The objectives of this Special Experimental Demonstration Project in Adult Basic Education for the Navajo were: (1) to raise the educational and social level of Navajo adult students who are unable to read, write, and speak English; (2) to assist the Navajo adult students to take advantage of occupational and vocational training programs; (3) to…

This article discusses the problem of adult illiteracy and offers guidelines to assist librarians in developing adult literacy programs based on results of the Los Angeles Public Library's Library Adult Reading Project. Federal and state funding, partnerships, plan of action, personnel, materials, operations, and equipment are covered. (EJS)

This module, which may be used as the basis for a workshop or as a special topic unit in an adult basic education or English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) course, focuses on the Unemployment Insurance (UI) system. The following items are included: module overview; list of basic, thinking, interpersonal, information utilization, and other skills…

The author comments on Rafe-uz-Zaman's approach to literacy education (see v9, n1 of this journal) and points out that literacy in adult education must progress from one stage to the next. He discusses pre-literacy (temporarily bypassing literacy instruction), life-oriented and work-oriented literacy education, educational supply and demand, and…

The Commercial Credit Company's programed learning packages, operated through computers, are used by the Mayor's Office of Manpower Resources in Baltimore to teach basic skills and some job-related skills to functionally illiterate job seekers. The program, its development, and its funding are discussed. (JMD)

Describes three instructional approaches in adult basic education: a class in which retired coal miners recorded their experiences in early coal mining camps; a telephone-based instructional system using "Teleteacher" specially designed and built machines; and an approach to ABE in New York emphasizing adult functional literacy, Project…

Discusses efforts to achieve higher rates of adult literacy and pedagogical approaches to learning to read. Describes definitions of literacy, school standards, and possible reasons for high rates of adult illiteracy. Discusses teaching methods, particularly the Nellie Thomas method, which has had success in prison literacy programs. (JB)

Evaluates the International Adult Literacy Survey (as reported in OECD 1997) from a New Literacy Studies perspective. Criticism of the survey includes charges that: it provides only a partial picture of literacy; culture is treated as bias; and the test items do not represent the real-life items as claimed. Contains 30 references. (PGS)

The International Adult Literacy Survey (IALS) has serious limitations. Interpretation of data often manifests an ethnocentric Western attitude, ranking handling of data-based information higher than experiential and contextualized information, and ignoring how people solve problems in their life context. Proposes an alternative model, called…

Points out the difficulties of defining and operationalizing literacy and literacy development across communities with diverse socioeconomic profiles. Proposes consideration of diverse socioeconomic patterns and level of community (in addition to macro-level of nation-state and the micro-level of individual) to analyze matters relating to literacy…

Adult functional illiteracy is estimated at more than 20 percent of the U.S. population and 12-19 percent of Indiana residents over age 25 (390,000 to 600,000 adults). In addition, high school dropouts and those who do not seek education past high school also need additional training. Functional illiteracy costs government and business through…

This guide, part of a Mexican series of instructional materials, is intended for advisors of students participating in an adult education program offered through public and private organizations in communities in Mexico. The first part of the program comprises Spanish and math; the second, education for family life, education for community life,…

This manual is part of a Mexican series of instructional materials designed for Spanish speaking adults who are in the process of becoming literate or have recently become literate in their native language. This document describes the concept of a model for community adult education for the purpose of supporting local educational committees…

This document describes literacy models for urban and rural populations in Mexico. It contains four sections. The first two sections (generalizations about the population and considerations about the teaching of adults) discuss the environment that creates illiterate adults and also describe some of the conditions under which learning takes place…

A project explored the reading comprehension skills and strategies of adult basic education (ABE) students. The target population was 55 students from 2 ABE programs in central Pennsylvania. They responded in interviews to a questionnaire that measured their knowledge about reading and reading comprehension strategies, and they participated in…