Australia's overall performance in the Survey of Adult Skills (PIAAC) ranges from average to very good. However, three million adults, representing one-fifth of the working age population, have low literacy and/or numeracy skills. Building Skills for All in Australia describes the characteristics of the low-skilled and discusses the consequences…

UIL has published a second edition of a collection of case studies of promising literacy programmes that seek to empower women. "Narrowing the Gender Gap: Empowering Women through Literacy Programmes" (originally published in 2013 as "Literacy Programmes with a Focus on Women to Reduce Gender Disparities") responds to the…

Literacy is the foundation of lifelong learning and a crucial element in the universally recognised right to education. However, illiteracy continues to exist as a global challenge, and many individuals still lack the basic literacy skills that are needed to engage in further learning opportunities and for the economic and social development of…

The last five years have seen a radical transformation in adult education in England with a concentrated emphasis on national basic skills provision. This was prompted initially by a government response to low levels of literacy in the British adult population, identified by an influential international survey, showing unfavourable comparisons…

In March 1993, Laubach Literacy Action (LLA) convened a nine-member women's focus group to identify barriers and issues that make it difficult for a woman to achieve her literacy goals. Six new readers and three program administrators participated. A brainstorming session identified an initial set of issues and/or barriers to women who want to…

The gap in literacy rates between women and men continually broadens. In 1985, 63 percent of the world's approximately 1,000 million illiterate people were female, compared to 60 percent in 1970 and 58 percent in 1960. A process of social change, including community involvement and mobilization in favor of women's literacy, is needed to sustain…

Illiteracy is seen to be a feature of the Australian prisoner population. This belief has remained largely untested. A study compared the literacy abilities of prisoners to those found in the adult general population. Additionally, the study compared male and female prisoner literacy abilities. Assessments were made on a profile of literacy…

A study was conducted to determine: (1) if instruction correlated to the Tests of Adult Basic Education (TABE) resulted in improved basic skills for participants in the Job Opportunities and Basic Skills (JOBS) Program; and (2) to determine the impact of selected factors on grade-level advancement (pre- versus posttest TABE scores). A literature…

The numbers of women with low literacy levels, the increased labor force participation of women, and increasing literacy requirements on the job make the case for the inclusion of a literacy component in employment programs for women. Such programs should strive to be comprehensive, learner-centered, flexible, standards-based, and linked to…

These conference proceedings contain 55 papers and symposia presented at the conference whose focus was on nonformal adult education. Papers deal with adult/continuing education concerns such as participatory research, ABLE (Adult Basic Level Education) parenting, army basic skills educational development, learning contracts, volunteerism,…

This module, which may be used as the basis for a workshop or as a special topic unit in adult basic education or English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) courses, addresses the different roles of women in the United States. Topics covered include the following: identifying problematic lifestyle differences; defining solutions to such problems;…

About a quarter of South Australia's population was born overseas; these migrants speak little English and experience difficulty in seeking employment and gaining access to community services, including education. While appropriate English language learning opportunities are important for migrants, there are a range of other bridging arrangements…

The contemporary women's movement, communicating largely through the written word, mistakenly ignored or failed to notice the following: (1) almost one quarter of American women (23%) had severely limited literacy skills; (2) for female heads of households, 75% of those with less than a high school diploma lived in poverty; (3) nearly 40% of…