Sample records for adult literacy numeracy

  1. Adult Literacy, Numeracy and Language: Policy, Practice and Research

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tett, Lyn, Ed.; Hamilton, Mary, Ed.; Hillier, Yvonne, Ed.

    2006-01-01

    This book explores the social practice of literacy, numeracy and language and its implications for teaching and learning adult basic skills. Leading international experts argue that literacy, numeracy and language are more than just a set of skills or techniques, but are shaped by the social and cultural context within which they are taking place;…

  2. Building the Foundations: Outcomes from the Adult Language, Literacy and Numeracy Search Conference. Discussion Paper

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER), 2011

    2011-01-01

    Adult language, literacy and numeracy are essential ingredients for greater workforce participation, productivity and social inclusion. Both national and international research demonstrate the relationship between increasing levels of language, literacy and numeracy proficiency and positive outcomes for individuals, as well as for communities and…

  3. Contextual explanations for numeracy and literacy skill disparities between native and foreign-born adults in western countries

    PubMed Central

    Jencks, Christopher

    2017-01-01

    Using new direct measures of numeracy and literacy skills among 85,875 adults in 17 Western countries, we find that foreign-born adults have lower mean skills than native-born adults of the same age (16 to 64) in all of the examined countries. The gaps are small, and vary substantially between countries. Multilevel models reveal that immigrant populations’ demographic and socioeconomic characteristics, employment, and language proficiency explain about half of the cross-national variance of numeracy and literacy skills gaps. Differences in origin countries’ average education level also account for variation in the size of the immigrant-native skills gap. The more protective labor markets in immigrant-receiving countries are, the less well immigrants are skilled in numeracy and literacy compared to natives. For those who migrate before their teens (the 1.5 generation), access to an education system that accommodates migrants’ special needs is crucial. The 1 and 1.5 generation have smaller numeracy and literacy skills gaps in more ethnically diverse societies. PMID:28301541

  4. Contextual explanations for numeracy and literacy skill disparities between native and foreign-born adults in western countries.

    PubMed

    Levels, Mark; Dronkers, Jaap; Jencks, Christopher

    2017-01-01

    Using new direct measures of numeracy and literacy skills among 85,875 adults in 17 Western countries, we find that foreign-born adults have lower mean skills than native-born adults of the same age (16 to 64) in all of the examined countries. The gaps are small, and vary substantially between countries. Multilevel models reveal that immigrant populations' demographic and socioeconomic characteristics, employment, and language proficiency explain about half of the cross-national variance of numeracy and literacy skills gaps. Differences in origin countries' average education level also account for variation in the size of the immigrant-native skills gap. The more protective labor markets in immigrant-receiving countries are, the less well immigrants are skilled in numeracy and literacy compared to natives. For those who migrate before their teens (the 1.5 generation), access to an education system that accommodates migrants' special needs is crucial. The 1 and 1.5 generation have smaller numeracy and literacy skills gaps in more ethnically diverse societies.

  5. Examining Associations between Self-Rated Health and Proficiency in Literacy and Numeracy among Immigrants and U.S.-Born Adults: Evidence from the Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC).

    PubMed

    Prins, Esther; Monnat, Shannon

    2015-01-01

    This paper uses data from the Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) to analyze the relationship between self-reported health (SRH) and literacy and numeracy proficiency for immigrants compared to U.S.-born respondents and for Hispanic versus Asian immigrants. The research questions were: (1) Are literacy and numeracy scores associated with adults' SRH? (2) Are associations between SRH and literacy and numeracy proficiency moderated by immigrant status? (3) Among immigrants, are literacy and numeracy scores more strongly associated with SRH for Hispanics versus Asians? Immigrants had significantly lower literacy and numeracy scores, yet reported better health than U.S.-born respondents. Ordinal logistic regression analyses showed that literacy and numeracy were both positively related to SRH for immigrants and U.S.-born adults, and should therefore be viewed as part of the growing evidence that literacy is an independent and significant social determinant of health. Second, U.S.-born and immigrant adults accrued similarly positive health benefits from stronger literacy and numeracy skills. Third, although Hispanic immigrants were more disadvantaged than Asian immigrants on almost all socioeconomic characteristics and had significantly lower literacy and numeracy scores and worse SRH than Asian immigrants, both Hispanic and Asian immigrants experienced similar positive health returns from literacy and numeracy proficiency. These findings underscore the potential health benefits of providing adult basic education instruction, particularly for immigrants with the least formal schooling and fewest socioeconomic resources.

  6. Examining Associations between Self-Rated Health and Proficiency in Literacy and Numeracy among Immigrants and U.S.-Born Adults: Evidence from the Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC)

    PubMed Central

    2015-01-01

    This paper uses data from the Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) to analyze the relationship between self-reported health (SRH) and literacy and numeracy proficiency for immigrants compared to U.S.-born respondents and for Hispanic versus Asian immigrants. The research questions were: (1) Are literacy and numeracy scores associated with adults’ SRH? (2) Are associations between SRH and literacy and numeracy proficiency moderated by immigrant status? (3) Among immigrants, are literacy and numeracy scores more strongly associated with SRH for Hispanics versus Asians? Immigrants had significantly lower literacy and numeracy scores, yet reported better health than U.S.-born respondents. Ordinal logistic regression analyses showed that literacy and numeracy were both positively related to SRH for immigrants and U.S.-born adults, and should therefore be viewed as part of the growing evidence that literacy is an independent and significant social determinant of health. Second, U.S.-born and immigrant adults accrued similarly positive health benefits from stronger literacy and numeracy skills. Third, although Hispanic immigrants were more disadvantaged than Asian immigrants on almost all socioeconomic characteristics and had significantly lower literacy and numeracy scores and worse SRH than Asian immigrants, both Hispanic and Asian immigrants experienced similar positive health returns from literacy and numeracy proficiency. These findings underscore the potential health benefits of providing adult basic education instruction, particularly for immigrants with the least formal schooling and fewest socioeconomic resources. PMID:26132212

  7. Skills for Life: Statement on the National Strategy for Improving Adult Literacy and Numeracy Skills. The Agency Responds.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rogers, Penny, Ed.

    England's Learning and Skills Development Agency welcomes the introduction of a coherent national funding and delivery strategy for adult literacy, numeracy, and English for speakers of other languages (ESOL). The agency believes that the strategy should incorporate the lessons of previous literacy and numeracy initiatives and build on examples of…

  8. ABCs or 123s? The independent contributions of literacy and numeracy skills on health task performance among older adults

    PubMed Central

    Smith, Samuel G.; Curtis, Laura M.; O’Conor, Rachel; Federman, Alex D.; Wolf, Michael S.

    2015-01-01

    Objective To investigate the relationship between literacy and numeracy and their association with health task performance. Methods Older adults (n = 304) completed commonly used measures of literacy and numeracy. Single factor literacy and numeracy scores were calculated and used to predict performance on an established set of health self-management tasks, including: (i) responding to spoken information; (ii) comprehension of print and (iii) multimedia information; and (iv) organizing and dosing medication. Total and sub-scale scores were calculated. Results Literacy and numeracy measures were highly correlated (rs = 0.68; ps < 0.001). In multivariable models adjusted for age, gender, race, education, and comorbidity, lower literacy (β = 0.44, p < 0.001) and numeracy (β = 0.44, p < 0.001) were independently associated with worse overall task performance and all sub-scales (literacy range, β = 0.23–0.45, ps < 0.001; numeracy range, β = 0.31–0.41, ps < 0.001). Multivariable analyses with both constructs entered explained more variance in overall health task performance compared with separate literacy and numeracy models (8.2% and 10% respectively, ps < 0.001). Conclusion Literacy and numeracy were highly correlated, but independent predictors of health task performance. These skill sets are complementary and both are important for health self-management. Practice implications Self-management interventions may be more effective if they consider both literacy and numeracy skills rather than focusing on one specific ability. PMID:25936579

  9. The Literacy and Numeracy "Crisis" in Australian Workplaces: Discursive Rhetoric vs. Production Floor Realities

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Black, Stephen; Yasukawa, Keiko; Brown, Tony

    2015-01-01

    The dominant discourse on adult literacy and numeracy in Australia sees the federal government, industry, workforce skills agencies and the media speaking with one voice on the "crisis" involving workers' low literacy and numeracy skills. Underpinning this discourse are the Australian results of the international Adult Literacy and Life…

  10. What's an Adult Numeracy Teacher to Teach? Negotiating the Complexity of Adult Numeracy Instruction

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ginsburg, Lynda

    2017-01-01

    In this Forum article, the author addresses how to assist adults in improving mathematics and numeracy literacy. Ginsburg observes educators who strive to address their learners' educational gaps and needs are finding themselves in an environment of competing priorities and expectations that can be expressed as mathematics numeracy education. What…

  11. How to motivate adults with low literacy and numeracy skills to engage and persist in learning: A literature review of policy interventions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Windisch, Hendrickje Catriona

    2016-06-01

    Low basic skills levels of adults are a complex policy problem which has neither straightforward causes nor solutions, and successful interventions are still relatively rare. Tackling serious literacy and numeracy weaknesses among adults is challenging, partly because the task itself is difficult, and partly because even if accomplished successfully, the returns on the investment (of expertise, time and money) are uncertain. The Survey of Adult Skills, an international investigation conducted in 22 member and two partner countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) as part of the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC), has revealed that a considerable number of adults possess only limited literacy and numeracy skills. Governments now recognise the need to upskill these adults in order to maintain national prosperity. This literature review examines current evidence on policy interventions for adults with low literacy and numeracy proficiencies to pinpoint what has so far proven to motivate adults to join and persist in basic literacy and numeracy learning. The author identifies three approaches which seem promising in helping to address individual learners' needs: (1) adapting instruction to learners' needs by means of regular assessment (formative assessment); (2) complementary e-learning (blended learning); and (3) contextualisation of basic skills provision both at work and at home (workplace learning and family literacy). The central challenge is to put the evidence to work.

  12. Literacy, Numeracy and Employability.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bynner, John

    The relationship between literacy, numeracy, and employability was examined by analyzing data on basic skills that were collected in two of Great Britain's birth cohort studies--the National Child Development Study and the 1970 British Cohort Study. The functional literacy and numeracy skills of samples of 10% of the participants in each study…

  13. Adults with Low Proficiency in Literacy or Numeracy. OECD Education Working Papers, No. 131

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Grotlüschen, Anke; Mallows, David; Reder, Stephen; Sabatini, John

    2016-01-01

    This paper offers a comprehensive analysis of the information from the Survey of Adult Skills (PIAAC) regarding adults with low literacy and numeracy proficiency. The paper first describes the demographic and socio-economic characteristics of these populations. Although, they are more likely than the rest of the population to exhibit certain…

  14. The Changing Faces of Adult Literacy, Language and Numeracy: Literacy Policy and Implementation in the UK

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hillier, Yvonne

    2009-01-01

    This article draws upon a research project funded by the ESRC (R000239387) that tracked the development of adult literacy, numeracy and English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) from the 1970s to 2000 in England using life-history interviews and documentary policy analysis to compare policy, practitioner and learner perspectives. The article…

  15. Utilization of internet technology by low-income adults: the role of health literacy, health numeracy, and computer assistance.

    PubMed

    Jensen, Jakob D; King, Andy J; Davis, LaShara A; Guntzviller, Lisa M

    2010-09-01

    To examine whether low-income adults' utilization of Internet technology is predicted or mediated by health literacy, health numeracy, and computer assistance. Low-income adults (N = 131) from the midwestern United States were surveyed about their technology access and use. Individuals with low health literacy skills were less likely to use Internet technology (e.g., email, search engines, and online health information seeking), and those with low health numeracy skills were less likely to have access to Internet technology (e.g., computers and cell phones). Consistent with past research, males, older participants, and those with less education were less likely to search for health information online. The relationship between age and online health information seeking was mediated by participant literacy. The present study suggests that significant advances in technology access and use could be sparked by developing technology interfaces that are accessible to individuals with limited literacy skills.

  16. Addressing Literacy and Numeracy to Improve Diabetes Care

    PubMed Central

    Cavanaugh, Kerri; Wallston, Kenneth A.; Gebretsadik, Tebeb; Shintani, Ayumi; Huizinga, Mary Margaret; Davis, Dianne; Gregory, Rebecca Pratt; Malone, Robb; Pignone, Michael; DeWalt, Darren; Elasy, Tom A.; Rothman, Russell L.

    2009-01-01

    OBJECTIVE Diabetic patients with lower literacy or numeracy skills are at greater risk for poor diabetes outcomes. This study evaluated the impact of providing literacy- and numeracy-sensitive diabetes care within an enhanced diabetes care program on A1C and other diabetes outcomes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS In two randomized controlled trials, we enrolled 198 adult diabetic patients with most recent A1C ≥7.0%, referred for participation in an enhanced diabetes care program. For 3 months, control patients received care from existing enhanced diabetes care programs, whereas intervention patients received enhanced programs that also addressed literacy and numeracy at each institution. Intervention providers received health communication training and used the interactive Diabetes Literacy and Numeracy Education Toolkit with patients. A1C was measured at 3 and 6 months follow-up. Secondary outcomes included self-efficacy, self-management behaviors, and treatment satisfaction. RESULTS At 3 months, both intervention and control patients had significant improvements in A1C from baseline (intervention −1.50 [95% CI −1.80 to −1.02]; control −0.80 [−1.10 to −0.30]). In adjusted analysis, there was greater improvement in A1C in the intervention group than in the control group (P = 0.03). At 6 months, there were no differences in A1C between intervention and control groups. Self-efficacy improved from baseline for both groups. No significant differences were found for self-management behaviors or satisfaction. CONCLUSIONS A literacy- and numeracy-focused diabetes care program modestly improved self-efficacy and glycemic control compared with standard enhanced diabetes care, but the difference attenuated after conclusion of the intervention. PMID:19741187

  17. Forces Changing Our Nation's Future: The Comparative Performance of U.S. Adults and Youth on International Literacy Assessments, the Importance of Literacy/Numeracy Proficiencies for Labor Market Success, and the Projected Outlook for Literacy Proficiencies of U.S. Adults

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sum, Andrew

    2007-01-01

    This presentation is devoted to four main topics: (1) the comparative performance of U.S. adults and high school students on international literacy assessments; (2) the literacy/numeracy proficiencies of the nation's adults in different educational groups and among those who recently participated in federally-funded adult education programs; (3)…

  18. The development and validation of testing materials for literacy, numeracy and digital skills in a Dutch context

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    de Greef, Maurice; Segers, Mien; Nijhuis, Jan; Lam, Jo Fond; van Groenestijn, Mieke; van Hoek, Frans; van Deursen, Alexander J. A. M.; Bohnenn, Ella; Tubbing, Marga

    2015-10-01

    Besides work-oriented training, most Dutch adult learning courses of formal and non-formal education focus on three basic skills: literacy, numeracy and problem solving in technology-rich environments. In the Netherlands, the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science recently initiated the development of a new adult education framework concerning literacy, numeracy and digital skills. In order to monitor the progress of literacy, numeracy and digital competencies, it is necessary to develop and validate testing materials for specific competencies. This study validates the testing materials which were developed to assess learners' proficiency in literacy (reading and writing), numeracy and digital skills based on the new Dutch framework. The outcome is that the materials proved valid and can be used in different courses referring to basic skills and adult learning, though there are still some limitations. Besides adult education professionals (such teachers and trainers), policy makers can also use the results of these tests in order to describe and monitor the impact of adult education on the lives of adult learners.

  19. Assessing and Acknowledging Learning through Non-Accredited Community Adult Language, Literacy and Numeracy Programs: Support Document

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dymock, Darryl; Billett, Stephen

    2008-01-01

    This Support Document was produced by the authors based on their research for the report, "Assessing and Acknowledging Learning through Non-Accredited Community Adult Language, Literacy and Numeracy Programs," and is an added resource for further information. There were five phases of this project: Phase 1 comprised further interrogation…

  20. Early literacy and early numeracy: the value of including early literacy skills in the prediction of numeracy development.

    PubMed

    Purpura, David J; Hume, Laura E; Sims, Darcey M; Lonigan, Christopher J

    2011-12-01

    The purpose of this study was to examine whether early literacy skills uniquely predict early numeracy skills development. During the first year of the study, 69 3- to 5-year-old preschoolers were assessed on the Preschool Early Numeracy Skills (PENS) test and the Test of Preschool Early Literacy Skills (TOPEL). Participants were assessed again a year later on the PENS test and on the Applied Problems and Calculation subtests of the Woodcock-Johnson III Tests of Achievement. Three mixed effect regressions were conducted using Time 2 PENS, Applied Problems, and Calculation as the dependent variables. Print Knowledge and Vocabulary accounted for unique variance in the prediction of Time 2 numeracy scores. Phonological Awareness did not uniquely predict any of the mathematics domains. The findings of this study identify an important link between early literacy and early numeracy development. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  1. Early Literacy and Early Numeracy: The Value of Including Early Literacy Skills in the Prediction of Numeracy Development

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Purpura, David J.; Hume, Laura E.; Sims, Darcey M.; Lonigan, Cristopher J.

    2011-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to examine whether early literacy skills uniquely predict early numeracy skills development. During the first year of the study, 69 3- to 5-year-old preschoolers were assessed on the Preschool Early Numeracy Skills (PENS) test and the Test of Preschool Early Literacy Skills (TOPEL). Participants were assessed again a…

  2. Research That Counts: OECD Statistics and "Policy Entrepreneurs" Impacting on Australian Adult Literacy and Numeracy Policy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Black, Stephen; Yasukawa, Keiko

    2016-01-01

    This paper analyses research that has impacted on Australia's most recent national policy document on adult literacy and numeracy, the National Foundation Skills Strategy (NFSS). The paper draws in part on Lingard's 2013 paper, "The impact of research on education policy in an era of evidence-based policy", in which he outlines the…

  3. Reflections on the PIAAC Literacy and Numeracy Frameworks

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Belzer, Alisa

    2017-01-01

    The Program for International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) results, released in 2013, have spurred researchers to engage in rich analyses. In addition to making it possible to compare skill levels among the 23 participating nations, the PIAAC data have enabled researchers to analyze relationships among cognitive literacy, numeracy, and…

  4. Learning for Life: The Role of Adult Literacy and Numeracy in Lifelong Learning and Socio-Economic Well-Being. Executive Summary of the ALNARC National Research Program, 2001-2002.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Shore, Sue; Searle, Jean; Falk, Ian; Johnston, Betty; Ovens, Carolyn; Riddell, Christine

    In 2001-2002, the Adult Literacy and Numeracy Australian Research Consortium conducted 26 national investigations with findings in the following areas: (1) population competence; (2) linking literacy and numeracy into training; (3) professional support for educators and trainers; and (4) policy and systemic issues. All the projects were intended…

  5. Good Practice Guide: Bringing a Social Capital Approach into the Teaching of Adult Literacy and Numeracy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER), 2010

    2010-01-01

    This good practice guide is based on research that looked at how to teach adult literacy and numeracy using a social capital approach. The guide suggests ways vocational education and training (VET) practitioners can adopt a social capital approach to their teaching practice. A social capital approach refers to the process in which networks are…

  6. Math and numeracy in young adults with spina bifida and hydrocephalus.

    PubMed

    Dennis, Maureen; Barnes, Marcia

    2002-01-01

    The developmental stability of poor math skill was studied in 31 young adults with spina bifida and hydrocephalus (SBH), a neurodevelopmental disorder involving malformations of the brain and spinal cord. Longitudinally, individuals with poor math problem solving as children grew into adults with poor problem solving and limited functional numeracy. As a group, young adults with SBH had poor computation accuracy, computation speed, problem solving, a ndfunctional numeracy. Computation accuracy was related to a supporting cognitive system (working memory for numbers), and functional numeracy was related to one medical history variable (number of lifetime shunt revisions). Adult functional numeracy, but not functional literacy, was predictive of higher levels of social, personal, and community independence.

  7. Cracking the NAPLAN Code: Numeracy and Literacy Demands

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Perso, Thelma

    2009-01-01

    In May 2008, the first National Assessment Program for Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) test was administered across Australia to determine the standard of literacy and numeracy achievement of Australia's students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9. Some students did very well on the tests and some did not. This type of test can tell a great deal about…

  8. The Diabetes Literacy and Numeracy Education Toolkit (DLNET)

    PubMed Central

    Wolff, Kathleen; Cavanaugh, Kerri; Malone, Robb; Hawk, Victoria; Gregory, Becky Pratt; Davis, Dianne; Wallston, Kenneth; Rothman, Russell L.

    2009-01-01

    Diabetes education to improve patient self-management is an important component of comprehensive diabetes care. Patients with low health literacy and numeracy may have difficulty translating information from traditional diabetes educational programs and materials into effective self-care. To address this potential barrier to successful diabetes teaching and counseling, we describe the development of the Diabetes Literacy and Numeracy Education Toolkit (DLNET) and opportunities for its use in clinical practice. The DLNET is composed of 24 interactive modules covering standard diabetes care topics that can be customized to individual patient needs and utilized by all members of the multidisciplinary diabetes care team. The material’s content and formatting aims to improve the ease of use for diabetes patients with low literacy and numeracy by adhering to a lower text reading level, using illustrations for key concepts, and color-coding and other accommodations to guide patients through instructions for self-care. Individual sections of the DLNET may be provided to patients for initial teaching, as well as for reinforcement. While designed for lower literacy and numeracy skills, the DLNET provides unique materials to facilitate diabetes education for all patients. PMID:19240246

  9. Adult Numeracy Development: Theory, Research, Practice. Series on Literacy: Research, Policy, and Practice.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gal, Iddo, Ed.

    This book contains 16 papers on the theory, research, and practice of adult numeracy development. The following papers are included: "The Numeracy Challenge" (Iddo Gal); "Numeracy, Mathematics, and Adult Learning" (Diane Coben); "Building a Problem-Solving Environment for Teaching Mathematics" (Peter Kloosterman, Bin Hassan Mohamad-Ali, Lynda R.…

  10. Health literacy, numeracy, and interpretation of graphical breast cancer risk estimates.

    PubMed

    Brown, Sandra M; Culver, Julie O; Osann, Kathryn E; MacDonald, Deborah J; Sand, Sharon; Thornton, Andrea A; Grant, Marcia; Bowen, Deborah J; Metcalfe, Kelly A; Burke, Harry B; Robson, Mark E; Friedman, Susan; Weitzel, Jeffrey N

    2011-04-01

    Health literacy and numeracy are necessary to understand health information and to make informed medical decisions. This study explored the relationships among health literacy, numeracy, and ability to accurately interpret graphical representations of breast cancer risk. Participants (N=120) were recruited from the Facing Our Risk of Cancer Empowered (FORCE) membership. Health literacy and numeracy were assessed. Participants interpreted graphs depicting breast cancer risk, made hypothetical treatment decisions, and rated preference of graphs. Most participants were Caucasian (98%) and had completed at least one year of college (93%). Fifty-two percent had breast cancer, 86% had a family history of breast cancer, and 57% had a deleterious BRCA gene mutation. Mean health literacy score was 65/66; mean numeracy score was 4/6; and mean graphicacy score was 9/12. Education and numeracy were significantly associated with accurate graph interpretation (r=0.42, p<0.001 and r=0.65, p<0.001, respectively). However, after adjusting for numeracy in multivariate linear regression, education added little to the prediction of graphicacy (r(2)=0.41 versus 0.42, respectively). In our highly health-literate population, numeracy was predictive of graphicacy. Effective risk communication strategies should consider the impact of numeracy on graphicacy and patient understanding. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Adult Literacy and Numeracy: Assessing Change. Adult Literacy Research Network.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cumming, J. Joy, Ed.; van Kraayenoord, Christina E., Ed.

    This document contains eight papers from an action research program to foster good practice in adult literacy provision and policy. "Introduction" (J. Joy Cumming, Christina E. van Kraayenoord) presents an overview of the action research project and individual reports. "Assessment: Making a Difference in Adult Literacy and Numeracy…

  12. How to Motivate Adults with Low Literacy and Numeracy Skills to Engage and Persist in Learning: A Literature Review of Policy Interventions

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Windisch, Hendrickje Catriona

    2016-01-01

    Low basic skills levels of adults are a complex policy problem which has neither straightforward causes nor solutions, and successful interventions are still relatively rare. Tackling serious literacy and numeracy weaknesses among adults is challenging, partly because the task itself is difficult, and partly because even if accomplished…

  13. Workplace Literacy and Numeracy Learning: An Opportunity for Trade Union Renewal in Australia?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Yasukawa, Keiko; Brown, Tony; Black, Stephen

    2012-01-01

    This paper first examines the current literacy and numeracy "crisis" in Australian workplaces where loss of productivity, lack of take-up in training, and skills shortages are being blamed on workers' lack of literacy and numeracy skills. Literacy and numeracy in workplaces are more complex and require alternative understandings of…

  14. Adult Literacy, Learning Identities and Pedagogic Practice

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Crowther, Jim; Maclachlan, Kathy; Tett, Lyn

    2010-01-01

    This article discusses the relationship between persistence in adult literacy and numeracy programs, changes in the participants' attitudes to engaging in learning and pedagogic practices using data from eight Scottish literacy education organizations. It argues that literacy learning can act as a resource that enables vulnerable adults to change…

  15. How Is Health Related to Literacy, Numeracy, and Technological Problem-Solving Skills among U.S. Adults? Evidence from the Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC)

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Prins, Esther; Monnat, Shannon; Clymer, Carol; Toso, Blaire Wilson

    2015-01-01

    This paper uses data from the Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) to analyze the relationship between U.S. adults' self-reported health and proficiencies in literacy, numeracy, and technological problem solving. Ordinal logistic regression analyses showed that scores on all three scales were positively and…

  16. Health Literacy and Adult Basic Education Assessments

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Golbeck, Amanda L.; Ahlers-Schmidt, Carolyn R.; Paschal, Angelia M.

    2005-01-01

    Adult basic education (ABE) is an ideal venue for developing health literacy skills. Literacy and numeracy assessments used in ABE were identified and the most common were examined for health components. Only the Comprehensive Adult Student Assessment System (CASAS) included health. The two most common health literacy assessments used in general…

  17. Numbers Talk--Words Count: Language Policy and Adult Numeracy Education in Wales and New Zealand

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Coben, Diana; Miller-Reilly, Barbara

    2014-01-01

    In this paper we review and compare language policy in relation to adult numeracy education in Wales and New Zealand with respect to the Maori and Welsh languages in the latest stage of our international comparative study of adult numeracy education. While much has been written about the relationship between language and literacy, the relationship…

  18. Health Literacy and Social Capital: What Role for Adult Literacy Partnerships and Pedagogy?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Black, Stephen; Balatti, Jo; Falk, Ian

    2013-01-01

    This paper makes the case for adult literacy (including numeracy) practitioners to play a greater role in health literacy initiatives in Australia. The paper draws on data from a national research project that investigated adult literacy partnerships and pedagogy viewed from a social capital perspective. The primary purpose of the project was to…

  19. The home literacy and numeracy environment in preschool: Cross-domain relations of parent-child practices and child outcomes.

    PubMed

    Napoli, Amy R; Purpura, David J

    2018-02-01

    There is a growing body of evidence indicating that home literacy and numeracy environments are predictive of children's literacy and numeracy skills within their respective domains. However, there is limited research on the relations between the home literacy environment and numeracy outcomes and between the home numeracy environment and literacy outcomes. Specifically, there is limited information on relations between the home numeracy environment and specific literacy outcomes (e.g., vocabulary). The purpose of the current study was to investigate the relations of the home literacy and numeracy environments to children's literacy and numeracy outcomes both within and across domains. Participants were 114 preschool children and their parents. Children ranged in age from 3.01 to 5.17 years (M = 4.09 years) and were 54% female and 72% Caucasian. Parents reported the frequency of parent-child literacy (code-related practices and storybook reading) and numeracy practices. Children were assessed in the fall and spring of their preschool year on their literacy (definitional vocabulary, phonological awareness, and print knowledge) and numeracy skills. Four mixed-effects regression analyses were conducted to predict each of the child outcomes. Results indicate that although code-related literacy practices and storybook reading were not broadly predictive of children's literacy and numeracy outcomes, the home numeracy environment was predictive of numeracy and definitional vocabulary outcomes. These findings demonstrate a relation between the home numeracy environment and children's language development and contribute to the growing body of research indicating the important relations between early numeracy and language development. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  20. Investigating the Literacy, Numeracy and ICT Demands of Primary Teacher Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    de Silva Joyce, Helen; Feez, Susan; Chan, Eveline; Tobias, Stephen

    2014-01-01

    Pre-service teacher education programs are required to graduate students who meet externally determined standards in literacy and numeracy. However, little is known about the literacy, numeracy and ICT knowledge and skills demanded of teacher education students as they complete assessment tasks on which successful completion of their teaching…

  1. Numeracy Activities within VOX: The Norwegian Institute for Adult Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kvalo, Svein

    2008-01-01

    In this article, the author introduces Vox, Norwegian Institute for Adult Learning, an agency of the Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research that focuses mainly on improving basic skills in the adult population in the areas of literacy, numeracy and the use of Information Communication Technologies (ICT). Vox is responsible for curriculum…

  2. Formal and informal home learning activities in relation to children's early numeracy and literacy skills: the development of a home numeracy model.

    PubMed

    Skwarchuk, Sheri-Lynn; Sowinski, Carla; LeFevre, Jo-Anne

    2014-05-01

    The purpose of this study was to propose and test a model of children's home numeracy experience based on Sénéchal and LeFevre's home literacy model (Child Development, 73 (2002) 445-460). Parents of 183 children starting kindergarten in the fall (median child age=58 months) completed an early home learning experiences questionnaire. Most of the children whose parents completed the questionnaire were recruited for numeracy and literacy testing 1 year later (along with 32 children from the inner city). Confirmatory factor analyses were used to reduce survey items, and hierarchical regression analyses were used to predict the relation among parents' attitudes, academic expectations for their children, reports of formal and informal numeracy, and literacy home practices on children's test scores. Parental reports of formal home numeracy practices (e.g., practicing simple sums) predicted children's symbolic number system knowledge, whereas reports of informal exposure to games with numerical content (measured indirectly through parents' knowledge of children's games) predicted children's non-symbolic arithmetic, as did numeracy attitudes (e.g., parents' enjoyment of numeracy). The home literacy results replicated past findings; parental reports of formal literacy practices (e.g., helping their children to read words) predicted children's word reading, whereas reports of informal experiences (i.e., frequency of shared reading measured indirectly through parents' storybook knowledge) predicted children's vocabulary. These findings support a multifaceted model of children's early numeracy environment, with different types of early home experiences (formal and informal) predicting different numeracy outcomes. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  3. Assessing Adult Learner's Numeracy as Related to Gender and Performance in Arithmetic

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Awofala, Adeneye O. A.; Anyikwa, Blessing E.

    2014-01-01

    The study investigated adult learner numeracy as related to gender and performance in arithmetic among 32 Nigerian adult learners from one government accredited adult literacy centre in Lagos State using the quantitative research method within the blueprint of descriptive survey design. Data collected were analysed using the descriptive statistics…

  4. Experienced Primary School Teachers' Thoughts on Effective Teachers of Literacy and Numeracy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Md-Ali, Ruzlan; Karim, Hamida Bee Bi Abdul; Yusof, Fahainis Mohd

    2016-01-01

    Purpose: This paper presents the characteristics of effective literacy and numeracy teachers within the current context of teaching in Malaysia from the viewpoints of a sample of trained and experienced primary school teachers of literacy and numeracy. The characteristics were established based on what the teachers perceived as important in…

  5. Pedagogy in Practice: An Observational Study of Literacy, Numeracy and Language Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Benseman, John; Lander, Josie; Sutton, Alison

    2005-01-01

    With increasing interest in improving the quality of adult literacy, numeracy and language provision, there has been growing interest in gaining an overview of what teachers actually do with their learners. This study looked at how 15 teachers taught over an average of 167 minutes in a cross-section of New Zealand classrooms. The report details…

  6. Numeracy, Literacy and Newman's Error Analysis

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    White, Allan Leslie

    2010-01-01

    Newman (1977, 1983) defined five specific literacy and numeracy skills as crucial to performance on mathematical word problems: reading, comprehension, transformation, process skills, and encoding. Newman's Error Analysis (NEA) provided a framework for considering the reasons that underlay the difficulties students experienced with mathematical…

  7. Health Literacy, Numeracy, and Graphical Literacy Among Veterans in Primary Care and Their Effect on Shared Decision Making and Trust in Physicians

    PubMed Central

    Rodríguez, Vanessa; Andrade, Allen D.; García-Retamero, Rocio; Anam, Ramanakumar; Rodríguez, Remberto; Lisigurski, Miriam; Sharit, Joseph; Ruiz, Jorge G.

    2013-01-01

    Studies reveal high levels of inadequate health literacy and numeracy in African Americans and older veterans. The authors aimed to investigate the distribution of health literacy, numeracy, and graph literacy in these populations. They conducted a cross-sectional survey of veterans receiving outpatient care and measured health literacy, numeracy, graph literacy, shared decision making, and trust in physicians. In addition, the authors compared subgroups of veterans using analyses of covariance. Participants were 502 veterans (22–82 years). Low, marginal, and adequate health literacy were found in, respectively, 29%, 26%, and 45% of the veterans. The authors found a significant main effect of race qualified by an age and race interaction. Inadequate health literacy was more common in African Americans than in Whites. Younger African Americans had lower health literacy (p < .001), graph literacy (p < .001), and numeracy (p < .001) than did Whites, even after the authors adjusted for covariates. Older and younger participants did not differ in health literacy, objective numeracy, or graph literacy after adjustment. The authors found no health literacy or age-related differences regarding preferences for shared decision making. African Americans expressed dissatisfaction with their current role in decision making (p = .03). Older participants trusted their physicians more than younger participants (p = .01). In conclusion, African Americans may be at a disadvantage when reviewing patient education materials, potentially affecting health care outcomes. PMID:24093361

  8. Health literacy, numeracy, and graphical literacy among veterans in primary care and their effect on shared decision making and trust in physicians.

    PubMed

    Rodríguez, Vanessa; Andrade, Allen D; García-Retamero, Rocio; Anam, Ramanakumar; Rodríguez, Remberto; Lisigurski, Miriam; Sharit, Joseph; Ruiz, Jorge G

    2013-01-01

    Studies reveal high levels of inadequate health literacy and numeracy in African Americans and older veterans. The authors aimed to investigate the distribution of health literacy, numeracy, and graph literacy in these populations. They conducted a cross-sectional survey of veterans receiving outpatient care and measured health literacy, numeracy, graph literacy, shared decision making, and trust in physicians. In addition, the authors compared subgroups of veterans using analyses of covariance. Participants were 502 veterans (22-82 years). Low, marginal, and adequate health literacy were found in, respectively, 29%, 26%, and 45% of the veterans. The authors found a significant main effect of race qualified by an age and race interaction. Inadequate health literacy was more common in African Americans than in Whites. Younger African Americans had lower health literacy (p <.001), graph literacy (p <.001), and numeracy (p <.001) than did Whites, even after the authors adjusted for covariates. Older and younger participants did not differ in health literacy, objective numeracy, or graph literacy after adjustment. The authors found no health literacy or age-related differences regarding preferences for shared decision making. African Americans expressed dissatisfaction with their current role in decision making (p =.03). Older participants trusted their physicians more than younger participants (p =.01). In conclusion, African Americans may be at a disadvantage when reviewing patient education materials, potentially affecting health care outcomes.

  9. Improving Numeracy and Literacy: Evaluation Report and Executive Summary

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Worth, Jack; Sizmur, Juliet; Ager, Rob; Styles, Ben

    2015-01-01

    The project, "Oxford Improving Numeracy and Literacy Programme," was delivered by Oxford University Department of Education. This evaluation tested two different initiatives with Year 2 children: "Mathematics and Reasoning" and "Literacy and Morphemes." The "Mathematics and Reasoning" programme aimed to…

  10. The effect of numeracy level on completeness of home blood pressure monitoring.

    PubMed

    Rao, Vishal N; Sheridan, Stacey L; Tuttle, Laura A; Lin, Feng-Chang; Shimbo, Daichi; Diaz, Keith M; Hinderliter, Alan L; Viera, Anthony J

    2015-01-01

    Home blood pressure monitoring (HBPM) readings predict the increased risks of cardiovascular events and end-organ damage independent of office blood pressure (BP). Numeracy (the ability to handle numbers) may limit the feasibility of patients' performing HBPM. The authors analyzed data from 409 adults recruited from 12 North Carolina primary care clinics who completed a three-item numeracy assessment, the Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Medicine-Short Form health literacy assessment, and HBPM over 2 weeks. Among the 409 participants, 73% were college graduates and 69% had adequate numeracy. Completion of HBPM was greater among those with adequate numeracy (96.2% vs 93.7%; P=.009) and did not correlate with health literacy scores. More participants with adequate numeracy reported completion of ≥85% of readings than those with low numeracy (95% vs 88%; P=.018). Adequate numeracy, but not high literacy, is associated with more complete HBPM reporting. Whether higher numeracy is associated with more accurate self-reported readings is an area of future research. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  11. Women's Literacy and Numeracy Practices Oriented toward Small-Scale Social Action in Northern Mexico

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mein, Erika

    2010-01-01

    This article looks at literacy from social and critical perspectives in order to understand the literacy and numeracy practices of women in small savings groups in northern Mexico. In this case, women's literacy and numeracy practices were not only situated in a rural desert context but also oriented toward concrete action to address their…

  12. Impact of literacy and numeracy on motivation for behavior change after diabetes genetic risk testing.

    PubMed

    Vassy, Jason L; O'Brien, Kelsey E; Waxler, Jessica L; Park, Elyse R; Delahanty, Linda M; Florez, Jose C; Meigs, James B; Grant, Richard W

    2012-01-01

    Type 2 diabetes genetic risk testing might motivate at-risk patients to adopt diabetes prevention behaviors. However, the influence of literacy and numeracy on patient response to diabetes genetic risk is unknown. The authors investigated the association of health literacy, genetic literacy, and health numeracy with patient responses to diabetes genetic risk. and Measurements Overweight patients at high phenotypic risk for type 2 diabetes were recruited for a clinical trial of diabetes genetic risk testing. At baseline, participants predicted how their motivation for lifestyle modification to prevent diabetes might change in response to hypothetical scenarios of receiving "high" and "low" genetic risk results. Responses were analyzed according to participants' health literacy, genetic literacy, and health numeracy. Two-thirds (67%) of participants (n = 175) reported very high motivation to prevent diabetes. Despite high health literacy (92% at high school level), many participants had limited health numeracy (30%) and genetic literacy (38%). Almost all (98%) reported that high-risk genetic results would increase their motivation for lifestyle modification. In contrast, response to low-risk genetic results varied. Higher levels of health literacy (P = 0.04), genetic literacy (P = 0.02), and health numeracy (P = 0.02) were associated with an anticipated decrease in motivation for lifestyle modification in response to low-risk results. While patients reported that high-risk genetic results would motivate them to adopt healthy lifestyle changes, response to low-risk results varied by patient numeracy and literacy. However, anticipated responses may not correlate with true behavior change. If future research justifies the clinical use of genetic testing to motivate behavior change, it may be important to assess how patient characteristics modify that motivational effect.

  13. Adding Family Numeracy to ABLE Programs.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Community Action Southwest, Waynesburg, PA.

    This document consists of a brief final report and a handbook from a project conducted to develop family numeracy activities and incorporate them into adult basic and literacy education (ABLE) classes in two Pennsylvania counties. The 10 activities, which were designed to help adult learners foster the development of numeracy concepts/skills in…

  14. Reframe, Rename, Revitalise: Future Directions for the Language, Literacy and Numeracy National Reporting System

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Perkins, Kate

    2005-01-01

    The National Reporting System (NRS) was developed to report the outcomes of English language, literacy and numeracy provision in Australia's vocational education and training and adult and community education sectors, and in labour market programs. Since its introduction, however, the NRS has been used as more than a reporting tool. It has also…

  15. Explaining Common Variance Shared by Early Numeracy and Literacy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Davidse, N. J.; De Jong, M. T.; Bus, A. G.

    2014-01-01

    How can it be explained that early literacy and numeracy share variance? We specifically tested whether the correlation between four early literacy skills (rhyming, letter knowledge, emergent writing, and orthographic knowledge) and simple sums (non-symbolic and story condition) reduced after taking into account preschool attention control,…

  16. Communicating Genetic and Genomic Information: Health Literacy and Numeracy Considerations

    PubMed Central

    Lea, D.H.; Kaphingst, K.A.; Bowen, D.; Lipkus, I.; Hadley, D.W.

