In a nation where only about half of high school students go on to 4-year postsecondary institutions, vocational-technical education plays a critical role in preparing thousands of people for their first work experience and in retraining thousands more to take full advantage of new job opportunities. As part of the educational reform movement of…

This study determined the magnitude of disparity between men and women in China in relation to illiteracy and occupational status. Region and ethnicity are used as control variables. The data collected are from a 10 percent sampling of the 1982 census; the total sample size includes a population of 100,380,000 nationwide. The census questionnaire…

Documents produced for three separate conferences that were convened to discuss the aims and methods of English instruction in the past century demonstrate the pedagogical shift from a "formal" concept of literacy to a more functional one. An 1896 conference at Harvard University reviewed secondary school and college English instruction during the…

A cost-effective, computer-based, Navy-related basic reading skills program was developed for United States Navy recruits reading below sixth grade level. The program, called Performance-Related Enabling Skills Training (PREST), is designed to enable recruits to improve their reading and study skills and, thereby, increase the probability of their…

A universal language is needed whereby the international community can communicate in professions of common concern, and English is such a world language. Preparing the international community to read at functionally literate levels in English will strengthen and facilitate international trade. For career education purposes, a close link between…

The following steps will integrate computers into a volunteer literacy program: (1) decide how the computers will be used, depending on the program's needs (typically, computers are used to help with management chores and to motivate students and help them attain their academic and career goals); (2) investigate software and hardware, including…

The role of higher education in reversing the nation's economic decline is discussed by the governor of Arkansas in this keynote address delivered at the 1988 National Conference on Higher Education. In this context, several recommendations are made: (1) the number of high school graduates who go to college needs to be increased from about 55% to…

Low literate patients face difficulties when they read health care information. The complex process of reading can be summarized in five steps: input, decoding, encoding, output, and feedback. Each occurs automatically for the fluent reader; the low literate reader might encounter stumbling blocks in one or more of the steps. Once the patient has…

This paper describes a computerized environment for teaching the conceptual patterns of critical literacy. While the full implementation of the software covers both reading and writing, this paper covers only the writing aspects of R-WISE (Reading and Writing in a Supportive Environment). R-WISE consists of a suite of computerized…

A review of functional literacy testing in the United States from 1955-82 is provided by summarizing the results of literacy assessment studies and synthesizing the major issues which they have engendered. These reviews are grouped with respect to content, criterion-related, and construct validity. The paper concludes by (1) summarizing some of…

This Manpower Report presents charts and graphs that reflect the increased growth of U.S. minority populations and discusses this growth in terms of population distribution and change, education, socio-economic trends, employment trends, and literacy. By the year 2000, the U.S. population will be less than 76 percent White and more than 24 percent…

Recent attention to literacy, rather than focusing on literacy for social mobility as in the 1960s, promotes literacy for basic, entry-level employment, a position that supports the existing power structure rather than redistributing power in our society. Therefore true universal literacy--which involves the potential redistribution of power--is…

Government survey results reveal that large numbers of adults in the United States do not possess the minimal survival and life-coping skills necessary to function successfully in daily living. Since reading is the most basic of all life survival skills, a thematic reading that emphasized consumer survival was developed in the fall of 1977 at…

Reading disability is described in this paper as a relative state that will appear different across societies and over the years. It is noted that researchers who claim that their objective is to find methods and materials to make remedial reading unnecessary are unrealistic. An overview of the Danish educational system and society during the last…

Women in Nepal are empowered through adult functional literacy programs called Non Formal Education (NFE). The NFE classes are held six nights per week using discussion and group socialization processes that develop critical thinking and build self-esteem in a society in which women have few or no legal rights. In these programs, women gain…