In this study, we measure the impact of the services of a large Southern state's literacy resource center on the state's adult literacy programs. Too often, literacy resource centers are the "forgotten player" in the field of adult literacy, being omitted from policy discussions. The findings from this study indicate that the services of a state's…

Over the last 11 years, the Literacy Action Center, a traditional community-based adult literacy organization that focuses on educating English-speaking adults with low functioning literacy skills, has seen a transformation in the enthusiasm of the learners. The Literacy Action Center is also a learner-centered organization driven by the wants and…

This study investigated informal learning activities among low-education adults, using data from the 2005 National Household Education Survey. Survey respondents were asked about their participation in six types of informal learning activities, from reading books to using computers to attending conventions. Respondents with the lowest educational…

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…

The author argues for the importance of social capital effects being taken into account in assessing the effects of family literacy programs, and literacy programs generally. Focus upon short-term effects such as test scores, which can be considered as assessments of human capital, does not serve literacy education well. It would be helpful to…

Library-based adult literacy programs rely on volunteers to provide tutoring services to adult learners. A high percentage of volunteer tutors are matched with a reading-disabled adult literacy learner. Although all tutors are required to complete preservice tutor training, there is a limited amount of research that documents whether they utilize…

Project Read at the San Mateo Public Library is one of 106 library programs in California helping adults improve their reading, writing, and communication skills. Like many adult literacy programs, Project Read trains and matches volunteer tutors with students. About 30% of the Project Read students are men in Project 90 (P-90), a residential drug…

Excited about the possibilities of action research, these authors decided to develop a project that would test the effectiveness of action research as a professional development model for adult basic education teachers in the District of Columbia. The objectives of this action research were to: (1) Provide opportunities for teachers to be engaged…

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of an instructional spelling approach, Word Study, on the spelling ability of adults with limited literacy proficiency. Ten adults (five control and five experimental) were given the Developmental Spelling Assessment. The control participants received traditional spelling instruction, and the…

Learner retention in adult secondary education has been studied only with respect to the General Educational Development (GED) preparation program. This paper compares the retention of learners enrolled in the GED preparation program to those enrolled in two other adult secondary completion program options. It discusses why significantly higher…

This case study covers an ethnographic assessment of an adult ESL program at a community center in southern Minnesota. We studied factors preventing learners from attending classes and formulated improvement strategies by using a cultural broker framework and Knowles's (1990) principles of adult learning. Additional curricular structure and more…

The purpose of this study was to develop and pilot a questionnaire that would (a) provide teachers and administrators of adult ESL programs with important information about their students and (b) enable large-scale data collection among these students for program-planning and research purposes. The questionnaire focuses on these students' goals,…

Photonovels look like comic books but contain photographs instead of drawings. Because photonovels combine pictures and everyday language, adult ESL learners can use them to communicate their thoughts and ideas. Photonovels can also be an aid in learning spoken and written English. This article describes a photonovel project that one of the…

As Literacy Outreach Coordinator for Opportunity to Read (OTR), the Watsonville (CA) Public Library literacy program, this author has recognized the concept of responsibility through example. Adult learners incorporate concepts easily when these concepts are specifically demonstrated for them by someone similar to them. Sounds simple, but putting…

Since its creation in 1991, the National Institute for Literacy has provided national leadership on adult literacy. In 1998, with the addition of funds for dissemination of scientifically-based reading research, the Institute has been a catalyst for improving opportunities for adults, youth, and children to thrive in a progressively literate…