This report offers a brief account of Iraq's recent mass literacy initiative, considered within the broader context of illiteracy problems throughout the Arab world. The Iraqi experience is noteworthy for both the size and the unique character of the campaign launched by that nation's Arab Ba'ath Socialist regime. (Author/SJL)

A study of the various facets and dimensions of literacy programs in South Asia indicates that literacy is viewed as a means of human resource development geared toward meaningful participation of all sectors in society, with individual programs varying according to the magnitude of illiteracy, national goals, linguistic setting, and regional…

Examines the failure of adult literacy programs in North America. Argues that the problem's scope and funding limitations demand cost- effective measures: prevention of early childhood deprivations that stunt cognitive development, replacement of many full-time programs with part-time or drop-in programs, and use of volunteers. (SV)

Analyzes the usage of four metaphors (school, medical and industrial, military, and banking) that commonly appear in the United States' media and in public speeches that dramatize illiteracy. Argues that educators need to be aware of the strategic use of language in this adult literacy context. (SR)

This study investigated the knowledge and strategies that nonliterate adults use to identify print. Participants were 20 low-socioeconomic status Brazilian adults ranging in age from 20 to 74 years. Participants' ability to identify common environmental signs displaying varying degrees of contextual information was investigated along with their…

Although efforts to combat illiteracy in the Arab world began several decades ago, the illiteracy rate in Arab countries is one of the highest in the world, as there are more than 70 million illiterate people in Arab countries. By contrast, many countries in the world have succeeded in eradicating adult illiteracy within a few decades. The study…

The principal failure of attempts to reduce illiteracy in the United States lies in the conceptualization of the problem to which literacy is the solution and in an underfinanced practice that parallels dominant educational institutions, emphasizing the service of individuals. Adult education plays a critical role in liberatory action. Although…

This document contains two extended papers and one shorter commentary that reflect a continuing debate between two schools of thought on literacy that have been called the "autonomous" and the "sociocultural.""The Persisting Power and Costs of the Literacy Myth" (Harvey J. Graff) argues that current discourse on…

A general discussion of India's illiteracy rates and of State programs to combat it is presented, emphasizing political motivation. Other developing nation's illiteracy rates are compared with India's. (LH)

The Adult Education Amendments of 1988 require the Department of Education to submit a report to Congress on the definition of literacy and then to estimate the extent of adult literacy. Literacy has been defined by self-report in early Census Bureau surveys, in a competency-based approach by the Adult Performance Level project, and as "the…

A definition of illiteracy is the inability to read and compute at the standard needed by an adult within a chosen social context. While statistics may vary depending upon the study, women make up the majority of the illiterates nationally and internationally. Three factors that contribute to illiteracy among women are social acculturation and…

Significant research studies, bibliographies, and selected scholarly papers that have analyzed numerous aspects of illiteracy are examined in this paper. A definition, characteristics, and the plight of illiterates are discussed. The following selected research studies are then reviewed and a brief analysis of each is given: (1) "The Acquisition…

Although there may not be a direct causal relationship between illiteracy and crime a look at the broader picture points to a significant connection. As many as 50 percent of adults in federal and state prisons cannot read or write at all; the majority of prisoners are poor; blacks, comprising only 12 percent of the general population, make up…

Illiteracy, the inability to communicate or receive information through the medium of print, has not been dealt with effectively by society, yet it is estimated that there are 23 million illiterate adults in America. Two major problems exist: diagnosing illiteracy, and attracting illiterate adults to adult literacy programs. With the development…

Article described an attempt to re-evaluate the literacy movement, to encourage adult new readers to see the cause of their literacy differences as one that lies outside themselves. (Author/RK)