    2011-01-01

    Genomic research is transforming our understanding of the role of genes in health and disease. These advances, and their application to common diseases that affect large segments of the general population, suggest that researchers and practitioners in public health genomics will increasingly be called upon to translate genomic information to individuals with varying levels of health literacy and numeracy. This paper discusses the current state of research regarding public understanding of genetics and genomics, the influence of health literacy and numeracy on genetic communication, and behavioral responses to genetic and genomic information. The existing research suggests that members of the general public have some familiarity with genetic and genomic terms but have gaps in understanding of underlying concepts. Findings from the limited research base to date indicate that health literacy affects understanding of print and oral communications about genetic and genomic information. Numeracy is also likely to be an important predictor of being able to understand and apply this information, although little research has been conducted in this area to date. In addition, although some research has examined behavior change in response to the receipt of information about genetic risk for familial disorders and genomic susceptibility to common, complex diseases, the effects of health literacy and numeracy on these responses have not been examined. Potential areas in which additional research is needed are identified and practical suggestions for presenting numeric risk information are outlined. Public health genomics researchers and practitioners are uniquely positioned to engage in research that explores how different audiences react to and use genomic risk information. PMID:20407217

  17. Parental Understanding of Infant Health Information: Health Literacy, Numeracy and the Parental Health Literacy Activities Test (PHLAT)

    PubMed Central

    Kumar, Disha; Sanders, Lee; Perrin, Eliana M.; Lokker, Nicole; Patterson, Baron; Gunn, Veronica; Finkle, Joanne; Franco, Vivian; Choi, Leena; Rothman, Russell L.

    2010-01-01

    Objective To assess parental health literacy and numeracy skills in understanding instructions for caring for young children, and to develop and validate a new parental health literacy scale, the Parental Health Literacy Activities Test (PHLAT). Methods Caregivers of infants (age <13 months) were recruited in a cross-sectional study at pediatric clinics at three academic medical centers. Literacy and numeracy skills were assessed with previously validated instruments. Parental health literacy was assessed with the new 20-item PHLAT. Psychometric analyses were performed to assess item characteristics and to generate a shortened, 10-item version (PHLAT-10). Results 182 caregivers were recruited. While 99% had adequate literacy skills, only 17% had >9th-grade numeracy skills. Mean score on the PHLAT was 68% (SD 18); for example, only 47% of caregivers could correctly describe how to mix infant formula from concentrate, and only 69% could interpret a digital thermometer to determine if an infant had a fever. Higher performance on the PHLAT was significantly correlated (p<0.001) with education, literacy skill, and numeracy level (r=0.29, 0.38, and 0.55 respectively). Caregivers with higher PHLAT scores were also more likely to interpret age recommendations for cold medications correctly (OR 1.6, 95% CI 1.02, 2.6). Internal reliability on the PHLAT was good (KR-20=0.76). The PHLAT-10 also demonstrated good validity and reliability. Conclusions Many parents do not understand common health information required to care for their infants. The PHLAT, and PHLAT-10 have good reliability and validity and may be useful tools for identifying parents who need better communication of health-related instructions. PMID:20674532

  18. Tracking Adult Literacy and Numeracy Skills: Findings from Longitudinal Research. Routledge Research in Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Reder, Stephen, Ed.; Bynner, John, Ed.

    2011-01-01

    Understanding the origins of poor literacy and numeracy skills in adulthood and how to improve them is of major importance when society places a high premium on proficiency in these basic skills. This edited collection brings together the results of recent longitudinal studies that greatly extend our knowledge of what works in raising skill…

  19. Literacy, Numeracy, and Problem Solving in Technology-Rich Environments among U.S. Adults: Results from the Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies 2012. Appendix D: Standard Error Tables. First Look. NCES 2014-008

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    National Center for Education Statistics, 2013

    2013-01-01

    This paper provides Appendix D, Standard Error tables, for the full report, entitled. "Literacy, Numeracy, and Problem Solving in Technology-Rich Environments among U.S. Adults: Results from the Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies 2012. First Look. NCES 2014-008." The full report presents results of the Program…

  20. Assessment of single-item literacy questions, age, and education level in the prediction of low health numeracy.

    PubMed

    Johnson, Tim V; Abbasi, Ammara; Kleris, Renee S; Ehrlich, Samantha S; Barthwaite, Echo; DeLong, Jennifer; Master, Viraj A

    2013-08-01

    Determining a patient's health literacy is important to optimum patient care. Single-item questions exist for screening written health literacy. We sought to assess the predictive potential of three common screening questions, along with patient age and education level, in the prediction of low health numerical literacy (numeracy). After demographic and educational information was obtained, 441 patients were administered three health literacy screening questions. The three-item Schwartz-Woloshin Numeracy Scale was then administered to assess for low health numeracy (score of 0 out of 3). This score served as the reference standard for Receiver Operating Characteristics (ROC) curve analysis. ROC curves were constructed and used to determine the area under the curve (AUC); a higher AUC suggests increased statistical significance. None of the three screening questions were significant predictors of low health numeracy. However, education level was a significant predictor of low health numeracy, with an AUC (95% CI) of 0.811 (0.720-0.902). This measure had a specificity of 95.3% at the cutoff of 12 years of education (<12 versus > or = 12 years of education) but was non-sensitive. Common single-item questions used to screen for written health literacy are ineffective screening tools for health numeracy. However, low education level is a specific predictor of low health numeracy.

  1. Easter School Guidance. The National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Department for Education and Skills, London (England).

    This booklet explains the goals of Easter Schools, part of England's National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies. Easter Schools should be planned to cover four half-days and include four literacy and four mathematics lessons each covering the equivalent of at least an hour. The booklet addresses the following issues: why funding has been made…

  2. The Association among Literacy, Numeracy, HIV Knowledge and Health-Seeking Behavior: A Population-Based Survey of Women in Rural Mozambique

    PubMed Central

    Ciampa, Philip J.; Vaz, Lara M.E.; Blevins, Meridith; Sidat, Moshin; Rothman, Russell L.; Vermund, Sten H.; Vergara, Alfredo E.

    2012-01-01

    Background Limited literacy skills are common in the United States (US) and are related to lower HIV knowledge and worse health behaviors and outcomes. The extent of these associations is unknown in countries like Mozambique, where no rigorously validated literacy and numeracy measures exist. Methods A validated measure of literacy and numeracy, the Wide Range Achievement Test, version 3 (WRAT-3) was translated into Portuguese, adapted for a Mozambican context, and administered to a cross-section of female heads-of-household during a provincially representative survey conducted from August 8 to September 25, 2010. Construct validity of each subscale was examined by testing associations with education, income, and possession of socioeconomic assets, stratified by Portuguese speaking ability. Multivariable regression models estimated the association among literacy/numeracy and HIV knowledge, self-reported HIV testing, and utilization of prenatal care. Results Data from 3,557 women were analyzed; 1,110 (37.9%) reported speaking Portuguese. Respondents’ mean age was 31.2; 44.6% lacked formal education, and 34.3% reported no income. Illiteracy was common (50.4% of Portuguese speakers, 93.7% of non-Portuguese speakers) and the mean numeracy score (10.4) corresponded to US kindergarten-level skills. Literacy or numeracy was associated (p<0.01) with education, income, age, and other socioeconomic assets. Literacy and numeracy skills were associated with HIV knowledge in adjusted models, but not with HIV testing or receipt of clinic-based prenatal care. Conclusion The adapted literacy and numeracy subscales are valid for use with rural Mozambican women. Limited literacy and numeracy skills were common and associated with lower HIV knowledge. Further study is needed to determine the extent to which addressing literacy/numeracy will lead to improved health outcomes. PMID:22745747

  3. Are Our Standards Slipping? Debates Over Literacy and Numeracy Standards in New Zealand since 1945

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Openshaw, Roger; Walshaw, Margaret

    2010-01-01

    In a number of Western nations, concern over literacy and numeracy standards has put huge political pressure on education systems to improve the situation. Here in New Zealand, the government has recently introduced literacy and numeracy standards designed to improve basic skills in these key fields of achievement. What is perhaps less evident is…

  4. Neurocognition, Health-Related Reading Literacy, and Numeracy in Medication Management for HIV Infection

    PubMed Central

    Jones, Deborah Lynne; Gould, Felicia; Kumar, Mahendra; Ownby, Raymond L.

    2010-01-01

    Abstract Successful medication management is an essential ingredient for effective treatment for HIV. Risk factors for poor medication adherence, including neurocognitive impairment and low health literacy, are common in HIV patients. To better understand the most salient risks for poor management of HIV medications, we tested the interrelation of neurocognitive functioning, reading literacy for health related information, and numeracy and their effect on self-management of a simulated HIV medication regimen. Cross-sectional data on 191 HIV-positive men and women recruited from HIV outpatient clinics in South Florida were collected. Exploratory factor analysis was conducted with literacy, numeracy, and neurocognitive scores and suggested that four factors were present representing executive skill, verbal memory, planning, and motor speed. Both the literacy and numeracy scores loaded on the executive factor. Adjusted analyses showed that executive and planning skills were significantly related to medication management. Findings suggest that patients must rely on higher order cognitive skills to successfully navigate medication self-management, and that efforts to simplify health information that merely lowers readability are likely to meet with limited success. PMID:20662594

  5. Do patient preferences for health information vary by health literacy or numeracy? A qualitative assessment.

    PubMed

    Gaglio, Bridget; Glasgow, Russell E; Bull, Sheana S

    2012-01-01

    Seeking health information can be a complicated process for a patient. Patients must know the topic of interest, where to look or ask, how to assess and comprehend, and how to evaluate the credibility and trustworthiness of the sources. In this study, the authors describe preferences of patients with multiple risk factors for cardiovascular disease with varying health literacy and numeracy abilities for receiving health information. Participants were recruited from 2 health care systems. Health literacy and numeracy were assessed and participants completed an orally administered survey consisting of open-ended questions about obtaining health information and preferences for health information. In-depth interviews were conducted with a subset of participants. A diverse sample of 150 individuals (11.3% Latino, 37.3% African American, 44.7% with income less than $15,000/year) participated. Most participants had adequate functional health literacy, while 65% had low numeracy skills. Regardless of health literacy or numeracy ability, participants overwhelmingly preferred to receive health information during a face-to-face conversation with their health care provider. While individuals with adequate functional health literacy identified a variety of health information sources, actions are needed to ensure multiple modalities are available and are in plain, clear language that reinforces patients' understanding and application of information to health behavior.

  6. The Impact of Interactive Whiteboards on Teacher--Pupil Interaction in the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Smith, Fay; Hardman, Frank; Higgins, Steve

    2006-01-01

    The study set out to investigate the impact of interactive whiteboards (IWBs) on teacher--pupil interaction at Key Stage 2 in the teaching of literacy and numeracy. As part of the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies, IWBs have been made widely available as a pedagogic tool for promoting interactive whole class teaching. In order to…

  7. Construct and Predictive Validity Evidence for Curriculum-Based Measures of Early Literacy and Numeracy Skills in Kindergarten

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Betts, Joseph; Pickart, Mary; Heistad, Dave

    2009-01-01

    The assessment of early literacy and numeracy skills can provide useful and important information in pursuance of the goal to increase student academic achievement. At present, there have been promising results using curriculum-based measurement (CBM) for evaluating early literacy and early numeracy. There has been little research investigating…

  8. Social and Economic Benefits of Improved Adult Literacy: Towards a Better Understanding. An Adult Literacy National Project Report

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hartley, Robyn; Horne, Jackie

    2006-01-01

    Assessing the social and economic costs of poor adult literacy and numeracy skills, and the benefits of investing in such skills, is largely unchartered territory in Australia. This feasibility study explores the frameworks and methodologies available for determining and measuring such benefits and costs across a number of life domains, including…

  9. Supporting Self-Improvement in Teaching, Literacy, Language and Numeracy. Tools for Staff Development. Module 4: Teaching and Learning Approaches

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Basic Skills Agency, 2007

    2007-01-01

    This module provides teachers with practical tools to improve the quality of teaching and learning activities and enable learners to achieve their objectives in literacy, language and numeracy. Unit 1 explores approaches that are particularly appropriate to adult learners, developing thinking skills and involving them in decision making and…

  10. Report on the Evaluation of the Adult Literacy Action Campaign (ALAC).

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ernst & Young Management Consultants, Canberra (Australia).

    This report presents findings of an evaluation of Australia's Adult Literacy Action Campaign (ALAC) to determine whether ALAC was promoting the development of communication, literacy, and numeracy skills and skills to facilitate greater and enriched participation in society. Chapter 1 sets out the methodology and approach, which included a…

  11. The impact of home care nurses' numeracy and graph literacy on comprehension of visual display information: implications for dashboard design.

    PubMed

    Dowding, Dawn; Merrill, Jacqueline A; Onorato, Nicole; Barrón, Yolanda; Rosati, Robert J; Russell, David

    2018-02-01

    To explore home care nurses' numeracy and graph literacy and their relationship to comprehension of visualized data. A multifactorial experimental design using online survey software. Nurses were recruited from 2 Medicare-certified home health agencies. Numeracy and graph literacy were measured using validated scales. Nurses were randomized to 1 of 4 experimental conditions. Each condition displayed data for 1 of 4 quality indicators, in 1 of 4 different visualized formats (bar graph, line graph, spider graph, table). A mixed linear model measured the impact of numeracy, graph literacy, and display format on data understanding. In all, 195 nurses took part in the study. They were slightly more numerate and graph literate than the general population. Overall, nurses understood information presented in bar graphs most easily (88% correct), followed by tables (81% correct), line graphs (77% correct), and spider graphs (41% correct). Individuals with low numeracy and low graph literacy had poorer comprehension of information displayed across all formats. High graph literacy appeared to enhance comprehension of data regardless of numeracy capabilities. Clinical dashboards are increasingly used to provide information to clinicians in visualized format, under the assumption that visual display reduces cognitive workload. Results of this study suggest that nurses' comprehension of visualized information is influenced by their numeracy, graph literacy, and the display format of the data. Individual differences in numeracy and graph literacy skills need to be taken into account when designing dashboard technology. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Medical Informatics Association. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com

  12. Supporting Self-Improvement in Teaching, Literacy, Language and Numeracy. Tools for Staff Development. Module 1: Challenge and Inspiration

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Basic Skills Agency, 2006

    2006-01-01

    The first in a series of five, module 1 provides everything one will need to run sharply focused, practical staff development training sessions for adult and Post 16 literacy, language and numeracy teachers. Each module addresses aspects of teaching and learning commonly identified as areas in need of improvement and can be used individually or as…

  13. Quick screen of patients’ numeracy and document literacy skills: the factor structure of the Newest Vital Sign

    PubMed Central

    Huang, Yen-Ming; Shiyanbola, Olayinka O; Smith, Paul D; Chan, Hsun-Yu

    2018-01-01

    Introduction The Newest Vital Sign (NVS) is a survey designed to measure general health literacy whereby an interviewer asks six questions related to information printed on a nutritional label from an ice cream container. It enables researchers to evaluate several health literacy dimensions in a short period of time, including document literacy, comprehension, quantitative literacy (numeracy), application, and evaluation. No study has empirically examined which items belong to which latent dimensions of health literacy in the NVS using factor analysis. Identifying the factor structure of the NVS would enable health care providers to choose appropriate intervention strategies to address patients’ health literacy as well as improve their health outcomes accordingly. This study aimed to explore the factor structure of the NVS that is used to assess multiple dimensions of health literacy. Methods A cross-sectional study administering the NVS in a face-to-face manner was conducted at two family medicine clinics in the USA. One hundred and seventy four individuals who participated were at least 20 years old, diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, prescribed at least one oral diabetes medicine, and used English as their primary language. Exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis were conducted to investigate the factor structure of the NVS. Results Numeracy and document literacy are two dimensions of health literacy that were identified and accounted for 63.05% of the variance in the NVS. Internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha) of the NVS were 0.78 and 0.91 for numeracy and document literacy, respectively. Conclusion Numeracy and document literacy appropriately represent the factor structure of the NVS and may be used for assessing health literacy in greater detail for patients with type 2 diabetes. PMID:29844661

  14. A New Social Capital Paradigm for Adult Literacy: Partnerships, Policy and Pedagogy. An Adult Literacy National Project Report

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Balatti, Jo; Black, Stephen; Falk, Ian

    2009-01-01

    The primary purpose of this project is to produce a set of guidelines on how to deliver adult literacy and numeracy education and training using a social capital approach. Social capital in this project refers to the networks that operate during resourcing, course design, recruitment, teaching and evaluation. The study focused on three specific…

  15. Literacy, Numeracy and Problem Solving in Technology-Rich Environments: Framework for the OECD Survey of Adult Skills

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    OECD Publishing (NJ3), 2012

    2012-01-01

    A basic level of literacy and numeracy is essential for full participation in modern societies. While very few people in most of the advanced countries could be regarded as illiterate or innumerate, recent studies have shown that there are, in fact, significant numbers of people with poor skills, and that low levels of skills are associated with…

  16. Computer Assisted Learning in Numeracy.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hollin, Freda

    Computer-assisted learning in numeracy for adults is far less developed than computer-assisted learning in literacy. Although a great many software programs exist, few are suitable for adults and many offer only drill and practice exercises instead of teaching genuine computer skills. One approach instructors can take is to have their students use…

  17. Health literacy, numeracy, and other characteristics associated with hospitalized patients' preferences for involvement in decision making.

    PubMed

    Goggins, Kathryn M; Wallston, Kenneth A; Nwosu, Samuel; Schildcrout, Jonathan S; Castel, Liana; Kripalani, Sunil

    2014-01-01

    Little research has examined the association of health literacy and numeracy with patients' preferred involvement in the problem-solving and decision-making process in the hospital. Using a sample of 1,249 patients hospitalized with cardiovascular disease from the Vanderbilt Inpatient Cohort Study (VICS), we assessed patients' preferred level of involvement using responses to two scenarios of differing symptom severity from the Problem-Solving Decision-Making Scale. Using multivariable modeling, we determined the relationship of health literacy, subjective numeracy, and other patient characteristics with preferences for involvement in decisions, and how this differed by scenario. The authors found that patients with higher levels of health literacy desired more participation in the problem-solving and decision-making process, as did patients with higher subjective numeracy skills, greater educational attainment, female gender, less perceived social support, or greater health care system distrust (p<.05 for each predictor in multivariable models). Patients also preferred to participate more in the decision-making process when the hypothetical symptom they were experiencing was less severe (i.e., they deferred more to their physician when the hypothetical symptom was more severe). These findings underscore the role that patient characteristics, especially health literacy and numeracy, play in decisional preferences among hospitalized patients.

  18. The Impact of a Professional Development Model on ABE Teachers' Instructional Practice: Teachers Investigating Adult Numeracy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bingman, Mary Beth; Schmitt, Mary Jane

    2008-01-01

    The authors present the National Science Foundation project, Teachers Investigating Adult Numeracy (TIAN), a collaborative project of the Center for Literacy Studies at the University of Tennessee and the Technical Education Research Centers, Inc. (TERC) in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The project has developed and tested a model for inservice…

  19. Nutritional quality of breakfast and physical activity independently predict the literacy and numeracy scores of children after adjusting for socioeconomic status.

    PubMed

    O'Dea, Jennifer A; Mugridge, Anna C

    2012-12-01

    Health-related behaviors [physical activity (PA), nutritional quality of breakfast and sleep]; personal variables (self-esteem, attitudes to PA and gender) and socioeconomic status (SES) (school SES and parental education), were examined in relation to literacy and numeracy scores of 824 grade 3-7 children. Participants completed a questionnaire, and their national literacy and numeracy test scores were retrieved. Mothers (N = 755) completed a telephone interview. Students of highest school SES, maternal education, nutritional quality of breakfast, more sedentary time and female gender had higher literacy scores. SES, maternal education, male gender and total minutes of daily PA were predictors of numeracy with an interaction between greater total PA in boys and greater numeracy. Even though the socioeconomic factors that have predicted children's academic achievement for many decades are still clearly set in place, there are also other modifiable health influences that affect literacy and numeracy and are independent of SES. The current findings provide evidence for health educators and school administrators who may garner support for both breakfast programs and daily school PA for the dual purposes of health promotion as well as for the improvement of literacy and numeracy in settings in which social class may be acting against the educational interests of disadvantaged children.

  20. Assessment of health literacy and numeracy among Spanish-Speaking parents of young children: validation of the Spanish Parental Health Literacy Activities Test (PHLAT Spanish).

    PubMed

    Yin, H Shonna; Sanders, Lee M; Rothman, Russell L; Mendelsohn, Alan L; Dreyer, Benard P; White, Richard O; Finkle, Joanne P; Prendes, Stefania; Perrin, Eliana M

    2012-01-01

    To assess the health literacy and numeracy skills of Spanish-speaking parents of young children and to validate a new Spanish language health literacy assessment for parents, the Spanish Parental Health Literacy Activities Test (PHLAT Spanish). Cross-sectional study of Spanish-speaking caregivers of young children (<30 months) enrolled at primary care clinics in 4 academic medical centers. Caregivers were administered the 10-item PHLAT in addition to validated tests of health literacy (S-TOFHLA) and numeracy (WRAT-3 Arithmetic). Psychometric analysis was used to examine item characteristics of the PHLAT-10 Spanish, to assess its correlation with sociodemographics and performance on literacy/numeracy assessments, and to generate a shorter 8-item scale (PHLAT-8). Of 176 caregivers, 77% had adequate health literacy (S-TOFHLA), whereas only 0.6% had 9th grade or greater numeracy skills. Mean PHLAT-10 score was 41.6% (SD 21.1). Fewer than one-half (45.5%) were able to read a liquid antibiotic prescription label and demonstrate how much medication to administer within an oral syringe. Less than one-third (31.8%) were able to interpret a food label to determine whether it met WIC (Special supplemental nutrition program for Women, Infants, and Children) guidelines. Greater PHLAT-10 score was associated with greater years of education (r = 0.49), S-TOFHLA (r = 0.53), and WRAT-3 (r = 0.55) scores (P < .001). Internal reliability was good (Kuder-Richardson coefficient of reliability; KR-20 = 0.61). An 8-item scale was highly correlated with the full 10-item scale (r = 0.97, P < .001), with comparable internal reliability (KR-20 = 0.64). Many Spanish-speaking parents have difficulty performing health-related literacy and numeracy tasks. The Spanish PHLAT demonstrates good psychometric characteristics and may be useful for identifying parents who would benefit from receiving low-literacy child health information. Copyright © 2012 Academic Pediatric Association. Published

  1. Vocational Education and Training Literacy and Numeracy. Review of Research.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Watson, Moira; Nicholson, Lindsay; Sharplin, Elaine

    Since the "Kangan Report" (1974), literacy and numeracy (L&N) issues have become an integral component of policy development in Australia's vocational education and training (VET) sector. Debate in the literature is based on competing discourses: functional-economic and social practice. These discourses and globalization of the…

  2. Promotion of Literacy and Numeracy in Pyramid Classrooms in Germany

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kammermeyer, Gisela; Stuck, Andrea; Roux, Susanna

    2016-01-01

    Students' school success in literacy and numeracy is often hampered by limited prerequisites in these domains, yet the effectiveness of different approaches to support students is unclear. Using professional training programmes for kindergarten teachers, we tested the effects of three kindergarten approaches in a quasi-experimental pre- and…

  3. Supporting Self-Improvement in Teaching, Literacy, Language and Numeracy. Tools for Staff Development. Module 5: Integrating Literacy Language and Numeracy into a Range of Contexts

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Basic Skills Agency, 2007

    2007-01-01

    Develop the skills of staff across your organisation to successfully implement an embedded approach to LLN. Unpacking the practical issues involved, this module will help specialist LLN teachers to work effectively with colleagues who teach other subjects, supporting a "whole organisation approach" to developing literacy, language and numeracy.…

  4. Made to Measure: Language, Literacy and Numeracy in TCF [Textile, Clothing, and Footwear] Industry Training. A Guide for Workplace Trainers.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Patterson, Sue

    This guide is designed to help workplace trainers in the textile, clothing, and footwear (TCF) industry to become more aware of the language, literacy, and numeracy demands of training. It is divided into two main sections. Section 1, "Background Information," covers understanding language, literacy, and numeracy; understanding training…

  5. Harnessing the Potential of ICTs: Literacy and Numeracy Programmes Using Radio, TV, Mobile Phones, Tablets and Computers. 2nd Edition

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hanemann, Ulrike, Ed.; Scarpino, Cassandra, Ed.

    2016-01-01

    The UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL) has published a second edition of "Harnessing the Potential of ICTs: Literacy and Numeracy Programmes Using Radio, TV, Mobile Phones, Tablets and Computers." This compilation of case studies from all world regions presents promising literacy and numeracy programmes that use information and…

  6. The Inclusion of Numeracy in Adult Basic Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tout, Dave; Schmitt, Mary Jane

    2002-01-01

    In their chapter on numeracy, the authors begin by exploring the many terms used to describe the learning of mathematics by adults. They discuss the relationship between the terms "mathematics" and "numeracy" and explain why numeracy--making meaning with numbers and mathematical processes--is the term they chose for their…

  7. Numeracy Books for Adult Learners. An Annotated Bibliography.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ciancone, Thomas

    This annotated bibliography profiles 27 print publications about and for adults whose mathematics skills are below the eighth-grade level. Entries describing the following materials are presented: 5 handbooks/guides (including an introduction to numeracy teaching, adult numeracy training pack, and manual for teaching place value); 2 publications…

  8. Adult Language, Literacy, Numeracy and Problem-Solving Skills in the Workplace

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Athanasou, James A.

    2012-01-01

    This paper examines the performance of the eight major occupational categories across the four skill areas of the Adult Literacy and Life Skills Survey. The results indicated that some 38-64% of employed Australians were below minimal competence (at Level 1 or Level 2) in one of the four skill areas of prose literacy, document literacy, numeracy…

  9. Literacy and Numeracy on the Motorway: A Case Study of the Effects of the Inclusion of Literacy and Numeracy Competencies within the Civil Construction Industry Training Package.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kelly, Ann; Searle, Jean

    The effects of the inclusion of literacy and numeracy competencies within Australia's civil construction industry training package were examined in a case study in Queensland. Data were collected through the following activities: interviews with trainers, workplace teachers, and workers; observations of training at an on-site training session on…

  10. Development and validation of a Spanish diabetes-specific numeracy measure: DNT-15 Latino.

    PubMed

    White, Richard O; Osborn, Chandra Y; Gebretsadik, Tebeb; Kripalani, Sunil; Rothman, Russell L

    2011-09-01

    Although deficits in health literacy and numeracy have been described among Latinos, the impact of low numeracy on diabetes outcomes has not been studied. Study objectives were (1) to establish the reliability and validity of a 15-item Spanish, diabetes-specific numeracy measure (Diabetes Numeracy Test [DNT]-15 Latino) and (2) to examine the relationship between diabetes-specific numeracy and diabetes-related outcomes among a sample of Latino adults with diabetes. Data collection included patient demographics, health literacy, general numeracy, diabetes-specific numeracy, acculturation, self-efficacy, self-care behaviors, and most recent glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c). Participants (n=144) were on average 47.8 years old (SD=12.1). The majority were female (62%), uninsured (81%), and of Mexican nationality (78%) and reported low levels of acculturation (96%). The DNT-15 Latino had high internal reliability (Kruder-Richardson 20=0.78). The DNT-15 Latino demonstrated construct validity, correlating with measures of health literacy (ρ=0.291), general numeracy (ρ=0.500), education (ρ=0.361), and income (ρ=0.270) (P<0.001 for each). The DNT-15 Latino was significantly associated with acculturation but unrelated to self-efficacy, self-care behaviors, insulin use, and HbA1c. The DNT-15 Latino is a reliable and valid measure of diabetes-specific numeracy for Latino patients with diabetes; however, additional studies are needed to further explore the association between diabetes-specific numeracy and acculturation and their impact on diabetes-related outcomes for Latinos.

  11. Interactive Whole Class Teaching in the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Smith, Fay; Hardman, Frank; Wall, Kate; Mroz, Maria

    2004-01-01

    The study set out to investigate the impact of the official endorsement of 'interactive whole class teaching' on the interaction and discourse styles of primary teachers while teaching the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies. In both strategies, interactive whole class teaching is seen as an 'active teaching' model promoting high quality…

  12. "Critical Issues, Essential Priorities." Conference Papers. Australian Council for Adult Literacy National Conference (18th, Bundoora, Victoria, November 23-25, 1995).

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Palfreeman, Annabel, Ed.

    These proceedings contain the following papers: "Linking Industry Training with Language and Literacy" (Cassandra Parkinson); "Numeracy: Essential and a Priority? An ANT's (Adult Numeracy Teacher's) Journey" (Dave Tout); "Teaching, Learning and Assessment: An Essential Symbiosis" (David Clarke); "The Politics of…

  13. Improving health literacy through adult basic education in Australia.

    PubMed

    Morony, Suzanne; Lamph, Emma; Muscat, Danielle; Nutbeam, Don; Dhillon, Haryana M; Shepherd, Heather; Smith, Sian; Khan, Aisha; Osborne, Julie; Meshreky, Wedyan; Luxford, Karen; Hayen, Andrew; McCaffery, Kirsten J

    2017-05-25

    Adults with low literacy are less empowered to take care of their health, have poorer health outcomes and higher healthcare costs. We facilitated partnerships between adult literacy teachers and community health providers to deliver a health literacy training program in adult basic education classrooms. Following course completion we interviewed 19 adult education teachers (15 delivering the health literacy program; 4 delivering standard literacy classes) and four community health providers (CHPs) about their experiences, and analysed transcripts using Framework analysis. Written feedback from eight teachers on specific course content was added to the Framework. Health literacy teachers reported a noticeable improvement in their student's health behaviours, confidence, vocabulary to communicate about health, understanding of the health system and language, literacy and numeracy skills. CHP participation was perceived by teachers and CHPs as very successful, with teachers and CHPs reporting they complemented each other's skills. The logistics of coordinating CHPs within the constraints of the adult education setting was a significant obstacle to CHP participation. This study adds to existing evidence that health is an engaging topic for adult learners, and health literacy can be successfully implemented in an adult basic learning curriculum to empower learners to better manage their health. Health workers can deliver targeted health messages in this environment, and introduce local health services. Investment in adult literacy programs teaching health content has potential both to meet the goals of adult language and literacy programs and deliver health benefit in vulnerable populations. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  14. Beyond Literacy: Non-Formal Education Programmes for Adults in Mozambique

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    van der Linden, Josje; Manuel, Alzira Munguambe

    2011-01-01

    Thirty-five years after independence the Mozambican illiteracy rate has been reduced from 93% to just over 50% according to official statistics. Although this indicates an enormous achievement in the area of education, the challenge of today still is to design appropriate adult basic education programmes including literacy, numeracy and life…

  15. The Case for Measuring Adults' Numeracy Practices

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Coben, Diana; Alkema, Anne

    2017-01-01

    In this article, we make the case for the development of a numeracy practices measure in the light of a review of relevant research and extant measures. We argue that a numeracy practices measure would acknowledge and validate adult learners' practice gains and inform teaching geared to their circumstances, needs and interests.

  16. Time Well Spent: Making Choices and Setting Priorities in Adult Numeracy Instruction

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Braaten, Melissa

    2017-01-01

    In her Forum piece, "What's an Adult Numeracy Teacher to Teach? Negotiating the Complexity of Adult Numeracy Instruction," Lynda Ginsburg set the stage of the current problem (poor numeracy levels in American adults) and the bevy of standards, legislation, and new exams that have recently been developed to address it. Ginsburg also…

  17. Literacy and Numeracy Skills and Their Use by the Australian Workforce

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ryan, Chris; Sinning, Mathias

    2009-01-01

    Australia's ageing population has led to a focus on keeping workers in the labour market longer. This paper summarises the findings from the first year of a three-year research program investigating the role of vocational education and training (VET) for older workers. Examining the use of literacy and numeracy skills by older workers and how this…

  18. Bridging the Digital Divide in Diabetes: Family Support and Implications for Health Literacy

    PubMed Central

    Mayberry, Lindsay S.; Kripalani, Sunil; Rothman, Russell L.

    2011-01-01

    Abstract Background Patient web portals (PWPs) offer patients remote access to their medical record and communication with providers. Adults with health literacy limitations are less likely to access and use health information technology (HIT), including PWPs. In diabetes, PWP use has been associated with patient satisfaction, patient–provider communication, and glycemic control. Methods Using mixed methods, we explored the relationships between health literacy, numeracy, and computer literacy and the usage of a PWP and HIT. Participants (N=61 adults with type 2 diabetes) attended focus groups and completed surveys, including measures of health literacy, numeracy, and computer anxiety (an indicator of computer literacy) and frequency of PWP and HIT use. Results Computer literacy was positively associated with health literacy (r=0.41, P<0.001) and numeracy (r=0.35, P<0.001), but health literacy was not associated with numeracy. Participants with limited health literacy (23%), numeracy (43%), or computer literacy (25%) were no less likely to access PWPs or HIT, but lower health literacy was associated with less frequent use of a computer to research diabetes medications or treatments. In focus groups, participants spontaneously commented on family support when accessing and using PWPs or HIT for diabetes management. Conclusions Participants reported family members facilitated access and usage of HIT, taught them usage skills, and acted as online delegates. Participant statements suggest family members may bridge the HIT “digital divide” in diabetes by helping adults access a PWP or HIT for diabetes management. PMID:21718098

  19. Functional literacy of Young Guyanese Adults

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jennings, Zellyne

    2000-05-01

    Functional literacy is interpreted as the ability of the individual to apply skills in reading, writing, calculation and basic problem-solving in those activities in which literacy is required for effective functioning in his/her own group and community. The paper describes the rationale, development and administration of the test used for measuring levels (high, moderate, low) of achievement in functional literacy in three domains (document, prose and quantitative). An assumption of the study was that a high level of functional literacy was required for the individual to function effectively in his/her own group and community. The context of the study is Guyana the most underdeveloped and impoverished country in the English-speaking Caribbean. The subjects are out of school youth in Guyana aged 14-25. Amongst the main findings are: only approximately 11% of the young people show a high level of functional literacy; females tend to have a higher level of functional literacy than males: and most of those at the low level never went beyond primary and low status secondary schools and usually end up unemployed or in semi- or unskilled jobs. Attention is drawn to the difficulty of attracting funding for literacy programmes from international aid agencies, given the inflated adult literacy rate which is reported for Guyana in international statistics. While they credit Guyana with an adult literacy rate of 97.5%, the study suggests that a more realistic figure is in the 70s. The importance of adult and continuing education is underscored in view of the need to help those who are out of school to meet the ever-changing demands of society for improved skills in literacy and numeracy.

  20. The role of numeracy on client knowledge in BRCA genetic counseling.

    PubMed

    Portnoy, David B; Roter, Debra; Erby, Lori H

    2010-10-01

    To assess the impact of numeracy and health literacy on client's ability to learn information orally communicated during a BRCA 1/2 genetic counseling session. Fifty-nine videotaped simulated genetic counseling sessions were shown to 246 analogue clients (AC) recruited to imagine themselves as the client in the genetic counseling session. AC numeracy, genetic literacy, state and trait anxiety, and decisional conflict were assessed. The primary outcome was AC learning about BRCA 1/2. Health literacy and numeracy were moderately correlated, and each independently predicted learning. Higher numeracy was associated with higher knowledge scores only among ACs with adequate literacy. Decisional conflict was not related to literacy, numeracy, or knowledge acquisition. It was, however, inversely related to state anxiety so that the higher post-session state anxiety, the lower the AC's decisional conflict. Numeracy and health literacy are associated with learning of orally communicated information during genetic counseling. It appears that numeracy can facilitate learning for literate subjects; it does not, however, make any difference in learning ability of clients with significant literacy deficits. Numeracy plays an important role in client's ability to learn information communicated during medical sessions, especially among clients who are otherwise regarded as literate. (c) 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. The Numeracy Workbook.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ross, Linda

    This workbook is intended for students at beginner and post-beginner levels of numeracy, especially those with limited literacy skills. It takes a thematic approach to numeracy learning with everyday topics like shopping, banking, transport, and sport. Number, space measurement, and graphic texts are covered in context, through sequential…

  2. Literacy and Numeracy in Victorian Schools: 1988. Report of a Study Commissioned by the Victorian Ministry of Education. ACER Research Monograph No. 34.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McGaw, Barry; And Others

    Most of the criticism of Australian schools focuses on students' skills in literacy and numeracy. This study assessed levels of student achievement in Victoria's primary and secondary schools in 1988 in some key areas of literacy and numeracy. This report maps the performances of students in Years 5 and 9 on scales of development in mathematics,…

  3. Evaluation of an Australian health literacy training program for socially disadvantaged adults attending basic education classes: study protocol for a cluster randomised controlled trial.

