Practice Engagement Theory: Lifelong Interaction Between Proficiency and Practice

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

Abstract

Purposes: This presentation explores the development of literacy proficiency in adulthood. Although the growth of adult literacy proficiency is connected with individuals’ life outcomes (Author, 2011), we know little about how literacy skills taught in the adult education classrooms relate to lifespan development of literacy proficiency (Lesgold & Welch-Ross, 2012).

Perspective(s): The presentation draws from Practice Engagement Theory (Author, 2009 and Smith, 2009). Practice Engagement Theory (PET) posits that literacy proficiency develops across the lifespan as individuals engage in literacy practices. Higher levels of engagement in literacy practices leads to greater growth of literacy proficiency.

Methods: We applied statistical models of PET to data from a long-term study that collected repeated measures of individuals’ literacy proficiencies and practices at multiple time points. Dynamic models examine how proficiency at later time points are predicted by preceding levels of proficiency and engagement in literacy practices and how engagement levels at later time points are predicted by earlier levels of proficiency and practice engagement.

Data: In-home interviews and assessments were conducted between 1998-2007 in the Longitudinal Study of Adult Learning (LSAL). The study randomly sampled 934 adults (age 18-44) who were high school dropouts and proficient but not necessarily native speakers of English residing in a metropolitan area. They were interviewed and given skills assessments at home up to 6 times over the 9-year tracking period. Approximately 90% of the sample was retained.

Demographic variables were collected during Wave 1 interviews. Interviews at each wave included multiple-choice on how frequently individuals engaged in specific literacy practices (e.g., reading books). Alternating forms of the Test of Adult Literacy Skills (TALS) were administered across waves. TALS is a functional literacy assessment similar to the 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy. Psychometric analyses indicated these scaled proficiency and practice engagement measures had longitudinally stable measurement properties (Author, 2009).

Results: PET models fit the data well and show similar results whether specified as longitudinal structural equation models or dynamic linear panel models estimated by 3-stage least squares. Both lagged and cross-lagged effects between variables are positive and highly significant. A range of time-invariant and time-varying covariates also have significant effects within this modeling framework.

Significance: Although previous research suggested potential effects of practice engagement on proficiency development, these findings demonstrate quantifiable and temporally interacting effects of each on the other. PET helps clarify how engagement in literacy practices in classrooms can lead to engagement in the outside world, driving lifelong literacy development. This enhances our capacity to improve program design in adult education and evaluate its impact.

Author (2009). The development of literacy and numeracy in adult life. In S. Reder & J. Bynner (Eds.), Tracking adult literacy and numeracy: Findings from longitudinal research (pp. 59–84). New York and London: Routledge.

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

Smith, M. C. (2009). Literacy in adulthood. In M. C. Smith (Ed.), Handbook of Research on Adult learning and Development. New York and London: Routledge.

Author

• Stephen M. Reder, Portland State University