ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Making Sense of Critical Pedagogy in Adult Literacy Education
Author: Degener, Sophie C.
Date: 2001-00-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Constructivism (Learning),Critical Theory,Adult Education,Adult Literacy,Intellectual Development,Politics of Education,Educational Practices,Educational Philosophy,Ideology,Instructional Design,Educational Policy,Convergent Thinking

In the field of adult education, there is much debate about how programs can best serve students. Some educators and researchers believe that adult education programs should reflect a critical pedagogy, providing services that are culturally relevant, participant driven, and socially empowering. Noncritical programs are criticized for ignoring the political, social, and economic factors that have conspired to marginalize people in the first place. Students in these programs are seen as passive recipients of the teacher's knowledge, with little sense of their own agency in transforming their lives. This chapter challenges the assumption that adult education programs must be defined as solely critical or noncritical and shows how a bridge between the two camps might be built. The principal frame for this chapter is critical theory. Critical theory in literacy (also called critical literacy) looks at how one's identity is inscribed by literacy practices. A person's level of literacy, the nature of the printed material that this person reads and writes, and the role that literacy plays in his or her community all contribute to how that person is perceived by him- or herself and by society. The content of this chapter is also informed by Vygotsky's (1978) theory of social constructivism, which takes the view that an individual's intellectual development results from social interactions within specific cultural contexts. (Contains 9 notes.) [Chapter 2 in: Annual Review of Adult Learning and Literacy. Volume 2; copublished with Jossey-Bass, Inc.; see ED457341.]
Research in Writing: Implications for Adult Literacy Education
Author: Gillespie, Marilyn K.
Date: 2001-00-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Writing (Composition),Writing Research,Adult Basic Education,Writing Processes,Adult Learning,Adult Literacy,Educational Practices,Models,Cognitive Processes,Second Language Learning,Educational Policy,Trend Analysis,Educational Development

In Chapter Three, Marilyn Gillespie provides a summary of the research on writing instruction that has taken place over the last three decades. In her survey of writing research, she describes models of the writing process such as that developed by Flower and Hayes, who viewed writing as three cognitive writing processes: planning, text generation and revision. The author also presents alternative writing models and notes a shift in thinking about writing in the early 1980s that added a consideration of socio-cultural dimensions to the study of writing. While tracing writing research that examines a variety of learners--including children in K-12, college students classified as &quot;basic&quot; writers, second language learners and adult literacy learners--Gillespie focuses on issues and trends of interest to adult literacy educators. She notes the apparent connections between changing beliefs and identity in the adult literacy learning process and calls for research to shed light on the potential of writing to play a role in the personal transformation of adult learners. As a complement to her survey of writing research, Gillespie outlines the application of research to changes in practice in writing instruction in K-12 and higher education domains. She then draws on examples from the field of adult literacy to demonstrate how a growing number of practitioners are integrating writing instruction more fully into their classes. In particular, she notes promising trends, such as project-based instruction and the Equipped for the Future model, that encourage greater involvement of adult learners in writing activities. Gillespie concludes her chapter by suggesting ways to promote improvement in writing instruction: increasing research that focuses on the study of composition in adult literacy contexts, offering more professional development for adult educators on how to integrate writing into adult learning classrooms, conducting research on innovative tools for assessing the writing process, developing policies to help students in GED classes prepare for the writing demands of post-secondary education, and more widely disseminating writing done by and for adult learners. [Chapter 3 in: Annual Review of Adult Learning and Literacy. Volume 2; copublished with Jossey-Bass, Inc.; see ED457341.]
Time to Reframe Politics and Practices in Correctional Education
Author: LoBuglio, Stefan
Date: 2001-00-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Recidivism,Correctional Education,Correctional Institutions,Educational Change,Adult Literacy,Politics of Education,Educational Practices,Correctional Rehabilitation,Change Strategies,Institutionalized Persons,Public Opinion,Best Practices,Performance Factors,Educational Needs

