In this methodological and theoretical article, we address the need for more cross-case work on studies of literacy in use within different social and cultural contexts. The Cultural Practices of Literacy Study (CPLS) project has been working on a methodology for cross-case analyses that are principled in that the qualitative nature of each case,…

Adult English language learners who lack print literacy or experience with formal education encounter a unique set of challenges in their lives and their efforts to learn English. Educators and policymakers are similarly challenged by how best to help these adults acquire English literacy. This paper reviews a variety of research, including that…

The widespread problem of functional illiteracy within Canadian labor has been addressed recently by a number of agencies and the press. In times of economic difficulty the outlook is bleak but not hopeless, and the issue must now be kept before the public to encourage effective action. (MSE)

This guide takes an eclectic approach to literacy training, that is, it allows the instructor to select those materials and methods that best fit the needs of individual learners. It includes a definition of the target population which will include adults who are nonliterate, preliterate, semiliterate, and those who are literate in a non-Roman…

Problems of dealing with ESL students who are functionally, completely, or semi-literate, or who are not familiar with the Roman alphabet, are outlined, and some solutions to material development and class activities are proposed. Examples and a list of resources are included. (MSE)

Compares the 1996 Canadian Language Benchmarks for describing English-language proficiency among second-language-learners with the International Adult Literacy Survey. Points to the potential for aligning the Benchmarks with other systems for describing adult competencies to enable more systematic integration of immigrants' experiences, skills,…

The Literacy Volunteers of America-Danbury, Connecticut, is a nonprofit community organization that provides free instruction in English for those to whom English is still largely a foreign language. For 10 years it has also provided free instruction in reading and writing for English-speaking persons whose education has not provided these skills.…

Discusses the evaluation of "survival texts" for immigrants in terms of the accuracy of the texts' portrayal of immigrants' reality and the extent to which they shape reality. Examples show that frequently the materials' content and communicative structure do not reflect authentic interaction and that they emphasize subservient social roles. (SED)

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 building the basic decision skills workers need to choose among potential jobs. The following items are included: overview of the module; list of basic, thinking, interpersonal,…

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 problems faced by immigrant women in their work lives and legal provisions to protect employed women. The following items are included: module overview; list of basic,…

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, focuses on issues related to women's immigration status. The following items are included: module overview; list of basic, thinking, interpersonal, information utilization, and other skills…

The LEX [language experience] Process for English Reading Instruction, a pilot project of the Guadalupe Educational Programs, Inc., Salt Lake City, Utah, during 1980-81, is presented in this 300-page manual that describes how the LEX Process model may be replicated by educational agencies seeking to provide survival and functional English as a…

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…

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, focuses on renting a place to live. The following items are included: module overview; list of basic, thinking, interpersonal, information utilization, and other skills addressed in the…

The Washington State English as a Second Language (ESL) Master Plan, part of the Adult Refugee Project, is designed for use by program administrators and instructors in planning institutional curricula. Program goals are the following: (1) enable refugees to reach a level of English usage and cultural familiarity that makes them employable; (2)…