    PubMed

    McCaffery, Kirsten J; Morony, Suzanne; Muscat, Danielle M; Smith, Sian K; Shepherd, Heather L; Dhillon, Haryana M; Hayen, Andrew; Luxford, Karen; Meshreky, Wedyan; Comings, John; Nutbeam, Don

    2016-05-27

    People with low literacy and low health literacy have poorer health outcomes. Literacy and health literacy are distinct but overlapping constructs that impact wellbeing. Interventions that target both could improve health outcomes. This is a cluster randomised controlled trial with a qualitative component. Participants are 300 adults enrolled in basic language, literacy and numeracy programs at adult education colleges across New South Wales, Australia. Each adult education institute (regional administrative centre) contributes (at least) two classes matched for student demographics, which may be at the same or different campuses. Classes (clusters) are randomly allocated to receive either the health literacy intervention (an 18-week program with health knowledge and skills embedded in language, literacy, and numeracy training (LLN)), or the standard Language Literacy and Numeracy (LLN) program (usual LLN classes, specifically excluding health content). The primary outcome is functional health literacy skills - knowing how to use a thermometer, and read and interpret food and medicine labels. The secondary outcomes are self-reported confidence, more advanced health literacy skills; shared decision making skills, patient activation, health knowledge and self-reported health behaviour. Data is collected at baseline, and immediately and 6 months post intervention. A sample of participating teachers, students, and community health workers will be interviewed in-depth about their experiences with the program to better understand implementation issues and to strengthen the potential for scaling up the program. Outcomes will provide evidence regarding real-world implementation of a health literacy training program with health worker involvement in an Australian adult education setting. The evaluation trial will provide insight into translating and scaling up health literacy education for vulnerable populations with low literacy. Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials

  4. Exploring Literacy and Numeracy Teaching in Tanzanian Classrooms: Insights from Teachers' Classroom Practices

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mmasa, Mussa; Anney, Vicent Naano

    2016-01-01

    The study investigated the literacy teaching practices in Tanzanian classrooms in the provision of Primary education. It comprehensively assessed why primary school leavers are graduating without skills of reading, writing and numeracy competencies. Three objectives guided this study, first, was to explore teachers classroom practices in the…

  5. The Numeracies of Boatbuilding: New Numeracies Shaped by Workplace Technologies

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Zevenbergen, Robyn; Zevenbergen, Kelly

    2009-01-01

    Within increasing pressure on young people to perform successfully in work, there is a growing concern regarding their levels of numeracy (and literacy). Whether such concerns are founded is the basis of this paper. This paper reports on the numeracy practices undertaken by three young boatbuilders who were nearing the completion of their 4-year…

  6. Tackling Student Literacy and Numeracy Underpreparedness in Ontario Colleges: Access, Quality and Funding

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dziwak, Kasia

    2014-01-01

    As more students enter postsecondary education without the numeracy and literacy skills necessary for success, Ontario colleges are facing a challenge. While enrolment-based funding drives the colleges to seek growth to ensure financial stability, the quality assurance mechanism leads them to divert millions of dollars from their operating budgets…

  7. Towards an understanding of the relationship of functional literacy and numeracy to geographical health inequalities.

    PubMed

    Moon, Graham; Aitken, Grant; Roderick, Paul; Fraser, Simon; Rowlands, Gill

    2015-10-01

    The relative contributions of functional literacy and functional numeracy to health disparities remain poorly understood in developed world contexts. We seek to unpack their distinctive contributions and to examine how these contributions are framed by place-based deprivation and rurality. We present a multilevel logistic analysis of the 2011 Skills for Life Survey (SfLS), a representative governmental survey of adults aged 16-65 in England. Outcome measures were self-assessed health status and the presence of self-reported long-term health conditions. Exposure variables were functional literacy (FL) and functional numeracy (FN). Age, sex, individual socio-economic status, ethnicity, whether English was a first language, non-UK birthplaces, housing tenure and geography were included as potential confounders and mediators. Geography was measured as area-based deprivation and urban/rural status. FL and FN were both independently associated with self-assessed health status, though the association attenuated after taking account of confounders and mediators. For long-term conditions, the association with FN remained significant following inclusion of confounders and mediators whilst FL attenuated to non-significance. Rurality did not influence these associations. Area deprivation was a significant factor in attenuating the association between FL and self-assessed health status. Policy makers and health professionals will need to be aware of the distinctive impact of FN as well as FL when combating health inequalities, promoting health and managing long-term conditions. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. The Interaction of Economic Livelihood Strategies and Literacy and Numeracy Practices of Urban Gambian Women with Low Educational Attainments

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Njie, Haddy

    2016-01-01

    This paper is based on eight months of ethnographic fieldwork in the periphery of Banjul, the capital of The Gambia. It explores relations between the gender roles of women with modest educational achievement and their uses of literacy and numeracy. The paper applied New Literacy Studies theoretical framework of literacy as a "social…

  9. Improving numeracy through values affirmation enhances decision and STEM outcomes

    PubMed Central

    Peters, Ellen; Tompkins, Mary Kate; Schley, Dan; Meilleur, Louise; Sinayev, Aleksander; Tusler, Martin; Wagner, Laura; Crocker, Jennifer

    2017-01-01

    Greater numeracy has been correlated with better health and financial outcomes in past studies, but causal effects in adults are unknown. In a 9-week longitudinal study, undergraduate students, all taking a psychology statistics course, were randomly assigned to a control condition or a values-affirmation manipulation intended to improve numeracy. By the final week in the course, the numeracy intervention (statistics-course enrollment combined with values affirmation) enhanced objective numeracy, subjective numeracy, and two decision-related outcomes (financial literacy and health-related behaviors). It also showed positive indirect-only effects on financial outcomes and a series of STEM-related outcomes (course grades, intentions to take more math-intensive courses, later math-intensive courses taken based on academic transcripts). All decision and STEM-related outcome effects were mediated by the changes in objective and/or subjective numeracy and demonstrated similar and robust enhancements. Improvements to abstract numeric reasoning can improve everyday outcomes. PMID:28704410

  10. Pedagogy or Politics?: Cyclical Trends in Literacy and Numeracy in Ireland and Beyond

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Breacháin, Annie Ó; O'Toole, Leah

    2013-01-01

    In 1999, the primary curriculum was published in Ireland, with emphases on "breadth and balance", recognition of the role of language and the arts and commitment to each child's potential and holistic development. In 2011, the Irish government published a strategy aimed to improve standards of literacy and numeracy among children and…

  11. What Makes "Good" Literacy and Numeracy Provision? Case Study Research of Regional Australia.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Guenther, John

    The question of what makes 'good' literacy and numeracy provision was examined by reviewing interview data from a project on the role of vocational education and training that was conducted by the University of Tasmania's Centre for Research and Learning in Regional Australia. The study dataset included the findings from 541 structured interviews…

  12. Role of Parent Literacy and Numeracy Expectations and Activities in Predicting Early Numeracy Skills

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Segers, Eliane; Kleemans, Tijs; Verhoeven, Ludo

    2015-01-01

    The home numeracy environment (i.e., parents' numeracy expectations and activities), is related to early numeracy in young children. As recent studies have shown that both cognitive and linguistic factors play an important role in predicting numeracy development, it may be assumed that rather than the home "numeracy" environment, the…

  13. Literacy Trails: A Whole-of-Community Program to Encourage Literacy and Numeracy Awareness for Children in Preschool and Early Primary

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ollerenshaw, Alison

    2012-01-01

    This article describes the evaluation outcomes of an innovative, community based educational initiative to enhance and promote the awareness of literacy and numeracy in young children in two regional communities in Moorabool Shire, Victoria. With the support of committed educational and community partners (through the Moorabool Best Start…

  14. What are standardized literacy and numeracy tests testing? Evidence of the domain-general contributions to students' standardized educational test performance.

    PubMed

    Howard, Steven J; Woodcock, Stuart; Ehrich, John; Bokosmaty, Sahar

    2017-03-01

    A fundamental aim of standardized educational assessment is to achieve reliable discrimination between students differing in the knowledge, skills and abilities assessed. However, questions of the purity with which these tests index students' genuine abilities have arisen. Specifically, literacy and numeracy assessments may also engage unintentionally assessed capacities. The current study investigated the extent to which domain-general processes - working memory (WM) and non-verbal reasoning - contribute to students' standardized test performance and the pathway(s) through which they exert this influence. Participants were 91 Grade 2 students recruited from five regional and metropolitan primary schools in Australia. Participants completed measures of WM and non-verbal reasoning, as well as literacy and numeracy subtests of a national standardized educational assessment. Path analysis of Rasch-derived ability estimates and residuals with domain-general cognitive abilities indicated: (1) a consistent indirect pathway from WM to literacy and numeracy ability, through non-verbal reasoning; (2) direct paths from phonological WM and literacy ability to numeracy ability estimates; and (3) a direct path from WM to spelling test residuals. Results suggest that the constitution of this nationwide standardized assessment confounded non-targeted abilities with those that were the target of assessment. This appears to extend beyond the effect of WM on learning more generally, to the demands of different assessment types and methods. This has implications for students' abilities to demonstrate genuine competency in assessed areas and the educational supports and provisions they are provided on the basis of these results. © 2016 The British Psychological Society.

  15. Literacy and Numeracy among Job Corps Students: Opportunities for Targeted Academic Infusion in CTE

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mellard, Daryl F.; Woods, Kari L.; Desa, Deana Md.

    2012-01-01

    High literacy and numeracy demands in career and technical education (CTE) compared to low skill levels among many students prompted calls for academic infusion into training curricula. Research on CTE academic curriculum integration implicitly assumes that students' reading and math skills are like those described by models of typical academic…

  16. Validation of a combined health literacy and numeracy instrument for patients with type 2 diabetes.

    PubMed

    Luo, Huabin; Patil, Shivajirao P; Wu, Qiang; Bell, Ronny A; Cummings, Doyle M; Adams, Alyssa D; Hambidge, Bertha; Craven, Kay; Gao, Fei

    2018-05-20

    This study aimed to validate a new consolidated measure of health literacy and numeracy (health literacy scale [HLS] plus the subjective numeracy scale [SNS]) in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM). A convenience sample (N = 102) of patients with T2DM was recruited from an academic family medicine center in the southeastern US between September-December 2017. Participants completed a questionnaire that included the composite HLS/SNS (22 questions) and a commonly used objective measure of health literacy-S-TOFHLA (40 questions). Internal reliability of the HLS/SNS was assessed using Cronbach's alpha. Criterion and construct validity was assessed against the S-TOFHLA. The composite HLS/SNS had good internal reliability (Cronbach's alpha = 0.83). A confirmatory factor analysis revealed there were four factors in the new instrument. Model fit indices showed good model-data fit (RMSEA = 0.08). The Spearman's rank order correlation coefficient between the HLS/SNS and the S-TOFHLA was 0.45 (p < 0.01). Our study suggests that the composite HLS/SNS is a reliable, valid instrument. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  17. Family Support for Early Literacy and Numeracy: Examining Events in the Home and Community

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kennedy, Anne

    2010-01-01

    Early childhood educators often make assumptions about the nature of families' understandings and what they do at home to support their young children's literacy and numeracy development and learning. Sometimes educator's have a limited understanding of children's every day experiences at home or in their community and the potential for these to…

  18. Numeracy across the Curriculum

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Goos, Merrilyn; Dole, Shelley; Geiger, Vince

    2012-01-01

    The purpose of this article is to explain the authors' model of numeracy and outline how the project was conducted. The idea of numeracy is a relatively recent one. The term was first introduced in the UK by the "Crowther Report" (Ministry of Education, 1959) and was defined as the mirror image of literacy, but involving quantitative…

  19. Early Literacy Programme as Support for Immigrant Children and as Transfer to Early Numeracy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Korat, Ofra; Gitait, Aviva; Bergman Deitcher, Deborah; Mevarech, Zmira

    2017-01-01

    We researched the efficacy of an early literacy programme in enhancing immigrant children's phonological awareness (PA) and print knowledge, including transferring learning to numeracy. Participants were 294 Ethiopian-born immigrant children in Israel at kindergarten age and one of their parents. Parent-child dyads were randomly selected to…

  20. The multiple subfunctions of attention: differential developmental gateways to literacy and numeracy.

    PubMed

    Steele, Ann; Karmiloff-Smith, Annette; Cornish, Kim; Scerif, Gaia

    2012-11-01

    Attention is construed as multicomponential, but the roles of its distinct subfunctions in shaping the broader developing cognitive landscape are poorly understood. The current study assessed 3- to 6-year-olds (N=83) to: (a) trace developmental trajectories of attentional processes and their structure in early childhood and (b) measure the impact of distinct attention subfunctions on concurrent and longitudinal abilities related to literacy and numeracy. Distinct trajectories across attention measures revealed the emergence of 2 attentional factors, encompassing "executive" and "sustained-selective" processes. Executive attention predicted concurrent abilities across domains at Time 1, whereas sustained-selective attention predicted basic numeracy 1 year later. These concurrent and longitudinal constraints cast a broader light on the unfolding relations between domain-general and domain-specific processes over early childhood. © 2012 The Authors. Child Development © 2012 Society for Research in Child Development, Inc.

  1. Seeing and Hearing: Examining Production Workers' Literacy and Numeracy Practices in a Context of Crisis

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Brown, Tony; Yasukawa, Keiko; Black, Stephen

    2014-01-01

    A policy consensus has emerged in Australia that there is a workforce literacy and numeracy crisis, similar to many other Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development countries. The study informing this paper examined this framing of crisis by interviewing and observing production workers in three manufacturing companies. Each company was…

  2. The Impact of Village-Based Kindergarten on Early Literacy, Numeracy, and School Attendance in Solomon Islands

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lee-Hammond, Libby; McConney, Andrew

    2017-01-01

    This research, a collaboration of an international aid organisation, an institute of higher education, and an external evaluation consultant, assesses the early literacy, numeracy, and school attendance outcomes resulting from an early childhood development programme undertaken in several villages in the province of Makira, Solomon Islands. The…

  3. Emergent, Self-Directed, and Self-Organized Learning: Literacy, Numeracy, and the iPod Touch

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ricci, Carlo

    2011-01-01

    This paper uses narrative and storying to retell how two girls ages 5 and 7 continue to make use of an iPod touch to expand their literacy and numeracy. The paper explores the stopwatch and alarm features within the clock application, as well as the weather application, and the Internet browsing capability of the iPod touch. It also explores some…

  4. Language, Literacy and Numeracy in National Training Packages: Case Studies in Aged Care and Hospitality.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Haines, Christine; Brand, Jennie Bickmore

    The implementation and effectiveness of the inclusion of literacy and numeracy in industry training packages was examined in case studies of three programs in Western Australia. Two were certificate programs in cooking and food and beverage as specified in the hospitality training package, and the third was an aged care program based on the…

  5. Literacy and Numeracy Needs and Priorities: A Case Study of Regional TAFE Courses in Western Australia.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chapman, Anne; Pyvis, David

    Rural Technical and Further Education (TAFE) students making the transition from rural and remote areas of Australia to urban university environments are likely to face educational challenges. Different understandings of literacy and numeracy held by the TAFE and tertiary sectors intensify these challenges. Case studies of four Western Australia…

  6. 1993/94 Literacy Community Planning Process (LCPP) Profile Analysis.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ontario Training and Adjustment Board, Toronto.

    The Literacy Community Planning Process (LCPP) was intended to assist Ontario communities in comprehensive planning to meet the needs of adult learners requiring training in basic literacy and numeracy. In the first phase, 59 local LCPP committees and 4 literacy networks submitted community profiles to the Literacy Section of the Ontario Training…

  7. The Mastery of Literacy and Numeracy, Final Report; Australian Studies in School Performance, Volume III.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bourke, S. F.; Keeves, J. P.

    This publication reports the results of an Australia-wide investigation of the literacy and numeracy skill attainment of children aged 10 and 14. The chapters present an overview and summary of the study and discuss children in special schools and special classes, the use of the mastery approach in the investigation, the mastery of reading and…

  8. Production Workers' Literacy and Numeracy Practices: Using Cultural-Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) as an Analytical Tool

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Yasukawa, Keiko; Brown, Tony; Black, Stephen

    2013-01-01

    Public policy discourses claim that there is a "crisis" in the literacy and numeracy levels of the Australian workforce. In this paper, we propose a methodology for examining this "crisis" from a critical perspective. We draw on findings from an ongoing research project by the authors which investigates production workers'…

  9. The Effects of Post-Compulsory Education and Training Systems on Literacy and Numeracy Skills: A Comparative Analysis Using PISA 2000 and the 2011 Survey of Adult Skills

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pensiero, Nicola; Green, Andy

    2018-01-01

    This article analyses the contribution of post-compulsory education and training systems to the development of literacy and numeracy skills across OECD countries. While there is extensive cross-country comparative research on the effects of primary and lower secondary education systems on aggregate skills levels, there has been little comparative…

  10. Development and Validation of the Spanish Numeracy Understanding in Medicine Instrument.

    PubMed

    Jacobs, Elizabeth A; Walker, Cindy M; Miller, Tamara; Fletcher, Kathlyn E; Ganschow, Pamela S; Imbert, Diana; O'Connell, Maria; Neuner, Joan M; Schapira, Marilyn M

    2016-11-01

    The Spanish-speaking population in the U.S. is large and growing and is known to have lower health literacy than the English-speaking population. Less is known about the health numeracy of this population due to a lack of health numeracy measures in Spanish. we aimed to develop and validate a short and easy to use measure of health numeracy for Spanish-speaking adults: the Spanish Numeracy Understanding in Medicine Instrument (Spanish-NUMi). Items were generated based on qualitative studies in English- and Spanish-speaking adults and translated into Spanish using a group translation and consensus process. Candidate items for the Spanish NUMi were selected from an eight-item validated English Short NUMi. Differential Item Functioning (DIF) was conducted to evaluate equivalence between English and Spanish items. Cronbach's alpha was computed as a measure of reliability and a Pearson's correlation was used to evaluate the association between test scores and the Spanish Test of Functional Health Literacy (S-TOFHLA) and education level. Two-hundred and thirty-two Spanish-speaking Chicago residents were included in the study. The study population was diverse in age, gender, and level of education and 70 % reported Mexico as their country of origin. Two items of the English eight-item Short NUMi demonstrated DIF and were dropped. The resulting six-item test had a Cronbach's alpha of 0.72, a range of difficulty using classical test statistics (percent correct: 0.48 to 0.86), and adequate discrimination (item-total score correlation: 0.34-0.49). Scores were positively correlated with print literacy as measured by the S- TOFHLA (r = 0.67; p < 0.001) and varied as predicted across grade level; mean scores for up to eighth grade, ninth through twelfth grade, and some college experience or more, respectively, were 2.48 (SD ± 1.64), 4.15 (SD ± 1.45), and 4.82 (SD ± 0.37). The Spanish NUMi is a reliable and valid measure of important numerical concepts

  11. What Can Other Areas Teach Us about Numeracy?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ferme, Elizabeth

    2014-01-01

    Education professionals, regardless of their specialist area, are broadly aware of the importance of numeracy. Internationally, definitions of numeracy (known elsewhere as mathematical literacy or quantitative reasoning), describe "an individual's capacity to formulate, employ and interpret mathematics in a variety of contexts... reasoning…

  12. The Nutrition Literacy Assessment Instrument is a Valid and Reliable Measure of Nutrition Literacy in Adults with Chronic Disease.

    PubMed

    Gibbs, Heather D; Ellerbeck, Edward F; Gajewski, Byron; Zhang, Chuanwu; Sullivan, Debra K

    2018-03-01

    To test the reliability and validity of the Nutrition Literacy Assessment Instrument (NLit) in adult primary care and identify the relationship between nutrition literacy and diet quality. This instrument validation study included a cross-sectional sample participating in up to 2 visits 1 month apart. A total of 429 adults with nutrition-related chronic disease were recruited from clinics and a patient registry affiliated with a Midwestern university medical center. Nutrition literacy was measured by the NLit, which was composed of 6 subscales: nutrition and health, energy sources in food, food label and numeracy, household food measurement, food groups, and consumer skills. Diet quality was measured by Healthy Eating Index-2010 with nutrient data from Diet History Questionnaire II surveys. The researchers measured factor validity and reliability by using binary confirmatory factor analysis; test-retest reliability was measured by Pearson r and the intraclass correlation coefficient, and relationships between nutrition literacy and diet quality were analyzed by linear regression. The NLit demonstrated substantial factor validity and reliability (0.97; confidence interval, 0.96-0.98) and test-retest reliability (0.88; confidence interval, 0.85-0.90). Nutrition literacy was the most significant predictor of diet quality (β = .17; multivariate coefficient = 0.10; P < .001). The NLit is a valid and reliable tool for measuring nutrition literacy in adult primary care patients. Copyright © 2017 Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  13. Documenting the Early Literacy and Numeracy Practices of Home Tutors in Distance and Isolated Education in Australia

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lee, Libby; Wilks, Anne

    2007-01-01

    This paper reports aspects of a large-scale project conducted in rural and remote regions of Australia. The study was designed to assess teaching and learning practices in early childhood programs with a particular focus on literacy, numeracy and the use of information and communication technologies. Programs had been specifically designed for use…

  14. Ways forward with ICT: Effective Pedagogy Using Information and Communications Technology for Literacy and Numeracy in Primary Schools.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Moseley, David; Higgins, Steve; Bramald, Rod; Hardman, Frank; Miller, Jen; Mroz, Maria; Tse, Harrison; Newton, Doug; Thompson, Ian; Williamson, John; Halligan, Jean; Bramald, Sarah; Newton, Lynne; Tymms, Peter; Henderson, Brian; Stout, Jane

    This report reviews and summarizes the findings of a research and development project investigating effective pedagogy using Information and Communications Technology (ICT) in literacy and numeracy in primary schools in Great Britain. It also provides information about the main stages of the research process and the model of teaching and learning…

  15. The Impact of Literacy, Numeracy and Computer Skills on Earnings and Employment Outcomes. OECD Education Working Papers, No. 129

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lane, Marguerita; Conlon, Gavan

    2016-01-01

    Using the 2012 PIAAC data, our analysis confirms that there are significantly higher earnings and employment returns to "both" increasing levels of formally recognised education, and to increasing levels of numeracy, literacy and information and communication technologies (ICT) skills proficiencies controlling for the level of education.…

  16. "But Pasta Is Pasta, It Is All the Same": The Language, Literacy and Numeracy Challenges of Supermarket Work

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hastwell, Kim; Strauss, Pat; Kell, Catherine

    2013-01-01

    This paper reports on an ethnographically based study of entry level supermarket work. The study, carried out in a large suburban supermarket in Auckland, New Zealand, focused on the literacy and numeracy practices of supermarket assistants, all who had English as an additional language. It found that skills such as oral communication, personal…

  17. Oranges Aren't the Only Fruit. Ask a Gardner: Some Implications of the National Literacy and Numeracy Stategies

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Byard, Kevin

    2004-01-01

    The introduction of the National Literacy and Numeracy strategies in U.K. schools is discussed in the light of Howard Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences. Although the core curriculum is evidently important, it is argued that the introduction of the national strategies has created a possible over-emphasis in these subjects at the expense of…

  18. Financial Literacy and Family Learning--Tutor Resources. Financial Literacy in Context

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Basic Skills Agency, 2008

    2008-01-01

    This publication contains a series of sessions developed and used by Newcastle City Council Family Learning Service and now published to share practice. The sessions were developed specifically to support "Skills for Life" tutors to deliver the adult literacy and numeracy curricula but can also be used by other practitioners. There are…

  19. The Role of Child Interests and Collaborative Parent-Child Interactions in Fostering Numeracy and Literacy Development in Canadian Homes

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lukie, Ivanna K.; Skwarchuk, Sheri-Lynn; LeFevre, Jo-Anne; Sowinski, Carla

    2014-01-01

    Children's involvement in home literacy and numeracy activities has been linked to school achievement, but the subtleties in the home environment responsible for these gains have yet to be thoroughly investigated. The purpose of this study was to determine how children's interests and collaborative parent-child interactions affect exposure to home…

  20. What Are Standardized Literacy and Numeracy Tests Testing? Evidence of the Domain-General Contributions to Students' Standardized Educational Test Performance

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Howard, Steven J.; Woodcock, Stuart; Ehrich, John; Bokosmaty, Sahar

    2017-01-01

    Background: A fundamental aim of standardized educational assessment is to achieve reliable discrimination between students differing in the knowledge, skills and abilities assessed. However, questions of the purity with which these tests index students' genuine abilities have arisen. Specifically, literacy and numeracy assessments may also engage…

  1. The Evolvement of Numeracy and Mathematical Literacy Curricula and the Construction of Hierarchies of Numerate or Mathematically Literate Subjects

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jablonka, Eva

    2015-01-01

    This contribution briefly sketches the evolvement of numeracy or mathematical literacy as models for mathematics curricula, which will be described as driven by a weakening of the insulation between discourses, that is, as a process of "declassification". The question then arises as to whether and how coherence of new forms of initially…

  2. Health numeracy: the importance of domain in assessing numeracy.

    PubMed

    Levy, Helen; Ubel, Peter A; Dillard, Amanda J; Weir, David R; Fagerlin, Angela

    2014-01-01

    Existing research concludes that measures of general numeracy can be used to predict individuals' ability to assess health risks. We posit that the domain in which questions are posed affects the ability to perform mathematical tasks, raising the possibility of a separate construct of "health numeracy" that is distinct from general numeracy. The objective was to determine whether older adults' ability to perform simple math depends on domain. Community-based participants completed 4 math questions posed in 3 different domains: a health domain, a financial domain, and a pure math domain. Participants were 962 individuals aged 55 and older, representative of the community-dwelling US population over age 54. We found that respondents performed significantly worse when questions were posed in the health domain (54% correct) than in either the pure math domain (66% correct) or the financial domain (63% correct). Our experimental measure of numeracy consisted of only 4 questions, and it is possible that the apparent effect of domain is specific to the mathematical tasks that these questions require. These results suggest that health numeracy is strongly related to general numeracy but that the 2 constructs may not be the same. Further research is needed into how different aspects of general numeracy and health numeracy translate into actual medical decisions.

  3. Getting the Message Across: Language, Literacy and Numeracy in Tourism and Hospitality Industry Training. A Guide for Workplace Trainers.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Roddan, Tanya

    This kit of training strategies and case studies is designed to help trainers to become more successful with their communication and training in the tourism and hospitality industry and to train employees with low language, literacy, and numeracy skills more effectively and efficiently. It is intended for trainers who do some on-the-job skills…

  4. Update on Health Literacy and Diabetes

    PubMed Central

    Bailey, Stacy Cooper; Brega, Angela G.; Crutchfield, Trisha M.; Elasy, Tom; Herr, Haley; Kaphingst, Kimberly; Karter, Andrew J.; Moreland-Russell, Sarah; Osborn, Chandra Y.; Pignone, Michael; Rothman, Russell; Schillinger, Dean

    2014-01-01

    Purpose Inadequate literacy is common among patients with diabetes and may lead to adverse outcomes. We reviewed the relationship between literacy and health outcomes in patients with diabetes and potential interventions to improve such outcomes. Methods We reviewed 79 articles covering three key domains: 1) evaluation of screening tools to identify inadequate literacy and numeracy; 2) the relationships of a range of diabetes-related health outcomes with literacy and numeracy; and 3) interventions to reduce literacy-related differences in health outcomes. Results Several screening tools are available to assess patients' print literacy and numeracy skills, some of which specifically address diabetes. Literacy and numeracy are consistently associated with diabetes-related knowledge. Some studies suggest literacy and numeracy are associated with intermediate outcomes, including self-efficacy, communication, and self-care (including adherence), but the relationship between literacy and glycemic control is mixed. Few studies have assessed more distal health outcomes, including diabetes-related complications, health care utilization, safety, or quality of life, but available studies suggest low literacy may be associated with an increased risk of complications, including hypoglycemia. Several interventions appear effective in improving diabetes-related outcomes regardless of literacy status, but it is unclear if these interventions can reduce literacy-related differences in outcomes. Conclusions Low literacy is associated with less diabetes-related knowledge and may be related to other important health outcomes. Further studies are needed to better elucidate pathways by which literacy skills affect health outcomes. Promising interventions are available to improve diabetes outcomes for patients with low literacy, but more research is needed to determine their effectiveness outside of research settings. PMID:24947871

  5. A health care navigation tool assesses asthma self-management and health literacy.

    PubMed

    Perez, Luzmercy; Morales, Knashawn H; Klusaritz, Heather; Han, Xiaoyan; Huang, Jingru; Rogers, Marisa; Bennett, Ian M; Rand, Cynthia S; Ndicu, Grace; Apter, Andrea J

    2016-12-01

    Self-management of moderate-to-severe asthma depends on the patient's ability to (1) navigate (access health care to obtain diagnoses and treatment), (2) use inhaled corticosteroids (ICSs) properly, and (3) understand ICS function. We sought to test whether navigation skills (medication recall, knowledge of copay requirements, and ability to provide information needed for a medical visit about a persistent cough unresponsive to medication) are related to other self-management skills and health literacy. A 21-item Navigating Ability (NAV2) questionnaire was developed, validated, and then read to adults with moderate-to-severe asthma. ICS technique was evaluated by using scales derived from instructions in national guidelines; knowledge of ICS function was evaluated by using a validated 10-item questionnaire. Spearman correlation was computed between NAV2 score and these questionnaires and with numeracy (Asthma Numeracy Questionnaire) and print literacy (Short Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults). Two hundred fifty adults participated: age, 51 ± 13 years; 72% female; 65% African American; 10% Latino; 50% with household income of less than $30,000/y; 47% with no more than a 12th-grade education; and 29% experienced hospitalizations for asthma in the prior year. A higher NAV2 score was associated with correct ICS technique (ρ = 0.24, P = .0002), knowledge of ICSs (ρ = 0.35, P < .001), better print literacy (ρ = 0.44, P < .001), and numeracy (ρ = 0.41, P < .001). Patients with poor navigational ability are likely to have poor inhaler technique and limited understanding of ICS function, as well as limited numeracy and print literacy. Clinicians should consider these elements of self-management for their effect on asthma care and as a marker of more general health literacy deficits. Copyright © 2016 American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  6. Going It Alone: New Zealand Company-Sponsored Language, Literacy and Numeracy (LLN) Training in an Era of Government Funding

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Guy, Shona; Harvey, Sharon

    2013-01-01

    In this paper, we examine the nature of and reasons for employer-funded literacy, language and numeracy (LLN) workplace training in New Zealand, during a period where government funding has been available. To place these programmes in context, we give a historically nuanced account of employer-funded programmes in New Zealand and then look at the…

  7. The impact of numeracy ability and technology skills on older adults' performance of health management tasks using a patient portal.

    PubMed

    Taha, Jessica; Sharit, Joseph; Czaja, Sara J

    2014-06-01

    Patient portals, which allow patients to access their health record via the Internet, are becoming increasingly widespread and are expected to be used by diverse consumer populations. In addition to technology skills, numeracy skills are also likely to be critical to performing health management tasks, as much of the data contained in the portal are numeric. This study examined how factors such as Internet experience, numeracy, and education impacted the performance of common tasks using a simulated patient portal among a sample of older adults. In addition, information was gathered on the ability of older adults to estimate their numeracy skills. Results indicated that numeracy and Internet experience had a significant impact on their ability to perform the tasks and that older adults tended to overestimate their numeracy skills. Results from this study can help to identify interventions that may enhance the usability of patient portals for older adults.

  8. Consumer competencies and the use of comparative quality information: it isn't just about literacy.

    PubMed

    Hibbard, Judith H; Peters, Ellen; Dixon, Anna; Tusler, Martin

    2007-08-01

    While consumers are increasingly expected to use complex health care information to make informed decisions, it is unclear how many have the skills to do so. In this investigation we examine health literacy, numeracy, and patient activation, assessing the contribution of each to the comprehension of comparative health care performance reports and their use in making an informed choice. A convenience sample of 303 employed-age adults participated in the study. The findings indicate that numeracy skill is the strongest predictor of comprehension, followed by health literacy. Higher activation helps those low in literacy and numeracy compensate for their lower skills and achieve higher levels of comprehension. In addition, making good choices, when trade-offs are necessary, is related to activation separate from comprehension. This is important as many real-life choices involve trade-offs. Results indicate that choice is not just about literacy or comprehension, it also has to do with activation.

  9. Critical Issues in Adult Numeracy Practice--Contradictions and Strategies

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kaye, David

    2014-01-01

    This paper discusses the critical situations I have been asked to "improve" by providing professional development for teams of adult numeracy and functional mathematics teachers in the post-16 sector in London. These situations have not been identified through any research process, but arise from internal management reviews of course…

  10. Patient-provider communication and low-income adults: age, race, literacy, and optimism predict communication satisfaction.

    PubMed

    Jensen, Jakob D; King, Andy J; Guntzviller, Lisa M; Davis, LaShara A

    2010-04-01

    To assess whether literacy, numeracy, and optimism are related to low-income adults' satisfaction with their healthcare provider's communication skills. Low-income adults (N=131) were recruited from seven counties in Indiana through University extension programs. To achieve research triangulation, participants were surveyed and interviewed about their communication satisfaction with health providers. Survey data revealed that four variables significantly predicted satisfaction: age, race, literacy, and optimism. Low-income adults in the current study were more critical of their healthcare provider's communication skills if they were younger, White, functionally literate, and pessimistic. Follow-up interviews confirmed this pattern and suggested it was a byproduct of patient activism. In low-income populations, communication satisfaction may be lower for groups that are traditionally active in doctor-patient interactions (e.g., younger patients, patients with higher literacy skills). Healthcare providers should be aware that older, non-White, optimistic, and literacy deficient patients report greater communication satisfaction than their younger, White, pessimistic, and functionally literate peers. Both groups may be coping with their situation, the former by withdrawing and the latter by actively pushing for a higher standard of care. Healthcare providers should continue to seek out ways to facilitate dialogue with these underserved groups. 2009 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Nutritional Quality of Breakfast and Physical Activity Independently Predict the Literacy and Numeracy Scores of Children after Adjusting for Socioeconomic Status

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    O'Dea, Jennifer A.; Mugridge, Anna C.

    2012-01-01

    Health-related behaviors [physical activity (PA), nutritional quality of breakfast and sleep]; personal variables (self-esteem, attitudes to PA and gender) and socioeconomic status (SES) (school SES and parental education), were examined in relation to literacy and numeracy scores of 824 grade 3-7 children. Participants completed a questionnaire,…

  12. Seniors Online: Online Literacy and Learning by Senior Citizens in Rural Centres.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Millar, Pat; Falk, Ian

    The learning needs of older adults living in rural Tasmania, Australia, and the potential of online technologies to foster local literacy and community well-being were examined. The study used a qualitative inquiry strategy that included visits to three sites to investigate the literacy and numeracy implications of senior citizens' use of online…

  13. Health literacy and the social determinants of health: a qualitative model from adult learners.

    PubMed

    Rowlands, Gillian; Shaw, Adrienne; Jaswal, Sabrena; Smith, Sian; Harpham, Trudy

    2017-02-01

    Health literacy, ‘the personal characteristics and social resources needed for individuals and communities to access, understand, appraise and use information and services to make decisions about health’, is key to improving peoples’ control over modifiable social determinants of health (SDH). This study listened to adult learners to understand their perspectives on gathering, understanding and using information for health. This qualitative project recruited participants from community skills courses to identify relevant ‘health information’ factors. Subsequently different learners put these together to develop a model of their ‘Journey to health’. Twenty-seven participants were recruited; twenty from community health literacy courses and seven from an adult basic literacy and numeracy course. Participants described health as a ‘journey’ starting from an individual's family, ethnicity and culture. Basic (functional) health literacy skills were needed to gather and understand information. More complex interactive health literacy skills were needed to evaluate the importance and relevance of information in context, and make health decisions. Critical health literacy skills could be used to adapt negative external factors that might inhibit health-promotion. Our model is an iterative linear one moving from ethnicity, community and culture, through lifestyle, to health, with learning revisited in the context of different sources of support. It builds on existing models by highlighting the importance of SDH in the translation of new health knowledge into healthy behaviours, and the importance of health literacy in enabling people to overcome barriers to health.

  14. Boundary Objects and Boundary Crossing for Numeracy Teaching

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Venkat, Hamsa; Winter, Mark

    2015-01-01

    In this paper, we share analysis of an episode of a pre-service teacher's handling of a map artefact within his practicum teaching of "Mathematical Literacy" in South Africa. Mathematical Literacy, as a post-compulsory phase subject in the South African curriculum, shares many of the aims of numeracy as described in the international…

  15. Mathematics, Numeracy and e-Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Way, Jenni; Webb, Colin

    2006-01-01

    The integration of information and communication technology (ICT) into school educational practice is seen as being crucial to prepare "young people to participate in and contribute to an information society that requires high levels of literacy, numeracy, technological competence and a spirit of creativity and enterprise". In National…

  16. Not just numeracy and literacy: Theory of mind development and school readiness among low-income children.

    PubMed

    Cavadel, Elizabeth Woodburn; Frye, Douglas A

    2017-12-01

    The current study investigated the role of theory of mind development in school readiness among 120 low-income preschool and kindergarten children. A short-term longitudinal design was used to examine relations among theory of mind, the understanding of teaching, and learning behaviors and their collective role in children's literacy and numeracy skills at school entry. Results replicate differences in theory of mind development among low-income children as compared to typically studied, higher-income samples. Theory of mind and the combination of several sociocognitive variables successfully predicted concurrent relations with academic outcomes. Children's understanding of teaching predicted changes in literacy scores over time. Results are discussed in the context of what is known about theory of mind and sociocognitive development in school readiness. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

  17. Relevance of graph literacy in the development of patient-centered communication tools.

    PubMed

    Nayak, Jasmir G; Hartzler, Andrea L; Macleod, Liam C; Izard, Jason P; Dalkin, Bruce M; Gore, John L

    2016-03-01

    To determine the literacy skill sets of patients in the context of graphical interpretation of interactive dashboards. We assessed literacy characteristics of prostate cancer patients and assessed comprehension of quality of life dashboards. Health literacy, numeracy and graph literacy were assessed with validated tools. We divided patients into low vs. high numeracy and graph literacy. We report descriptive statistics on literacy, dashboard comprehension, and relationships between groups. We used correlation and multiple linear regressions to examine factors associated with dashboard comprehension. Despite high health literacy in educated patients (78% college educated), there was variation in numeracy and graph literacy. Numeracy and graph literacy scores were correlated (r=0.37). In those with low literacy, graph literacy scores most strongly correlated with dashboard comprehension (r=0.59-0.90). On multivariate analysis, graph literacy was independently associated with dashboard comprehension, adjusting for age, education, and numeracy level. Even among higher educated patients; variation in the ability to comprehend graphs exists. Clinicians must be aware of these differential proficiencies when counseling patients. Tools for patient-centered communication that employ visual displays need to account for literacy capabilities to ensure that patients can effectively engage these resources. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. Massachusetts Adult Basic Education Curriculum Framework for Mathematics and Numeracy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Massachusetts Department of Education, 2005

    2005-01-01

    Over the past number of years, several initiatives have set the stage for writing the Massachusetts ABE (Adult Basic Education) Curriculum Frameworks for Mathematics and Numeracy. This current version of the "Massachusetts ABE Mathematics Curriculum Frameworks" is a second revision of that first framework, but it is heavily influenced by…

  19. Numeracy, Ratio Bias, and Denominator Neglect in Judgments of Risk and Probability

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Reyna, Valerie F.; Brainerd, Charles J.

    2008-01-01

    "Numeracy," so-called on analogy with literacy, is essential for making health and other social judgments in everyday life [Reyna, V. F., & Brainerd, C. J. (in press). The importance of mathematics in health and human judgment: Numeracy, risk communication, and medical decision making. "Learning and Individual Differences."]. Recent research on…

  20. Beyond literacy and numeracy in patient provider communication: Focus groups suggest roles for empowerment, provider attitude and language

    PubMed Central

    Brugge, Doug; Edgar, Timothy; George, Kelly; Heung, Janette; Laws, M Barton

    2009-01-01

    Background Although the number of people living in the United States with limited English proficiency (LEP) is substantial, the impact of language on patients' experience of provider-patient communication has been little explored. Methods We conducted a series of 12 exploratory focus groups in English, Spanish and Cantonese to elicit discussion about patient-provider communication, particularly with respect to the concerns of the health literacy framework, i.e. ability to accurately understand, interpret and apply information given by providers. Within each language, 2 groups had high education and 2 had low education participants to partially account for literacy levels, which cannot be assessed consistently across three languages. Eighty-five (85) adults enrolled in the focus groups. The resulting video tapes were transcribed, translated and analyzed via content analysis. Results We identified 5 themes: 1) language discordant communication; 2) language concordant communication; 3) empowerment; 4) providers' attitudes; 5) issues with the health care system. Despite efforts by facilitators to elicit responses related to cognitive understanding, issues of interpersonal process were more salient, and respondents did not readily separate issues of accurate understanding from their overall narratives of experience with health care and illness. Thematic codes often appeared to be associated with education level, language and/or culture. Conclusion Our most salient finding was that for most of our participants there was no clear demarcation between literacy and numeracy, language interpretation, health communication, interpersonal relations with their provider and the rest of their experience with the health care system. PMID:19772555

  1. Learning Numeracy on the Job: A Case Study of Chemical Handling and Spraying. An Adult Literacy National Project Report

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    FitzSimons, Gail; Mlcek, Susan; Hull, Oksana; Wright, Claire

    2005-01-01

    Ensuring that people have the appropriate level of numeracy skills is particularly important in jobs which involve a risk to public safety and the environment. This research investigates the job-related numeracy requirements in the chemical spraying and handling operations of the horticulture, local government, outdoor recreation and warehousing…

  2. "What's Math Got to Do with It?": Numeracy and Social Studies Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Crowe, Alicia R.

    2010-01-01

    Numeracy is as essential to becoming an active and thoughtful citizen as literacy. Although the concept of numeracy is complex and robust, there are four areas in which teachers can fairly easily begin to incorporate it into social studies curriculum and instruction. The areas include the students' ability to understand raw numeric data in…

  3. Making Maths Useful: How Two Teachers Prepare Adult Learners to Apply Their Numeracy Skills in Their Lives outside the Classroom

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Brooks, Carolyn

    2015-01-01

    This pilot case study of two teachers and their learner groups from Adult and Community settings, investigates how numeracy teachers, working with adult learners in discrete numeracy classes, motivate and enable learners to build on their informal skills and apply new learning to their own real-life contexts. Teachers used a range of abstract and…

  4. Health Literacy Education within Adult Literacy Instruction

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Diehl, Sandra J.

    2011-01-01

    Building health literacy skills among adult learners has the potential to contribute to efforts to eliminate health disparities and improve health outcomes. Adults with limited literacy skills are more likely to be underserved by health services and at risk for poorer health. Recognition of the need for stronger health literacy skills and a desire…

  5. Speech-language therapists supporting foundation-phase teachers with literacy and numeracy in a rural and township context.

    PubMed

    Wium, Anna-Marie; Louw, Brenda; Eloff, Irma

    2010-12-01

    Language is required for learning, but educators often find it difficult to facilitate listening and language skills while they have to adapt to a new national curriculum with an outcomes-based approach for which they have not necessarily been adequately trained. A multifaceted support programme was developed for foundation-phase educators to facilitate listening and language for literacy and numeracy, with a particular focus on language for numeracy. The aim of the research was to determine the value of this particular support programme for foundation-phase educators in two different contexts (a semi-rural and a township context). A mixed methods approach with a concurrent, equal status triangulation design was used, where qualitative data were transformed to quantitative data in order to be compared in a matrix. The results show that the participants benefited to varying degrees from the programme. The combination of workshops, practical and mentoring components proved to be an effective means of support. The results indicate a need for pre-training selection procedures as more effective support can be provided to homogeneous groups.

