Adult Literacy Instruction: State of Evidence on Effective Approaches

• In Event: Roundtable Session 12
  In Roundtable Session: Adult Education and Adult Literacy Research

Abstract

A conceptual/theoretical review was conducted of 34 studies of instruction with low-literate adults, both fluent speakers of English, and English language learners, in order to identify effective approaches for teaching reading and writing skills to this population. Several implications for policy and practice emerged from the review: the field lacks a clear research agenda; despite the availability of several recent studies, the amount of evidence for instructional effectiveness is small; and learner gains in reading and writing skills have been small for virtually all instructional techniques studied. There is a particularly pressing need for additional studies of literacy instruction with low-literate adults who are English language learners, and on writing instruction for adult literacy students in general.

Author

• Dolores Perin, Teachers College, Columbia University