In this chapter, Stefan LoBuglio discusses the politics and practices of educational programs for adults in correctional facilities. To begin, LoBuglio provides an overview of the field of corrections, including various types of facilities and correctional programs, as well as demographic and educational data on the U.S. incarcerated population and an overview of educational programs aimed at this population. Of particular interest to adult educators are data revealing the literacy needs of offenders, as determined by the 1992 National Adult Literacy Survey (NALS). LoBuglio goes on to spell out important issues in correctional education. These include shifting attitudes about the role of incarceration (i.e., punishment vs. rehabilitation), declining resources for educational programs, the mobility of incarcerated learners as they are moved from facility to facility because of overcrowding, and the challenges of preparing incarcerated adults for increasingly demanding employers. In order for correctional education to be more widely supported, LoBuglio points to the need to better understand the link between educational programming and reduced rates of recidivism. He notes three studies that shed some light on this relationship. In addition, the author provides brief descriptions of effective programs and approaches and offers suggestions for policy, practice and research. Among these recommendations are the development of a broader constituency for correctional education programs, and a re-framing of correctional education as part of an inmate accountability strategy that encompasses education, work and treatment. Furthermore, LoBuglio mentions the need for updating and upgrading of current correctional education programs and a greater promotion and sharing of standards and best practices. Finally, he calls for rigorously designed longitudinal studies to demonstrate the effectiveness of correctional education in reducing recidivism, as well as greater support and research focusing on links between correctional education programs in community corrections and programs in prisons and jails. (Contains 5 notes.) [Chapter 4 in: Annual Review of Adult Learning and Literacy. Volume 2; copublished with Jossey-Bass, Inc.; see ED457341.]
Building Professional Development Systems in Adult Basic Education: Lessons from the Field
Author: Belzer, Alisa
Date: 2001-00-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Adult Basic Education,Professional Development,Profiles,State Programs,State Surveys,Program Implementation,Delivery Systems,Systems Analysis,Best Practices,Barriers,Performance Factors,Teacher Characteristics,Student Characteristics,Educational Research

In Chapter Five, Alisa Belzer, Cassandra Drennon and Cristine Smith provide an overview of the challenges facing state-level professional development systems. The authors begin the chapter with a brief history of professional development in adult basic education, noting shifts in the funding and priority of professional development in the field. To demonstrate the types of efforts being made to develop professional development systems at the state level, the authors focused on five states: Idaho, Massachusetts, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia--which represent different contexts in terms of local need, size, political context, ABE services available, and federal support. Through their research, Belzer, Drennon and Smith developed profiles of each state, which included student and teacher demographics, an overview of the professional development system, significant features of each system, and common issues and challenges faced by the systems. From their analysis, the authors derived a useful framework for analyzing professional development systems. The framework covers four features of systems: scope (the range of practitioners served by the system), cooperative leadership (state-level management working with practitioners to guide and develop the system), coherence (a logical relationship among the system's activities and alignment across individual and program needs, as well as state and federal reforms), and accessibility (the availability of training at a variety of times and locations to facilitate greater practitioner participation). The authors review these features across the five states in their study and note common challenges, as well as lessons learned. The authors conclude with suggestions for practice, including greater involvement of practitioners in shaping the mission of professional development systems and increased sharing of information and concerns across states. For future research, the authors recommend work that focuses on assessing professional development structures and outcomes in addition to models for reconciling divergent needs of funders and systems committed to shared decision-making. Finally, the authors note a need for policymakers to integrate professional development into policy implementation plans and to provide more full-time positions for practitioners in general, as well as those who focus on professional development. (Contains 12 tables.) [Chapter 5 in: Annual Review of Adult Lerning and Literacy. Volume 2; copublished with Jossey-Bass, Inc.; see ED457341.]
Adult Learning and Literacy in Canada
Author: Shohet, Linda
Date: 2001-00-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Adult Learning,Foreign Countries,Adult Literacy,Educational Development,Politics of Education,Delivery Systems,Systems Analysis,Cultural Influences,Demography,Public Support,Barriers,Change Strategies,Program Descriptions,Immigration,Regional Characteristics

