Compiled for adults who have come late in life to reading, this bibliography is intended to add a humanistic dimension to their basic reading skills; it has been developed on the premise that mere coping skills are not enough for the adult reader. This cooperative program of librarians and literacy volunteers has assembled titles that range across…

This bibliography consists of a select list of books having to do with literacy teaching, the majority of which are UNESCO publications. Most entries have been published since 1970. (CLK)

The progress of several projects defining and measuring adult literacy is reported in this publication of the National Reading Center. A summary description of the basic approach of the project is given, rather than a digest of findings. Among the studies reported on are the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) in reading, the Adult…

This study by Louis Harris and Associates was designed to determine the percentage of Americans lacking the functional or practical reading skills necessary to survive in this country. A test on reading and filling out application forms indicated that from 4.3 million to 18.5 million Americans are functionally illiterate. The average range of…

The use of readability formulae to estimate the difficulty levels of vocational reading materials, the determination of relationships of reading skills to job proficiency, and the relationship of general reading ability to performance on specially constructed job reading task tests (JRTT) are discussed to define the literacy skill demands (i.e.,…

Efforts to develop a collection of reading test items suitable for measuring adult literacy are described. The project, part of Project I of the Targeted Research and Development Program in Reading, sought to identify characteristics of literacy levels and to define tasks which might be used in a criterion-referenced test to assess possession of…

In order to determine the range and extent of adult reading in the United States, a Reading Activities Survey was conducted on interviews with 5,073 adults randomly chosen from 200 locations around the country. The survey was part of an effort to develop a test of adult literacy based on practical reading situations in which adults might find…

Both a case study of a middle-aged Mexican migrant woman's attempt to learn to read and write and a personal account of the tutor's discovery of some of the social and psychological factors that kept her illiterate. Discusses methodology, materials, techniques, conflicting conceptions of literacy, and sociocultural expectations. (RDN)

Discusses aspects of literacy education: why it is needed; how it affects the individual, the family, the community, and society; ill effects and abuses of literacy; why literacy education is needed now; and the need for mass literacy campaigns. (CT)

Supports the argument that there are differences between the reading strategies of children and adults and suggests that pedagogy can take these into account to make adult basic education programs more effective. (AEA)

Discusses illiterate and semiliterate adults who want to become literate to enjoy a more satisfactory quality of life. Describes their life experiences and provides examples of effective instruction methods based on the language experience approach, including dictation, word banks, journal writing, individualized and assisted reading, and…

Describes a basic literacy program developed by the Spanish Women's Institute to lower the number of illiterate women in Spain and encourage women lacking basic educational skills to participate in the existing educational system. Explains the program's "New Approach" teaching materials, which teach women to read and write while…

Neuropsychological models postulate that the memory representation acquired for use in reading words is separate from the one acquired for use in spelling, while developmental models assume that the same representation is developed for access in both reading and spelling. The dual-representation model contends that there is often more precise…

Interactive Technology Literacy Curriculum Online (ITLC Online) was a Steppingstones of Technology Innovation for Students with Disabilities Phase 1 (Development) project awarded to the Center for Best Practices in Early Childhood (the Center) at Western Illinois University (WIU). ITLC Online's goal was to improve services for young children with…

The literacy skills of General Educational Development (GED) program graduates were compared to those of high school graduates and high school dropouts who did not pass the GED test. The sample of 1,012 young adults (ages 21 to 25 years) studied was obtained by selecting all Whites, African Americans, and Hispanics who were studied in the Young…