  6. Family Literacy Works: Key Findings from the NFER Evaluation of the Basic Skills Agency's Demonstration Programmes

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Basic Skills Agency, 2006

    2006-01-01

    The Basic Skills Agency (formerly the Adult Literacy and Basic Skills Unit--ALBSU) is the national development agency for literacy, numeracy and related basic skills in England and Wales. This agency defines basic skills as " the ability to read, write, and speak in English and use mathematics at a level necessary to function and progress at…

  7. Development and Validation of the Numeracy Understanding in Medicine Instrument Short Form

    PubMed Central

    Schapira, Marilyn M.; Walker, Cindy M.; Miller, Tamara; Fletcher, Kathlyn A; Ganschow, Pamela G.; Jacobs, Elizabeth A; Imbert, Diana; O'Connell, Maria; Neuner, Joan M.

    2014-01-01

    Background Health numeracy can be defined as the ability to understand and use numeric information and quantitative concepts in the context of health. We previously reported the development of the Numeracy Understanding in Medicine Instrument (NUMi); a 20-item test developed using item response theory. We now report the development and validation of a short form of the NUMi. Methods Item statistics were used to identify a subset of 8-items representing a range of difficulty and content areas. Internal reliability was evaluated with Cronbach's alpha. Divergent and convergent validity was assessed by comparing scores of the S-NUMI with existing measures of education, print and numeric health literacy, mathematic achievement, cognitive reasoning, and the original NUMi. Results The 8-item scale had adequate reliability (Cronbach's alpha: 0.72) and was strongly correlated to the 20-item NUMi (0.92). The S-NUMi scores were strongly correlated with the Lipkus numeracy test (0.62), Wide Range of Achievement Test-Mathematics (WRAT-M) (0.72), and Wonderlic cognitive reasoning test (0.76). Moderate correlation was found with education level (0.58) and print literacy as measured by the TOFHLA (0.49). Conclusion The short Numeracy Understanding in Medicine Instrument is a reliable and valid measure of health numeracy feasible for use in clinical and research settings. PMID:25315596

  8. Correlates of health and financial literacy in older adults without dementia.

    PubMed

    Bennett, Jarred S; Boyle, Patricia A; James, Bryan D; Bennett, David A

    2012-06-12

    Recent research has begun to recognize the important influence of literacy levels and how they affect health and wellbeing, especially in older adults. Our study focuses on health and financial literacy, two domains of literacy which previous research has suggested may be significantly related to health and wellbeing. Our study examines the relation of health and financial literacy with health promoting behaviors and health status among community-based older persons. We conducted a cross-sectional study using data from the Rush Memory and Aging Project, a community-based cohort study of aging in northeastern Illinois. The study consisted of 556 older persons without dementia, each determined by a clinical evaluation. Health and financial literacy were measured using a series of questions designed to assess the ability to understand and process health and financial information, concepts, and numeracy; the two scores were averaged to yield a total literacy score. Health promoting behaviors, including engagement in cognitive, physical, and social activities, were assessed using self report measures. Indicators of heath status, including cognition (global cognition and five specific cognitive abilities), functional status (basic and instrumental activities of daily living, mobility disability), and mental health (depressive symptoms, loneliness) were assessed. In a series of regression models adjusted for age, sex, and education, higher total literacy scores were associated with more frequent participation in health promoting behaviors, including cognitive, physical and social activities (all p values <0.05). Higher total literacy scores were associated with higher cognitive function, less disability, and better mental health (all p values < 0.05). Literacy remained associated with health promoting behaviors and health status in fully adjusted models that also controlled for income and the number of chronic medical conditions. Most of the findings were similar for

  9. Parental Numeracy and Asthma Exacerbations in Puerto Rican Children

    PubMed Central

    Rosas-Salazar, Christian; Ramratnam, Sima K.; Brehm, John M.; Han, Yueh-Ying; Acosta-Pérez, Edna; Alvarez, María; Colón-Semidey, Angel; Canino, Glorisa; Apter, Andrea J.

    2013-01-01

    Background: Puerto Ricans share a disproportionate burden of childhood asthma in the United States. Little is known about the impact of low parental numeracy (a health literacy skill) on asthma morbidity in Puerto Rican children. Our objective was to examine whether low parental numeracy is associated with increased asthma morbidity in Puerto Rican children. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of 351 children with asthma, aged 6 to 14 years, living in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Parents of study participants completed a modified version of the Asthma Numeracy Questionnaire. Multivariate linear or logistic regression was used to examine the relation between low parental numeracy (defined as no correct answers in the modified Asthma Numeracy Questionnaire) and indicators of asthma morbidity (severe asthma exacerbations, core measures of asthma exacerbations, and lung function measures). All multivariate models were adjusted for age, sex, household income, reported use of inhaled corticosteroids in the previous 6 months, and exposure to secondhand tobacco smoke. Results: Low parental numeracy was associated with increased odds of visits to the ED or urgent care for asthma (adjusted OR [aOR] = 1.7, 95% CI = 1.03-2.7, P = .04). The association between low parental numeracy and hospitalizations for asthma was significant only among children not using inhaled corticosteroids (aOR = 2.8, 95% CI = 1.4-5.6, P = .004). There was no association between low parental numeracy and use of systemic steroids or lung function measures. Conclusions: Low parental numeracy is associated with increased asthma morbidity in Puerto Rican children. PMID:23493983

  10. Parental numeracy and asthma exacerbations in Puerto Rican children.

    PubMed

    Rosas-Salazar, Christian; Ramratnam, Sima K; Brehm, John M; Han, Yueh-Ying; Acosta-Pérez, Edna; Alvarez, María; Colón-Semidey, Angel; Canino, Glorisa; Apter, Andrea J; Celedón, Juan C

    2013-07-01

    Puerto Ricans share a disproportionate burden of childhood asthma in the United States. Little is known about the impact of low parental numeracy (a health literacy skill) on asthma morbidity in Puerto Rican children. Our objective was to examine whether low parental numeracy is associated with increased asthma morbidity in Puerto Rican children. This was a cross-sectional study of 351 children with asthma, aged 6 to 14 years, living in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Parents of study participants completed a modified version of the Asthma Numeracy Questionnaire. Multivariate linear or logistic regression was used to examine the relation between low parental numeracy (defined as no correct answers in the modified Asthma Numeracy Questionnaire) and indicators of asthma morbidity (severe asthma exacerbations, core measures of asthma exacerbations, and lung function measures). All multivariate models were adjusted for age, sex, household income, reported use of inhaled corticosteroids in the previous 6 months, and exposure to secondhand tobacco smoke. Low parental numeracy was associated with increased odds of visits to the ED or urgent care for asthma (adjusted OR [aOR]=1.7, 95% CI=1.03-2.7, P=.04). The association between low parental numeracy and hospitalizations for asthma was significant only among children not using inhaled corticosteroids (aOR=2.8, 95% CI=1.4-5.6, P=.004). There was no association between low parental numeracy and use of systemic steroids or lung function measures. Low parental numeracy is associated with increased asthma morbidity in Puerto Rican children.

  11. Functional Literacy Empowerment for Nomadic Herdsmen in Osun State, Nigeria

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Olateju, Mojisola Ajibike

    2010-01-01

    The need for adequate functional English literacy and numeracy instruction for the herdsmen in Osun State in Nigeria arose as a result of the persistent clashes between the herdsmen and their neighbours. In all, 48 participants (22 adults and 26 children and youths) took part in the International Reading Association assisted functional literacy…

  12. A Linguistic Analysis of the Sample Numeracy Skills Test Items for Pre-Service Teachers Issued by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER)

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    O'Keeffe, Lisa; O'Halloran, Kay L.; Wignell, Peter; Tan, Sabine

    2017-01-01

    In 2015, the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) was tasked with developing literacy and numeracy skills testing for pre-service teachers. All undergraduate and postgraduate trainee teachers are now required to pass these literacy and numeracy tests at some stage on their journey to becoming a teacher; for commencing students from…

  13. Math/Measurement Literacy for Upgrading Skills of Industrial Hourly Workers. Math Manual.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McMahon, Joan L.

    This manual contains materials for a numeracy course for adult industrial workers. In addition to assessment tests, seven units are provided. Unit topics are whole numbers; fractions; decimals; percents, median, and range; measurement and signed numbers; ratio/proportion and introduction to algebra; and computer literacy using algebra software.…

  14. Predictors of Numeracy Performance in National Testing Programs: Insights from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Carmichael, Colin; MacDonald, Amy; McFarland-Piazza, Laura

    2014-01-01

    This article is based on an exploratory study that examines factors which predict children's performance on the numeracy component of the Australian National Assessment Program--Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN). Utilizing an ecological theoretical model, this study examines child, home and school variables which may enable or constrain NAPLAN…

  15. "Quarters Are What You Put into the Bubble Gum Machine": Numeracy Interactions during Parentchild Play

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Vandermaas­-Peeler, Maureen; Nelson, Jackie; Bumpass, Charity

    2007-01-01

    Literacy has been studied extensively in the context of children's play, but few studies exist of numeracy development through play. The purpose of this study was to investigate the frequency and type of numeracy exchanges that occurred spontaneously during parent-child play. Twenty-six 4-year-olds and their mothers played with a variety of toys,…

  16. Wicked Waste: Helping Numeracy in the Primary Classroom

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Yoxon, Mark

    2002-01-01

    "Wicked Waste" is a powerful teaching resource and four tools in one: (1) It complements literacy and numeracy teaching for KS2/attainment levels D & E using 20 minute interactive teaching modules; (2) It manages time and, with its intelligent programming, complexity of questions; (3) It provides diagnostic information for the…

  17. Leadership for School Numeracy: How School Leaders' Knowledge and Attitudes Impact Student Mathematics Achievement

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Walker-Glenn, Michelle Lynn

    2010-01-01

    Although most high schools espouse school-wide literacy initiatives, few schools place equal emphasis on numeracy, or quantitative literacy. This lack of attention to quantitative skills is ironic in light of documented deficiencies in student mathematics achievement. While significant research exists regarding best practices for mathematics…

  18. Adult Literacy. Cuyahoga County Data Brief

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Center on Urban Poverty and Community Development (NJ1), 2010

    2010-01-01

    There are no direct measures of adult literacy in Cuyahoga County. Instead, this report uses estimates based on a statistical model derived from the National Survey of Adult Literacy. Adult literacy levels range from Level 1 (the most basic) to Level 5 (the most complex). People with Level 1 literacy are at a severe disadvantage in the sense that…

  19. Correlates of health and financial literacy in older adults without dementia

    PubMed Central

    2012-01-01

    Background Recent research has begun to recognize the important influence of literacy levels and how they affect health and wellbeing, especially in older adults. Our study focuses on health and financial literacy, two domains of literacy which previous research has suggested may be significantly related to health and wellbeing. Our study examines the relation of health and financial literacy with health promoting behaviors and health status among community-based older persons. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study using data from the Rush Memory and Aging Project, a community-based cohort study of aging in northeastern Illinois. The study consisted of 556 older persons without dementia, each determined by a clinical evaluation. Health and financial literacy were measured using a series of questions designed to assess the ability to understand and process health and financial information, concepts, and numeracy; the two scores were averaged to yield a total literacy score. Health promoting behaviors, including engagement in cognitive, physical, and social activities, were assessed using self report measures. Indicators of heath status, including cognition (global cognition and five specific cognitive abilities), functional status (basic and instrumental activities of daily living, mobility disability), and mental health (depressive symptoms, loneliness) were assessed. Results In a series of regression models adjusted for age, sex, and education, higher total literacy scores were associated with more frequent participation in health promoting behaviors, including cognitive, physical and social activities (all p values <0.05). Higher total literacy scores were associated with higher cognitive function, less disability, and better mental health (all p values < 0.05). Literacy remained associated with health promoting behaviors and health status in fully adjusted models that also controlled for income and the number of chronic medical conditions. Most of the

  20. Recruiting and Retaining Learners in Workplace Literacy Programs in New Zealand

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Benseman, John

    2013-01-01

    Successful workplace literacy and numeracy programs are dependent on effective strategies to recruit and then retain course participants. This article reports on the recruitment strategies used in a large workplace literacy and numeracy project involving 535 workers in 18 courses. It provides an analysis of the strategies used, their rates of…

  1. A mismatch between population health literacy and the complexity of health information: an observational study.

    PubMed

    Rowlands, Gillian; Protheroe, Joanne; Winkley, John; Richardson, Marty; Seed, Paul T; Rudd, Rima

    2015-06-01

    Low health literacy is associated with poorer health and higher mortality. Complex health materials are a barrier to health. To assess the literacy and numeracy skills required to understand and use commonly used English health information materials, and to describe population skills in relation to these. An English observational study comparing health materials with national working-age population skills. Health materials were sampled using a health literacy framework. Competency thresholds to understand and use the materials were identified. The proportion of the population above and below these thresholds, and the sociodemographic variables associated with a greater risk of being below the thresholds, were described. Sixty-four health materials were sampled. Two competency thresholds were identified: text (literacy) only, and text + numeracy; 2515/5795 participants (43%) were below the text-only threshold, while 2905/4767 (61%) were below the text + numeracy threshold. Univariable analyses of social determinants of health showed that those groups more at risk of socioeconomic deprivation had higher odds of being below the health literacy competency threshold than those at lower risk of deprivation. Multivariable analysis resulted in some variables becoming non-significant or reduced in effect. Levels of low health literacy mirror those found in other industrialised countries, with a mismatch between the complexity of health materials and the skills of the English adult working-age population. Those most in need of health information have the least access to it. Efficacious strategies are building population skills, improving health professionals' communication, and improving written health information. © British Journal of General Practice 2015.

  2. A Rich Interpretation of Numeracy for the 21st Century: A Survey of the State of the Field

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Geiger, Vince; Goos, Merrilyn; Forgasz, Helen

    2015-01-01

    This article is a state-of-the-art synthesis of literature concerned with the concept of Numeracy (also known internationally by other terms such as mathematical literacy), and the teaching, learning and assessment practices associated with this construct. Numeracy is a concept used to identify the knowledge and capabilities required to…

  3. Skills of U.S. Unemployed, Young, and Older Adults in Sharper Focus: Results from the Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) 2012/2014. First Look. NCES 2016-039

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rampey, Bobby D.; Finnegan, Robert; Goodman, Madeline; Mohadjer, Leyla; Krenzke, Tom; Hogan, Jacquie; Provasnik, Stephen

    2016-01-01

    The "Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies" (PIAAC) is a cyclical, large-scale study of adult skills and life experiences focusing on education and employment. Nationally representative samples of adults between the ages of 16 and 65 are administered an assessment of literacy, numeracy, and problem solving in…

  4. "Thinking about numbers is not my idea of fun": need for cognition mediates age differences in numeracy performance.

    PubMed

    Bruine de Bruin, Wändi; McNair, Simon J; Taylor, Andrea L; Summers, Barbara; Strough, JoNell

    2015-01-01

    Numeracy refers to people's ability to use numbers. Low numeracy has been associated with difficulties in understanding risk-benefit information and making health decisions. Older adults tend to perform worse than younger adults on measures of numeracy, but some theories of aging suggest that older adults may lack motivation for such tasks. We therefore test whether age differences in numeracy performance are mediated by a reduced motivation to think hard about complex problems-as measured by need for cognition. We recruited an age-diverse convenience sample of 306 UK adults. They completed measures of numeracy and need for cognition. They self-reported their educational attainment and other demographics. Older age was related to lower numeracy and lower need for cognition. The negative relationship between age and numeracy was mediated by need for cognition. These findings held after we controlled for educational attainment and other demographic factors. Older adults may show lower numeracy performance due to lack of motivation. We discuss strategies for improving people's motivation to complete numeracy measures and other numerical tasks. © The Author(s) 2014.

  5. Informal Adult Learning and Everyday Literacy Practices

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Taylor, Maurice C.

    2006-01-01

    This study investigated the types of informal learning activities that adults with low literacy skills engage in outside of formal literacy programs and how these activities relate to their literacy practices. Key informants for the study included 10 adults identified at International Adult Literacy Survey levels 1 and 2. Using ethnographic…

  6. Measuring Literacy: Performance Levels for Adults

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hauser, Robert M., Ed.; Edley, Christopher F., Jr., Ed.; Koenig, Judith Anderson, Ed.; Elliott, Stuart W., Ed.

    2005-01-01

    The National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL) is a household survey conducted periodically by the Department of Education that evaluates the literacy skills of a sample of adults in the United Stages ages 16 and older. NAAL results are used to characterize adults literacy skills and to inform policy and programmatic decisions. The Committee on…

  7. Skills of U.S. Unemployed, Young, and Older Adults in Sharper Focus: Results from the Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) 2012/2014. First Look. NCES 2016-039rev

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rampey, Bobby D.; Finnegan, Robert; Mohadjer, Leyla; Krenzke, Tom; Hogan, Jacquie; Provasnik, Stephen

    2016-01-01

    The Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) is a cyclical, large-scale study of adult skills and life experiences focusing on education and employment. Nationally representative samples of adults between the ages of 16 and 65 are administered an assessment of literacy, numeracy, and problem solving in technology rich…

  8. Achieving Adult Literacy. Fastback 330.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Farris, Pamela J.

    Leaders in business and industry are demanding workers who not only can read and write but can think creatively and critically and solve problems. Federal- and state-funded programs and volunteer organizations are involved with adult literacy. Increasingly, corporations are funding adult literacy projects. Adults read for different reasons than…

  9. Adult Transitions to Learning in the USA: What Do PIAAC Survey Results Tell Us?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Patterson, Margaret Becker; Paulson, Usha G.

    2016-01-01

    The Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) assessed literacy, numeracy, and technology-related skills of adults and found skill levels of US adults are well below the international average. In a world where advanced skills are requisite to workplace competitiveness, low skills are a danger sign. An initial PIAAC…

  10. Health Literacy and Older Adults

    PubMed Central

    Chesser, Amy K.; Keene Woods, Nikki; Smothers, Kyle; Rogers, Nicole

    2016-01-01

    Objective: The objective of this review was to assess published literature relating to health literacy and older adults. Method: The current review was conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta Analyses. Results: Eight articles met inclusion criteria. All studies were conducted in urban settings in the United States. Study sample size ranged from 33 to 3,000 participants. Two studies evaluated health-related outcomes and reported significant associations between low health literacy and poorer health outcomes. Two other studies investigated the impact of health literacy on medication management, reporting mixed findings. Discussion: The findings of this review highlight the importance of working to improve health care strategies for older adults with low health literacy and highlight the need for a standardized and validated clinical health literacy screening tool for older adults. PMID:28138488

  11. "We Also Wanted to Learn": Narratives of Change from Adults Literate in African Languages

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Trudell, Joel; Cheffy, Ian

    2017-01-01

    This article discusses the impact of literacy programmes on those who learned to read and write in their own African languages. It draws on adult learners' reflections on the significance of literacy and numeracy in their everyday lives as evidenced in interviews conducted in 2014 and 2015 in rural sites in five African countries: Ethiopia, Kenya,…

  12. Schooling, Literacy and Individual Earnings. International Adult Literacy Survey.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Osberg, Lars

    This paper uses direct measures of literacy skill levels provided by the International Adult Literacy Survey to estimate the return to literacy skills. Using a very simple human capital earnings equation and standard ordinary least squares regression, it tested estimates of the return to literacy skills for their robustness to alternative scalings…

  13. The role of cognitive function in the relationship between age and health literacy: a cross-sectional analysis of older adults in Chicago, USA

    PubMed Central

    Kobayashi, Lindsay C; Smith, Samuel G; O'Conor, Rachel; Curtis, Laura M; Park, Denise; von Wagner, Christian; Deary, Ian J; Wolf, Michael S

    2015-01-01

    Objectives To investigate how 3 measures of health literacy correlate with age and the explanatory roles of fluid and crystallised cognitive abilities in these relationships among older adults. Design Cross-sectional baseline analysis of the ‘LitCog’ cohort study. Setting 1 academic internal medicine clinic and 5 federally qualified health centres in Chicago, USA. Participants English-speaking adults (n=828) aged 55–74 years, recruited from August 2008 through October 2011. Outcome measures Health literacy was measured by the Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults (TOFHLA) and the Newest Vital Sign (NVS), both of which assess reading comprehension and numeracy in health contexts, and by the Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Medicine (REALM), which assesses medical vocabulary. Fluid cognitive ability was assessed through the cognitive domains of processing speed, inductive reasoning, and working, prospective and long-term memories, and crystallised cognitive ability through the verbal ability domain. Results TOFHLA and NVS scores were lower at ages 70–74 years compared with all other age groups (p<0.05 for both tests). The inverse association between age and TOFHLA score was attenuated from β=−0.39 (95% CI −0.55 to −0.22) to β=−0.06 (95% CI −0.20 to 0.08) for ages 70–74 vs 55–59 years when fluid cognitive ability was added to the model (85% attenuation). Similar results were seen with NVS scores (68% attenuation). REALM scores did not differ by age group (p=0.971). Crystallised cognitive ability was stable across age groups, and did not influence the relationships between age and TOFHLA or NVS performance. Conclusions Health literacy skills show differential patterns of age-related change, which may be explained by cognitive ageing. Researchers should select health literacy tests appropriate for their purposes when assessing the health literacy of older adults. Clinicians should be aware of this issue to ensure that health self

  14. The Certificates in General Education for Adults--CGEA (2002-2006). ARIS Information Sheet.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Language Australia, Melbourne (Victoria). Adult Education Resource and Information Service.

    The Certificates in General Education for Adults (CGEA) provide a range of educational opportunities for Australian adults who have not completed secondary education to improve their literacy, numeracy, and general education skills. The CGEA was first accredited in 1992 and is currently accredited for January 2002-December 2006. The CGEA is…

  15. Adult Literacy Challenge: The 7 Ms

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Soriano, Cecilia

    2007-01-01

    Beyond 3Rs to learning within political action to functional literacy to life skills, the discourse on adult literacy has primarily been defined by civil society organizations. This article presents thoughts on adult literacy programs coming from educators and advocates and the underlying dilemmas of autonomy and collaboration with government for…

  16. Organizing a Literacy Program for Older Adults. Literacy Education for the Elderly Project.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jacobs, Bella; Ventura-Merkel, Catherine

    This guide describes a model for a community-based literacy program for older adults that uses older adults as tutors. Guidelines are provided to program sponsors for implementing literacy education for older adults. Chapter I provides an overview of the problem of illiterate older adults and literacy education for them. Chapter II addresses the…

  17. Lifelong literacy: Some trends and issues in conceptualising and operationalising literacy from a lifelong learning perspective

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hanemann, Ulrike

    2015-06-01

    In a fast-changing and highly inequitable world, lifelong learning is becoming increasingly important, not only as a key organising principle for all forms of education and learning but also as an absolute necessity for everyone. It is particularly important for disadvantaged individuals and groups who have been excluded from or failed to acquire basic competencies through formal schooling. Within a lifelong learning framework, literacy and numeracy are viewed as foundation skills which are the core of basic education and indispensable to full participation in society. This article discusses recent developments in conceptualising literacy as a foundation of lifelong learning. Starting from the evolving notions of adult literacy, the author identifies some current trends, the most important being that literacy is now perceived as a learning continuum of different proficiency levels. Dichotomous states of being either "literate" or "illiterate" no longer apply. She analyses (1) findings extracted from UNESCO Member States' national reports submitted to the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL) for the 2nd Global Report on Adult Learning and Education; (2) a desk study of national literacy campaigns and programmes as well as (3) some recent developments in formal education. Her suggested three-dimensional analytical framework considers literacy as a lifelong and life-wide learning process and as part of lifelong learning systems. She draws a number of conclusions for policy and practice of literacy as a foundation of lifelong learning. These conclusions are a timely contribution to the ongoing post-2015 education debate, in particular to the challenge of how to mainstream youth and adult literacy into the implementation of the sustainable development agenda for 2015-2030.

  18. Achieving Adult Literacy in Florida. Florida Adult Literacy Plan Status Report. Fiscal Year 1995.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Florida State Dept. of Education, Tallahassee. Div. of Applied Tech. and Adult Education.

    This report summarizes for fiscal year 1995 the adult education activities implemented throughout the state of Florida in response to and in support of the Florida Model Literacy Program Act of 1978 (Florida Adult Literacy Act). In addition, the report presents a summary of the activities initiated under Blueprint 2000, legislation that…

  19. Adult Literacy and Television: An Annotated Bibliography.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Centre for Literacy, Montreal (Quebec).

    This annotated bibliography was developed for the Centre for Literacy of Quebec's 2000 Summer Literacy Institute, "Adult Literacy and Television: Has a Familiar Resource Been Overlooked?" and contains 49 citations of Canadian, British, and American research in the field of adult literacy and television from the 1960s to the year 2000. The…

  20. Numeracy Predicts Risk of Pre-Hospital Decision Delay: a Retrospective Study of Acute Coronary Syndrome Survival.

    PubMed

    Petrova, Dafina; Garcia-Retamero, Rocio; Catena, Andrés; Cokely, Edward; Heredia Carrasco, Ana; Arrebola Moreno, Antonio; Ramírez Hernández, José Antonio

    2017-04-01

    Many patients delay seeking medical attention during acute coronary syndromes (ACS), profoundly increasing their risk for death and major disability. Although research has identified several risk factors, efforts to improve patient decision making have generally been unsuccessful, prompting a call for more research into psychological factors. The purpose of this study is to estimate the relationship between ACS decision delay and numeracy, a factor closely related to general decision making skill and risk literacy. About 5 days after experiencing ACS, 102 survivors (mean age = 58, 32-74) completed a questionnaire including measures of numeracy, decision delay, and other relevant factors (e.g., anxiety, depression, symptom severity, knowledge, demographics). Low patient numeracy was related to longer decision delay, OR = 0.64 [95 % confidence interval (CI) 0.44, 0.92], which was in turn related to higher odds of positive troponin on arrival at the hospital, OR = 1.37 [95 % CI 1.01, 2.01]. Independent of the influence of all other assessed factors, a patient with high (vs. low) numeracy was about four times more likely to seek medical attention within the critical first hour after symptom onset (i.e., OR high-low  = 3.84 [1.127, 11.65]). Numeracy may be one of the largest decision delay risk factors identified to date. Results accord with theories emphasizing potentially pivotal roles of patient deliberation, denial, and outcome understanding during decision making. Findings suggest that brief numeracy assessments may predict which patients are at greater risk for life-threatening decision delay and may also facilitate the design of risk communications that are appropriate for diverse patients who vary in risk literacy.

  1. The impact of health literacy on rural adults' satisfaction with a multi-component intervention to reduce sugar-sweetened beverage intake.

    PubMed

    Bailey, A N; Porter, K J; Hill, J L; Chen, Y; Estabrooks, P A; Zoellner, J M

    2016-08-01

    SIPsmartER is a 6-month behavioral intervention designed using a health literacy universal precautions approach that has been found effective at reducing sugary beverage intake in rural, low socioeconomic adults. The purpose of this mixed-methods study is to determine if health literacy status influenced participants' satisfaction and perceptions of each intervention component: small group classes, interactive-voice response (IVR) calls, personal action plans and self-monitoring logs. Of the 155 participants enrolled in SIPsmartER, 105 (68%) completed an interview-administered summative evaluation including 68 high and 37 low health literate participants. The quantitative findings show participant satisfaction with each intervention component was high (i.e. classes = 9.6, IVR calls = 8.1, action plans = 8.9-9.1, logs = 8.7 on a 10-point scale) and similar across both health literacy groups. The majority of qualitative responses were positive (81.8%) and code counts were comparable between literacy groups with a few exceptions. As compared with high health literacy respondents, low health literacy respondents more frequently mentioned liking the content and length of IVR calls, liking the motivational aspects of the personal action plans, and identified numeracy issues with the self-monitoring logs. Overall, applying a health literacy universal precautions approach is an effective and acceptable strategy for both high and low health literacy groups. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  2. Making the Most of PIAAC: Preliminary Investigation of Adults' Numeracy Practices through Secondary Analysis of the PIAAC Dataset

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Coben, Diana; Miller-Reilly, Barbara; Satherley, Paul; Earle, David

    2016-01-01

    The Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) assesses key information processing skills and collects information on how often people undertake a range of activities at work and in everyday life. We are exploring what secondary analysis of online anonymised PIAAC data can tell us about adults' numeracy practices. In…

  3. Building Skills for All in Australia: Policy Insights from the Survey of Adult Skills

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    OECD Publishing, 2017

    2017-01-01

    Australia's overall performance in the Survey of Adult Skills (PIAAC) ranges from average to very good. However, three million adults, representing one-fifth of the working age population, have low literacy and/or numeracy skills. Building Skills for All in Australia describes the characteristics of the low-skilled and discusses the consequences…

  4. Scoping the Meaning of "Critical" in Mathematical Thinking for Initial Teacher Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Furness, Jane; Cowie, Bronwen; Cooper, Beverley

    2017-01-01

    Current strong emphasis on literacy and numeracy in New Zealand educational policy, as elsewhere, reverberates in different ways in institutions charged with children's and adults' learning. A common response is to locate literacy and numeracy centrally in programmes aimed at preparing children for and enhancing adult participation in 21st century…

  5. Development and validation of the assessment of health literacy in breast and cervical cancer screening.

    PubMed

    Han, Hae-Ra; Huh, Boyun; Kim, Miyong T; Kim, Jiyun; Nguyen, Tam

    2014-01-01

    For many people limited health literacy is a major barrier to effective preventive health behavior such as cancer screening, yet a comprehensive health literacy measure that is specific to breast and cervical cancer screening is not readily available. The purpose of this article is to describe the development and testing of a new instrument to measure health literacy in the context of breast and cervical cancer screening, the Assessment of Health Literacy in Cancer Screening (AHL-C). The AHL-C is based on Baker's conceptualization of health literacy and modeled from the two most popular health literacy tests, the Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Medicine and the Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults. The AHL-C consists of four subscales; print literacy, numeracy, comprehension, and familiarity. We used baseline data from 560 Korean American immigrant women who participated in a community-based randomized trial designed to test the effect of a health literacy-focused intervention to promote breast and cervical cancer screening. Rigorous psychometric testing supports that the AHL-C is reliable, valid, and significantly correlated with theoretically selected variables. Future research is needed to test the utility of the AHL-C in predicting cancer screening outcomes.

  6. Assessing Literacy: The Framework for the National Adult Literacy Survey.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Campbell, Anne; And Others

    To satisfy federal requirements, the National Center for Education Statistics and the Division of Adult Education and Literacy planned a nationally representative household sample survey to assess the literacy skills of the adult population of the United States, to be conducted by the Educational Testing Service with the assistance of Westat, Inc.…

  7. Affected Aspects Regarding Literacy and Numeracy in Children Treated for Brain Tumors.

    PubMed

    Lönnerblad, Malin; Lovio, Riikka; Berglund, Eva; Van't Hooft, Ingrid

    The aim of this study was to investigate the test results of reading speed, reading comprehension, word comprehension, spelling, basic arithmetic skills, and number sense (intuitive understanding of numbers) by children treated for brain tumors. This is a retrospective study based on medical records, including standardized academic tests. In the years of 2010 to 2014, all children in the area of Stockholm between 7 and 18 years (IQ <70) who had no major linguistic or motor difficulties after they had undergone treatment for brain tumors were offered a special education assessment one year after treatment, at school start, or the year before a transition from one stage to another. Our results indicate that children treated for a brain tumor are at risk of having difficulties in spelling, reading speed, and arithmetic and that the test performance may decline over years in arithmetic and spelling. Children diagnosed at age 0 to 6 years may need extra tutoring at school start, especially in basic arithmetic skills. In both reading and mathematics, many children perform better on tests focused on understanding than on tests focused on speed. Continuous special needs assessments including different aspects of literacy and numeracy, are important for understanding each child's specific needs.

  8. The role of cognitive function in the relationship between age and health literacy: a cross-sectional analysis of older adults in Chicago, USA.

    PubMed

    Kobayashi, Lindsay C; Smith, Samuel G; O'Conor, Rachel; Curtis, Laura M; Park, Denise; von Wagner, Christian; Deary, Ian J; Wolf, Michael S

    2015-04-23

    To investigate how 3 measures of health literacy correlate with age and the explanatory roles of fluid and crystallised cognitive abilities in these relationships among older adults. Cross-sectional baseline analysis of the 'LitCog' cohort study. 1 academic internal medicine clinic and 5 federally qualified health centres in Chicago, USA. English-speaking adults (n=828) aged 55-74 years, recruited from August 2008 through October 2011. Health literacy was measured by the Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults (TOFHLA) and the Newest Vital Sign (NVS), both of which assess reading comprehension and numeracy in health contexts, and by the Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Medicine (REALM), which assesses medical vocabulary. Fluid cognitive ability was assessed through the cognitive domains of processing speed, inductive reasoning, and working, prospective and long-term memories, and crystallised cognitive ability through the verbal ability domain. TOFHLA and NVS scores were lower at ages 70-74 years compared with all other age groups (p<0.05 for both tests). The inverse association between age and TOFHLA score was attenuated from β=-0.39 (95% CI -0.55 to -0.22) to β=-0.06 (95% CI -0.20 to 0.08) for ages 70-74 vs 55-59 years when fluid cognitive ability was added to the model (85% attenuation). Similar results were seen with NVS scores (68% attenuation). REALM scores did not differ by age group (p=0.971). Crystallised cognitive ability was stable across age groups, and did not influence the relationships between age and TOFHLA or NVS performance. Health literacy skills show differential patterns of age-related change, which may be explained by cognitive ageing. Researchers should select health literacy tests appropriate for their purposes when assessing the health literacy of older adults. Clinicians should be aware of this issue to ensure that health self-management tasks for older patients have appropriate cognitive and literacy demands. Published by

  9. Aging and Functional Health Literacy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

    PubMed Central

    Wardle, Jane; Wolf, Michael S.; von Wagner, Christian

    2016-01-01

    Objectives: To review the evidence on the association between age and limited health literacy, overall and by health literacy test, and to investigate the mediating role of cognitive function. Method: The Embase, MEDLINE, and PsycINFO databases were searched. Eligible studies were conducted in any country or language, included participants aged ≥50 years, presented a measure of association between age and health literacy, and were published through September 2013. Results: Seventy analyses in 60 studies were included in the systematic review; 29 of these were included in the meta-analysis. Older age was strongly associated with limited health literacy in analyses that measured health literacy as reading comprehension, reasoning, and numeracy skills (random-effects odds ratio [OR] = 4.20; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 3.13–5.64). By contrast, older age was weakly associated with limited health literacy in studies that measured health literacy as medical vocabulary (random-effects OR = 1.19; 95% CI: 1.03–1.37). Evidence on the mediating role of cognitive function was limited. Discussion: Health literacy tests that utilize a range of fluid cognitive abilities and mirror everyday health tasks frequently observe skill limitations among older adults. Vocabulary-based health literacy skills appear more stable with age. Researchers should select measurement tests wisely when assessing health literacy of older adults. PMID:25504637

  10. Building Skills for All in Australia: Policy Insights from the Survey of Adult Skills. OECD Skills Studies

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    OECD Publishing, 2017

    2017-01-01

    Australia's overall performance in the Survey of Adult Skills (PIAAC) ranges from average to very good. However, three million adults, representing one-fifth of the working age population, have low literacy and/or numeracy skills. Building Skills for All in Australia describes the characteristics of the low-skilled and discusses the consequences…

  11. Health Numeracy: The Importance of Domain in Assessing Numeracy

    PubMed Central

    Levy, Helen; Ubel, Peter A.; Dillard, Amanda J.; Weir, David R.; Fagerlin, Angela

    2014-01-01

    Background Existing research concludes that measures of general numeracy can be used to predict individuals’ ability to assess health risks. We posit that the domain in which questions are posed affects the ability to perform mathematical tasks, raising the possibility of a separate construct of “health numeracy” that is distinct from general numeracy. Objective To determine whether older adults’ ability to perform simple math depends on domain. Design Community-based participants completed four math questions posed in three different domains: a health domain, a financial domain, and a pure math domain. Participants 962 individuals aged 55 and older, representative of the community-dwelling U.S. population over age 54. Results We found that respondents performed significantly worse when questions were posed in the health domain (54 percent correct) than in either the pure math domain (66 percent correct) or the financial domain (63 percent correct). Limitations Our experimental measure of numeracy consisted of only four questions, and it is possible that the apparent effect of domain is specific to the mathematical tasks that these questions require. Conclusions These results suggest that health numeracy is strongly related to general numeracy but that the two constructs may not be the same. Further research is needed into how different aspects of general numeracy and health numeracy translate into actual medical decisions. PMID:23824401

  12. ACAL National Conference (Sydney, Australia, October 9-11, 1992). Conference Papers, Vol. 3, Workshops with a Local NSW Focus.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Literacy & Numeracy Exchange, 1992

    1992-01-01

    This third of three volumes of the 1992 Australian Council for Adult Literacy (ACAL) Conference Papers is a special edition of "Literacy and Numeracy Exchange." It includes nine papers from workshops with a more local New South Wales focus. "Literacy, Language, and Numeracy in the Workplace in the Context of Industry…

  13. Transforming Our World: Literacy for Sustainable Development

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hanemann, Ulrike, Ed.

    2015-01-01

    This compilation offers global examples of innovative and promising literacy and numeracy programmes that link the teaching and learning of literacy to sustainable development challenges such as health, social equality, economic empowerment and environmental sustainability. This publication is a timely contribution to the 2030 Agenda for…

  14. In Pursuit of Critical Literacy: Understanding Experiences of Exclusion for Adult Literacy Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Howard, Margaret; Logan, Anna

    2012-01-01

    This paper explores exclusion and equality through critical theory, in the context of adult literacy provision in Ireland, by investigating the sites of exclusion that exist for a group of five male adult literacy learners. A summary review of literacy theories, exclusion and equality is provided framing the reporting of data from this…

  15. Storytelling, sugar snacking, and toothbrushing rules: a proposed theoretical and developmental perspective on children's health and oral health literacy.

    PubMed

    Freeman, Ruth

    2015-09-01

    Health literacy has been conceptualised to explain how health information facilitates the maintenance of health. What are the clinical implications of children's health literacy? Children have language skills, numeracy, and reading skills that are in a state of flux - how do they decipher and encode adult health messages to make them their own? To explore children's health and oral health literacy and discover what processes they use to convert adult health messages into useable information. Observations and descriptive case study approach. A theoretical and developmental perspective on children's health and oral health literacy, based upon the ability of the adult to provide a health message with a common shared element, is proposed. It is this common element that the child uses to make adult words understandable and to generate health action. Children's health and oral health literacy development is achieved, through, a torturous path, supported by the way adults provide health messages to children. Taking time to identify this common element, helping children to encode and reflect upon the health message will help children convert adult oral health messages into their own oral health practices, and support their emerging health and oral health literacy. © 2015 BSPD, IAPD and John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  16. Affective Dimensions of Adult Literacy Development.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Durgunoglu, Aydin Y.

    To investigate affective dimensions of adult literacy development more systematically, researchers conducted a qualitative comparative analysis of four women participating in an adult literacy program in Istanbul, Turkey. The contrastive study chose two participants who completed the course; each was matched with a participant who had dropped out.…

  17. Adult Literacy Action Campaign: Projects around Australia. A Review of State and Territory Level Adult Literacy Projects Funded under the Adult Literacy Action Campaign of the National Policy on Languages. Occasional Paper Number 3.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Australian Advisory Council on Languages and Multicultural Education, Canberra.

