Despite the fact that there are nationwide literacy programs in Turkey in order to raise the literacy rate, the participation of illiterate individuals in these programs is not at a satisfactory level. This article is a study into the popular ideas, attitudes, and value patterns that negatively affect participation in literacy programs in a slum neighborhood with a high illiteracy rate that dramatically maintains traditional relationships. Popular ideas, attitudes, and values concentrate on issues such as fear of not being able to learn, as well as age, oral culture, and gender. Each of these is studied in the context of the related literature. Using qualitative methods, the author explores how adult learners are affected by cultural factors in adult literacy programs in Nato Yolu, Ankara, Turkey. (Contains 1 table.)