We present a community-based research project aimed at identifying effective methods and materials for teaching English literacy skills to adult English as a second language emergent readers. We conducted a quasi-experimental study whereby we evaluated the efficacy of two approaches, one based on current practices at the English Skills Learning…

This study analyzes the effect of two reading interventions on reading habits by 181 low literate adults who read at the 3-5.9 grade levels. One intervention implemented extensive reading (ER group) and the other one had direct instruction (no-ER group). A Reading Pattern survey was administered at the beginning, at the end, and 6 months after the…

A study investigated the teaching of grammar in an advanced English as a Second Language (ESL) class in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. For a week, the instructor taught the students on the topic of comparatives, superlatives, and equatives. The instructor gave a written pretest, posttest, and a delayed posttest to the whole class of 15-25 immigrants and…

Conducted in Wisconsin, this study evaluated two literacy programs--the Mott Basic Language Skills Program and the Sullivan "Programmed Reading for Adults"-- in order to develop a more effective adult basic education (ABE) curriculum. Attention was also given to relationships between selected student characteristics and measured…

This project was conducted to determine whether using videotapes, designed for the purpose of teaching English pronunciation, would improve the pronunciation of English as a second language learners at the Lebanon Adult Education Center in Pennsylvania. The videotapes used were entitled "Perfect English Pronunciation." Learners were…

Project CLASS, a collaborative family literacy demonstration research project designed to meet the language and literacy needs of limited English proficient families in Clayton County, Georgia, is described. Intergenerational and age-graded classes were provided for Cambodian, Laotian, Vietnamese, and Hispanic adult family members, their…

The Workplace Literacy Project conducted in Pima County, Arizona, provided workplace literacy training for 161 trainees at 8 worksites and 3 off-site locations. Worksites included industrial and service employers. Support services, including child care, transportation, educational counseling, and tutoring, were made available to participants…

This publication consists of the complete set of 23 monographs developed by the Pennsylvania Action Research Network to supplement the 67 monographs produced over the past 3 years. The specific audience are literacy, General Educational Development (GED), and English-as-a Second Language (ESL) practitioners. The titles are: "Use of…

Anodizing, Inc., Teamsters Local 162, and Mt. Hood Community College (Oregon) developed a workplace literacy program for workers at Anodizing. These workers did not have the basic skill competencies to benefit from company training efforts in statistical process control and quality assurance and were not able to advance to lead and supervisory…

The AIM (Assessment, Instruction, Mastery) system is a performance-based assessment that was developed in Oregon. The AIM system was piloted by 83 volunteers and staff from 18 volunteer-based programs to assess the system's usefulness as a means of collecting and aggregating data on student progress in adult literacy and similar programs in…

The Snap-On Tools Workplace Literacy Grant developed a curriculum for training adult workers in technical math and reading, English as a Second Language (ESL), and blueprint reading. Curriculum development was based on a workplace audit. Reading levels increased an average of 0.8 of a grade level. Flexibility and implementation of adult student…

This guide provides an overall view of a program designed to educate adult basic education (ABE) and English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) students in job-related, language-oriented skills vital to their positions in the hotel/motel industry. The program was designed for the employees of Grenelefe Resort and Conference Center in Haines City, Florida,…

This final report documents the development of a workplace literacy program for 100 employees of the Geriatric Authority of Holyoke, Massachusetts (GAH), a major nonprofit nursing home and rehabilitation facility. It describes how GAH employees received instruction in English as a Second Language, adult basic education, and General Educational…

The Northeast Texas Adult Education Rural Education Workplace Literacy Program, which is a partnership between Northeast Texas Community College and area businesses, offers workplace literacy instruction designed around job-specific basic skills. Training is offered in the following: applied workplace technology; applied math skills; measurements…

The College of Lake County in Grayslake, Illinois, formed an educational and business partnership with four area businesses to design and implement workplace literacy programs targeted to the needs of each business. The project's four objectives were as follows: develop a model of cooperation between a community college and the business community…