    This collection of papers is a review of the adult literacy projects in Australia funded under the 1987-89 Adult Literacy Action Campaign (ALAC) of the National Policy on Languages. Fourteen authors describe various literacy projects and, often, their outcomes. The projects described are grouped in seven areas. On the subject of Literacy Training…

  18. Parents' Basic Skills and Children Cognitive Outcomes. CEE DP 104

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    de Coulon, Augustin; Meschi, Elena; Vignoles, Anna

    2008-01-01

    A large proportion of the UK adult population has very poor literacy and/or numeracy skills (see the 1999 Moser Report, the 2003 "Skills for Life" Survey and the 2006 Leitch report). In 1999, the Moser report found that approximately 20% of adults in England had severe literacy difficulties, whilst around 40% had some numeracy problems.…

  19. Choosing to Learn or Chosen to Learn: The Experience of "Skills for Life" Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    O'Grady, Anne; Atkin, Chris

    2006-01-01

    It has been estimated that as many as one in five adults in England have difficulties with literacy or numeracy skills. Raising the standards of language, literacy and numeracy (LLN) skills amongst all adults of working age in England has become one of the government's highest priorities. Following the launch of the "Skills for Life"…

  20. People's Empowerment and Adult Literacy Programs.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kumari, P. Vasantha

    1999-01-01

    Analysis of data from 1,600 adult participants in Total Literacy Campaigns in India shows how adult acquisition of literacy skills improves their health habits, increases their participation in business startups and voting, and gives them higher aspirations for their children. Children have better enrollment and health status. Women improve their…

  1. Literacy for Life: Further Results from the Adult Literacy and Life Skills Survey

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    OECD Publishing (NJ3), 2011

    2011-01-01

    Literacy for Life is the second report from the Adult Literacy and Life Skills Survey. It presents additional results on the nature and magnitude of the literacy gaps faced by OECD countries and how these gaps have evolved over the medium term. It offers new insights into the factors that influence the formation of adult skills in various…

  2. A Comparative Analysis of National Media Responses to the OECD Survey of Adult Skills: Policy Making from the Global to the Local?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Yasukawa, Keiko; Hamilton, Mary; Evans, Jeff

    2017-01-01

    The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development's (OECD) Programme of International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) is put forward as a landmark development in the lifelong monitoring and international comparison of education. The first round of PIAAC's Survey of Adult Skills compared performance in literacy, numeracy and…

  3. Bringing Literacy to Life. Issues and Options in Adult ESL Literacy.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wrigley, Heide Spruck; Guth, Gloria J. A.

    The result of a 2-year research study funded under the National English Literacy Demonstration Program for Adults of Limited English Proficiency, this handbook on adult English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) literacy education represents a synthesis of ideas derived from various sources. It is meant as a resource for teachers who have some experience…

  4. Evaluation of a Russian version of the oral health literacy instrument (OHLI).

    PubMed

    Blizniuk, Anastasiya; Ueno, Masayuki; Furukawa, Sayaka; Kawaguchi, Yoko

    2014-11-27

    Oral health literacy has become a popular research area in the last decade; however, to date no health literacy instruments in the Russian language exist. The objectives of this study were to develop a Russian version of the Oral Health Literacy Instrument (OHLI) and to examine its reliability and validity. A convenience sample of patients who visited the dental division of the district hospital in Belarus was used in the study. The OHLI, created originally in English, was modified to adapt it to characteristics of routine dental services in Belarus and then translated into Russian, followed by back-translation. Participants completed a self-administered socio-demographic questionnaire, an oral health knowledge test and the Russian version of the OHLI (R-OHLI). Bivariate and multivariate statistical analyses, including multiple regression modeling, were performed to examine reliability and validity of the R-OHLI. Participants were 281 adult patients aged from 18 to 60 years, with a mean age of 33.1 ± 12.2; 64.1% of them were women. Cronbach's alpha values for the two sections (reading comprehension and numeracy) and the total R-OHLI were 0.853, 0.815 and 0.895, respectively. The mean total R-OHLI score was 77.2 ± 14.5; the mean reading comprehension and numeracy scores were 39.5 ± 7.5 and 37.8 ± 8.8, respectively. The R-OHLI was significantly correlated to the oral health knowledge test. Pearson's correlation coefficients between the oral health knowledge test and the reading comprehension, numeracy and total R-OHLI were 0.401, 0.258, and 0.363, respectively (p < 0.001). Women, participants with a university degree, and those who visited a dentist at least once a year had significantly (p < 0.05) higher mean scores for each section (reading comprehension, numeracy) and for total R-OHLI compared to their counterparts. The R-OHLI showed good internal consistency and test-retest reliability. It was significantly associated with the oral

  5. Self-Esteem among Adult Literacy Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lipnevich, Anastasiya; Beder, Hal

    2007-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to investigate adult literacy education learners' self-esteem and to examine the relationship between self-esteem and measures of achievement in reading and math. The rationale for the present study stemmed from the lack of research into adult literacy students' self-esteem levels. More than 200 learners enrolled in…

  6. Adult Literacy Volunteers. Overview. ERIC Digest No. 48.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Imel, Susan

    Although volunteer tutors traditionally have formed the basis of the programs of Laubach Literacy Action and Literacy Volunteers of America, volunteers have begun to play a greater role in adult literacy instruction provided through community-based organizations, correctional institutions, churches, and federally funded adult basic education.…

  7. Deaf Adult Literacy Tutor Handbook--Revision (Final Report).

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bober, Gail, Comp.

    This handbook is designed for individuals who tutor hearing impaired adults in literacy skills. It provides general information about a number of topics: adult learners; deaf adult learners; deaf awareness; deaf culture; communication tips; language, communication, and literacy for deaf adults; and teaching strategies. A 13-page report describes…

  8. Numeracy and Australian Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Forgasz, Helen; Leder, Gilah

    2016-01-01

    Australian teachers, recruited via Facebook, completed an online survey about aspects of numeracy. The survey was designed to explore views on numeracy and capacity to respond to numeracy tasks. In this paper, we focus primarily on responses to two numeracy tasks--one numerical, the other requiring critical evaluation. On the first item, 40%…

  9. Concepts of Literacy: The Role of WELL.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Millar, Pat

    The Workplace English Language and Literacy (WELL) program is intended to provide Australian workers with the language, literacy, and numeracy skills needed to meet their current and ongoing employment and training needs. A research methodology based on the principles of naturalistic inquiry was used to examine the extent to which WELL projects…

  10. Age differences in the use of serving size information on food labels: numeracy or attention?

    PubMed

    Miller, Lisa M Soederberg; Applegate, Elizabeth; Beckett, Laurel A; Wilson, Machelle D; Gibson, Tanja N

    2017-04-01

    The ability to use serving size information on food labels is important for managing age-related chronic conditions such as diabetes, obesity and cancer. Past research suggests that older adults are at risk for failing to accurately use this portion of the food label due to numeracy skills. However, the extent to which older adults pay attention to serving size information on packages is unclear. We compared the effects of numeracy and attention on age differences in accurate use of serving size information while individuals evaluated product healthfulness. Accuracy and attention were assessed across two tasks in which participants compared nutrition labels of two products to determine which was more healthful if they were to consume the entire package. Participants' eye movements were monitored as a measure of attention while they compared two products presented side-by-side on a computer screen. Numeracy as well as food label habits and nutrition knowledge were assessed using questionnaires. Sacramento area, California, USA, 2013-2014. Stratified sample of 358 adults, aged 20-78 years. Accuracy declined with age among those older adults who paid less attention to serving size information. Although numeracy, nutrition knowledge and self-reported food label use supported accuracy, these factors did not influence age differences in accuracy. The data suggest that older adults are less accurate than younger adults in their use of serving size information. Age differences appear to be more related to lack of attention to serving size information than to numeracy skills.

  11. Development and evaluation of the Korean Health Literacy Instrument.

    PubMed

    Kang, Soo Jin; Lee, Tae Wha; Paasche-Orlow, Michael K; Kim, Gwang Suk; Won, Hee Kwan

    2014-01-01

    The purpose of this study is to develop and validate the Korean Health Literacy Instrument, which measures the capacity to understand and use health-related information and make informed health decisions in Korean adults. In Phase 1, 33 initial items were generated to measure functional, interactive, and critical health literacy with prose, document, and numeracy tasks. These items included content from health promotion, disease management, and health navigation contexts. Content validity assessment was conducted by an expert panel, and 11 items were excluded. In Phase 2, the 22 remaining items were administered to a convenience sample of 292 adults from community and clinical settings. Exploratory factor and item difficulty and discrimination analyses were conducted and four items with low discrimination were deleted. In Phase 3, the remaining 18 items were administered to a convenience sample of 315 adults 40-64 years of age from community and clinical settings. A confirmatory factor analysis was performed to test the construct validity of the instrument. The Korean Health Literacy Instrument has a range of 0 to 18. The mean score in our validation study was 11.98. The instrument exhibited an internal consistency reliability coefficient of 0.82, and a test-retest reliability of 0.89. The instrument is suitable for screening individuals who have limited health literacy skills. Future studies are needed to further define the psychometric properties and predictive validity of the Korean Health Literacy Instrument.

  12. Effective literacy instruction for adults with specific learning disabilities: implications for adult educators.

    PubMed

    Hock, Michael F

    2012-01-01

    Adults with learning disabilities (LD) attending adult basic education, GED programs, or community colleges are among the lowest performers on measures of literacy. For example, on multiple measures of reading comprehension, adults with LD had a mean reading score at the third grade level, whereas adults without LD read at the fifth grade level. In addition, large numbers of adults perform at the lowest skill levels on quantitative tasks. Clearly, significant instructional challenges exist for adults who struggle with literacy issues, and those challenges can be greater for adults with LD. In this article, the literature on adults with LD is reviewed, and evidenced-based instructional practices that significantly narrow the literacy achievement gap for this population are identified. Primary attention is given to instructional factors that have been shown to affect literacy outcomes for adults with LD. These factors include the use of explicit instruction, instructional technology, and intensive tutoring in skills and strategies embedded in authentic contexts.

  13. Health Literacy and Cognitive Performance among Older Adults

    PubMed Central

    Federman, Alex D.; Sano, Mary; Wolf, Michael S.; Siu, Albert L.; Halm, Ethan A.

    2009-01-01

    Objectives Specific cognitive abilities may explain the association of health literacy with health status. We studied the relationship between health literacy and memory and verbal fluency in older adults. Design Cross-sectional cohort. Setting Twenty senior centers and apartment buildings in New York City, NY. Participants Independently living, English and Spanish-speaking adults ages 60 and older (n=414). Measurements Health literacy was measured using the Short Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults (S-TOFHLA). The associations of S-TOFHLA scores with immediate and delayed recall (Wechsler Memory Scale II), verbal fluency (Animal Naming), and global cognitive function (Mini Mental Status Exam, MMSE), were modeled with multivariable logistic and linear regression. Results Health literacy was inadequate in 24.3%. Impairment of immediate recall occurred in 20.4%; delayed recall, 15.0%; verbal fluency, 9.9%; and MMSE, 17.4%. Abnormal cognitive function was strongly associated with inadequate health literacy: immediate recall (AOR 3.44, 95% CI 1.71 to 6.94, p<.0001); delayed recall (AOR 3.48, 95% CI 1.58 to 7.67, p = .002); and verbal fluency (AOR 3.47, 95% CI 1.44 to 8.38, p=.006). These associations persisted in subgroups that excluded individuals with normal age-adjusted MMSE scores. Conclusion Memory and verbal fluency are strongly associated with health literacy, independently of education and health status, even among those with subtle cognitive dysfunction. Reducing the cognitive burden of health information might mitigate the detrimental effects of limited health literacy in older adults. Research that examines the impact of materials tailored to older adults' cognitive limitations on health literacy and health outcomes is needed. PMID:19515101

  14. Shopping [for] Power: How Adult Literacy Learners Negotiate the Marketplace

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ozanne, Julie L.; Adkins, Natalie Ross; Sandlin, Jennifer A.

    2005-01-01

    Little empirical evidence exists on how adult literacy learners act as consumers. Yet, adult literacy programs often employ a "functional" approach to consumer education and assume that adult learners are deficient in consumer skills. Data from a qualitative study of the consumer behaviors of adult literacy learners are used to explore how adult…

  15. Adult Literacy: Monitoring and Evaluation for Practice and Policy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wagner, Daniel A.

    2008-11-01

    With the advent of the UN Literacy Decade launched in 2003, there is increased emphasis on monitoring and evaluation of adult literacy around the globe. The present paper presents an overview of the main approaches that have been taken to measure adult literacy within and across countries. A particular focus of the present review is to compare and contrast three models of literacy assessment: (1) the "traditional" model based largely on census enumeration, which has been used over recent decades to collect national and regional rates of illiteracy; (2) the large-scale survey techniques employed with the International Adult Literacy Survey and similar models; and (3) an intermediate type of assessment that borrows from the previous two models, and attempts to "tailor" the size and complexity of the survey methodology to the policy questions needing answers (called the SQC model). The present paper suggests that there is no single model or set of methods that are universally appropriate to monitoring and measuring in adult literacy around the world, but that blending both programmatic and comparative models through the SQC approach may bring greater involvement in, and insight into, adult literacy evaluations.

  16. Constructing Adult Literacies at a Local Literacy Tutor-Training Program

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Roderick, Ryan

    2013-01-01

    This study investigates how literacy was constructed at an adult literacy organization's volunteer tutor-training program. By drawing on qualitative analysis of training texts used during training, such as training evaluations, and data gathered from interviews with experienced tutors, it is possible to identify the assumptions about literacy…

  17. Adult English Language Learners with Limited Literacy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bigelow, Martha; Schwarz, Robin Lovrien

    2010-01-01

    Adult English language learners who lack print literacy or experience with formal education encounter a unique set of challenges in their lives and their efforts to learn English. Educators and policymakers are similarly challenged by how best to help these adults acquire English literacy. This paper reviews a variety of research, including that…

  18. A Typology of Adult Literacy Instructional Approaches

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Beder, Hal; Lipnevich, Anastasiya; Robinson-Geller, Perrine

    2007-01-01

    This study addresses the primary question, "What instructional approaches typify adult literacy education in the United States?" as well as several secondary questions. To address the primary question, a survey was developed and responses were received from 598 adult literacy teachers in 12 states. When the data were subjected to factor analysis,…

  19. Literacy and Workplace Change: Evaluation Findings from Eighteen Workplace Literacy Programs

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Benseman, John

    2012-01-01

    Many Western governments are looking to workplace literacy, language, and numeracy programs to address general skill improvement with a longterm aim of improving labor productivity. Rigorous research on these programs' effectiveness for both of these agendas, however, remains sparse and limited in scope. This article reports the findings of an…

  20. Adult Literacy Policy and Performance in Malawi: An Analysis.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bhola, H. S.

    In Malawi, adult literacy deserves immediate attention in order to promote health, family planning, and productivity. While policy commitment for adult literacy promotion has not been lacking, intensified action has been. In 1979 the government accepted the Unesco Mission Report to undertake a functional literacy program on the successful…

  1. And Then There Was One: Investigating ARIS, the Victorian Adult Education and Resource Information Service.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hazell, Pat

    The field of adult literacy and numeracy provision in Australia has developed and grown over the past 20 years. From a focus on student-centered learning and meeting community needs, it has evolved into a multi-faceted field incorporating community, technical and further education institutional, and workplace provision. Through ebbs and flows of…

  2. Considering the Research, Debating the Issues: Proceedings of the National ALNARC Forum (1st, Melbourne, Australia, February 17-18, 2000).

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sanguinetti, Jill, Ed.; Bradshaw, Delia, Ed.

    This document contains 10 papers about and from a national forum that was conducted by the Adult Literacy and Numeracy Australian Research Consortium (ALNARC) to gather various perspectives on the inclusion of literacy and numeracy standards in Australia's national training packages and to discuss research about the implementation of training…

  3. The Florida Adult Literacy Plan.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Florida State Dept. of Education, Tallahassee. Div. of Vocational, Adult, and Community Education.

    This document presents the Adult Literacy Plan for the state of Florida. Section 1 provides a rationale for the plan. Section 2 sets forth goals and objectives. The statutory intent is described in Section 3, which focuses on the Florida Model Literacy Program Act of 1987 (FMLPA). Section 4 presents a statement of the problem. It provides…

  4. Rural Textile Workers Literacy Enhancement Project. Final Performance Report.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Enterprise State Junior Coll., AL.

    This document consists of the final report and sample curricula from the Rural Textile Workers Literacy Enhancement Project. The final report details how the project was initiated in April 1993 to help employees of five textile and apparel manufacturing companies in southeastern Alabama improve their literacy and numeracy skills. A second…

  5. Numeracy Skills and the Numerate Environment: Affordances and Demands

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Evans, Jeff; Yasukawa, Keiko; Mallows, David; Creese, Brian

    2017-01-01

    In the 2012 PIAAC Survey of Adult Skills of 23 industrialised countries, the UK (England & NI) scored below average on adult numeracy. Several recommendations focus on the need for (some) individuals in the population to undergo training. Yet, even in "high-performing countries" like the Netherlands, many adults (1.5M) score at or…

  6. The Numeracy Issue: A Curriculum Initiative.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fulcher, Gordon

    2003-01-01

    Reports on numeracy in the United Kingdom, presenting findings from interviews with principals and numeracy coordinators about numeracy education and the government's National Numeracy Strategy. Most respondents rated the numeracy strategy positively. Teachers noted that the effort was driven by the pursuit of standards, yet introduction of a…

  7. World Trends and Issues in Adult Literacy: Update, 1990.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bhola, H. S.

    Some of the trends and issues in worldwide adult literacy include the existence of the following: (1) an increasing percentage of literate people, perhaps resulting from more children's education rather than literacy initiatives for adults; (2) fuzzy definitions of literacy and inaccurate self-reported data; (3) a change in ideology, moving from…

  8. Enrollment in prescription drug insurance: the interaction of numeracy and choice set size.

    PubMed

    Szrek, Helena; Bundorf, M Kate

    2014-04-01

    To determine how choice set size affects decision quality among individuals of different levels of numeracy choosing prescription drug plans. Members of an Internet-enabled panel age 65 and over were randomly assigned to sets of prescription drug plans varying in size from 2 to 16 plans from which they made a hypothetical choice. They answered questions about enrollment likelihood and the costs and benefits of their choice. The measure of decision quality was enrollment likelihood among those for whom enrollment was beneficial. Enrollment likelihood by numeracy and choice set size was calculated. A model of moderated mediation was analyzed to understand the role of numeracy as a moderator of the relationship between the number of plans and the quality of the enrollment decision and the roles of the costs and benefits in mediating that relationship. More numerate adults made better decisions than less numerate adults when choosing among a small number of alternatives but not when choice sets were larger. Choice set size had little effect on decision making of less numerate adults. Differences in decision making costs between more and less numerate adults helped explain the effect of choice set size on decision quality. Interventions to improve decision making in the context of Medicare Part D may differentially affect lower and higher numeracy adults. The conflicting results on choice overload in the psychology literature may be explained in part by differences amongst individuals in how they respond to choice set size.

  9. Early Literacy and Numeracy Skills in Bilingual Minority Children: Toward a Relative Independence of Linguistic and Numerical Processing

    PubMed Central

    Bonifacci, Paola; Tobia, Valentina; Bernabini, Luca; Marzocchi, Gian Marco

    2016-01-01

    Many studies have suggested that the concept of “number” is relatively independent from linguistic skills, although an increasing number of studies suggest that language abilities may play a pivotal role in the development of arithmetic skills. The condition of bilingualism can offer a unique perspective into the role of linguistic competence in numerical development. The present study was aimed at evaluating the relationship between language skills and early numeracy through a multilevel investigation in monolingual and bilingual minority children attending preschool. The sample included 156 preschool children. Of these, 77 were bilingual minority children (mean age = 58.27 ± 5.90), and 79 were monolinguals (mean age = 58.45 ± 6.03). The study focused on three levels of analysis: group differences in language and number skills, concurrent linguistic predictors of early numeracy and, finally, profile analysis of linguistic skills in children with impaired vs. adequate numeracy skills. The results showed that, apart from the expected differences in linguistic measures, bilinguals differed from monolinguals in numerical skills with a verbal component, such as semantic knowledge of digits, but they did not differ in a pure non-verbal component such as quantity comparison. The multigroup structural equation model indicated that letter knowledge was a significant predictor of the verbal component of numeracy for both groups. Phonological awareness was a significant predictor of numeracy skills only in the monolingual group. Profile analysis showed that children with a selective weakness in the non-verbal component of numeracy had fully adequate verbal skills. Results from the present study suggest that only some specific components of language competence predict numerical processing, although linguistic proficiency may not be a prerequisite for developing adequate early numeracy skills. PMID:27458413

  10. Early Literacy and Numeracy Skills in Bilingual Minority Children: Toward a Relative Independence of Linguistic and Numerical Processing.

    PubMed

    Bonifacci, Paola; Tobia, Valentina; Bernabini, Luca; Marzocchi, Gian Marco

    2016-01-01

    Many studies have suggested that the concept of "number" is relatively independent from linguistic skills, although an increasing number of studies suggest that language abilities may play a pivotal role in the development of arithmetic skills. The condition of bilingualism can offer a unique perspective into the role of linguistic competence in numerical development. The present study was aimed at evaluating the relationship between language skills and early numeracy through a multilevel investigation in monolingual and bilingual minority children attending preschool. The sample included 156 preschool children. Of these, 77 were bilingual minority children (mean age = 58.27 ± 5.90), and 79 were monolinguals (mean age = 58.45 ± 6.03). The study focused on three levels of analysis: group differences in language and number skills, concurrent linguistic predictors of early numeracy and, finally, profile analysis of linguistic skills in children with impaired vs. adequate numeracy skills. The results showed that, apart from the expected differences in linguistic measures, bilinguals differed from monolinguals in numerical skills with a verbal component, such as semantic knowledge of digits, but they did not differ in a pure non-verbal component such as quantity comparison. The multigroup structural equation model indicated that letter knowledge was a significant predictor of the verbal component of numeracy for both groups. Phonological awareness was a significant predictor of numeracy skills only in the monolingual group. Profile analysis showed that children with a selective weakness in the non-verbal component of numeracy had fully adequate verbal skills. Results from the present study suggest that only some specific components of language competence predict numerical processing, although linguistic proficiency may not be a prerequisite for developing adequate early numeracy skills.

  11. The Vocational Turn in Adult Literacy Education and the Impact of the International Adult Literacy Survey

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Druine, Nathalie; Wildemeersch, Danny

    2000-09-01

    The authors critically examine some of the underlying epistemological and theoretical assumptions of the IALS. In doing so, they distinguish among two basic orientations towards literacy. First, the standard approach (of which IALS is an example) subscribes to the possibility of measuring literacy as abstract, cognitive skills, and endorses the claim that there is an important relationship between literacy skills and economic success in the so-called 'knowledge society.' The second, called a socio-cultural approach, insists on the contextual and power-related character of people's literacy practices. The authors further illustrate that the assumptions of the IALS are rooted in a neo-liberal ideology that forces all members of society to adjust to the exigencies of the globalised economy. In the current, contingent conditions of the risk society, however, it does not seem very wise to limit the learning of adults to enhancing labour-market competencies. Adult education should relate to the concrete literacy practices people already have in their lives. It should make its learners co-responsible actors of their own learning process and participants in a democratic debate on defining the kind of society people want to build.

  12. Adult-Literacy Education in Jamaica.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Miller, Harry; And Others

    Some 42% of Jamaica's adult population was not functionally literate in 1962--figures that precipitated expansion in adult literacy and Basic Education programs as described in this survey report. Following a seven-page introductory historical profile, the authors note attempts made to assess adult illiteracy, such as the 1975 survey that found…

  13. The Association of Health Literacy with Adherence and Outcomes in Moderate-Severe Asthma

    PubMed Central

    Apter, Andrea J.; Wan, Fei; Reisine, Susan; Bender, Bruce; Rand, Cynthia; Bogen, Daniel K.; Bennett, Ian M.; Bryant-Stephens, Tyra; Roy, Jason; Gonzalez, Rodalyn; Priolo, Chantel; Have, Thomas Ten; Morales, Knashawn H.

    2013-01-01

    Background Low health literacy is associated with poor outcomes in asthma and other diseases but the mechanisms governing this relationship are not well-defined. Objective To assess whether literacy is related to subsequent asthma self-management, measured as adherence to inhaled steroids, and asthma outcomes. Methods In a prospective longitudinal cohort study, numeric (Asthma Numeracy Questionnaire (ANQ)) and print literacy (Short Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults (S-TOFHLA)) were assessed at baseline in adults with moderate or severe asthma for their impact on subsequent electronically monitored adherence and asthma outcomes (asthma control, asthma-related quality of life, and FEV1) over 26 weeks, using mixed-effects linear regression models. Results 284 adults participated: 48±14 years, 71% female, 70% African American, 6% Latino, mean FEV1 66% ± 19%, 86 (30%) with hospitalizations and 148 (52%) with ED visits for asthma in the prior year. Mean ANQ score (range 0–4) was 2.3 ± 1.2; mean S-TOFHLA score 31 ± 8 (range 0–36). In unadjusted analyses numeric and print literacy were associated with better adherence (p=0.01, p=0.08), asthma control (p=0.005, p <0.001), and quality of life (p<0.001, p<0.001). After controlling for age, sex, and race/ethnicity, the associations diminished and only quality of life (numeric: p=0.03, print p=0.006) and asthma control (print p=0.005) remained significantly associated with literacy. Race/ethnicity, income, and educational attainment were correlated (p<0.001). Conclusion While the relationship between literacy and health is complex, interventions which account for and address the literacy needs of patients may improve asthma outcomes. Clinical Implications/Key Summary In adults with moderate or severe asthma, higher health literacy scores were associated with better subsequent quality of life and asthma control. PMID:23591273

  14. Fostering young children's interest in numeracy through demonstration of its value: the Footsteps Study

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Colliver, Yeshe

    2017-07-01

    Children's early mathematical abilities are fundamental to their later academic achievement. An interest in mathematics in the early years is likely to establish a positive attitude to later mathematical learning, hopefully sustaining continued interest in mathematics and mathematical learning. Approaches to early mathematics teaching in the early years, however, are typically adult-initiated, which may fail to capture children's interest. Given the importance of children's motivation and sustained interest, the study described here strove to spark children's interests in mathematical problems in everyday life. The study sought to determine if children would incorporate more numeracy-related concepts into their free play if exposed to adult demonstrations of age-appropriate numeracy activities such as patterning. For at least 15 min three times weekly, participating children's parents and educators demonstrated numeracy problem-solving nearby, while children engaged in other activities. Demonstrations were thought to ascribe social value to the problem-solving activities. If children became interested in participating, adults told them to wait until the demonstrations finished, further indicating social value. Results show these children chose to play with numeracy-related activities in their free play time at preschool significantly more than children in a control group. These results suggest that seeking to foster children's interest in mathematics through child-initiated play, rather than prescribing adult-initiated mathematics activities, may be an important means of laying the foundation for lifelong mathematics learning. Ascribing social value to numeracy applications is proposed as a new approach to teaching mathematics in the early years.

  15. Strengths and Gaps in Physicians' Risk Communication: A Scenario Study of the Influence of Numeracy on Cancer Screening Communication.

    PubMed

    Petrova, Dafina; Kostopoulou, Olga; Delaney, Brendan C; Cokely, Edward T; Garcia-Retamero, Rocio

    2018-04-01

    Many patients have low numeracy, which impedes their understanding of important information about health (e.g., benefits and harms of screening). We investigated whether physicians adapt their risk communication to accommodate the needs of patients with low numeracy, and how physicians' own numeracy influences their understanding and communication of screening statistics. UK family physicians ( N = 151) read a description of a patient seeking advice on cancer screening. We manipulated the level of numeracy of the patient (low v. high v. unspecified) and measured physicians' risk communication, recommendation to the patient, understanding of screening statistics, and numeracy. Consistent with best practices, family physicians generally preferred to use visual aids rather than numbers when communicating information to a patient with low (v. high) numeracy. A substantial proportion of physicians (44%) offered high quality (i.e., complete and meaningful) risk communication to the patient. This was more often the case for physicians with higher (v. lower) numeracy who were more likely to mention mortality rates, OR=1.43 [1.10, 1.86], and harms from overdiagnosis, OR=1.44 [1.05, 1.98]. Physicians with higher numeracy were also more likely to understand that increased detection or survival rates do not demonstrate screening effectiveness, OR=1.61 [1.26, 2.06]. Most physicians know how to appropriately tailor risk communication for patients with low numeracy (i.e., with visual aids). However, physicians who themselves have low numeracy are likely to misunderstand the risks and unintentionally mislead patients by communicating incomplete information. High-quality risk communication and shared decision making can depend critically on factors that improve the risk literacy of physicians.

  16. Adult Literacy: Monitoring and Evaluation for Practice and Policy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wagner, Daniel A.

    2008-01-01

    With the advent of the UN Literacy Decade launched in 2003, there is increased emphasis on monitoring and evaluation of adult literacy around the globe. The present paper presents an overview of the main approaches that have been taken to measure adult literacy within and across countries. A particular focus of the present review is to compare and…

  17. Connections: A Journal of Adult Literacy. Volume II.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Connections: A Journal of Adult Literacy, 1987

    1987-01-01

    The articles in this issue include "Let's Talk about What This Means" (Duncan); "Dyslexia and Adult Literacy--Forging the Missing Link" (Kidder); "Competency-Based ESL, One Step Forward or Two Steps Back?" (Auerbach); " A Comparative Look at Adult Literacy Programs in Stockholm, London, and Boston" (Nickse);…

  18. International Adult Literacy Survey. Benchmarking Adult Literacy in America: An International Comparative Study.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tuijnman, Albert

    This 22-country survey was conducted between 1994 and 1998. Representative samples of adults aged 16-65 were interviewed and tested at home using the same literacy tests. The main purpose of the survey was to find out how well adults use information to function in society. Another aim was to investigate the factors that influence literacy…

  19. Mathematical Literacy in Plant Physiology Undergraduates: Results of Interventions Aimed at Improving Students' Performance

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Vila, Francisca; Sanz, Amparo

    2013-01-01

    The importance of mathematical literacy in any scientific career is widely recognized. However, various studies report lack of numeracy and mathematical literacy in students from various countries. In the present work, we present a detailed study of the mathematical literacy of Spanish undergraduate students of Biology enrolled in a Plant…

  20. A Tale of Two Councils: Alternative Discourses on the "Literacy Crisis" in Australian Workplaces

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Black, Stephen; Yasukawa, Keiko

    2011-01-01

    Australia appears to be in the grip of a "literacy crisis" in workplaces. Media reports and industry/skills organisations are decrying the low literacy and numeracy levels of workers and the negative effects these have on productivity. As a consequence, the Australian government has increased funding for workplace literacy and numeracy…

  1. Arkansas Action Plan for Literacy Enhancement. Report of the Governor's Commission on Adult Literacy.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Arkansas State Office of the Governor, Little Rock.

    This document contains a mission statement, goals, and strategies and recommendations prepared by the Arkansas Governor's Commission on Adult Literacy. Goals include increasing from approximately 29,000 to 100,000 the number of adult learners engaged in pursuing at least one higher functional level of literacy by 1992-93 and quadrupling the…

  2. The PRIDE (Partnership to Improve Diabetes Education) Toolkit: Development and Evaluation of Novel Literacy and Culturally Sensitive Diabetes Education Materials.

    PubMed

    Wolff, Kathleen; Chambers, Laura; Bumol, Stefan; White, Richard O; Gregory, Becky Pratt; Davis, Dianne; Rothman, Russell L

    2016-02-01

    Patients with low literacy, low numeracy, and/or linguistic needs can experience challenges understanding diabetes information and applying concepts to their self-management. The authors designed a toolkit of education materials that are sensitive to patients' literacy and numeracy levels, language preferences, and cultural norms and that encourage shared goal setting to improve diabetes self-management and health outcomes. The Partnership to Improve Diabetes Education (PRIDE) toolkit was developed to facilitate diabetes self-management education and support. The PRIDE toolkit includes a comprehensive set of 30 interactive education modules in English and Spanish to support diabetes self-management activities. The toolkit builds upon the authors' previously validated Diabetes Literacy and Numeracy Education Toolkit (DLNET) by adding a focus on shared goal setting, addressing the needs of Spanish-speaking patients, and including a broader range of diabetes management topics. Each PRIDE module was evaluated using the Suitability Assessment of Materials (SAM) instrument to determine the material's cultural appropriateness and its sensitivity to the needs of patients with low literacy and low numeracy. Reading grade level was also assessed using the Automated Readability Index (ARI), Coleman-Liau, Flesch-Kincaid, Fry, and SMOG formulas. The average reading grade level of the materials was 5.3 (SD 1.0), with a mean SAM of 91.2 (SD 5.4). All of the 30 modules received a "superior" score (SAM >70%) when evaluated by 2 independent raters. The PRIDE toolkit modules can be used by all members of a multidisciplinary team to assist patients with low literacy and low numeracy in managing their diabetes. © 2015 The Author(s).

  3. Adult Literacy in OECD Countries: Technical Report on the First International Adult Literacy Survey.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Murray, T. Scott; Kirsch, Irwin S.; Jenkins, Lynn B.

    In December 1995, the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) and Statistics Canada jointly published the results of the first International Adult Literacy Survey (IALS). For this survey, representative samples of adults aged 16 to 65 were interviewed and tested in their homes in Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands,…

  4. Adult Literacy & Basic Skills Unit Newsletter. Nos. 32-35.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Adult Literacy & Basic Skills Unit Newsletter, 1989

    1989-01-01

    This packet contains the four issues of a newsletter published in 1989 by the Adult Literacy & Basic Skills Unit in England. The Winter issue contains the following articles: "After the Act"; "An Evening at the Theatre"; "Horticulture: A Practical Project with Autistic Adults"; "Shared Reading"; and "Literacy and Adult Basic Education in…

  5. Adult Literacy, the Internet, and NCAL: An Introduction.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rethemeyer, R. Karl

    This document provides information on two services established on the Internet by the National Center on Adult Literacy (NCAL): electronic mail (e-mail) communication with NCAL and a Gopher server that makes it possible to access and download information, documents, and software relevant to adult literacy. A recent "NCAL Connections" article,…

  6. Correlates of healthcare and financial decision making among older adults without dementia.

    PubMed

    Stewart, Christopher C; Yu, Lei; Wilson, Robert S; Bennett, David A; Boyle, Patricia A

    2018-03-22

    Healthcare and financial decision making among older persons has been previously associated with cognition, health and financial literacy, and risk aversion; however, the manner by which these resources support decision making remains unclear, as past studies have not systematically investigated the pathways linking these resources with decision making. In the current study, we use path analysis to examine the direct and indirect pathways linking age, education, cognition, literacy, and risk aversion with decision making. We also decomposed literacy into its subcomponents, conceptual knowledge and numeracy, in order to examine their associations with decision making. Participants were 937 community-based older adults without dementia from the Rush Memory and Aging Project who completed a battery of cognitive tests and assessments of healthcare and financial decision making, health and financial literacy, and risk aversion. Age and education exerted effects on decision making, but nearly two thirds of their effects were indirect, working mostly through cognition and literacy. Cognition exerted a strong direct effect on decision making and a robust indirect effect working primarily through literacy. Literacy also exerted a powerful direct effect on decision making, as did its subcomponents, conceptual knowledge and numeracy. The direct effect of risk aversion was comparatively weak. In addition to cognition, health and financial literacy emerged as independent and primary correlates of healthcare and financial decision making. These findings suggest specific actions that might be taken to optimize healthcare and financial decision making and, by extension, improve health and well-being in advanced age. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

  7. Marketing Your Adult Literacy Program. A "How to" Manual.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Smith, Barbara; And Others

    This guide, which was originally developed for use in a training workshop, is intended to assist adult educators in learning to market their adult literacy programs. The first chapter outlines the main principles of social marketing and public relations. An overview of the operation of a social marketing campaign on adult literacy is provided…

  8. The Basic Skills of Young Adults. Some Findings from the 1970 British Cohort Study.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ekinsmyth, Carol; Bynner, John

    A representative sample of 1,650 members of the 1970 British Cohort Study were surveyed at the age of 21 (in 1992) to gather information on their education, training, and employment experiences after the age of 16 and their self-assessed literacy and numeracy. Respondents also completed a half-hour assessment of their literacy and numeracy skills.…

  9. The Historical and Political Context of Adult Literacy in Turkey

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sayilan, Fevziye; Yildiz, Ahmet

    2009-01-01

    The aim of this article is to analyse the development of adult literacy education in Turkey in a historical and political context. The development of adult literacy education is studied in three different historical periods. To spread literacy and create novel institutions, although these institutions were closed later, played a critical role in…

  10. Health Literacy, Social Support, and Health Status among Older Adults

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lee, Shoou-Yih D.; Arozullah, Ahsan M.; Cho, Young Ik; Crittenden, Kathleen; Vicencio, Daniel

    2009-01-01

    The study examines whether social support interacts with health literacy in affecting the health status of older adults. Health literacy is assessed using the short version of the Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults. Social support is measured with the Medical Outcome Study social support scale. Results show, unexpectedly, that rather…

  11. Secretary's Initiative on Adult Literacy.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Vines, Diane Welch

    The National Adult Literacy Initiative calls for a collaborative effort among the public, private, voluntary, and military sectors to address more effectively illiteracy through adult education. One of the first points in the initiative calls for continued educational services funded by the federal government and administered by the states. Other…

  12. Illinois Adult Education and Literacy. Annual Report 1995.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Illinois State Board of Education, Springfield.

    During fiscal year 1995, more than $29 million was spent on adult education and literacy programming in Illinois, with federal, state, and public aid accounting for 36%, 30%, and 34% respectively of all funds. Of those funds, 77% were spent on direct instruction. The 107 adult education/literacy programs offered in Illinois' 4 planning regions in…

  13. Literacy, Economy and Society. Results of the First International Adult Literacy Survey.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Statistics Canada, Ottawa (Ontario).

    The International Adult Literacy Survey (IALS) was a collaborative effort by seven governments and three intergovernmental organizations to describe and compare the literacy skills of people from Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United States. Each country drew a probability sample from which results…

  14. Literacy for Life: Adult Learners, New Practices. Language and Literacy Series.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fingeret, Hanna Arlene; Drennon, Cassandra

    Begun as a study of the impact of participation on the abilities and practices in Literacy Volunteers of New York City (LVNYC), this book is a snapshot in time of the lives of five adults. It describes their participation in a literacy program and contains their tales of change, courage, shame, struggle, and triumph. Section I presents profiles of…

  15. Adult literacy benefits? New opportunities for research into sustainable development

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Post, David

    2016-12-01

    Understandings of "literacy" broadened after the United Nations Development Decade of the 1960s. The corresponding research into the benefits of literacy also widened its focus beyond economic growth. The effects of adult literacy and its correlates appeared diffuse with the rise of New Literacy Studies, and the scholarship on consequences seemed less essential to advocates following the rise of a human rights perspective on education. In 2016 the agenda for literacy research has returned - but at a higher level - to concern over its benefits. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have reintegrated literacy research within an agenda to understand the channels through which literacy skills might effect change. This article briefly reviews progress in adult literacy, touches on existing perspectives on literacy, and then illustrates four recent sources of information useful in the revitalised agenda offered by the SDGs. Data from the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) study conducted by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the World Values Survey (WVS), and the World Bank's Skills Toward Employment and Productivity (STEP) study are now available to researchers wishing to link educational change with attitudinal and behavioural change. Another important resource are the emerging data on mobile learning. By integrating literacy into the SDGs, literacy researchers can reveal the channels through which literacy can contribute to social welfare and transformation.

  16. A Literacy Lesson from an Adult "Burgeoning" Reader

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Saal, Leah Katherine; Sulentic Dowell, Margaret-Mary

    2014-01-01

    Young children who are learning to negotiate print experience emerging literacy. For adults who are beginning entrance into the navigation and negotiation of print literacy, the term "burgeoning" is selected as a more accurate portrayal of the nature of literacy extension into adulthood. This phenomenological case study investigates the…

  17. Casting the Die before the Die Is Cast: The Importance of the Home Numeracy Environment for Preschool Children

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Niklas, Frank; Schneider, Wolfgang

    2014-01-01

    Mathematical competencies are important not only for academic achievement at school but also for professional success later in life. Although we know a lot about the impact of "Home Literacy Environment" on the development of early linguistic competencies, research on "Home Numeracy Environment" (HNE) and the assessment of its…

  18. Mental health literacy in korean older adults: A cross-sectional survey.

    PubMed

    Kim, Y S; Lee, H Y; Lee, M H; Simms, T; Park, B H

    2017-09-01

    WHAT IS KNOWN ON THE SUBJECT?: Mental health literacy is a fairly new concept, first introduced in 1997. It refers to what people know and believe about mental health disorders. People's knowledge and beliefs help them to recognize, manage and prevent mental disorders. Generally, older adults have lower health literacy compared to young and middle-aged adults. WHAT THIS STUDY ADDS TO EXISTING KNOWLEDGE?: This is the first study on the mental health literacy of Korean older adults. This study looks beyond peoples' ability to recognize mental health disorders and their opinions about them. It identifies factors that are associated with mental health literacy (level of education and social support, the number of people in one's social circles and how individuals rate their health). WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE?: Older adults might get more out of mental health literacy programmes in group or social settings. Programmes that use older adult peer educators/supporters, such as the "older people's champions" of the Healthy Passport programme in England, might make the programmes more effective. Mental health campaigns, such as Australia's beyondblue, might increase mental health literacy of older adults. Introduction Korea is experiencing rapid population ageing, spurring an increased need for mental health services for the elderly. Approximately one-third of Korean older adults experience depressive symptoms, and Korea has the highest elder suicide rate among 34 developed nations. Mental health literacy is an important component of promoting mental health, yet studies on the concept have been conducted in few countries. Aim This study examines the level of mental health literacy among Korean older adults and identifies factors associated with their mental health literacy. Method A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 596 community-dwelling Korean adults aged 65 and older. Andersen's Behavioral Model of Health Services Use framed the study. Results Overall

  19. Review of Adult Learning and Literacy, Volume 5. Connecting Research, Policy, and Practice: A Project of the National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Comings, John, Ed.; Garner, Barbara, Ed.; Smith, Cristine, Ed.

