Comments on literacy data gathered from several surveys and questions whether students are developing sufficient literacy skills. (AEA)

An analysis is provided of the belief that theories developed about literacy within different academic disciplines and development campaigns have been built around contradictory assumptions. The conclusion is made that research is needed in order to make literacy instruction more functional in adult literacy programs. (109 references) (GLR)

A more flexible definition of literacy combines oral literacy, which focuses on the concrete, with written literacy, which is abstract. For W. Ong, F. DeAngelo, A. R. Luria, and others who have done research on oral and written cultures, their central concern is one of defining and describing the kind and form of consciousness that is represented…

Reviews five commercially available tests of functional literacy and discusses two concerns related to the testing of functional literacy. (MKM)

This study reviews the literature on past, present, and projected literacy requirements for United States Navy enlisted personnel, literacy skills of those entering the Navy, and activities developed to bridge the gap between the two. Through an examination of research reports, historical accounts, and instructional methods and materials, the…

Reports on research probing job-related literacy demands and on programs promoting job literacy. (JT)

A review of 48 studies on the use of sight-word methodology to teach functional reading to individuals with moderate and severe disabilities found that sight-word instruction has been highly effective with this population. New strategies have included feedback procedures and applying constant time delay. A persistent limitation of the research is…

Comprising a study of the application of linguistics to literacy, the 16 papers in this book were prepared by contributors from both developing and developed nations. The papers in the first section illustrate the relevance of certain developments in theoretical and applied linguistics, sociolinguistics, and psycholinguistics to literacy teaching.…

Focusing on the past decade's research, this literature review concentrates on what is known about literacy demands in the workplace and the abilities of various segments of the adult and adolescent population to meet them. The review argues that since a majority of adult reading is performed upon workplace related material, understanding the…

The views and practices of literacy advocates who focus on workplace literacy foster an impoverished understanding of adult literacy and, ultimately, life itself. They reduce literacy to something that is "functional" in the reductive sense of serving someone else's ends as a functionary. A "functionally literate" person is a consumer of someone…

The prevalence of underprepared students attending colleges, the need to define literacy requirements of courses, the implications of research on literacy in the design of remedial programs, and the need for systematic evaluation of such programs are considered. Literacy is broadly defined as a language competence that is used to achieve both…

A review of workplace literacy tests and testing found that the definitions of literacy and, in particular, workplace literacy have changed and are continuing to change. There is no single, widely accepted definition. Descriptions of workplace literacy demands in terms of reading grade levels are inappropriate. Most tests currently in use are…

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…