This journal issue focuses on the learner, looks at why literacy has become a major concern and examines the changes brought about by the mastery of new skills. "Literacy/Illiteracy in an International Perspective" (Carman St. John Hunter) frames the discussion by stressing that literacy and illiteracy are moving targets, not fixed by abstract definitions but varied according to the socioeconomic realities of a particular place at a particular time. "A Question of Survival" (Klaudia Rivera) presents results of interviews with six women learners in Queens, New York, to find out what effect a literacy program is having on their lives. "Learning in the Workplace" (David Harman) reinforces Hunter's view with an examination of education in the workplace and the importance of workplace education in providing opportunities for lifelong learning. "Working Together" (David Walker, John Comings) describes the Nepal National Literacy Program. "Literacy Leads the Way in Saam Njaay" (Molly Melching) reports on the changes literacy brought to a village in Senegal and to the thinking of the development workers running the literacy training program. "Acculturation Is a Very Big Word" (David Moffat, Wendy Walker) discovers what literacy meant to Southeast Asian refugees in Lowell, Massachusetts. "Putting Learners Center-Stage" (David Kahler) discusses literacy materials that focus on the learner first, and "Field Report. Letter from Tanzania" (Hilda Kokhuhirwa) addresses the subject of women in a literacy program in Tanzania. Sources of information on literacy are included. (YLB)