Update on the Center for the Study of Adult Literacy
Session Abstract
The Center for the Study of Adult Literacy focuses on adults who read between the third and eighth grade levels. Results from two aims of this Center will be presented: 1. Five hundred participants' performance on 37 different literacy related measures; description of reading curriculum development and feasibility outcomes.
Target Audience
The target audience includes adult literacy practitioners, researchers, policy makers, advocates, and administrators.
Session Description
A recent international adult literacy study has indicated that 1 in 6 adults in the United States reads at elementary levels. We do not completely understand their underlying reading-related strengths and weaknesses, nor do we know the best approaches to help them reach their reading goals. The focus of this Center is to conduct research that will explore individual differences in reading-related abilities and motivations for learning so that we can better tailor instruction to adult learners, and design a reading program and an interactive online reading tutor that can more effectively meet adult learners' needs.
The participants in our work are adults who read between the 3rd and 8th grade levels. Some unique aspects of our Center are:
a. a comprehensive approach to assessment that combines cognitive assessment with evaluation of motivational needs and attitudes about adult literacy learning;
b. development of a curriculum with different modules to allow tailoring to differing instructional needs in decoding and word identification, reading fluency, vocabulary, text analysis, and reading comprehension;
c. adoption of a web-based portion of the curriculum which will allow for individualized instructional opportunities.