An appreciation for the diverse meanings ascribed to the concept of literacy is fundamental to the affirmation of literacy in human lives. Literacy is something interpreted. Its presence is visible in lives, yet literacy remains an invisible, measureless phenomenon. In the fullness of being literate, there is humanness-wakefulness, liveliness and…

Samples of government publications, legal documents, newspapers, paperback novels, and instruction manuals were among the items used in a study to determine the degree to which the readability levels of materials used by adults reflect an awareness of and adjustment to the average reading ability of the adult population. The readability levels of…

This anthology, prepared by adapting existing material, contains a synoptic review of the Human Resources Research Organization research program on literacy in relation to job performance. In several of the chapters, the adaptations include the addition of new material to integrate and interpret the findings from the various phases of the research…

The purpose of this study was to determine the relative effectiveness of two teacher-administered rewards, money and praise, on reading subskills of 32 adult illiterates enrolled in adult basic education classes. These subskills were word recognition and paragraph comprehension. Correct responses were rewarded immediately with money, praise, or…

This examination of library involvement in adult literacy programs argues that public libraries had their roots in widespread concern for literacy in the 17th century and traces the development of such programs to the present. Changing definitions of literacy are summarized, and current issues in adult library services are discussed. (EM)

Argues that the obligatory nature of functional literacy does not deprive the individual freedom of thought and opinion, and that voluntarism in basic adult education in the United States has greatly contributed to putting the nation at risk and to keeping it a nation at risk. (HOD)

Describes efforts of the NIE to coordinate the fragmented information that is being produced on reading to help make Federal programs in that area more effective. (Author/GB)

Article outlines the background, resources, and application of an adult literacy pilot project in India. (GB)

Article is a study on the return of adults to illiteracy after dropping out of adult education programs. It seeks to determine the causes and extent of this problem. (GB)

A radical re-structuring of traditional schooling requires research into effective means of offering the whole population of developing nations access to the educational system: the role of mass media, means and limits of functional education, institutionalization of lifelong education. (JB)

Concludes that valid reading tests are needed for adults and should be designed differently than tests for academic or school-related reading. (AEA)

In 1993, under contract from the National Center for Education Statistics, the Educational Testing Service assessed the literacy proficiencies of a nationally representative sample of all adults, aged 16 and over, from nearly 27,000 homes. That assessment, the National Adult Literacy Survey, produced a profile of the English literacy skills of the…

In the various stages of learning to read and write, certain prerequisite skills are essential for further growth to occur. The article describes these and elaborates on the characteristics unique to the disadvantaged adult that must be kept in mind if a successful communications program is to be developed. (Author)

This book is designed to provide practical suggestions and teaching approaches for both administrators and instructors involved in teaching reading to adults. The book contains the following chapters: (1) "Overview"; (2) "Diagnosing Learner Characteristics"; (3) "Goals and Objectives"; (4) "Planning…

This annotated bibliography contains 34 references on issues concerning adult literacy listed in the ERIC database. It contains citations from the period between 1987 and 1989 and is divided into four sections. The first section provides an overview of adult literacy. Articles and papers in the second section describe and discuss adult literacy…