Lessons to Improve Research and Adult Literacy Practice

• In Event: Current Trends in Adult Education Research and Their Implications for Policy, Practice, and Science

Abstract

Purpose: I will discuss how my research on adults reading between the 3rd and 5th grade levels informs what we know about conducting research on and improving outcomes for this population. I will touch upon issues of measurement and persistence and their implications for research and practice.

Perspective(s): A common assumption is that research with adult struggling learners often lacks empirical rigor or finds very small instructional gains, thus making it difficult to determine which strategies will help them (Lesgold & Welch-Ross, 2012). Furthermore, adult literacy programs are troubled by low the persistence of adult students (Author, 2008), with studies reporting anywhere from 38-54% attrition rates (Foorman & Hedges, 2011). While researching the developing literacy skills of adults reading at the 3rd to 5th grade level, I have found not only that these adults differ from other readers in underlying reading skills but also that the assessments we researchers use may be inappropriate and that student persistence varies by student characteristics. These issues affect our ability to measure growth and draw conclusions for the population.

Methods: In my studies, adults reading at the 3rd to 5th grade levels completed standardized and non-standardized reading-related tests, measuring areas such as decoding, phonological awareness, background knowledge, vocabulary, comprehension, sight word reading, and fluency.

Data: I will report findings from research funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, the National Institute for Literacy, the U.S. Department of Education, and non-funded researh.

Results: Adults reading at the 3rd and 5th grade levels exhibit lower scores on every literacy-related measure, and for some skills (i.e., receptive vocabulary, phonological awareness, and fluency) they were lower by two standard deviations. However, while analyzing these data, I found the assessments commonly used by reading researchers may be inappropriate for this population because item-by-item analysis indicated different progressions in difficulty than implied by test manuals. I also found that student characteristics (e.g., age, gender, language background) correlate with persistence. These findings suggest possible measurement complexities thus potentially masking change, and students included full analyses (i.e., those that persist long enough to get the full intervention) may not be representative of the population.

Significance: In order to improve literacy outcomes, we must validate assessments for measurement and placement purposes. This will allow researchers to measure growth and adult literacy programs to provide the appropriate assistance to students. Furthermore, we must identify student- and program-level characteristics that affect persistence and design interventions that leverage those characteristics that support completion. In each of these ventures, program administrators, teachers, and policymakers are essential.

Author. (2008). The challenges facing adult literacy programs. Community Literacy Journal, 3, 39-54.

Foorman, B. and Hedges, L. (2011). Special Issue on Adult Literacy Interventions. Journal of Research on Educational Effectiveness, 4, 87-100.

Lesgold, A. M., & Welch-Ross, M. (Eds.). (2012). Improving Adult Literacy Instruction: Options for Practice and Research. National Academies Press.

Author

• Daphne Greenberg, Georgia State University