Discussion on the advantages of integrating health literacy into adult education has primarily been theoretical and conceptual. There is a need for studies that assess the impact of adult education on health literacy. This study implemented a quasi-experimental design to explore whether basic adult instruction may constitute a venue for improving…

Describes the Principle of the Alphabet Literary System (PALS), an interactive video system developed to bring adults who cannot read, write, or comprehend above a fifth-grade level to the point of functional literacy. (JOW)

Describes efforts and difficulties encountered by health care professionals who attempted to develop a Spanish-language word recognition test as a quick screening for patients' literacy levels, an effort which was ultimately unsuccessful. Notes that the close phoneme-grapheme correspondence of the spelling system means oral reading may not reflect…

This study investigated various reading and writing abilities among 25- and 35-year-old residents of Linkoping, Sweden, and assessed the extent to which these individuals' abilities could be regarded as satisfactory for their needs. In all, 377 subjects were tested on the following skills: alphabet recognition, copying ability, reading rate,…

Conditions of illiteracy and functional illiteracy frustrate the intent of laws like the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act (CETA) that provide job training and employment opportunities for the economically disadvantaged, unemployed, or underemployed. The Adult Education Act of 1978 should provide the basic educational skills needed by CETA…

Reports on research probing job-related literacy demands and on programs promoting job literacy. (JT)

Project ALMS (Adult Literacy Mission Support) was designed to improve the communication skills of semi-literate or illiterate adults, help participants become more self-sufficient, provide an ongoing program for other such individuals, and provide a manual of guidelines and suggestions for other programs. Three groups were established to make a…

The Adult Performance Level (APL) project summary specifies the competencies which are functional to economic and educational success in society and describes devices developed for assessing those competencies. The APL theory of functional competency identifies adult needs in general knowledge areas (consumer economics, occupational knowledge,…

The issue of adult and continuing education in New Jersey has been examined as part of a Federal project (Project Next Step: Mutuality of Planning). National role, trends, and problems of adult and continuing education are summarized briefly in the first section while the next section includes a summary of the adult education programs in New…