    2005-01-01

    "The Review of Adult Learning and Literacy: Connecting Research, Policy, and Practice, Volume 5" is a volume in a series of annual publications of the National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy (NCSALL) that address major issues, the latest research, and the best practices in the field of adult literacy and learning.…

  20. Review of Adult Learning and Literacy, Volume 4. Connecting Research, Policy, and Practice: A Project of the National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Comings, John, Ed.; Garner, Barbara, Ed.; Smith, Cristine, Ed.

    2004-01-01

    "The Review of Adult Learning and Literacy: Connecting Research Policy, and Practice, Volume 4" is an addition to a series of annual publications of the National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy (NCSALL) that address major issues, the latest research, and the best practices in the field of adult literacy and learning.…

  1. Literacy for the Twenty-First Century: Research, Policy, Practices, and the National Adult Literacy Survey.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Smith, M. Cecil, Ed.

    This book focuses on results from secondary analyses of the National Adult Literacy Survey (NALS) and implications of these analyses for policy, practice, and further research on adult literacy. Part I contains an introduction and three additional chapters that provide a substantive summary of the NALS and its purposes: "Introduction: Adult…

  2. Health Literacy among Adults: A Study from Turkey

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ozdemir, H.; Alper, Z.; Uncu, Y.; Bilgel, N.

    2010-01-01

    Patients' health literacy is increasingly recognized as a critical factor affecting health communication and outcomes. We performed this study to assess the levels of health literacy by using Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Medicine (REALM) and Newest Vital Sign (NVS) instruments. Patients (n = 456) at a family medicine clinic completed…

  3. Post-literacy and Second State Adult Learning in India.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rogers, Alan

    2002-01-01

    Surveys the work accomplished in post-literacy in India as part of the National Literacy Mission. Argues that post-literacy has become an arena of struggle between individual and group goals. Uses interviews and discussions to explore this field. Outlines the concerns being voiced in India about adult literacy learning. (CAJ)

  4. Guide to Adult Functional Literacy Assessment Using Existing Tests.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Anderson, Beverly L.

    This is a guide designed for professionals who need to assess the literacy ability of adults. The three general categories of literacy skills which are distinguished include generic literacy skills, everyday skills, and job-related skills. Functional literacy has been defined in various ways, therefore, the assessment of it is very difficult. The…

  5. Canadian Adult Basic Education and Literacy Activities: A Digest.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Thomas, Audrey M.

    A 1-year project undertaken for World Literacy of Canada to survey the Canadian Literacy scene attempted to identify and describe the adult population in need of literacy activities in Canada, to identify and describe the literacy activities being undertaken by existing organizations, communities and individuals in Canada, and to share the…

  6. Health Literacy, Cognitive Ability, and Functional Health Status among Older Adults

    PubMed Central

    Serper, Marina; Patzer, Rachel E; Curtis, Laura M; Smith, Samuel G; O'Conor, Rachel; Baker, David W; Wolf, Michael S

    2014-01-01

    Objective To investigate whether previously noted associations between health literacy and functional health status might be explained by cognitive function. Data Sources/Study Setting Health Literacy and Cognition in Older Adults (“LitCog,” prospective study funded by National Institute on Aging). Data presented are from interviews conducted among 784 adults, ages 55–74 years receiving care at an academic general medicine clinic or one of four federally qualified health centers in Chicago from 2008 to 2010. Study Design Study participants completed structured, in-person interviews administered by trained research assistants. Data Collection Health literacy was measured using the Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults, Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Medicine, and Newest Vital Sign. Cognitive function was assessed using measures of long-term and working memory, processing speed, reasoning, and verbal ability. Functional health was assessed with SF-36 physical health summary scale and Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System short form subscales for depression and anxiety. Principal Findings All health literacy measures were significantly correlated with all cognitive domains. In multivariable analyses, inadequate health literacy was associated with worse physical health and more depressive symptoms. After adjusting for cognitive abilities, associations between health literacy, physical health, and depressive symptoms were attenuated and no longer significant. Conclusions Cognitive function explains a significant proportion of the associations between health literacy, physical health, and depression among older adults. Interventions to reduce literacy disparities in health care should minimize the cognitive burden in behaviors patients must adopt to manage personal health. PMID:24476068

  7. Literacy on the Line. Australian Council for Adult Literacy Conference Proceedings (21st, Adelaide, Australia, September 24-26, 1998).

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Shore, Sue, Ed.

    This conference proceedings of the Australian Council for Adult Literacy contains the following papers: "'But I'm Not a Therapist'--The Challenge of Creating Effective Literacy Learning for Survivors of Trauma" (Horsman); "Future Studies, Postmodernism, and Adult Literacy" (Cross); "Collaboration and Compliance in the…

  8. Examining the Association between the "Imagination Library" Early Childhood Literacy Program and Kindergarten Readiness

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Samiei, Shahin; Bush, Andrew J.; Sell, Marie; Imig, Doug

    2016-01-01

    This study evaluated participation in the "Imagination Library" early childhood literacy enrichment program and children's pre-literacy and pre-numeracy skills at kindergarten entry in an urban school district. Previous studies have demonstrated that program participation is associated with greater early childhood reading practices.…

  9. Joining the On-Line Community. An Introduction for Adult Literacy. Practice Guide.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rethemeyer, R. Karl

    This technology guide is intended to introduce adult literacy providers to the concepts,hardware, and procedures of online communication. The six-part guide explains the following: (1) what electronic networks are; (2) why adult literacy practitioners may want to join the Internet; (3) how adult literacy practitioners are already using the…

  10. Literacy for Living Conference Papers. Australian Council for Adult Literacy National Conference (12th, Brisbane, Australia, 1988).

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Norton, Marian, Ed.

    This document contains 43 papers on many aspects of adult literacy: "Literacy, Human Rights and Equality of Opportunity" (Einfeld); "Overcoming Illiteracy" (Marquet); "The Literacy Issue" (Crocker); "Literacy and Civil Liberties" (O'Gorman); "Designing a Tutor Training Program for Tutors of ESL"…

  11. Critical and Social Literacy Practices from the Scottish Adult Literacy Experience: Resisting Deficit Approaches to Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Crowther, Jim; Tett, Lyn

    2011-01-01

    Scotland provides an interesting context for studying adult literacy in that it is one of the few countries that explicitly acknowledge the idea of literacy as a social practice. By drawing on two initiatives we illustrate literacy learning derived from a mixture of social practice and critical literacy perspectives. Together they provide insights…

  12. Tutoring Older Adults in Literacy Programs. Literacy Education for the Elderly Project.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jacobs, Bella; Ventura-Merkel, Catherine

    This booklet is designed to sensitize volunteer literacy tutors to the special needs and interests of illiterate older learners. It also gives useful tips for creating successful and self-rewarding learning experiences. The first section on the world of older adults with literacy problems describes some of the characteristics of this group. In the…

  13. New Literacy Tools for Adults.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Anderson, Jonathan

    1990-01-01

    Describes an Australian national study of technologies used for adult literacy: traditional technologies (print, radio, television, audio and videotape, teleconferencing, and computers) and new generation technologies (laser discs, CD-ROM, videodiscs, and hypermedia). (SK)

  14. Making the Case--Adult Education & Literacy: Key to America's Future.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Council for Advancement of Adult Literacy, New York, NY.

    This publication is comprised of case statements of 14 attendees at an invitational meeting at the Council for Advancement of Adult Literacy and other adult educators. Offered as an advocacy tool for the field, these case statements represent short statements making the case for adult education and literacy; are the products of national leaders…

  15. Literacy Practices and Linguistic Choices: A Sociocultural Study of a Multilingual Adult Literacy Student Group.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Black, Stephen R.; Thorp, Kay

    The report describes a study of a multilingual group of six adult literacy students, five women and one man, enrolled in an English literacy class at an Australian college. Subjects' countries of origin include Afghanistan, Indonesia/China, Lebanon, Iran, and China. The study examined factors affecting subjects' daily literacy practices and…

  16. Measuring health literacy in individuals with diabetes: a systematic review and evaluation of available measures.

    PubMed

    Al Sayah, Fatima; Williams, Beverly; Johnson, Jeffrey A

    2013-02-01

    To identify instruments used to measure health literacy and numeracy in people with diabetes; evaluate their use, measurement scope, and properties; discuss their strengths and weaknesses; and propose the most useful, reliable, and applicable measure for use in research and practice settings. A systematic literature review was conducted to identify the instruments. Nutbeam's domains of health literacy and a diabetes health literacy skill set were used to evaluate the measurement scope of the identified instruments and to evaluate their applicability in people with diabetes. Fifty-six studies were included, from which one diabetes-specific (LAD) and eight generic measures of health literacy (REALM, REALM-R, TOFHLA, s-TOFHLA, NVS, 3-brief SQ, 3-level HL Scale, SILS) and one diabetes-specific (DNT) and two generic measures of numeracy (SNS, WRAT) were identified. These instruments were categorized into direct measures, that is, instruments that assess the performance of individuals on health literacy skills and indirect measures that rely on self-report of these skills. The most commonly used instruments measure selective domains of health literacy, focus mainly on reading and writing skills, and do not address other important skills such as verbal communication, health care system navigation, health-related decision making, and numeracy. The structure, mode, and length of administration and measurement properties were found to affect the applicability of these instruments in clinical and research settings. Indirect self- or clinician-administered measures are the most useful in both clinical and research settings. This review provides an evaluation of available health literacy measures and guidance to practitioners and researchers for selecting the appropriate measures for use in clinical settings and research applications.

  17. Promoting Adult Literacy Education for Minorities in the US: Challenges and Suggestions

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Li, Xiaofan

    2011-01-01

    Adult literacy is a long-lasting issue in modern US and adult literacy education often falls off the radar of the support system for education. This study examined and synthesized extensive literature relevant to adult literacy education with a focus on minorities in the US. It identified progresses and challenges in three major issues in adult…

  18. Building Sustainable Adult Literacy Provision: A Review of International Trends in Adult Literacy Policy and Programs

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McKenna, Rosa; Fitzpatrick, Lynne

    2004-01-01

    This document summarizes an extensive study of policies and practices in adult literacy and adult basic education in a number of countries undertaken by Rosa McKenna and Lynne Fitzpatrick. The original study contains considerably greater detail and analyses issues on a country-by-country basis. The countries studied--Canada, the Republic of…

  19. Cognition and Health Literacy in Older Adults' Recall of Self-Care Information.

    PubMed

    Chin, Jessie; Madison, Anna; Gao, Xuefei; Graumlich, James F; Conner-Garcia, Thembi; Murray, Michael D; Stine-Morrow, Elizabeth A L; Morrow, Daniel G

    2017-04-01

    Health literacy is associated with health outcomes presumably because it influences the understanding of information needed for self-care. However, little is known about the language comprehension mechanisms that underpin health literacy. We explored the relationship between a commonly used measure of health literacy (Short Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults [STOFHLA]) and comprehension of health information among 145 older adults. Results showed that performance on the STOFHLA was associated with recall of health information. Consistent with the Process-Knowledge Model of Health Literacy, mediation analysis showed that both processing capacity and knowledge mediated the association between health literacy and recall of health information. In addition, knowledge moderated the effects of processing capacity limits, such that processing capacity was less likely to be associated with recall for older adults with higher levels of knowledge. These findings suggest that knowledge contributes to health literacy and can compensate for deficits in processing capacity to support comprehension of health information among older adults. The implications of these findings for improving patient education materials for older adults with inadequate health literacy are discussed. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  20. Adult Basic Literacy "Initiatives" in Ethiopia: Change and Continuity

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kenea, Ambissa

    2014-01-01

    The major purpose of the study was to look into change and continuity in the policy and practices of adult basic literacy initiatives in Ethiopia and to deduce lessons that can be drawn from the experiences for the future of adult basic literacy program in the country and elsewhere. Data was obtained through critical review of documents on the…

  1. Mandated Literacy Assessment and the Reorganisation of Teachers' Work: Federal Policy, Local Effects

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Comber, Barbara

    2012-01-01

    This paper explores how mandated literacy assessment is reorganising teachers' work in the context of Australia's National Assessment Program--Literacy and Numeracy, which was implemented in 2008. Students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 are tested annually, with school results publicly available. The wider policy context and the emergence of different…

  2. Financial Literacy: An Essential Component of Mathematics Literacy and Numeracy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sole, Marla A.

    2014-01-01

    With rising personal and public debt, public and private employers increasingly shifting financial responsibility to individuals, and an increase in both the number of financial investment options and predatory lending practices, today's students need to be financially literate. This paper defines financial literacy and justifies its place in the…

  3. Adult Basic Education Basic Computer Literacy Handbook.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Manini, Catalina M.; Cervantes, Juan

    This handbook, in both English and Spanish versions, is intended for use with adult basic education (ABE) students. It contains five sections of basic computer literacy activities and information about the ABE computer literacy course offered at Dona Ana Community College (DACC) in New Mexico. The handbook begins with forewords by the handbook's…

  4. Adult Literacy Benefits? New Opportunities for Research into Sustainable Development

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Post, David

    2016-01-01

    Understandings of "literacy" broadened after the United Nations Development Decade of the 1960s. The corresponding research into the benefits of literacy also widened its focus beyond economic growth. The effects of adult literacy and its correlates appeared diffuse with the rise of New Literacy Studies, and the scholarship on…

  5. Suitability of the Literacy and Numeracy Screening (LINUS) 2.0 Programme in Assessing Children's Early Literacy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Luyee, Eunice Ong; Roselan, Fauzan Izzati; Anwardeen, Nor Hafizah; Mustapa, Fatin Hazirah Mohd

    2015-01-01

    Early literacy skills are crucial in a child's learning process and awareness should be raised in order to ensure the quality of early literacy assessments. In this paper, the writers discuss the quality of early literacy assessment in Malaysia, LINUS 2.0 by looking at its validity and reliability. An established early literacy program is compared…

  6. Diabetes Literacy: Health and Adult Literacy Practitioners in Partnership

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Black, Stephen

    2012-01-01

    This paper describes pedagogy in a series of "diabetes literacy" programs involving culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities. The programs were jointly delivered in local community sites, including neighbourhood centres and public housing halls, by qualified nutritionists from a public health service and adult literacy…

  7. ``We also wanted to learn'': Narratives of change from adults literate in African languages

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Trudell, Joel; Cheffy, Ian

    2017-10-01

    This article discusses the impact of literacy programmes on those who learned to read and write in their own African languages. It draws on adult learners' reflections on the significance of literacy and numeracy in their everyday lives as evidenced in interviews conducted in 2014 and 2015 in rural sites in five African countries: Ethiopia, Kenya, Cameroon, Burkina Faso and Ghana. The research approach was influenced by the Most Significant Change (MSC) method of monitoring and evaluation, which collects and examines narratives that reveal beneficiaries' perceptions of change related to a given programme. This study emulates this approach in that it seeks to learn about perceived changes attributed to literacy acquisition from the perspectives of the beneficiaries, without imposing pre-established indicators. In the rural adult learners' view, literacy enabled lifelong learning outcomes that rivalled the results of primary schooling. Literacy programme graduates demonstrated extensive ongoing learning after they learned to read, write and calculate, consequently acquiring new literacy practices and new understandings of themselves. Even though many of those interviewed had been unable to attend school, they viewed the practices of reading and writing that they developed outside of school as equivalent to the practices of adults who had been educated in primary school.

  8. Starting Over: Characteristics of Adult Literacy Learners.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Smith-Burke, M. Trika; And Others

    A study examined the characteristics of those individuals who participate in New York City's adult literacy programs. Interviews were conducted with 32 native-born U.S. citizens (native speakers of English) who had enrolled in a literacy program for the first time and had been reading somewhere up to the 4.9 grade level at the time they entered…

  9. Health Literacy, Health Disparities, and Sources of Health Information in U.S. Older Adults.

    PubMed

    Cutilli, Carolyn Crane; Simko, Lynn C; Colbert, Alison M; Bennett, Ian M

    Low health literacy in older adults has been associated with poor health outcomes (i.e., mortality, decreased physical and cognitive functioning, and less preventive care utilization). Many factors associated with low health literacy are also associated with health disparities. Interaction with healthcare providers and sources of health information are influenced by an individual's health literacy and can impact health outcomes. This study examined the relationships between health literacy, sources of health information, and demographic/background characteristics in older adults (aged 65 years and older) related to health literacy and disparities. This descriptive, correlational study is a secondary analysis of the 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy, a large-scale national assessment. Older adults with lower health literacy have less income and education, rate their health as poor or fair, have visual or auditory difficulties, need help filling out forms, reading newspaper, or writing notes, and use each source of health information less (print and nonprint). Many of these characteristics and skills are predictive of health literacy and associated with health disparities. The results expand our knowledge of characteristics associated with health literacy and sources of health information used by older adults. Interventions to improve health outcomes including health disparities can focus on recognizing and meeting the health literacy demands of older adults.

  10. Developing Promotional Materials for Adult Literacy Programs. Practitioner Perspective

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jae, Haeran

    2014-01-01

    This article reports on a specific case of the READ Center--a community-based literacy organization (CBLO) in Richmond, Virginia--and its attempt to develop promotional materials that will encourage low-literate adults to enroll in literacy programs. The article also offers insight on how literacy organizations may utilize the practical experience…

  11. Adult Learning and Literacy in Canada

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Shohet, Linda

    2001-01-01

    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…

  12. Adult Basic Education and Health Literacy: Program Efforts and Perceived Student Needs

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mackert, Michael; Poag, Meg

    2011-01-01

    Objective: This project examined health literacy efforts among adult basic education providers in Central Texas. Methods: A survey was conducted with all adult literacy providers in Central Texas (N = 58). Results: Most programs provide health-related information. Literacy programs see needs for helping students communicate with doctors, filling…

  13. The Adult Basic Education Program: A Technological Approach to Adult Literacy Education.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Johnston, Cynthia Wilson

    A description is provided of the development and outcomes of Central Piedmont Community College's (CPCC's) Adult Basic Literacy Education (ABLE) Project, a campaign designed to use educational technology, volunteer training, and neighborhood centers to provide literacy education. First, background information is presented on CPCC's involvement in…

  14. The Educational Software Marketplace and Adult Literacy Niches. Contractor Report, Adult Literacy and New Technologies: Tools for a Lifetime.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Education Turnkey Systems, Inc., Falls Church, VA.

    Over the past 10 years computer technology has come to occupy a central place in American life and has caused a redefinition of the level of literacy skills needed to participate effectively in American society. At the same time, some 20 to 30 million adults have serious problems of basic literacy. Within this context, the Office of Technology…

  15. Levels of health literacy in a community-dwelling population of Chinese older adults.

    PubMed

    Simon, Melissa A; Li, Yu; Dong, XinQi

    2014-11-01

    Lower levels of health literacy have been associated with adverse health outcomes, especially for older adults. However, limited research has been conducted to understand health literacy levels among Chinese American older adults. The PINE study is an epidemiological cohort of 3,159 community-dwelling Chinese older adults, 95% of whom do not speak or read English. Chinese older adults' health literacy levels were examined using the Chinese version of the Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Medicine, Revised (REALM-R) test. Kruskal-Wallis test and chi-square statistics were used to identify significant differences by sociodemographic and self-reported health characteristics. Pearson and Spearman correlation coefficients were used to examine correlations between personal characteristics and health literacy level. The mean age among this sample of Chinese older adults was 72.8 years (SD = 8.3, range = 60-105) and the mean REALM-R test score was 6.9 [SD = 2.3, range (0-8)]. Health literacy was positively associated with education, marriage status, and number of people living with. Older age, being female, greater number of children, years in the United States, and preference for speaking Cantonese or Taishanese were negatively associated with health literacy. Health literary was not associated with self-reported health status or quality of life. In this Chicago Chinese population, older adults had reasonable levels of health literacy in Chinese. Future longitudinal research is needed to understand risk/protective factors associated with health literacy level in Chinese older adults. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  16. Levels of Health Literacy in a Community-Dwelling Population of Chinese Older Adults

    PubMed Central

    Li, Yu; Dong, XinQi

    2014-01-01

    Background. Lower levels of health literacy have been associated with adverse health outcomes, especially for older adults. However, limited research has been conducted to understand health literacy levels among Chinese American older adults. Methods. The PINE study is an epidemiological cohort of 3,159 community-dwelling Chinese older adults, 95% of whom do not speak or read English. Chinese older adults’ health literacy levels were examined using the Chinese version of the Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Medicine, Revised (REALM-R) test. Kruskal–Wallis test and chi-square statistics were used to identify significant differences by sociodemographic and self-reported health characteristics. Pearson and Spearman correlation coefficients were used to examine correlations between personal characteristics and health literacy level. Results. The mean age among this sample of Chinese older adults was 72.8 years (SD = 8.3, range = 60–105) and the mean REALM-R test score was 6.9 [SD = 2.3, range (0–8)]. Health literacy was positively associated with education, marriage status, and number of people living with. Older age, being female, greater number of children, years in the United States, and preference for speaking Cantonese or Taishanese were negatively associated with health literacy. Health literary was not associated with self-reported health status or quality of life. Conclusions. In this Chicago Chinese population, older adults had reasonable levels of health literacy in Chinese. Future longitudinal research is needed to understand risk/protective factors associated with health literacy level in Chinese older adults. PMID:25378449

  17. Connecting Research, Policy, and Practice. Review of Adult Learning and Literacy, Volume 7

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Comings, John, Ed.; Garner, Barbara, Ed.; Smith, Christine, Ed.

    2007-01-01

    "Review of Adult Learning and Literacy: Connecting Research, Policy, and Practice, Volume 7" is the newest volume in a series of annual publications of the National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy (NCSALL) that address major issues, the latest research, and the best practices in the field of adult literacy and…

  18. Game Multimedia in Numeracy Learning for Elementary School Students

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rohendi, D.; Sumarna, N.; Sutarno, H.

    2017-03-01

    Numeracy is one of the basic skills for elementary students to understand further concepts of mathematics. However teaching numeracy is still using recitation that can overload student’s memory and make them reluctant to learn mathematics, so an innovative way by using multimedia to attract student interest in numeracy is needed. Therefore, the purpose of this study are: 1) to develop numeracy learning multimedia for elementary school students; and 2) to find out whether the implementation of numeracy learning multimedia can improve the students numeracy skills, and how is the response of elementary school students by using multimedia in learning numeracy? The results showed that multimedia can improve students’ numeracy skill which is quit medium and the student response by using multimedia in numeracy learning are good.

  19. Marketing Your Adult Literacy Program: A "How To" Manual. Revised.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Smith, Barbara E.

    This document presents a training module designed to help adult literacy program providers in New York and elsewhere to use the principles of social marketing to improve recruitment and retention in adult education programming. Literacy program providers are taught to view the social marketing process as a process of exchange between themselves as…

  20. The adult literacy evaluator: An intelligent computer-aided training system for diagnosing adult illiterates

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Yaden, David B., Jr.

    1992-01-01

    An important part of NASA's mission involves the secondary application of its technologies in the public and private sectors. One current application being developed is The Adult Literacy Evaluator, a simulation-based diagnostic tool designed to assess the operant literacy abilities of adults having difficulties in learning to read and write. Using ICAT system technology in addition to speech recognition, closed-captioned television (CCTV), live video and other state-of-the art graphics and storage capabilities, this project attempts to overcome the negative effects of adult literacy assessment by allowing the client to interact with an intelligent computer system which simulates real-life literacy activities and materials and which measures literacy performance in the actual context of its use. The specific objectives of the project are as follows: (1) To develop a simulation-based diagnostic tool to assess adults' prior knowledge about reading and writing processes in actual contexts of application; (2) to provide a profile of readers' strengths and weaknesses; and (3) to suggest instructional strategies and materials which can be used as a beginning point for remediation. In the first and developmental phase of the project, descriptions of literacy events and environments are being written and functional literacy documents analyzed for their components. Examples of literacy events and situations being considered included interactions with environmental print (e.g., billboards, street signs, commercial marquees, storefront logos, etc.), functional literacy materials (e.g., newspapers, magazines, telephone books, bills, receipts, etc.) and employment related communication (i.e., job descriptions, application forms, technical manuals, memorandums, newsletters, etc.). Each of these situations and materials is being analyzed for its literacy requirements in terms of written display (i.e., knowledge of printed forms and conventions), meaning demands (i

  1. The Use of Technology in Adult Literacy Programs.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Anderson, Jonathan; And Others

    This document describes the use of educational technology (including radio, television, computers, telephones, satellites, and optical laser discs) in adult literacy programs in Australia. Chapter 1 describes the scope of the study that resulted in the document and defines both literacy and educational technology. Chapter 2 contains a generalized…

  2. Reading Profiles for Adults with Low-Literacy: Cluster Analysis with Power and Speeded Measures

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mellard, Daryl F.; Fall, Emily; Mark, Caroline

    2009-01-01

    The United States' National Institute for Literacy's (NIFL) review of adult literacy instruction research recommended adult education (AE) programs assess underlying reading abilities in order to plan appropriate instruction for low-literacy learners. This study developed adult reading ability groups using measures from power tests and speeded…

  3. Literacy Skills, Occupational Assignment and the Returns to Over- and Under-Education. International Adult Literacy Survey

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Boothby, Daniel

    2002-01-01

    This study uses data from the Canadian panel of the International Adult Literacy Survey to examine the relations between schooling, literacy and occupational assignment and to determine the extent to which returns to over- and under-education are in fact returns to literacy skills. Two measures of required training time for the job are used, both…

  4. Assessing Numeracy and NAPLAN

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Perso, Thelma

    2011-01-01

    In this article, the author clarifies the distinction between numeracy and mathematics and the implications of this distinction for teachers of mathematics. In doing so she has, of necessity, focused on one--albeit significant--high stakes assessment genre used on Australian students that purports to measure numeracy. It is essential that teachers…

  5. Historic Australian Conceptualisations of English, Literacy and Multimodality in Policy and Curriculum and Conflicts with Educational Accountability

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cumming, Joy; Kimber, Kay; Wyatt-Smith, Claire

    2011-01-01

    Attainment of functional English literacy skills by all students has been a focus of Australian national policy since the 1989 Hobart Declaration (MCEETYA, 1989). This focus underpins current educational accountability policy enacted through the National Assessment Program-Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN). The Adelaide and Melbourne Declarations…

  6. Incorporating health literacy in education for socially disadvantaged adults: an Australian feasibility study.

    PubMed

    Muscat, Danielle M; Smith, Sian; Dhillon, Haryana M; Morony, Suzanne; Davis, Esther L; Luxford, Karen; Shepherd, Heather L; Hayen, Andrew; Comings, John; Nutbeam, Don; McCaffery, Kirsten

    2016-06-04

    Adult education institutions have been identified as potential settings to improve health literacy and address the health inequalities that stem from limited health literacy. However, few health literacy interventions have been tested in this setting. Feasibility study for an RCT of the UK Skilled for Health Program adapted for implementation in Australian adult education settings. Implementation at two sites with mixed methods evaluation to examine feasibility, test for change in participants' health literacy and pilot test health literacy measures. Twenty-two socially disadvantaged adults with low literacy participated in the program and received 80-90 hours of health literacy instruction. The program received institutional support from Australia's largest provider of vocational education and training and was feasible to implement (100 % participation; >90 % completion; high teacher satisfaction). Quantitative results showed improvements in participants' health literacy skills and confidence, with no change on a generic measure of health literacy. Qualitative analysis identified positive student and teacher engagement with course content and self-reported improvements in health knowledge, attitudes, and communication with healthcare professionals. Positive feasibility results support a larger RCT of the health literacy program. However, there is a need to identify better, multi-dimensional measures of health literacy in order to be able to quantify change in a larger trial. This feasibility study represents the first step in providing the high quality evidence needed to understand the way in which health literacy can be improved and health inequalities reduced through Australian adult education programs.

  7. Empowering Adult Learners. NIF Literacy Program Helps ABE Accomplish Human Development Mission.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hurley, Mary E.

    1991-01-01

    The National Issues Forum's Literacy Program uses study circles and group discussion to promote empowerment and enhance adult literacy through civic education. The program has helped the Westonka (Minnesota) Adult Basic Education project accomplish its mission and has expanded the staff's view of adult learning. (SK)

  8. Characterizing Literacy and Cognitive Function during Pregnancy and Postpartum.

    PubMed

    Yee, Lynn M; Kamel, Leslie A; Quader, Zara; Rajan, Priya V; Taylor, Shaneah M; O'Conor, Rachel; Wolf, Michael S; Simon, Melissa A

    2017-07-01

    Objective  The objective of this study was to characterize health literacy and cognitive function in a diverse cohort of pregnant women. Methods  Pregnant and postpartum women underwent in-depth assessments of health literacy/numeracy and the cognitive domains of verbal ability, working memory, long-term memory, processing speed, and inductive reasoning. Differences by demographic characteristics and gestational age were assessed using chi-square tests and multivariable logistic regression. Results  In this cohort of pregnant ( N  = 77) or postpartum ( N  = 24) women, 41.6% had limited health literacy/numeracy. Women were more likely to score in the lowest quartile for literacy and verbal ability if they were less educated, younger, nonwhite or had Medicaid. These factors were associated with low scores for long-term memory, processing speed, and inductive reasoning. Although there were no differences in literacy or cognitive function by parity or gestational age, postpartum women were more likely to score in the lowest quartile for processing speed (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 3.79, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.32-10.93) and inductive reasoning (aOR: 4.07, 95% CI: 1.21-13.70). Conclusion  Although postpartum status was associated with reduced inductive reasoning and processing speed, there were no differences in cognitive function across pregnancy. Practice Implications  Postpartum maternal learning may require enhanced support. In addition, cognitive skills and health literacy may be a mediator of perinatal outcomes inequities. Thieme Medical Publishers 333 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001, USA.

  9. Take-home video for adult literacy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yule, Valerie

    1996-01-01

    In the past, it has not been possible to "teach oneself to read" at home, because learners could not read the books to teach them. Videos and interactive compact discs have changed that situation and challenge current assumptions of the pedagogy of literacy. This article describes an experimental adult literacy project using video technology. The language used is English, but the basic concepts apply to any alphabetic or syllabic writing system. A half-hour cartoon video can help adults and adolescents with learning difficulties. Computer-animated cartoon graphics are attractive to look at, and simplify complex material in a clear, lively way. This video technique is also proving useful for distance learners, children, and learners of English as a second language. Methods and principles are to be extended using interactive compact discs.

  10. The Literacy Equation: Competence = Capability? National Conference of the Australian Council for Adult Literacy Conference Papers (Queensland, Australia, November 7-9, 1996).

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Queensland Council for Adult Literacy, Red Hill (Australia).

    Papers from the 19th Adult Literacy Conference convened by the Australian Council for Adult Literacy include: "A Little to the Right on Writing" (Brendan Bartlett, Margaret Fletcher); "Deconstructing the 'Australian Language and Literacy Policy'" (Helen Beazley); "Comparing Content-Centered and Learner-Centered Approaches…

  11. The relationship between health, education, and health literacy: results from the Dutch Adult Literacy and Life Skills Survey.

    PubMed

    van der Heide, Iris; Wang, Jen; Droomers, Mariël; Spreeuwenberg, Peter; Rademakers, Jany; Uiters, Ellen

    2013-01-01

    Health literacy has been put forward as a potential mechanism explaining the well-documented relationship between education and health. However, little empirical research has been undertaken to explore this hypothesis. The present study aims to study whether health literacy could be a pathway by which level of education affects health status. Health literacy was measured by the Health Activities and Literacy Scale, using data from a subsample of 5,136 adults between the ages of 25 and 65 years, gathered within the context of the 2007 Dutch Adult Literacy and Life Skills Survey. Linear regression analyses were used in separate models to estimate the extent to which health literacy mediates educational disparities in self-reported general health, physical health status, and mental health status as measured by the Short Form-12. Health literacy was found to partially mediate the association between low education and low self-reported health status. As such, improving health literacy may be a useful strategy for reducing disparities in health related to education, as health literacy appears to play a role in explaining the underlying mechanism driving the relationship between low level of education and poor health.

  12. Designing Visual Aids That Promote Risk Literacy: A Systematic Review of Health Research and Evidence-Based Design Heuristics.

    PubMed

    Garcia-Retamero, Rocio; Cokely, Edward T

    2017-06-01

    Background Effective risk communication is essential for informed decision making. Unfortunately, many people struggle to understand typical risk communications because they lack essential decision-making skills. Objective The aim of this study was to review the literature on the effect of numeracy on risk literacy, decision making, and health outcomes, and to evaluate the benefits of visual aids in risk communication. Method We present a conceptual framework describing the influence of numeracy on risk literacy, decision making, and health outcomes, followed by a systematic review of the benefits of visual aids in risk communication for people with different levels of numeracy and graph literacy. The systematic review covers scientific research published between January 1995 and April 2016, drawn from the following databases: Web of Science, PubMed, PsycINFO, ERIC, Medline, and Google Scholar. Inclusion criteria were investigation of the effect of numeracy and/or graph literacy, and investigation of the effect of visual aids or comparison of their effect with that of numerical information. Thirty-six publications met the criteria, providing data on 27,885 diverse participants from 60 countries. Results Transparent visual aids robustly improved risk understanding in diverse individuals by encouraging thorough deliberation, enhancing cognitive self-assessment, and reducing conceptual biases in memory. Improvements in risk understanding consistently produced beneficial changes in attitudes, behavioral intentions, trust, and healthy behaviors. Visual aids were found to be particularly beneficial for vulnerable and less skilled individuals. Conclusion Well-designed visual aids tend to be highly effective tools for improving informed decision making among diverse decision makers. We identify five categories of practical, evidence-based guidelines for heuristic evaluation and design of effective visual aids.

  13. Adult Literacy Practices in Rural Families and Communities. Research into Practice Series No. 1.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bull, Geoff; Anstey, Michele

    This booklet, which was written for literacy educators in Australia, examines selected research on adult literacy practices in rural families and communities and the implications of that research for adult literacy practice. The booklet begins with a discussion of literacy as social practice. The role of case studies in identifying factors…

  14. Statistical Literacy in Action: Should All Graphs Start at Zero?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Watson, Jane

    2015-01-01

    Using statistical literacy skills to determine appropriate scales to be used on graphs is an essential part of numeracy. Using several meaningful contexts, this article explains very clearly when it is appropriate and inappropriate to begin the scale of a graph at zero.

  15. Investigating Predictors of Spelling Ability for Adults with Low Literacy Skills

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Talwar, Amani; Cote, Nicole Gilbert; Binder, Katherine

    2014-01-01

    This study examined whether the spelling abilities of adults with low literacy skills could be predicted by their phonological, orthographic, and morphological awareness. Sixty Adult Basic Education (ABE) students completed several literacy tasks. It was predicted that scores on phonological and orthographic tasks would explain variance in…

  16. The "Ofcourseness" of Functional Literacy: Ideologies in Adult Literacy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Perry, Kristen H.; Shaw, Donita M.; Ivanyuk, Lyudmyla; Tham, Yuen San Sarah

    2018-01-01

    We used metastudy and metasynthesis techniques to conduct a discursive review of 101 recent publications on the topic of adult functional literacy (FL). Our purpose was to understand the ideologies shaping current definitions and conceptualizations of FL, as well as how and why FL is researched and assessed as it is. Using discursive review…

  17. Health Literacy: Cancer Prevention Strategies for Early Adults.

    PubMed

    Simmons, Robert A; Cosgrove, Susan C; Romney, Martha C; Plumb, James D; Brawer, Rickie O; Gonzalez, Evelyn T; Fleisher, Linda G; Moore, Bradley S

    2017-09-01

    Health literacy, the degree to which individuals have the capacity to obtain, process, and understand health information and services needed to make health decisions, is an essential element for early adults (aged 18-44 years) to make informed decisions about cancer. Low health literacy is one of the social determinants of health associated with cancer-related disparities. Over the past several years, a nonprofit organization, a university, and a cancer center in a major urban environment have developed and implemented health literacy programs within healthcare systems and in the community. Health system personnel received extensive health literacy training to reduce medical jargon and improve their patient education using plain language easy-to-understand written materials and teach-back, and also designed plain language written materials including visuals to provide more culturally and linguistically appropriate health education and enhance web-based information. Several sustainable health system policy changes occurred over time. At the community level, organizational assessments and peer leader training on health literacy have occurred to reduce communication barriers between consumers and providers. Some of these programs have been cancer specific, including consumer education in such areas as cervical cancer, skin cancer, and breast cancer that are targeted to early adults across the cancer spectrum from prevention to treatment to survivorship. An example of consumer-driven health education that was tested for health literacy using a comic book-style photonovel on breast cancer with an intergenerational family approach for Chinese Americans is provided. Key lessons learned from the health literacy initiatives and overall conclusions of the health literacy initiatives are also summarized. Copyright © 2017 American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  18. A Decade of Rural Research: What Have We Learnt about Adult Language, Literacy and Numeracy?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Atkin, Chris

    2010-01-01

    The role of functional literacy, linked to employment, leads to a narrow view of rural learners' need both economically and socially. The drive for individuals to take responsibility for their own learning and development is, indeed, a good thing. However, the burden of guilt felt by those who are unable, or unwilling, to achieve the standards set…

  19. Exploring Baseline Food-Media Literacy of Adult Women

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Peterson, Tina L.

    2012-01-01

    Many media education researchers have identified the importance of adult media literacy but few have studied it. Such literacy is becoming increasingly important with regard to the growing category of food media--advertisements, television programs, and print media among them. Using two focus groups and guided by Primack and Hobbs' (2009) AA, RR,…

  20. Assessing values for health: numeracy matters.

    PubMed

    Woloshin, S; Schwartz, L M; Moncur, M; Gabriel, S; Tosteson, A N

    2001-01-01

    Patients' values are fundamental to decision models, cost-effectiveness analyses, and pharmacoeconomic analyses. The standard methods used to assess how patients value different health states are inherently quantitative. People without strong quantitative skills (i.e., low numeracy) may not be able to complete these tasks in a meaningful way. To determine whether the validity of utility assessments depends on the respondent's level of numeracy, the authors conducted in-person interviews and written surveys and assessed utility for the current health for 96 women volunteers. Numeracy was measured using a previously validated 3-item scale. The authors examined the correlation between self-reported health and utility for current health (assessed using the standard gamble, time trade-off, and visual analog techniques) across levels of numeracy. For half of the women, the authors also assessed standard gamble utility for 3 imagined health states (breast cancer, heart disease, and osteoporosis) and asked how much the women feared each disease. Respondent ages ranged from 50 to 79 years (mean = 63), all were high school graduates, and 52% had a college or postgraduate degree. Twenty-six percent answered 0 or only 1 of the numeracy questions correctly, 37% answered 2 correctly, and 37% answered all 3 correctly. Among women with the lowest level of numeracy, the correlation between utility for current health and self-reported health was in the wrong direction (i.e., worse health valued higher than better health): for standard gamble, Spearman r=-0.16, P = 0.44;for time trade-off, Spearman r=-0.13, P=0.54. Among the most numerate women, the authors observed a fair to moderate positive correlation with both standard gamble (Spearman r=0.22, P=0.19) and time trade-off (Spearman r=0.50, P=0.002). In contrast, using the visual analog scale, the authors observed a substantial correlation in the expected direction at all levels of numeracy (Spearman r= 0.82, 0.50, and 0.60 for

  1. Connections: A Journal of Adult Literacy. Volume IV.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Connections: A Journal of Adult Literacy, 1991

    1991-01-01

    This journal provides a forum for adult educators to express their ideas on adult literacy. The following articles are included: "Teaching Moments: Teaching People, Not Lessons" (Patricia Wild); "Whole Language: Implications for the Adult Learner" (Jeri Gillin); "Gatekeepers or Advocates?" (Rosie Wickert); "Writing with Teen Mothers: I Have…

  2. Age-Related Differences in the Relation between the Home Numeracy Environment and Numeracy Skills

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Thompson, Rebecca J.; Napoli, Amy R.; Purpura, David J.

