Media statements and pronouncements by leaders in various sectors throughout the nation confirm that literacy still means the ability to work with the printed or written word. It is also evident that the term literacy includes more than reading. Literacy encompasses writing, speaking and listening, computing, and even problem-solving skills.…

Accounts differ as to the state of adult literacy education in China. One scholar says that programs are contracting severely, whereas Chinese officials contend that programs are operating with more students and more efficiency. A true picture of literacy education in China depends on research and statistics that are being gathered. The overall…

Paulo Freire's views on adult education may be categorized as belonging to the radical or social transformationist school of thought. Basically, Freire felt that the correct objective of adult education is to engage actively in the transformation of society through changing or attacking its economic, legal, and political institutions. Born and…

Literacy is embedded in social practice and has social meanings. Research and practice in adult literacy are demonstrating that, in order to bring about cultural and social transformation, literacy must be seen as an activity embedded in social and cultural practice. The traditional paradigm, which considers literacy as input for development and…

This book is directed at the following audiences: adult educators and others who are either involved in or desire to become involved in community-based work; students of education, the social sciences, or related disciplines who desire information on community involvement as a career or means of fulfilling civic responsibilities, and persons in…

Despite Botswana's commitment to the ideals of democracy and equity, abject and relative poverty are widespread among the country's rural populace. Since Botswana's independence, its rates of poverty, unemployment, and illiteracy have increased. The situation necessitates fundamental changes in the lives of Botswana's rural residents. Such change…

The relationship between literacy and "people's power" within the context of Mozambique's project of socialist reconstruction was explored through an ethnographic analysis of literacy education practices at the Matola Industrial Company, which is considered one of many embodiments of Mozambique's colonial past. First, the role of the…

The different perceptions of literacy that inform the work of various groups working with disadvantaged groups within society were explored in a case study in which individuals providing services to low-skilled, disadvantaged clients in an outer urban area of Brisbane, Australia, were interviewed regarding their perceptions of their clients'…

Emerging adult education policies and strategies were studied through a survey of United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) member states, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), and social partners. Questionnaires were returned by 93 countries and 12 NGOs. The study focused on the following: social change and its…

This yearbook contains 18 papers reflecting the major trends in adult education research in the Nordic countries in 1992-93. The following papers are included: "Popular Adult Education and Social Mobilization: Reflections in Connection with the Swedish Committee on Power" (Rubenson); "Direction of Finnish Adult Education Policies…

This book, which is based on a broad concept of adult education that embraces all forms of organized learning undertaken by adults, draws on empirical information and case studies to provide a theory of applied political economy to explain the interface between society and adult education in developing countries. The following are among the topics…

This book examines literacy for sustainable development in the age of information. It begins by discussing the relationship between literacy and hegemony, social policy, national language policy, colonial relations, and postcolonial realities. Also discussed in the introduction are views and definitions of literacy and considerations in mapping a…