WIOA: Implications for Low-Scoring Adult Learners" (EJ1125478) offers a provocative analysis of the federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) that is important for any educator to read, especially educators who work with adult learners in postsecondary education. Pickard's…

This paper will review the article entitled, "Shopping {For} Power: How Adult Literacy Learners Negotiate" [EJ756994] by authors Julie L. Ozanne, Natalie Ross Adkins, and Jennifer A. Sandlin. The authors argue that functional literacy in the United States is an important issue and needs to play a larger role in adult literacy programs.…

Scotland has a strong learner-centred system of adult literacy and numeracy education. Examination of the Scottish system can usefully highlight the issues associated with application of this approach in adult education more generally. Two important aspects are the need for highly skilled educators and the difficulty of evaluating such systems.…

This interdisciplinary paper is about applying Adult Education methods of learning and teaching to higher education. I argue that higher education students need to be stimulated via interactive methods that improve their motivation and lead them to question the value system/s that exist around them. A Freirean approach as used in the teaching of…

It is no secret that America is at risk of losing its place as a world leader in education. Some 88 million adults in America need help with their English as a Second Language (ESL) and basic skills, yet the nation is currently providing services to only 3 million people. The Commission on Adult Literacy calls for bold change at the state and…

Discusses the issue of adult literacy in Ireland and the efforts that have been made to increase the literacy rate. Describes the National Adult Literacy Agency, established to respond to the literacy needs of adults in Ireland. (JOW)

With the increasing use of computers in education, adults will need to adapt to their use. While understanding of computer programing languages is not needed, rudimentary knowledge and skills are. One must have some facility with a keyboard and be able to respond to the computer. (JOW)

Adults with low-level literacy skills are not a homogeneous group. They are creators of their own social lives and participate in the ongoing creation and maintenance of the social world in which they live. Understanding the underlying communicative competence of most nonreading adults leads to fundamental questions about the assumptions…

Gives a background on the various adult/non-formal education programs drawn up since Indian independence, and discusses the needs, aspirations, and problems supported by facts and figures. (Editor)

Reviews literacy campaigns, continuing education, and other programs for adults in China, Vietnam, and the U.S.S.R. (SK)

Apathy, indifference, and neglect has characterized adult education for women in India. The National Adult Education Programme must focus attention and funding on women if the extremely low percentage of female literacy is to be improved. (SK)

In South Africa, adult literacy is vaguely acknowledged and thought to be worthy, but on the whole, industrialists, educators, and political activists ignore it. This article outlines what has been done to promote adult literacy, looks critically at the present situation, and spells out constraints. Focuses on the impact of political factors. (JOW)