    2017-01-01

    The home numeracy environment (HNE) is often predictive of children's early mathematics skills, though the findings are mixed. Overall, research on kindergarten-aged children demonstrates a relation between the HNE and early numeracy skills, whereas findings for preschool-aged children are more equivocal. One potential reason for equivocality of…

  3. Oral health literacy and information sources among adults in Tehran, Iran.

    PubMed

    Sistani, M M Naghibi; Yazdani, R; Virtanen, J; Pakdaman, A; Murtomaa, H

    2013-09-01

    To assess oral health literacy level and oral health information of Iranian adults in Tehran, and to determine the factors related to oral health literacy. A cross-sectional population study. A random sample of 1,031 adults in Tehran, Iran. Oral health literacy was measured using an oral health adult literacy questionnaire (OHL-AQ). Variation in use of information sources by socio-economic and demographic background was estimated by odds ratios. A multiple linear regression model served to determine predictor factors of OHL-AQ scores controlling for characteristics of the subjects and number of information sources. The mean OHL-AQ score was 10.5 (sd 3.0). Women (p < 0.001), younger (p < 0.001), and better educated participants (p < 0.001) had higher OHL-AQ scores. The most common sources of oral health information were dentists (52.6%), and TV/Radio (49.5%). According to the regression model, females (p = 0.001), high educational level (p < 0.001), and use of multiple information sources (two sources p = 0.01, three sources or more p = 0.002) were the main predictor factors of OHL-AQ scores. The average oral health literacy level of Iranian adults was low. Disseminating evidence-based oral health care information from multiple sources including TV/radio, dentists, and other health professionals in different settings should improve public oral health literacy.

  4. Work-Related Learning Guide for Family Literacy and Adult Education Organizations.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jobs for the Future, Boston, MA.

    This guide assists family literacy and adult education organizations considering ways in which work and learning can be integrated in their educational programs. Part I addresses influences motivating the family literacy and adult education fields to incorporate work-related learning into their efforts. Part II provides a framework for designing…

  5. Building an Adult Workplace Literacy Program for Spanish-Speaking Carpenters

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Case, Rod E.; Ainsworth, John; Emerson, Rick

    2004-01-01

    This article provides a field-based account of how to develop and implement an adult workplace literacy program for English as a Second Language (ESL) students based upon the principles of a social practices definition of literacy. The purpose of the program is to provide basic literacy instruction for the growing population of Spanish-speaking…

  6. Assessing the Literacy Skills of Adult Immigrants and Adult English Language Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wrigley, Heide Spruck; Chen, Jing; White, Sheida; Soroui, Jaleh

    2009-01-01

    This chapter examines the characteristics and performance of adult immigrants and adult English language learners on the National Assessment of Adult Literacy. These factors are related to key social outcomes such as involvement in the labor force, income, and welfare participation, and the data reported can be used in making decisions about…

  7. Self-administered health literacy instruments for people with diabetes: systematic review of measurement properties.

    PubMed

    Lee, Eun-Hyun; Kim, Chun-Ja; Lee, Jiyeon; Moon, Seung Hei

    2017-09-01

    The aims of this study were to identify all available self-administered instruments measuring health literacy in people with diabetes and to determine the current instrument that is the most appropriate for applying to this population in both practice and research. A systematic review of measurement properties. MEDLINE, EMBASE and CINAHL electronic databases from their inception up to 28 March 2016. The methodological quality of each included study was assessed using the COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement INstruments checklist. The reported results for measurement properties in the studies were assessed according to Terwee's quality criteria. Thirteen self-administered instruments measuring health literacy in people with diabetes were identified, of which six (44%) were diabetes-specific instruments. The instruments that covered the broadest contents of health literacy were the Health Literacy Scale and Health Literacy Questionnaire. The (test-retest) reliability, measurement error and responsiveness were not evaluated for any instrument, while internal consistency and hypothesis testing validity were the most frequently assessed measurement properties. With the current evidence, the Health Literacy Scale may be the most appropriate instrument for patients with diabetes in practice and research. However, the structural validity of this scale needs to be further established, particularly in other language versions. It is also recommended to use the Diabetes Numeracy Test-15 along with the Health Literacy Scale to complement the lack of numeracy measures in the Health Literacy Scale. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  8. Strategy Instruction in Writing for Adult Literacy Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    MacArthur, Charles A.; Lembo, Leah

    2009-01-01

    This study investigated the effectiveness of cognitive strategy instruction in writing with adult literacy learners. Three middle-aged African-American adults participating in adult education with the goal of passing the GED received tutoring in a strategy for planning, writing, and revising persuasive essays along with self-regulation strategies.…

  9. Key Success Factors for Statistical Literacy Poster Competitions

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    MacFeely, Steve; Campos, Pedro; Helenius, Reija

    2017-01-01

    Statistical literacy is complex and multifaceted. In every country, education and numeracy are a function of a multitude of factors including culture, history, and societal norms. Nevertheless, since the launch of the International Statistical Poster Competition (ISLP) in 1994, a number of patterns have emerged to suggest there are some common or…

  10. Gender, literacy, and survival among Ethiopian adults, 1987 - 96.

    PubMed Central

    Berhane, Yemane; Hogberg, Ulf; Byass, Peter; Wall, Stig

    2002-01-01

    OBJECTIVE: To examine relationships between gender, literacy and survival among adults in Meskan and Mareko district, Ethiopia. METHODS: On the basis of an established demographic surveillance system, an open-cohort analysis of 172726 person-years covering the period January 1987 to December 1996 was conducted in 10 randomly selected local communities. FINDINGS: The crude mortality rate was 11.2 per 1000 person-years among adults aged > or =15 years; the values for males and females were 11.9 and 10.6 per 1000 person-years, respectively. Kaplan - Meier estimates showed that literacy and being female were both favourable for survival throughout adulthood. Cox's regression models showed that age, gender, literacy and area (rural lowland, rural highland and urban) were significant factors in survival: younger, female, literate urban dwellers were the most favoured. Gender differences in mortality were small in the rural areas, possibly because of the harsh living conditions and the marginalization of women. Literacy was a more significant factor for survival in the rural areas, where mortality was highest, while gender was more important in the one urban area studied. The levels of literacy were lowest among rural females. CONCLUSION: Special attention should be given to raising literacy levels among rural women with a view to improving their survival. PMID:12378289

  11. The Literacy Factor: Adding Value to Training. Investigation of the Inclusion of Literacy in Training Packages in the Food Processing Industry.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sanguinetti, Jill

    The effects of the inclusion of literacy and numeracy competencies within Australia's food processing industry training package were examined in two case studies of training at two food processing facilities in Victoria. The first case study involved a large pasta factory that had approximately 270 employees and a contract with a registered…

  12. Auditing the Numeracy Demands of the Middle Years Curriculum

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Goos, Merrilyn; Geiger, Vince; Dole, Shelley

    2010-01-01

    The "National Numeracy Review" recognised that numeracy development requires an across the curriculum commitment. To explore the nature of this commitment we conducted a numeracy audit of the South Australian Middle Years curriculum, using a numeracy model that incorporates mathematical knowledge, dispositions, tools, contexts, and a…

  13. Label reading, numeracy and Food&Nutrition involvement.

    PubMed

    Mulders, Maria Dgh; Corneille, O; Klein, O

    2018-06-07

    The purpose of this study was to investigate objective performance on a nutrition label comprehension task, and the influence of numeracy and food-related involvement on this performance level. A pilot study (n = 45) was run to prepare the scales in French. For the main study (n = 101), participants provided demographic information and answered the nutrition label survey, the short numeracy scale and two different food-related involvement scales (i.e. the food involvement scale and the nutrition involvement scale). Both studies were conducted online, and consent was obtained from all participants. Participants answered correctly only two-thirds of the nutrition label task items. Numeracy and food involvement scores were positively correlated with performance on this task. Finally, food involvement interacted with numeracy. Specifically, people scoring low in numeracy performed generally more poorly on the task, but if they had high food involvement scores, their performance increased. This suggests that high food-related motivation may compensate for poor numeracy skills when dealing with nutrition labels. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  14. Harnessing the Potential of ICTs for Literacy Teaching and Learning: Effective Literacy and Numeracy Programmes Using Radio, TV, Mobile Phones, Tablets, and Computers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hanemann, Ulrike, Ed.

    2014-01-01

    Different technologies have been used for decades to support adult education and learning. These include radio, television and audio and video cassettes. More recently digital ICTs such as computers, tablets, e-books, and mobile technology have spread at great speed and also found their way into the teaching and learning of literacy and numeracy…

  15. Adult Literacy Education: Program Evaluation and Learner Assessment. Information Series No. 338.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lytle, Susan L.; Wolfe, Marcie

    Adult literacy programs need reliable information about program quality and effectiveness for accountability, improvement of practice, and expansion of knowledge. Evaluation and assessment reflect fundamental beliefs about adult learners, concepts of literacy, and educational settings. Resources for planning program evaluations include surveys,…

  16. ADULT LITERACY--PROGRESS AND PROBLEMS.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    CURRY, ROBERT L.

    THE PROBLEMS CONNECTED WITH THE ELIMINATION OF ILLITERACY IN THE UNITED STATES ARE DISCUSSED IN AN EXAMINATION OF ADULT LITERACY TODAY. THE EFFECT WHICH ILLITERACY HAS ON THE ABILITY OF THE INDIVIDUAL TO ACQUIRE AND RETAIN A JOB IS EXPLAINED, AS ARE THE ECONOMIC, PHYSICAL, MENTAL, EMOTIONAL, AND MORAL REPERCUSSIONS OF ILLITERACY. DEFINITIONS OF…

  17. Validation of a diabetes numeracy test in Arabic.

    PubMed

    Alghodaier, Hussah; Jradi, Hoda; Mohammad, Najwa Samantha; Bawazir, Amen

    2017-01-01

    The prevalence of diabetes Mellitus in Saudi Arabia is 24%, ranking it among the top ten Worldwide. Diabetes education focuses on self-management and relies on numeracy skills. Poor numeracy may go unrecognized and it is important to have an assessment tool in Arabic to measure such a skill in diabetes care. To validate a 15-item Diabetes Numeracy Test (DNT-15) in the Arabic Language as a tool to assess the numeracy skills of patients with diabetes and to test its properties among Saudi patients with diabetes. A 15-question Arabic-language test to assess diabetes numeracy among patients with diabetes on the basis of the diabetes numeracy test (DNT-15) was validated among a sample Arabic speaking Saudi patients with diabetes. Data collection included patients' demographics, long-term glycemic control, diabetes type, duration, co-morbidities, and diabetes related knowledge questions. Internal reliability was assessed using Kuder-Richardson Formula 20 (KR-20). The average score of Arabic DNT-15 was 53.3% and took an average of 30 minutes to complete. The scores significantly correlated with education, income, HbA1c, and diabetes knowledge (p<0.05). Content Validity Ratio (CVR) of 0.75 and Content Validity Index (CVI) of 0.89 supported good content validity. The Arabic DNT-15 also had good internal reliability (KR20 = 0.90). Patients with diabetes need numeracy skills to manage their disease. Level of education does not reflect level of numeracy, and low numeracy skills might be unnoticed by health care providers. The Arabic DNT-15 is a valid and reliable scale to identify Arabic speaking patients with difficulties in certain diabetes-related numeracy skills.

  18. Development and testing of the Test of Functional Health Literacy in Dentistry (TOFHLiD).

    PubMed

    Gong, Debra A; Lee, Jessica Y; Rozier, R Gary; Pahel, Bhavna T; Richman, Julia A; Vann, William F

    2007-01-01

    This study aims to evaluate the reliability and validity of the Test of Functional Health Literacy in Dentistry (TOFHLiD), a new instrument to measure functional oral health literacy. TOFHLiD uses text passages and prompts related to fluoride use and access to care to assess reading comprehension and numerical ability. Parents of pediatric dental patients (n = 102) were administered TOFHLiD, a medical literacy comprehension test (TOFHLA), and two word recognition tests [Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Dentistry (REALD), Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Medicine (REALM)]. This design provided assessments of dental and medical health literacy by all subjects, both measured with two different methods (reading/numeracy ability and word recognition). Construct validity of TOFHLiD was assessed by entering the correlation coefficients for all pairwise comparisons of literacy instruments into a multitrait-multimethod matrix. Internal reliability of TOFHLiD was assessed with Cronbach's alpha. Criterion-related predictive validity was tested by associations between the TOFHLiD scores and the three measures of oral health in multivariate regression analyses. The correlation coefficient for TOFHLiD and REALD-99 scores (monotrait-heteromethod) was high (r = 0.82, P < 0.05). Coefficients between TOFHLiD and TOFHLA (heterotrait-monomethod: r = 0.52) and REALM (heterotrait-heteromethod: r = 0.53) were smaller than coefficients for convergent validity Cronbach's alpha for TOFHLiD was 0.63. TOFHLiD was positively correlated with OHIP-14 (P < 0.05), but not with parent or child oral health. TOFHLA was not related to dental outcomes. TOFHLiD demonstrates good convergent validity but only moderate ability to discriminate between dental and medical health literacy. Its predictive validity is only partially established, and internal consistency just meets the threshold for acceptability. Results provide solid support for more research, but not widespread use in clinical or public

  19. Science Literacy's Neglected Twin: Numeracy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Follette, K.; McCarthy, D.

    2014-07-01

    Have introductory astronomy courses moved too far toward qualitative science? By itself, qualitative understanding, even deep appreciation, of the scientific endeavor is insufficient to engender scientific literacy. In order to interpret scientific information encountered in daily life and to distinguish it from pseudoscience, our students must also be quantitatively savvy. A scientifically literate citizen should be able to employ arithmetic, interpret numbers in context, read graphs and tables, and confidently incorporate numbers in writing. A gentle quantitative emphasis permeates our introductory astronomy courses to help our students become aware of their numerical deficits and appreciate the value of numerical thinking. This approach not only helps transform students into more well-informed citizens and capable problem solvers but also helps them achieve a deeper understanding of course material. We present data from an educational study that documents the extent of quantitative illiteracy and shows that improvements in attitude and achievement are possible.

  20. Approaches to Costing Adult Literacy Programmes, Especially in Africa

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Carr-Hill, Roy; Roberts, Fiona; Currie, Elizabeth

    2010-01-01

    Background: This study was originally prepared for the African Inter-Ministerial Conference on Literacy (September 2007) with the objective of analysing the costs of successful adult literacy programmes run both by government ministries, as well as international and national non-governmental organisations. Objectives: This study aims to increase…

  1. Effective Literacy Instruction for Adults with Specific Learning Disabilities: Implications for Adult Educators

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hock, Michael F.

    2012-01-01

    Adults with learning disabilities (LD) attending adult basic education, GED programs, or community colleges are among the lowest performers on measures of literacy. For example, on multiple measures of reading comprehension, adults with LD had a mean reading score at the third grade level, whereas adults without LD read at the fifth grade level.…

  2. Adult Literacy for Development: The Logic and Structure of Economic Motivations.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bhola, H. S.

    This paper addresses the logic and the structure of economic motivations for adult literacy promotion. It uses as an example the People's Republic of China to demonstrate how economic motivations can best serve the cause of adult literacy and suggests applying these concepts to India. The paper is organized in three parts. In the first part, the…

  3. Adult Literacy in Africa--Nigeria, Rhodesia, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania. Literacy Bibliographies 23.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    International Inst. for Adult Literacy Methods, Teheran (Iran).

    Approximately 200 items are listed in this bibliography of materials pertaining to adult literacy in Nigeria, Rhodesia, South Africa, the Sudan, and Tanzania. The listed materials are categorized according to country and deal with a variety of topics, including the following: (1) adult education and adaptation to change in Nigeria; (2) adult…

  4. Educational attainment and adult literacy: A descriptive account of 31 Sub-Saharan Africa countries.

    PubMed

    Smith-Greenaway, Emily

    2015-11-11

    More than 60 years ago the international community declared literacy a basic human right. Recognition of its intrinsic value and evidence of its social and economic benefits have motivated an expansive international effort to estimate the percentage of adults that can read, especially in low-income countries where educational opportunities are limited. Population data on adults' educational attainment is commonly used to approximate adult literacy rates. Though increasing evidence from school-based studies of pupils confirm literacy achievement is not universal - even at advanced grades - it remains unclear whether adults' educational attainment is reflective of their literacy. This study leverages population-based data that include direct assessments of adults' literacy skills to provide a descriptive account of the proportion of adults that can read at each level of educational attainment. The study focuses on the Sub-Saharan African context, a world region where school participation has expanded rapidly in the last three decades. Because many African adults have discontinued their education at the primary level, the study focuses on basic reading skills at each level of primary school. The study focuses specifically on women, whose literacy has garnered extensive international interest. Demographic and Health Survey data from 31 African countries confirm that there are many instances in which women have several years of primary school but cannot read. In fact, in some countries, large proportions of African women who never went to school can read, even as some of their peers who have completed primary school cannot. The weak correlation between educational attainment and literacy is not specific to older cohorts of women, but is also observed among younger women. The findings demonstrate that educational attainment is generally a poor proxy for literacy, highlighting the need to measure, theorize, and study literacy as empirically distinct from education.

  5. Adult Literacy in Rural Pennsylvania.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Askov, Eunice N.

    The rural work force has lower basic skills to supply labor for new jobs with higher literacy demands. At all levels of education the rural population is at a disadvantage compared with the urban population. One out of five rural adults in Pennsylvania has not continued education past the eighth grade. Among the costs to businesses from employee…

  6. Training meals on wheels volunteers as health literacy coaches for older adults.

    PubMed

    Rubin, Donald L; Freimuth, Vicki S; Johnson, Sharon D; Kaley, Terry; Parmer, John

    2014-05-01

    Homebound older adults constitute a "hardly reached" population with respect to health communication. Older adults also typically suffer from health literacy challenges, which put them at increased risk of adverse health outcomes. Suboptimal interactions with providers are one such challenge. Interventions to improve interactive health literacy focus on training consumers/patients in question preparation and asking. Meals on Wheels volunteers are uniquely suited to coach their clients in such interaction strategies. Seventy-three Meals on Wheels volunteers participated in workshops to train as health literacy coaches. The 3- to 4-hour workshops included units on communicating with older adults, on the nature of health literacy, and on the process of interactive health literacy coaching. Participants viewed and discussed videos that modeled the targeted communication behaviors for older adult patients interacting with physicians. They role-played the coaching process. After 9 months, coaches participated in a "booster" session that included videos of ideal coaching practices. Evaluation questionnaires revealed that participants had favorable reactions to the workshops with respect to utility and interest. They especially appreciated learning communication skills and seeing realistic videos. A measure of knowledge about the workshop material revealed a significant increment at posttest. Fidelity of coaching practices with respect to workshop curriculum was confirmed. This training in interactive health literacy for community-based lay volunteers constitutes one way to implement the National Action Plan to Improve Health Literacy for one "hardly reached" population. An online tool kit containing all workshop materials is available.

  7. National Assessment of Adult Literacy, 2003: Public-Use Data File User's Guide. NCES 2007-464

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Greenberg, Elizabeth; Jin, Ying; White, Sheida

    2007-01-01

    The U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics has updated the household and prison public-use data files for the 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy and the 1992 National Adult Literacy Survey. The accompanying 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy Public-Use Data File User's Guide explains how the data…

  8. Oral Health Literacy and Measures of Periodontal Disease

    PubMed Central

    Holtzman, Jennifer S.; Atchison, Kathryn A.; Macek, Mark D.; Markovic, Daniela

    2017-01-01

    Background Existing evidence demonstrating a relationship between health literacy (HL) and periodontal health is insufficient to identify how providers can help patients manage periodontal disease. This study assesses associations between HL measures (word recognition, numeracy, and conceptual knowledge) and signs of periodontal disease. Methods This study included 325 new patients at a dental school clinic and employed an oral HL (OHL) survey, full-mouth radiographs, and clinical examination. Evaluations included the relationship between each HL measure versus number of teeth, bleeding score, plaque score, and periodontal severity with linear and ordinal logistic regression models before and after adjusting for covariates. Results Among HL measures, the Newest Vital Sign demonstrated a significant relationship with number of teeth and the Short Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults showed a significant association with plaque score. The short Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Medicine and Dentistry (REALMD-20) showed participants who performed in the highest quartile had nearly two additional teeth, over 5.5% fewer bleeding sites, and nearly 9% fewer teeth with plaque after adjustment for demographic variables, smoking, and diabetes mellitus (DM). Participants who scored in the highest quartile of the Comprehensive Measure of Oral Health Knowledge (CMOHK) had nearly 9% less plaque. Conclusions Two OHL instruments (REAMLD-20 and CMOHK) provided statistical associations with clinical measures of periodontal health at a level that could be considered of moderate clinical relevancy. Findings suggest dentists may wish to assess familiarity of their patients with dental terminology and knowledge of periodontal disease to provide education on oral hygiene, smoking, and DM. PMID:27523517

  9. Health literacy and self-rated health in adults primary care patients.

    PubMed

    Marques, Suzana Raquel Lopes; Escarce, Andrezza Gonzalez; Lemos, Stela Maris Aguiar

    2018-01-01

    Purpose To verify the association between health literacy, social determinants and self-rated health in adult's primary health care patients. Methods this is an Observational cross-sectional study in which a total of 380 patients of the Unified Health System in the context of primary health care were interviewed. The sample was probabilistic, stratified by gender, age, and Basic Health Unit. Health literacy was evaluated by an instrument of analysis of the perception of adults about the understanding of health orientations and possible difficulties in this process (Health Literacy Scale). Descriptive and association analyses were performed (Pearson's chi-square test, p≤0.05). Results It was verified that the majority of the interviewees belongs to classes C1 and C2 and attended high school (complete or incomplete). Regarding self-rated health, to be considered healthy and with good health were the predominant perceptions. In the Health Literacy Scale, it was verified that most patients reported never presenting difficulties in the situations of this instrument, except understanding written orientations. It was observed the association with a statistical significance of the better perception of health literacy with higher educational level and economic classification, as well as with self-rated of good health. Conclusion There was a statistical association between health literacy, social determinants, and self-rated health in the analyzed adults. It is noteworthy the contribution of the Health Literacy Scale for emphasizing the perception of difficulties in everyday health situations. It is necessary to develop dialogic relationships that build more robust communication processes between professionals and healthcare patients to favor health literacy skills.

  10. Proportional Reasoning as Essential Numeracy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dole, Shelley; Hilton, Annette; Hilton, Geoff

    2015-01-01

    This paper reports an aspect of a large research and development project that aimed to promote middle years school teachers' understanding and awareness of the pervasiveness of proportional reasoning as integral to numeracy. Teacher survey data of proportional reasoning across the curriculum were mapped on to a rich model of numeracy. Results…

  11. Linguistic adaptation and psychometric evaluation of original Oral Health Literacy-Adult Questionnaire (OHL-AQ).

    PubMed

    Vyas, Shaleen; Nagarajappa, Sandesh; Dasar, Pralhad L; Mishra, Prashant

    2016-10-01

    Linguistically adapted oral health literacy tools are helpful to assess oral health literacy among local population with clarity and understandability. The original oral health literacy adult questionnaire, Oral Health Literacy Adult Questionnaire, was given in English (2013), consisting of 17 items under 4 domains. The present study rationalizes to culturally adapt and validate Oral Health Literacy Adult Questionnaire into Hindi language. Thus, we objectified to translate Oral Health Literacy Adult Questionnaire into Hindi and test its psychometric properties like reliability and validity among primary school teachers. The Oral Health Literacy Adult Questionnaire was translated into Oral Health Literacy Adult Questionnaire - Hindi Version using the World Health Organization recommended translation back-translation protocol. During pre-testing, an expert panel assessed content validity of the questionnaire. Face validity was assessed on a small sample of 10 individuals. A cross-sectional study was conducted (June-July 2015) and OHL-AQ-H was administered on a convenient sample of 170 primary school teachers. Internal consistency and test-retest reliability were assessed using Cronbach's alpha and Intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC), respectively, with 2 weeks interval to ascertain adherence to the questionnaire response. Predictive validity was tested by comparing OHL-AQ-H scores with clinical indicators like oral hygiene scores and dental caries scores. The concurrent and discriminant validity was assessed through self-reported oral health and through negative association with sociodemographic variables. The data was analyzed by descriptive tests using chi-square and bivariate logistic regression in SPSS software, version 20 and p<0.05 was considered as the significance level. The mean OHL-AQ-H score was 13.58±2.82. ICC and Cronbach's alpha for Oral Health Literacy Adult Questionnaire - Hindi Version were 0.94 and 0.70, respectively. Comparisons of varying

  12. Pathways to Labor Market Success: The Literacy Proficiency of U.S. Adults. Policy Information Report

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sum, Andrew; Kirsch, Irwin; Yamamoto, Kentaro

    2004-01-01

    This is the fourth in a series of reports that draws upon the vast amount of background and assessment data and information that have been collected from the National Adult Literacy Survey (NALS) and the International Adult Literacy Survey (IALS). In this report, the authors find connections between the literacy skills of adults and their success…

  13. Using Adult Learning Principles in Adult Basic and Literacy Education. Practice Application Brief.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Imel, Susan

    Adult basic and literacy education (ABLE) is a complex undertaking that serves diverse learners with a variety of needs. Although no definitive list of adult education principles exists in the literature, the following principles have been identified in multiple sources devoted to principles of effective adult education: involve learners in…

  14. Financial Literacy: A Critical Adult Education Appraisal

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    English, Leona M.

    2014-01-01

    This chapter critically examines financial literacy education, asking what its assumptions are and what adult educators need to ask of its curriculum, its bases, and the people being taught to be financially literate.

  15. The association between health literacy and self-management abilities in adults aged 75 and older, and its moderators.

    PubMed

    Geboers, Bas; de Winter, Andrea F; Spoorenberg, Sophie L W; Wynia, Klaske; Reijneveld, Sijmen A

    2016-11-01

    Low health literacy is an important predictor of poor health outcomes and well-being among older adults. A reason may be that low health literacy decreases older adults' self-management abilities. We therefore assessed the association between health literacy and self-management abilities among adults aged 75 and older, and the impact of demographic factors, socioeconomic factors, and health status on this association. We used data of 1052 older adults, gathered for a previously conducted randomized controlled trial on Embrace, an integrated elderly care model. These data pertained to health literacy, self-management abilities, demographic background, socioeconomic situation, and health status. Health literacy was measured by the validated three-item Brief Health Literacy Screening instrument. Self-management abilities were measured by the validated Self-Management Ability Scale (SMAS-30). After adjustment for confounders, self-management abilities were poorer in older adults with low health literacy (β = .34, p < .001). This was more pronounced in medium- to high-educated older adults than in low-educated older adults. Sex, age, living situation, income, presence of chronic illness, and mental health status did not moderate the association between health literacy and self-management abilities. Low health literacy is associated with poor self-management abilities in a wide range of older adults. Early recognition of low health literacy among adults of 75 years and older and interventions to improve health literacy might be very beneficial for older adults.

  16. The Impact of Consumer Numeracy on the Purchase of Long-Term Care Insurance.

    PubMed

    McGarry, Brian E; Temkin-Greener, Helena; Chapman, Benjamin P; Grabowski, David C; Li, Yue

    2016-08-01

    To determine the effect of consumers' numeric abilities on the likelihood of owning private long-term care insurance. The 2010 wave of the Health and Retirement Study, a nationally representative survey of Americans age 50 and older, was used (n = 12,796). Multivariate logistic regression was used to isolate the relationship between numeracy and long-term care insurance ownership. Each additional question answered correctly on a numeracy scale was associated with a 13 percent increase in the likelihood of holding LTCI, after controlling for predictors of policy demand, education, and cognitive function. Poor numeracy may create barriers to long-term care insurance purchase. Policy efforts aimed at increasing consumer decision support or restructuring the marketplace for long-term care insurance may be needed to increase older adults' ability to prepare for future long-term care expenses. © Health Research and Educational Trust.

  17. Learning to Communicate an Adult Literacy Programme in Post-War El Salvador

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Prins, Esther

    2005-01-01

    The experiences of men and women who participated in a Salvadoran adult literacy program belie the instrumentalist discourse of adult education, for they identified psychosocial benefits as the most meaningful aspects of the program. Attending literacy classes did not change their material situation as underemployed "campesinos/as," but…

  18. Outcomes in adult life among siblings of individuals with autism.

    PubMed

    Howlin, Patricia; Moss, Philippa; Savage, Sarah; Bolton, Patrick; Rutter, Michael

    2015-03-01

    Little is known about adult siblings of individuals with autism. We report on cognitive, social and mental health outcomes in 87 adult siblings (mean age 39 years). When younger all had been assessed either as being "unaffected" by autism (n = 69) or as meeting criteria for the "Broader Autism Phenotype" (BAP, n = 18). As adults, all scored within the average range on tests of intelligence, numeracy and literacy. "Unaffected" siblings were functioning well in terms of jobs, independence and social relationships. Levels of social relationships and employment were significantly lower in the BAP group; autism traits and mental health problems were significantly higher. The data suggest that the "broader autism phenotype" is a meaningful concept but more sensitive diagnostic measures are required.

  19. Adult Education and the Health Literacy of Hispanic Immigrants in the United States

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Soto Mas, Francisco; Jacobson, Holly E.; Olivárez, Arturo

    2017-01-01

    Discussion on the advantages of integrating health literacy into adult education has primarily been theoretical and conceptual. There is a need for studies that assess the impact of adult education on health literacy. This study implemented a quasi-experimental design to explore whether basic adult instruction may constitute a venue for improving…

  20. Evaluation of a health literacy screening tool in primary care patients: evidence from Serbia.

    PubMed

    Jović-Vraneš, Aleksandra; Bjegović-Mikanović, Vesna; Marinković, Jelena; Vuković, Dejana

    2014-12-01

    Improving health literacy skills is important for patient comprehension of health-related topics and their ability to attend to their medical problems. Promoting health literacy is a pivotal policy for maintaining and promoting health. The objective of the present study was to translate the Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults (TOFHLA; long and short versions) into Serbian and evaluate the translated and cross-culturally adapted questionnaires in Serbian primary care patients. The translated TOFHLA questionnaires were administered to 120 patients. Additionally, a self-completed questionnaire was used. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were measured. The mean score for the TOFHLA was 73.49 (median, 78; SD = 17.94; range, 0-100) and the mean score for the Short Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults (STOFHLA) was 29.28 (median, 32; SD = 6.16; range, 0-36). Sex, age, education, self-perceived health and presence of any chronic disease were associated with health literacy scores. The internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha) was 0.73 for the TOFHLA numeracy subset, 0.95 for reading comprehension, 0.94 for the TOFHLA and 0.90 for the STOFHLA. The Pearson correlation between the TOFHLA and STOFHLA was 0.89. The area under the curve of these two tests was 0.79 (95% CI, 0.602-0.817). The Serbian translated versions of the TOHFLA questionnaires offer valid measures of functional health literacy. There were no differences between the reliability and validity of the short and long TOFHLA forms. © The Author (2013). Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  1. Training in Influencing Skills from Neuro-Linguistic Programming (Modelled from Hypnosis and Family Therapy), in Combination with Innovative Maths Pedagogy, Raises Maths Attainment in Adult Numeracy Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Allan, F.; Bourne, J.; Bouch, D.; Churches, R.; Dennison, J.; Evans, J.; Fowler, J.; Jeffers, A.; Prior, E.; Rhodes, L.

    2012-01-01

    Case study research suggests that NLP [neuro-linguistic programming] influencing strategies benefit teacher effectiveness. Maths pedagogy involving higher-order questioning, challenge, problem solving and collaborative working may be a way of improving attainment in adult numeracy learning, however, such strategies may be less effective if the…

  2. Functional Literacy in the Context of Adult Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Convergence, 1973

    1973-01-01

    An international symposium dealing with functional literacy in the context of adult education held in West Berlin in August, 1973, concerned the government's role in establishing and financially supporting programs, the coordination of programs, institutional roles, and the identification of adult learning needs. Twenty-nine conclusions were…

  3. Technical Report and Data File User's Manual: For the 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy. NCES 2009-476

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Baldi, Stephane, Ed.; Kutner, Mark; Greenberg, Elizabeth; Jin, Ying; Baer, Justin; Moore, Elizabeth; Dunleavy, Eric; Berlin, Martha; Mohadjer, Leyla; Binzer, Greg; Krenzke, Thomas; Hogan, Jacqueline; Amsbary, Michelle; Forsyth, Barbara; Clark, Lyn; Annis, Terri; Bernstein, Jared; White, Sheida

    2009-01-01

    The 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL) assessed the English literacy skills of a nationally representative sample of more than 19,000 U.S. adults (age 16 and older) residing in households and correctional institutions. NAAL is the first national assessment of adult literacy since the 1992 National Adult Literacy Survey (NALS). The…

  4. A Life of Its Own. Adult Literacy Work in a Small Group.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ennis, Rex; Davison, Deborah

    This publication provides materials on the Small Group Learning Methodology Project in Victoria, Australia. The first chapter concerns the purpose of small groups in adult literacy learning. Chapter 2 deals with types of adult literacy programs, interviews, student needs, student placement, and forming groups. Chapter 3 discusses group processes,…

  5. REVIEW OF CONTEMPORARY RESEARCH ON LITERACY AND ADULT EDUCATION IN LATIN AMERICA.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    MARQUARDT, WILLIAM F.

    A REVIEW OF RESEARCH CATEGORIZES LITERACY AND ADULT BASIC EDUCATION IN LATIN AMERICA AS FOLLOWS--(1) GENERAL REPORTS OF THE NUMBERS AND OCCUPATIONAL TYPES OF ILLITERATES IN EACH COUNTRY--(2) REPORTS OF THE ACTIVITIES AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF PUBLIC, PRIVATE, AND INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS AND GROUPS IN PROMOTING LITERACY AND ADULT BASIC…

  6. The 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL): Performance of African Americans in a National Context

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ngwudike, Benjamin C.

    2008-01-01

    The 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL): Performance of African Americans in a National Context Sponsored by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) the 2003 NAAL was America's most comprehensive assessment of adult literacy since the 1992 National Adult Literacy Survey (NALS). NAAL was a nationally representative…

  7. Teacher Identity and Numeracy: Evaluating a Conceptual Framework for Identity as a Teacher of Numeracy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bennison, Anne

    2014-01-01

    If teachers are to adequately support development of their students' numeracy capabilities then they need to have an identity as a teacher of numeracy. A preliminary evaluation of a conceptual framework (Bennison & Goos, 2013) developed for use in a two-year study that seeks to understand this construct is presented. Initial findings about an…

  8. Adult Literacy: Policies, Programs and Practices. Lessons Learned. Final Report = Alphabetisation des adultes: politiques, programmes et pratiques. Etude bilan. Rapport final.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    2001

    Studies and reports examining the problems associated with adult literacy and efforts to address those problems were reviewed to identify lessons for adult literacy programs in Canada and elsewhere. Low literacy levels were linked to above-average rates of personal and/or learning difficulties, low self-esteem, associated social problems, and…

  9. Portraits of Excellence. The Secretary's Awards for Outstanding Adult Education and Literacy Programs.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Office of Vocational and Adult Education (ED), Washington, DC. Div. of Adult Education and Literacy.

    This booklet describes 10 outstanding adult education and literacy programs, one for each of the country's 10 geographic regions, that won awards from the U.S. Secretary of Education in 1992. The winners embody the best elements of how the adult learning system will move the nation to meet the National Education Goal for Adult Literacy and…

  10. Profiling Adult Literacy Facilitators in Development Contexts: An Ethnographic Study in Ethiopia

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Warkineh, Turuwark Zalalam; Rogers, Alan; Danki, Tolera Negassa

    2018-01-01

    Teachers/facilitators in adult literacy learning programmes are recognised as being vital to successful learning outcomes. But little is known about them as a group. This small-scale research project comprising ethnographic-style case studies of five adult literacy facilitators (ALFs) in Ethiopia seeks to throw some light on these teachers, their…

  11. The Health Literacy and ESL study: a community-based intervention for Spanish-speaking adults.

    PubMed

    Soto Mas, Francisco; Ji, Ming; Fuentes, Brenda O; Tinajero, Josefina

    2015-04-01

    Although Hispanics have a documented high risk of limited health literacy, there is a scarcity of research with this population group, and particularly with Hispanic immigrants who generally confront language barriers that have been related to low health literacy. The National Action Plan to Improve Health Literacy identified community-based English-language instruction as a strategy that can facilitate a health literate society. However, the literature lacks discussion on this type of intervention. This randomized control trial aimed to test the feasibility of using conventional English-as-a-second-language (ESL) instruction for improving health literacy among Spanish-speaking adults. Objectives included the development, implementation, and evaluation of a health literacy/ESL curriculum. The Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults (TOFHLA) in English was used to assess health literacy levels. Analyses included independent sample t test, chi-square, and multiple linear regression. A total of 155 people participated. Results showed a significantly higher increase in the TOFHLA posttest score in the intervention group (p = .01), and noticeable differences in health literacy levels between groups. Results indicate that ESL constitutes a promising venue for improving health literacy among Spanish-speaking adults. Incorporating health literacy-related content may provide additional benefits.

  12. The Health Literacy and ESL Study: A Community-Based Intervention for Spanish-Speaking Adults

    PubMed Central

    MAS, FRANCISCO SOTO; JI, MING; FUENTES, BRENDA O.; TINAJERO, JOSEFINA

    2015-01-01

    Although Hispanics have a documented high risk of limited health literacy, there is a scarcity of research with this population group, and particularly with Hispanic immigrants who generally confront language barriers that have been related to low health literacy. The National Action Plan to Improve Health Literacy identified community-based English-language instruction as a strategy that can facilitate a health literate society. However, the literature lacks discussion on this type of intervention. This randomized control trial aimed to test the feasibility of using conventional English-as-a-second-language (ESL) instruction for improving health literacy among Spanish-speaking adults. Objectives included the development, implementation, and evaluation of a health literacy/ESL curriculum. The Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults (TOFHLA) in English was used to assess health literacy levels. Analyses included independent sample t test, chi-square, and multiple linear regression. A total of 155 people participated. Results showed a significantly higher increase in the TOFHLA posttest score in the intervention group (p = .01), and noticeable differences in health literacy levels between groups. Results indicate that ESL constitutes a promising venue for improving health literacy among Spanish-speaking adults. Incorporating health literacy-related content may provide additional benefits. PMID:25602615

  13. The Principals as Literacy Leaders with Indigenous Communities: Professional Learning and Research

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Johnson, Greer; Dempster, Neil; McKenzie, Lynanne

    2013-01-01

    The vast proportion of Australia's Indigenous students are represented persistently as well below the national benchmarks for literacy and numeracy. Recent national school-based research and development projects, funded by the Australian Government's "Closing the Gap" strategy, have again targeted improving Indigenous students' literacy…

  14. Auditing the Numeracy Demands of the Australian Curriculum

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Goos, Merrilyn; Dole, Shelley; Geiger, Vince

    2012-01-01

    Numeracy is a general capability to be developed in all learning areas of the Australian Curriculum. We evaluated the numeracy demands of the F-10 curriculum, using a model of numeracy that incorporates mathematical knowledge, dispositions, tools, contexts, and a critical orientation to the use of mathematics. Findings of the history curriculum…

  15. Adult Education and Literacy. Annual Report. Fiscal Year 1991.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Illinois State Board of Education, Springfield.

    This annual report concerning adult education and literacy in Illinois during Fiscal Year 1991 first defines the purpose of adult education, which is to provide adults having less than a high school education with continuing opportunities to function more effectively in society. A section on administration considers state, federal, public…

  16. Nutrition Label Numeracy: Disparities and Association with Health Behaviors.

    PubMed

    Nogueira, Leticia M; Thai, Chan L; Nelson, Wendy; Oh, April

    2016-07-01

    We investigated the relative importance of nutrition label numeracy and sociodemographic characteristics in predicting health behaviors. Secondary data analysis of data collected from the National Cancer Institute's Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS 4, cycle 3, 2013). Weighted age-adjusted ordinal logistical regression was used to evaluate sociodemographic characteristics among individuals with different nutrition label numeracy levels. Dominance analysis was conducted to rank nutrition label numeracy and sociodemographic characteristics in order of importance as predictors of health behavior. Lower levels of nutrition label numeracy were associated with older age, black and Hispanic race/ethnicity, unemployment, being born outside of the United States, lower English proficiency, lower education achievement, lower income, and living in the South. Nutrition label numeracy and income were the most important predictors of health behaviors, accounting for about 50% of the variance in fruit consumption and level of effort, frustration, concern, and confusion experienced while seeking health information. Nutrition label numeracy differed significantly among sociodemographic groups and was a strong predictor of health behaviors. When developing health interventions targeting dietary behaviors, disparities in nutrition label numeracy comprehension should be considered.