In Chapter Six, Linda Shohet offers a description of the adult literacy and learning system in Canada. In providing a historical overview of the development of the field, Shohet notes key political events that have influenced the funding and development of services for adults. Through her description, the author reveals the complexity and challenges involved in accommodating the needs of different groups in Canadian society--Anglo-Saxon, French, Native cultures and more recent immigrants from a range of countries. Moreover, Shohet points out the separateness of provincial education systems, influenced by geography, as well as divergent populations and learning needs. To provide some global sense of adult learning needs in Canada, Shohet offers data on demographics and learning needs as revealed by the 1994 International Adult Literacy Survey (IALS). In describing Canada's responses to adult learning needs, Shohet describes institutions, such as the National Literacy Secretariat, that have played an important role in the development of services for adult learners. In addition, the author notes challenges facing Canadian adult educators, including: the need for a redefinition of literacy; effectively integrating technology into ABE; redefining the roles and training of volunteers and practitioners; balancing support for family and workplace literacy with funding for other types of literacy instruction; promoting partnerships between educators and other sectors like health and business; reducing tensions between English as a second language, French as a second language, and literacy programs; and increasing the sustainability of existing ABE systems. As Shohet points out, Canada has made progress in building awareness of the need for literacy education, as well as in strengthening the skills of practitioners and support for research. In looking to the future, the author calls for the federal government to become permanently responsible for sustaining infrastructure (i.e., communication networks, resources and support for research). At the provincial level, she suggests the need for stronger connections between adult literacy and K-12 education systems and greater links among the education, community and business sectors. (Contains 5 notes.) [Chapter 6 in: Annual Review of Adult Learning and Literacy. Volume 2; copublished with Jossey-Bass, Inc.; see ED457341.]
Organizational Development and Its Implications for Adult Basic Education Programs
Author: Hohn, Marcia Drew
Date: 2001-00-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Total Quality Management,Adult Basic Education,Systems Approach,Adult Literacy,Organizational Development,Organizational Theories,Educational Theories,Delivery Systems,Organizational Change,Intellectual History,Educational Practices,Case Studies

In this chapter, Marcia Drew Hohn provides an overview of organizational development theory for adult educators interested in applying the lessons of such theory to the strengthening of ABE programs and systems. She begins the chapter with a brief history of the development of organizational theory, noting the progression from a mechanistic perspective, expressed by Frederick Taylor in the early 1900s, to a more positive view of human nature put forth by Douglas McGregor in 1960 and beyond. Such a shift in thinking, the author explains, led to a new, more holistic view of organizations, as well as a conception of management away from controlling distinct processes to one that recognizes the capacity of individuals to interpret and transform their world and their work. In further tracing developments in organizational theory, Hohn discuss systems theory, which developed in the later part of the twentieth century and has led to the promotion of approaches such as Peter Senge's &quot;learning organization&quot; and G. Edwards Deming's Total Quality Management (TQM). In applying these theories to educational settings, Hohn briefly discusses an example of the application of systems thinking in an adult literacy context in Tennessee, revealing both the challenges and the utility of using such a framework for rethinking the quality and effectiveness of the provision of ABE services. In addition, the author presents findings from a study of the application of TQM in higher education, noting the positive results and difficulties observed in the process. As Hohn suggests, the ideas developed in recent decades in organizational theory mesh well with the thinking of educators such as Knowles, Freire and Horton. However, as the author concludes, new ways of thinking about and moving ABE organizations away from traditional hierarchies will require training, strong and consistent leadership, and a capacity for reflection and comfort with the uncertainty involved as organizations work toward improvement. [Chapter 7 in: Annual Review of Adult Learning and Literacy. Volume 2; copublished with Jossey-Bass, Inc.; see ED457341.]
The Year 2000 in Review
Author: McLendon, Lennox L.
Date: 2002-00-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Adult Basic Education,Adult Learning,Guidelines,Grants,Annual Reports,Federal Aid,Federal Legislation,Program Implementation,Labor Force Development,Educational Research,Research Needs,Program Evaluation,Position Papers,Focus Groups

If the year 1999 was dominated by the intense efforts of the federal government to establish guidelines for compliance with the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) of 1998, the year 2000 was dominated by the field's efforts to implement plans to meet those guidelines. In addition to engaging in this time- and labor-intensive work, the field witnessed four significant events that influenced adult basic education (ABE) across the country: a national summit to develop an action agenda for the field; developments in federal appropriations, including the emergence of English literacy and civics funding in state grants; rekindling of discourse among the parties involved in national research and evaluation projects; and changes in leadership at the national level. This chapter provides an overview of these events. [Chapter 1 in: Annual Review of Adult Learning and Literacy. Volume 3; copublished with John Wiley &amp; Sons, Inc.; see ED478329.]
The Rise of the Adult Education and Literacy System in the United States: 1600-2000
Author: Sticht, Thomas G.
Date: 2002-00-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Adult Education,Literacy,Educational Practices,Time Perspective,Adult Learning,Educational History,Educational Technology,Information Dissemination,Immigration

In the last decade of the twentieth century nearly 40 million people enrolled in the programs of the U.S. Adult Education and Literacy System (AELS). This chapter provides a broad-brush history of the emergence of the present-day AELS in the United States over the last four hundred years. Exhibit 2.1 provides some historical signposts for keeping track of the four-century span of the chapter. The first column presents important dates associated with the historical events listed in the second column, which are those events traditionally given as critical in general, popularized histories of the United States (such as Davis, 1995). Finally, the third column presents some-but far from all-of the significant events, institutions, and people in the history of the rise of the AELS. (Contains 3 notes.) [Chapter 2 in: Annual Review of Adult Learning and Literacy. Volume 3; copublished with John Wiley &amp; Sons, Inc.; see ED478329.]
Adults with Learning Disabilities: A Review of the Literature
Author: Corley, Mary Ann
Date: 2002-00-00
Type: Information Analyses
Subjects: Learning Disabilities,Adult Basic Education,Adults,Adult Learning,Adult Students,Adult Literacy,Literature Reviews,Incidence,Journal Articles,Online Searching,Accessibility (for Disabled)

An emerging theme in professional development for adult literacy program staff over the past decade has been the topic of learning disabilities (LD). As adult educators have come to recognize that the effects of LD can play a significant role in the performance and retention of adult learners, many have sought answers to the following questions: What are learning disabilities, and how do they affect adult learners? How can individuals determine which learners have LD? What strategies are most effective for teaching someone with LD? Interest in what it means to provide effective services for adult learners with LD has not always been this keen. This review was based on ninety-eight references published between 1989 and 2000 as well as selected references published prior to 1989 that supported background information. This literature review organizes the information into two broad categories: what individuals know about adults with LD and how they serve adults with LD. The research reviewed herein has direct implications for how the adult literacy field defines its services. (Contains 1 note.) [Chapter 3 in: Annual Review of Adult Learning and Literacy. Volume 3; copublished with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.; see ED478329.]
Literacy Education in Adult Basic Education
Author: Kruidenier, John
Date: 2002-00-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Definitions,Adult Basic Education,Adult Learning,Adult Literacy,Educational Assessment,Academic Standards,Standardized Tests,Educational Practices,Federal Legislation,Reading Achievement,Writing Achievement,Educational Research,Educational Policy,Educational Indicators,Criterion Referenced Tests,Norm Referenced Tests,Performance Based Assessment

Adult basic education programs, sometimes called adult basic and secondary education programs, typically serve adults over the age of sixteen who do not have a high school diploma and are no longer eligible for traditional secondary education programs. Although adult basic education (ABE) is situated apart from the elementary, secondary, and college education systems, it does not exist in a vacuum. This is especially true of literacy assessment in adult basic education now, at the turn of the century. Adult literacy assessment is affected by changing definitions of literacy, changes in the needs of federal and state funders, and changes in assessment tools and practices. These changes are discussed in detail in this chapter in order to present a broad picture of the current state of literacy assessment in adult basic education. Because none of these changes are completely new, a brief history is presented to put them in context. Literacy must be defined before it is possible to know how to assess it, and assessment must be defined before it is possible to know how best to implement it. This chapter thus begins with definitions of literacy and then describes assessment in adult basic education within this definitional framework. Implications for practice, research, and policy follow. (Contains 1 note.) [Chapter 4 in: Annual Review of Adult Learning and Literacy. Volume 3; copublished with John Wiley &amp; Sons, Inc.; see ED478329.]