  17. Early Numeracy Assessment: The Development of the Preschool Numeracy Scales

    PubMed Central

    Purpura, David J.; Lonigan, Christopher J.

    2015-01-01

    Research Findings The focus of this study was to construct and validate twelve brief early numeracy assessment tasks that measure the skills and concepts identified as key to early mathematics development by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (2006) and the National Mathematics Advisory Panel (2008)—as well as critical developmental precursors to later mathematics skill by the Common Core State Standards (CCSS; 2010). Participants were 393 preschool children ages 3 to 5 years old. Measure development and validation occurred through three analytic phases designed to ensure that the measures were brief, reliable, and valid. These measures included: one-to-one counting, cardinality, counting subsets, subitizing, number comparison, set comparison, number order, numeral identification, set-to-numerals, story problems, number combinations, and verbal counting. Practice or Policy Teachers have extensive demands on their time, yet, they are tasked with ensuring that all students’ academic needs are met. To identify individual instructional needs and measure progress, they need to be able to efficiently assess children’s numeracy skills. The measures developed in this study are not only reliable and valid, but also easy to use and can be utilized for measuring the effects of targeted instruction on individual numeracy skills. PMID:25709375

  18. Randomised Controlled Trial of Incentives to Improve Attendance at Adult Literacy Classes

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Brooks, Greg; Burton, Maxine; Cole, Pam; Miles, Jeremy; Torgerson, Carole; Torgerson, David

    2008-01-01

    Background: Incentives have been proposed as a method to improve attendance in adult literacy classes. In the UK, several areas have piloted the use of incentives to promote attendance at adult literacy classes. To date no rigorous evaluation of this policy has been undertaken. This paper describes (as far as we are aware) the "only"…

  19. Adult-Rated Oceanography Part 1: A Project Integrating Ocean Sciences into Adult Basic Education Programs.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cowles, S.; Collier, R.; Torres, M. K.

    2004-12-01

    Busy scientists seek opportunities to implement education and outreach efforts, but often don't know where to start. One easy and tested method is to form collaborations with federally-funded adult education and adult literacy programs. These programs exist in every U.S. state and territory and serve underrepresented populations through such major initiatives as adult basic education, adult secondary education (and GED preparation), and English language acquisition. These students are workers, consumers, voters, parents, grandparents, and members of every community. They have specific needs that are often overlooked in outreach activities. This presentation will describe the steps by which the Oregon Ocean Science and Math Collaborative program was developed. It is based on a partnership between the Oregon Department of Community Colleges and Workforce Development, Oregon State University College of Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences, Oregon Sea Grant, and the OSU Hatfield Marine Science Center. It includes professional development through instructor institutes; teachers at sea and informal education opportunities; curriculum and web site development. Through the partnership described here, instructors in adult basic education programs participate in a yearlong experience in which they develop, test, and adapt innovative instructional strategies to meet the specific needs of adult learners. This, in turn, leads to new prospects for study in the areas of ocean science and math and introduces non-academic careers in marine science to a new community. Working directly with instructors, we have identified expertise level, instructional environment, instructor background and current teaching strategies used to address science literacy and numeracy goals of the adult learners in the State of Oregon. Preliminary evaluation of our ongoing project in meeting these goals will be discussed. These efforts contribute to national goals of science literacy for all, by providing

  20. Adult Literacy: Industry-Based Training Programs. Research and Development Series No. 265C.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fields, Ernest L.; And Others

    Nine industry-based adult literacy programs across the country were studied to identify exemplary training programs and practices that business and industry trainers, planners, and policymakers and individuals in the public education sector alike could replicate in designing adult literacy programs. Training programs offered by the following…

  1. Adolescents’ Functional Numeracy Is Predicted by Their School Entry Number System Knowledge

    PubMed Central

    Geary, David C.; Hoard, Mary K.; Nugent, Lara; Bailey, Drew H.

    2013-01-01

    One in five adults in the United States is functionally innumerate; they do not possess the mathematical competencies needed for many modern jobs. We administered functional numeracy measures used in studies of young adults’ employability and wages to 180 thirteen-year-olds. The adolescents began the study in kindergarten and participated in multiple assessments of intelligence, working memory, mathematical cognition, achievement, and in-class attentive behavior. Their number system knowledge at the beginning of first grade was defined by measures that assessed knowledge of the systematic relations among Arabic numerals and skill at using this knowledge to solve arithmetic problems. Early number system knowledge predicted functional numeracy more than six years later (ß = 0.195, p = .0014) controlling for intelligence, working memory, in-class attentive behavior, mathematical achievement, demographic and other factors, but skill at using counting procedures to solve arithmetic problems did not. In all, we identified specific beginning of schooling numerical knowledge that contributes to individual differences in adolescents’ functional numeracy and demonstrated that performance on mathematical achievement tests underestimates the importance of this early knowledge. PMID:23382934

  2. Challenging Representations: Constructing the Adult Literacy Learner over 30 Years of Policy and Practice in the United Kingdom

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hamilton, Mary; Pitt, Kathy

    2011-01-01

    This article addresses the question, How do changes in policy discourses shape public representations of literacy learners and the goals of adult literacy education? It examines specifically how the agency of adult literacy learners is constructed. We carry out a critical discourse analysis of two key adult literacy policy documents from the U.K.:…

  3. Promoting an Equality Agenda in Adult Literacy Practice Using Non-Text/Creative Methodologies

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mark, Rob

    2007-01-01

    This paper examines the relationship between literacy, equality and creativity and the relevance for adult literacy practices. It looks in particular at how literacy tutors can use creative non-text methods to promote an understanding of equality in learners' lives. Through an examination of the findings from the Literacy and Equality in Irish…

  4. An international comparison of the association among literacy, education, and health across the United States, Canada, Switzerland, Italy, Norway, and Bermuda: implications for health disparities.

    PubMed

    Yamashita, Takashi; Kunkel, Suzanne R

    2015-04-01

    The relationship between education and health is well-established, but theoretical pathways are not fully understood. Economic resources, stress, and health behaviors partially explain how education influences health, but further study is needed. Previous studies show that health literacy mediates the education-health relationship, as do general literacy skills. However, little is known whether such mediation effects are consistent across different societies. This study analyzed data from the International Assessment of Adult Literacy and Life Skills Survey conducted in Canada, the United States, Italy, Norway, Switzerland, and Bermuda to investigate the mediation effects of literacy on the education-health relationship and the degree of such mediation in different cultural contexts. Results showed that literacy skills mediated the effect of education on health in all study locations, but the degree of mediation varied. This mediation effect was particularly strong in Bermuda. This study also found that different types of literacy skills are more or less important in each study location. For example, numeracy skills in the United States and prose (reading) literacy skills in Italy were stronger predictors of health than were other literacy skills. These findings suggest a new direction for addressing health disparities: focusing on relevant types of literacy skills.

  5. Hammond Workforce 2000: Literacy for Older Adults. Final Performance Report.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hammond Public Library, IN.

    From October 1993 to September 1994, a project provided equipment and materials to extend literacy efforts to older adults at the Hammond Public Library, Indiana. Notebook computers containing user-friendly software, used in coordination with the local Laubach Literacy Program, as well as books, audiocassettes, videocassettes, and BiFolkal media…

  6. Getting the Word Out: Communication Tips for Adult Basic & Literacy Education Professionals.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ohio Literacy Network, Columbus.

    This document presents tips to help Ohio's adult basic education (ABE) and literacy education professionals publicize new and existing ABE and literacy education programs. Chapter 1 discusses the following topics related to using newspapers to publicize ABE and literacy programs: publication policies of daily and weekly newspapers; news releases,…

  7. Implications of Literacy Related to Comprehension of Environmental Health Materials

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lindsey, Martha Ann

    2010-01-01

    Health literacy involves basic reading and numeracy, which allow a person to function as a health care consumer, by reading, understanding, evaluating and using information in health documents. For thirty years, the gap between the reading level of most of the public, eighth grade, and the reading level of most written health information, above…

  8. Functional Impacts of Adult Literacy Programme on Rural Women

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mbah, Blessing Akaraka

    2015-01-01

    This study assessed the functional impacts of adult literacy programme among rural women participants in Ishielu Local Government Area (LGA) of Ebonyi State, Nigeria. Descriptive survey design was used for the study. The population of the study was made up of 115 adult instructors and 2,408 adult learners giving a total of 2,623. The sample…

  9. Associations of eHealth Literacy With Health Behavior Among Adult Internet Users.

    PubMed

    Mitsutake, Seigo; Shibata, Ai; Ishii, Kaori; Oka, Koichiro

    2016-07-18

    In the rapidly developing use of the Internet in society, eHealth literacy-having the skills to utilize health information on the Internet-has become an important prerequisite for promoting healthy behavior. However, little is known about whether eHealth literacy is associated with health behavior in a representative sample of adult Internet users. The aim of this study was to examine the association between eHealth literacy and general health behavior (cigarette smoking, physical exercise, alcohol consumption, sleeping hours, eating breakfast, eating between meals, and balanced nutrition) among adult Internet users in Japan. The participants were recruited among registrants of a Japanese Internet research service company and asked to answer a cross-sectional Internet-based survey in 2012. The potential respondents (N=10,178) were randomly and blindly invited via email from the registrants in accordance with the set sample size and other attributes. eHealth literacy was assessed using the Japanese version of the eHealth Literacy Scale. The self-reported health behaviors investigated included never smoking cigarettes, physical exercise, alcohol consumption, sleeping hours, eating breakfast, not eating between meals, and balanced nutrition. We obtained details of sociodemographic attributes (sex, age, marital status, educational attainment, and household income level) and frequency of conducting Internet searches. To determine the association of each health behavior with eHealth literacy, we performed a logistic regression analysis; we adjusted for sociodemographic attributes and frequency of Internet searching as well as for other health behaviors that were statistically significant with respect to eHealth literacy in univariate analyses. We analyzed the data of 2115 adults (response rate: 24.04%, 2142/10,178; male: 49.74%, 1052/2115; age: mean 39.7, SD 10.9 years) who responded to the survey. Logistic regression analysis showed that individuals with high e

  10. English Language Support: A Dialogical Multi-Literacies Approach to Teaching Students from CALD Backgrounds

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Berniz, Kate; Miller, Andrew

    2017-01-01

    Students in Western university contexts require multiple literacies, numeracies, and critical capacities to succeed. Participation requires a blend of English language capacity, cultural knowhow, and cognisance of the often-hidden racialized assumptions and dispositions underpinning literate performance. Students from Culturally and Linguistically…

  11. Equipped for the Future. A Reform Agenda for Adult Literacy and Lifelong Learning.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Stein, Sondra Gayle

    The National Institute for Literacy's Equipped for the Future initiative was undertaken to achieve customer-driven, standards-based reform of adult literacy and lifelong learning through a broad, national consensus-building process. The initiative's six stages are as follows: (1) build consensus on the knowledge and skills adults need to fulfill…

  12. Leapfrogging Over the Status Quo: E-Learning and the Challenge of Adult Literacy.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McCain, Mary

    E-learning's potential for responding to the challenges of adult literacy was explored through a review of research and input from program managers, developers, and funders. The study identified adult literacy e-learning products, programs, and resources that are available or in development. Challenges to greater use of technology in adult…

  13. A Comparative Survey of Seven Adult Functional Literacy Programs in Sub-Saharan Africa.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Richmond, Edmun B.

    A study compares the adult functional literacy campaigns and programs developed in seven African nations: the Gambia, Liberia, Mali, Burundi, Rwanda, Kenya, and Seychelles. After an introductory chapter outlining the background of African adult functional literacy efforts and some of the constraints on them, the second chapter gives an overview of…

  14. 78 FR 26336 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget for...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-05-06

    ... PIAAC National Supplement builds upon the 2011-12 PIAAC Main Study, which was coordinated by the... addition to the United States. PIAAC assesses adult literacy, numeracy, and problem-solving skills in... employment experience and about the skills they use at work. PIAAC builds on previous international literacy...

  15. The Effects of Literacy and Education on the Income of America's Young Adults.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mok, Yan Fung

    1996-01-01

    Effects of prose, document, and quantitative literacy and education on the wages of 1,456 young adults who worked full time were analyzed. Literacy and education did not have the same effects on income for all groups; not all groups depended on literacy and education to increase income. Different types of literacy had different effects on gender…

  16. Internet Usage by Low-Literacy Adults Seeking Health Information: An Observational Analysis

    PubMed Central

    Birru, Mehret S; Monaco, Valerie M; Charles, Lonelyss; Drew, Hadiya; Njie, Valerie; Bierria, Timothy; Detlefsen, Ellen

    2004-01-01

    Background Adults with low literacy may encounter informational obstacles on the Internet when searching for health information, in part because most health Web sites require at least a high-school reading proficiency for optimal access. Objective The purpose of this study was to 1) determine how low-literacy adults independently access and evaluate health information on the Internet, 2) identify challenges and areas of proficiency in the Internet-searching skills of low-literacy adults. Methods Subjects (n=8) were enrolled in a reading assistance program at Bidwell Training Center in Pittsburgh, PA, and read at a 3rd to 8th grade level. Subjects conducted self-directed Internet searches for designated health topics while utilizing a think-aloud protocol. Subjects' keystrokes and comments were recorded using Camtasia Studio screen-capture software. The search terms used to find health information, the amount of time spent on each Web site, the number of Web sites accessed, the reading level of Web sites accessed, and the responses of subjects to questionnaires were assessed. Results Subjects collectively answered 8 out of 24 questions correctly. Seven out of 8 subjects selected "sponsored sites"-paid Web advertisements-over search engine-generated links when answering health questions. On average, subjects accessed health Web sites written at or above a 10th grade reading level. Standard methodologies used for measuring health literacy and for promoting subjects to verbalize responses to Web-site form and content had limited utility in this population. Conclusion This study demonstrates that Web health information requires a reading level that prohibits optimal access by some low-literacy adults. These results highlight the low-literacy adult population as a potential audience for Web health information, and indicate some areas of difficulty that these individuals face when using the Internet and health Web sites to find information on specific health topics. PMID

  17. Cancer literacy as a mediator for cancer screening behaviour in Korean adults.

    PubMed

    Lee, Hee Yun; Rhee, Taeho Greg; Kim, Nam Keol

    2016-09-01

    This study investigates the cancer literacy level in Korean adults and examines whether cancer literacy plays a mediating role in the relationship between population characteristics and cancer screening behaviours. We collected data from 585 community-dwelling adults in Korea using self-administered surveys and face-to-face interviews from October to December in 2009. Guided by Andersen's behavioural model, we used a structural equation model to estimate the effect of cancer literacy as a mediator and found that cancer literacy mediated cancer screening behaviour. In the individual path analysis models, cancer literacy played a significant mediating role for the use of eastern medicine, fatalism, health status and the number of chronic diseases. When controlling for other relevant covariates, we found that in the optimal path model, cancer literacy played a mediating role in the relationship between the use of eastern medicine and self-rated health status as well as cancer screening behaviour. Thus, developing community-based cancer education programmes and training clinical practitioners in eastern medicine clinics about the importance of informing their patients about regular cancer screening may be an option to boost cancer literacy and screening behaviour in Korea. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  18. Language, Literacy, Children's Literature: The Link to Communicative Competency for ESOL Adults.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Flickinger, Gayle Glidden

    Developing literacy in adults who speak English as a second language (ESL) means more than rote memorization of letters and sounds, because literacy implies a familiarity with the language and culture sufficient for comfortable interaction and communication of ideas to others. Literacy can be defined as (1) a matter of language, (2) having many…

  19. Building a Community of Literacy Practice with Young Adults with Intellectual Disabilities.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Moni, Karen B.

    This paper describes the activities and outcomes of LATCH-ON (Literacy and Technology-Hands On), a literacy program for young adults with Down Syndrome based at the University of Queensland in Australia. The program's aims are to support literacy as a desirable and valued aspect in the students' quality of life through developing communication in…

  20. Rethinking health numeracy: a multidisciplinary literature review.

    PubMed

    Ancker, Jessica S; Kaufman, David

    2007-01-01

    The purpose of this review is to organize various published conceptions of health numeracy and to discuss how health numeracy contributes to the productive use of quantitative information for health. We define health numeracy as the individual-level skills needed to understand and use quantitative health information, including basic computation skills, ability to use information in documents and non-text formats such as graphs, and ability to communicate orally. We also identify two other factors affecting whether a consumer can use quantitative health information: design of documents and other information artifacts, and health-care providers' communication skills. We draw upon the distributed cognition perspective to argue that essential ingredients for the productive use of quantitative health information include not only health numeracy but also good provider communication skills, as well as documents and devices that are designed to enhance comprehension and cognition.

  1. The importance of building trust and tailoring interactions when meeting older adults' health literacy needs.

    PubMed

    Brooks, Charlotte; Ballinger, Claire; Nutbeam, Don; Adams, Jo

    2017-11-01

    Health literacy is the ability to access, understand and use health information. This study qualitatively explored the views and experiences of older adults with varying health literacy levels who had attended a falls clinic on their overall experience of the falls clinic, access to the service and provider-patient interaction. Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted with nine older adults using a falls clinic in England. Health literacy was assessed using the REALM and NVS-UK. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and interrogated using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). Two superordinate themes emerged from the analysis: The importance of trust and relationship building to achieve effective communication with older adults; and the importance of tailoring education and healthcare to older adults' individual health literacy needs and preferences. The findings corroborate previous research emphasising the importance of face-to-face communication in responding to older adults' individual health literacy needs. Building trust in the relationship and tailoring communication to older adults' individual attributes and preferred learning styles is essential. Healthcare practitioners and managers should consider how service organisation and communication methods can enhance positive and effective relationships with patients. Improved training could support healthcare providers in meeting patients' personal communication needs. Implications for Rehabilitation Rehabilitation professionals should be aware of their patients' individual health literacy needs and communication/learning preferences. It is important to build relationships and trust with older adults attending rehabilitation services. Further training for rehabilitation professionals could support them in meeting patients' personal communication needs.

  2. A Sociocultural Approach to Understanding Identity as an Embedder-of-Numeracy: A Case of Numeracy and History

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bennison, Anne

    2016-01-01

    Improving numeracy learning outcomes for students is a goal of the European Commission. While many European countries have placed increased emphasis on links between mathematics and other subjects, in some countries numeracy is seen as an integral part of subjects across the curriculum. However, for this latter approach to be successful teachers…

  3. Closing the Gender Gap: Improved Performance of U.S.-Born Females on the National Assessment of Adult Literacy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cohen, Dale J.; White, Sheida; Cohen, Steffaney B.

    2012-01-01

    This study analyzed the current state of the gender literacy gap and the change in the gender literacy gap between 1992 and 2003, using the 1992 National Adult Literacy Survey (NALS) and the 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL). The results revealed that although there were significant gender literacy gaps in 1992, virtually all…

  4. Broadening the Conceptualization of Literacy in the Lives of Adults with Intellectual Disability

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Morgan, Michelle F.; Cuskelly, Monica; Moni, Karen B.

    2011-01-01

    Current pedagogical approaches recognize literacy as a social practice and yet school-based conceptualizations continue to dominate understandings of literacy learning of individuals with intellectual disability. Such understandings lead to local or everyday literacy practices being devalued and overlooked. Thus, for adults with intellectual…

  5. Literacy Agents Online: E-Discussion Forums for Advancing Adults' Literacy Practices

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Guzzetti, Barbara J.; Foley, Leslie M.

    2014-01-01

    This study explored how adults used a self-selected online forum to advance their own and others' literacy practices. The study was a discourse-centered online ethnography using triangulated methods, including analysis of list archives, semi-structured and informal interviews, and document collection. These data were analyzed by discourse…

  6. Health literacy among Indian adults seeking dental care.

    PubMed

    D'Cruz, Audrey M; Shankar Aradhya, M R

    2013-01-01

    Poor literacy can impede one's ability not only to seek out needed health information but also to process, understand and use it to make appropriate health care decisions. The objective of the study was to assess the health literacy among adult patients seeking oral health care at in a private dental hospital in Bangalore, Karnataka, India. A cross sectional questionnaire survey was carried out on 500 subjects. The questionnaire designed by Chew and colleagues (2004) was modified and used as the survey instrument. To be eligible to participate in the study, the participants had to be aged above 18 years and able to read or write English/Kannada (local language). Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Student's t-test (two tailed, independent) was used to find the significance of study parameters at 95% confidence interval. About 60.4% of the subjects had low health literacy level, 29.4% average and only 10.2% had high health literacy levels. Age and educational qualification had a suggestive significant difference with the mean health literacy scores while gender did not have any significant difference. Subjects who had completed post-graduation (57.8%) too had low health literacy levels. A large number of patients have low levels of health literacy that may interfere with their ability to process and understand basic health information.

  7. Enhancing Digital Literacy and Learning among Adults with Blogs

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sharp, Laurie A.

    2017-01-01

    Digital literacy and learning among adults has been identified as an area requiring research. The purpose of the present study was to explore technology acceptance and digital collaborative learning experiences with blogs among adult learners. This analysis employed a quasi-experimental mixed-methods approach guided by a sociocultural theoretical…

  8. Thinking Beyond Numbers: Learning Numeracy for the Future Workplace. Support Document

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Marr, Beth; Hagston, Jan

    2007-01-01

    The use, learning and transfer of workplace numeracy skills, as well as current understandings of the term numeracy, are examined in this study. It also highlights the importance of numeracy as an essential workplace skill. "Thinking Beyond Numbers: Learning Numeracy for the Future Workplace" challenges the training system and training…

  9. Discourses of Greyness and Diversity: Revisiting the ALBE and ESL Interface.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Suda, Liz

    Australia's culturally and linguistically diverse society is an important consideration in the role of adult literacy and numeracy in lifelong learning and socioeconomic well-being. A case study highlights the complexities diversity brings to development of language and literacy practices and challenges facing educators in developing a culturally…

  10. Subjective health literacy and older adults' assessment of direct-to-consumer prescription drug ads.

    PubMed

    An, Soontae; Muturi, Nancy

    2011-01-01

    Older adults are increasingly the intended target of direct-to-consumer (DTC) prescription drug ads, but limited evidence exists as to how they assess the educational value of DTC ads and, more importantly, whether their assessment depends on their level of health literacy. In-person interviews of 170 older adults revealed that those with low subjective health literacy evaluated the educational value of DTC ads significantly lower than did those with high subjective health literacy. The results prompt us to pay more scholarly attention to determining how effectively DTC ads convey useful medical information, particularly to those with limited health literacy.

  11. Associations of eHealth Literacy With Health Behavior Among Adult Internet Users

    PubMed Central

    Shibata, Ai; Ishii, Kaori; Oka, Koichiro

    2016-01-01

    Background In the rapidly developing use of the Internet in society, eHealth literacy—having the skills to utilize health information on the Internet—has become an important prerequisite for promoting healthy behavior. However, little is known about whether eHealth literacy is associated with health behavior in a representative sample of adult Internet users. Objective The aim of this study was to examine the association between eHealth literacy and general health behavior (cigarette smoking, physical exercise, alcohol consumption, sleeping hours, eating breakfast, eating between meals, and balanced nutrition) among adult Internet users in Japan. Methods The participants were recruited among registrants of a Japanese Internet research service company and asked to answer a cross-sectional Internet-based survey in 2012. The potential respondents (N=10,178) were randomly and blindly invited via email from the registrants in accordance with the set sample size and other attributes. eHealth literacy was assessed using the Japanese version of the eHealth Literacy Scale. The self-reported health behaviors investigated included never smoking cigarettes, physical exercise, alcohol consumption, sleeping hours, eating breakfast, not eating between meals, and balanced nutrition. We obtained details of sociodemographic attributes (sex, age, marital status, educational attainment, and household income level) and frequency of conducting Internet searches. To determine the association of each health behavior with eHealth literacy, we performed a logistic regression analysis; we adjusted for sociodemographic attributes and frequency of Internet searching as well as for other health behaviors that were statistically significant with respect to eHealth literacy in univariate analyses. Results We analyzed the data of 2115 adults (response rate: 24.04%, 2142/10,178; male: 49.74%, 1052/2115; age: mean 39.7, SD 10.9 years) who responded to the survey. Logistic regression analysis

  12. A New Functional Health Literacy Scale for Japanese Young Adults Based on Item Response Theory.

    PubMed

    Tsubakita, Takashi; Kawazoe, Nobuo; Kasano, Eri

    2017-03-01

    Health literacy predicts health outcomes. Despite concerns surrounding the health of Japanese young adults, to date there has been no objective assessment of health literacy in this population. This study aimed to develop a Functional Health Literacy Scale for Young Adults (funHLS-YA) based on item response theory. Each item in the scale requires participants to choose the most relevant term from 3 choices in relation to a target item, thus assessing objective rather than perceived health literacy. The 20-item scale was administered to 1816 university students and 1751 responded. Cronbach's α coefficient was .73. Difficulty and discrimination parameters of each item were estimated, resulting in the exclusion of 1 item. Some items showed different difficulty parameters for male and female participants, reflecting that some aspects of health literacy may differ by gender. The current 19-item version of funHLS-YA can reliably assess the objective health literacy of Japanese young adults.

  13. Financial Literacy of Young Adults: The Importance of Parental Socialization

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jorgensen, Bryce L.; Savla, Jyoti

    2010-01-01

    This article tests a conceptual model of perceived parental influence on the financial literacy of young adults. Structural equation modeling was used to test whether (a) parents were perceived to influence young adults' financial knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors and (b) the degree to which young adults' financial attitudes mediated financial…

  14. Catch Up® Numeracy: Evaluation Report and Executive Summary

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Education Endowment Foundation, 2014

    2014-01-01

    Catch Up® Numeracy is a one to one intervention for learners who are struggling with numeracy. It consists of two 15-minute sessions per week, delivered by teaching assistants (TAs). The approach is based on research indicating that numeracy is not a single skill, but a composite of several component skills that are relatively discrete. The…

  15. Illinois Adult Literacy Failing the Workforce: Alternative Solution Needed. Policy Profiles.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Banovetz, James M., Ed.

    According to the most recent National Adult Literacy Survey, nearly half of Illinois adults lack sufficient reading proficiency to ensure job success and advancement in 21st century workplaces. The Test of Adult Basic Education is currently used as a pretest/posttest in Illinois' existing adult basic education, adult secondary education, and…

  16. Associations of APOE ε4 With Health and Financial Literacy Among Community-Based Older Adults Without Dementia.

    PubMed

    Stewart, Christopher C; Boyle, Patricia A; James, Bryan D; Yu, Lei; Han, S Duke; Bennett, David A

    2016-05-12

    Older adults often exhibit low health and financial literacy, but the reasons why remain unclear. One possibility is that those older adults at high risk for developing dementia demonstrate low literacy even in the absence of marked cognitive impairment. We therefore examined associations of health and financial literacy with the APOE ε4 allele, the chief genetic risk factor for Alzheimer's disease, among older adults without dementia. Participants were 487 older adults without dementia enrolled in the Rush Memory and Aging Project (mean age = 83, mean years of education = 15, 77% female, 91% non-Hispanic White). Participants underwent APOE genotyping and assessments of cognition, health literacy, and financial literacy. Health and financial literacy scores were also averaged into a total literacy score. ε4 was associated with lower total and health literacy, with a trend toward an association with lower financial literacy, after adjustment for age, sex, and education. Associations of ε4 with lower total and health literacy persisted after further adjustment for global cognitive function and 5 specific cognitive domains. ε4 affects literacy even in the absence of clinical dementia and does so relatively independent of performance on traditional cognitive tests. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  17. Student Problems. Adult Literacy Independent Learning Packet.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Koefer, Ann M.

    This independent learning packet, which is designed for administrators, teachers, counselors, and tutors in Pennsylvania's Region 7 Tri-Valley Literacy Staff Development area as well as for their adult students, examines the following seven problems encountered by students: the job market, child care, single parenting/parenting skills, divorce,…

  18. Formative evaluation of a mobile liquid portion size estimation interface for people with varying literacy skills.

    PubMed

    Chaudry, Beenish Moalla; Connelly, Kay; Siek, Katie A; Welch, Janet L

    2013-12-01

    Chronically ill people, especially those with low literacy skills, often have difficulty estimating portion sizes of liquids to help them stay within their recommended fluid limits. There is a plethora of mobile applications that can help people monitor their nutritional intake but unfortunately these applications require the user to have high literacy and numeracy skills for portion size recording. In this paper, we present two studies in which the low- and the high-fidelity versions of a portion size estimation interface, designed using the cognitive strategies adults employ for portion size estimation during diet recall studies, was evaluated by a chronically ill population with varying literacy skills. The low fidelity interface was evaluated by ten patients who were all able to accurately estimate portion sizes of various liquids with the interface. Eighteen participants did an in situ evaluation of the high-fidelity version incorporated in a diet and fluid monitoring mobile application for 6 weeks. Although the accuracy of the estimation cannot be confirmed in the second study but the participants who actively interacted with the interface showed better health outcomes by the end of the study. Based on these findings, we provide recommendations for designing the next iteration of an accurate and low literacy-accessible liquid portion size estimation mobile interface.

  19. Adults Who Learn: Sharing Literacy Project Experience from South-Western Nigeria

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kolawole, Oluwatoyin Dare

    2011-01-01

    The paper reports the outcome of a funded non-formal, functional adult literacy project embarked upon in the university-based "Isoya" rural development programme area in south-western Nigeria from 2005-2007. It specifically presents the approaches used in legitimising the literacy project amongst community people; and reports the…

  20. Clinical implications of numeracy: theory and practice.

    PubMed

    Nelson, Wendy; Reyna, Valerie F; Fagerlin, Angela; Lipkus, Isaac; Peters, Ellen

    2008-06-01

    Low numeracy is pervasive and constrains informed patient choice, reduces medication compliance, limits access to treatments, impairs risk communication, and affects medical outcomes; therefore, it is incumbent upon providers to minimize its adverse effects. We provide an overview of research on health numeracy and discuss its implications in clinical contexts. Low numeracy cannot be reliably inferred on the basis of patients' education, intelligence, or other observable characteristics. Objective and subjective assessments of numeracy are available in short forms and could be used to tailor health communication. Low scorers on these assessments are subject to cognitive biases, irrelevant cues (e.g., mood), and sharper temporal discounting. Because prevention of the leading causes of death (e.g., cancer and cardiovascular disease) depends on taking action now to prevent serious consequences later, those low in numeracy are likely to require more explanation of risk to engage in prevention behaviors. Visual displays can be used to make numerical relations more transparent, and different types of displays have different effects (e.g., greater risk avoidance). Ironically, superior quantitative processing seems to be achieved by focusing on qualitative gist and affective meaning, which has important implications for empowering patients to take advantage of the evidence in evidence-based medicine.

  1. Clinical Implications of Numeracy: Theory and Practice

    PubMed Central

    Reyna, Valerie F.; Fagerlin, Angela; Lipkus, Isaac; Peters, Ellen

    2013-01-01

    Background Low numeracy is pervasive and constrains informed patient choice, reduces medication compliance, limits access to treatments, impairs risk communication, and affects medical outcomes; therefore, it is incumbent upon providers to minimize its adverse effects. Purpose We provide an overview of research on health numeracy and discuss its implications in clinical contexts. Conclusions Low numeracy cannot be reliably inferred on the basis of patients’ education, intelligence, or other observable characteristics. Objective and subjective assessments of numeracy are available in short forms and could be used to tailor health communication. Low scorers on these assessments are subject to cognitive biases, irrelevant cues (e.g., mood), and sharper temporal discounting. Because prevention of the leading causes of death (e.g., cancer and cardiovascular disease) depends on taking action now to prevent serious consequences later, those low in numeracy are likely to require more explanation of risk to engage in prevention behaviors. Visual displays can be used to make numerical relations more transparent, and different types of displays have different effects (e.g., greater risk avoidance). Ironically, superior quantitative processing seems to be achieved by focusing on qualitative gist and affective meaning, which has important implications for empowering patients to take advantage of the evidence in evidence-based medicine. PMID:18677452

  2. Poetry in the Adult Literacy Classroom. Teacher to Teacher.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Padak, Nancy

    Some adult learners and teachers have negative memories of their previous encounters with poetry because too much emphasis was placed on the poem's "intent" or dissecting poems to determine their rhyme schemes. However, poetry can be an effective complement to instruction in adult literacy classrooms and can serve as an effective instructional…

  3. Adult Education and Literacy. Program Year 2015 Annual Report

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Iowa Department of Education, 2016

    2016-01-01

    This report is Iowa's response to the four questions that the United States Department of Education, Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education (OCTAE), requires of all states and territories receiving federal funding through the Workforce Investment Act (WIA), Title II, Adult Education and Family Literacy Act (AEFLA). The overall goal of…

  4. The relationship between low perceived numeracy and cancer knowledge, beliefs, and affect.

    PubMed

    Ross, Katherine; Stoler, Justin; Carcioppolo, Nick

    2018-01-01

    Low numeracy may skew patient perceptions of information about cancer. This paper examines the relationship between self-reported measures of perceived numeracy and cancer knowledge, beliefs, and affect, using results from 3,052 respondents to the 2007 Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS-3). Chi-squared tests were used to identify differences in responses between high- and low-numeracy groups using three measures of perceived numeracy. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to evaluate the association between the three perceived numeracy measures and cancer information overload, cancer fatalism, cancer prevention knowledge, and cancer worry. Respondents with low perceived numeracy as expressed by discomfort with medical statistics were more likely to report information overload, to display fatalistic attitudes towards cancer, to lack knowledge about cancer prevention, and to indicate that they worried about cancer more frequently. After controlling for sociodemographic characteristics, this measure of perceived numeracy remained significantly associated with information overload, fatalism, lower prevention knowledge, and worry. The other measures of perceived numeracy, which measured understanding and use of health statistics, were not associated with cancer perceptions. Our findings suggest that individuals with low perceived numeracy broadly differ from individuals with high perceived numeracy in their perceptions of cancer and cancer prevention. By improving our understanding of how perceived numeracy affects patient perceptions of cancer, health providers can improve educational strategies and targeted health messaging.

  5. National Forum on Adult Education and Literacy: Views from Adult Learners (Washington, D.C., September 1997).

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Office of Vocational and Adult Education (ED), Washington, DC. Div. of Adult Education and Literacy.

    A national forum was conducted in September 1997 to obtain the views of former and current students in adult literacy education programs about challenges they faced and ways to facilitate success for future students. The thoughts of 57 literacy delegates from 44 states were elicited on 4 topics: participants' hopes and expectations; accessibility…

  6. Nabisco Foods Division--"New Indy" Workplace Literacy Project. Final Performance Report.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ivy Tech State Coll., Indianapolis, IN.

    This document contains a final report, evaluation, and curriculum materials from a project conducted at the RJR Nabisco plant in Indianapolis to upgrade the literacy and numeracy skills of the workers to facilitate technological changes to production lines. As the final report explains, although the goal of the project was to recruit and test 150…

  7. The limits of levels: Understanding the International Adult Literacy Surveys (IALS)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    St. Clair, Ralf

    2012-12-01

    The International Adult Literacy Survey (IALS), an initiative of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), was carried out in the early to mid-1990s across more than 20 countries. It was followed in the early years of the 21st century by the Adult Literacy and Life Skills (ALL) survey and the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC, currently in data analysis). This article reviews the philosophical basis, theoretical underpinnings and data analysis of the original and subsequent IALS-based surveys. The purpose is to inform users of the survey data of what the surveys can, and cannot, provide. The author argues that the key use of these surveys is providing insights into population-level distribution of one form of literacy, namely a particular kind of text consumption in a developed society. He also points out the challenges regarding the use of the survey series for making international comparisons, for documenting change over time and for representing broad models of literacy. The tendency to use the survey findings for these uses is considered by the author as a misuse of the data, which leaves the potential of the IALS surveys to provide insights into the effectiveness and equity of different educational systems largely untapped.

  8. Using Electronic Technology in Adult Literacy Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rosen, David J.

    1999-01-01

    Students in adult literacy education, including basic and secondary education and English for speakers of other languages (ESOL), are increasingly using computers to write, find information, publish their writings, communicate by e-mail, learn basic skills, and for other purposes. In this chapter the focus is on computers, the Internet (including…

  9. A Decline in Numeracy Skills among Bioscience Undergraduates.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tariq, Vicki N.

    2002-01-01

    Provides evidence of a decline in basic numeracy skills among first-year bioscience undergraduate students. Tests conceptualized numeracy skills which form a component of an introductory microbiology module. (Contains 23 references.) (Author/YDS)

  10. Credit Card Usage among Older Adults: Assessing Financial Literacy and Pressures

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    St. Pierre, Eileen; Shreffler, Karina

    2013-01-01

    The research reported here assessed the financial literacy of older adults living in rural communities, current use of and attitudes towards debt, and debt pressures. Those surveyed exhibit low credit card usage and responsible payment practices. Most never use credit to pay medical expenses. Respondents display a financial literacy level similar…

  11. Word Reading and Word Spelling in French Adult Literacy Students: The Relationship with Oral Language Skills

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Eme, Elsa; Lambert, Eric; Alamargot, Denis

    2014-01-01

    We analysed word reading and spelling in French adults with low levels of literacy (A-IL). As well as examining phonological and lexical processes, we explored the relationship between literacy and oral language skills. Fifty-two adult literacy students were compared with reading level-matched pupils in Years 1-3 of primary school on reading tasks…

  12. Building Vibrant Learning Communities: Framework and Actions to Strengthen Community Adult Learning Councils and Community Literacy Programs

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Alberta Advanced Education and Technology, 2007

    2007-01-01

    Because of the important role played by community learning providers, Premier Ed Stelmach asked Canadian Minister of Advanced Education and Technology to increase support for community education and literacy programs. Community Adult Learning Councils and other community providers of adult literacy and family literacy programming are primarily…

  13. Adult Literacy Education: Current and Future Directions. An Update. Information Series No. 355.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fingeret, Hanna Arlene

    A great deal of attention has been focused on adult literacy by policy makers, employers, unions, and state and federal government. An increasing body of work is challenging conventional assumptions and values related to literacy. The National Literacy Act of 1991 has the potential to develop an essential long-term infrastructure. Some basic…

  14. Associations between working memory, health literacy, and recall of the signs of stroke among older adults.

    PubMed

    Ganzer, Christine A; Insel, Kathleen C; Ritter, Leslie S

    2012-10-01

    Stroke remains a major cause of mortality and disability among older adults. Although early treatment after stroke is known to reduce both mortality and disability, the first step in seeking early treatment is dependent on the rapid recognition of the signs of stroke. Recall of the signs of stroke may be dependent on factors that exist before the stroke itself. Although it is known that both working memory and health literacy decline with advancing age, these factors have not been thoroughly examined with respect to recall of the signs of stroke. Therefore, the purpose of the current study was to investigate associations between working memory, health literacy, and recall of the signs of stroke among older adults. Community dwelling older adults (≥65 years of age) were recruited from two senior centers. Fifty-six participants meeting inclusion criteria provided demographic and health information and were asked to read a public service brochure listing the five warning signs of stroke. Working memory was then assessed using the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale 3rd Edition Working Memory Index. Health literacy was assessed by the Short Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults. Participants' recall of the five warning signs of stroke was evaluated. The mean age was 80.4 years. The mean number of the signs of stroke recalled was 2.9 ± 1.33. Working memory and health literacy were positively correlated with recall of the signs of stroke (r = .38, p < 0.01; r = .44, p < 0.01). In a simultaneous regression, only health literacy remained a significant predictor of recall. There was no statistically significant interaction between working memory and health literacy. Findings from this study indicate that working memory and health literacy were associated with successful recall of the warning signs of stroke in older adults. Further studies are needed to determine if programs that include cognitive and literacy assessments could identify older adults who need

  15. Children's Early Numeracy in Finland and Iran

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Aunio, Pirjo; Korhonen, Johan; Bashash, Laaya; Khoshbakht, Fariba

    2014-01-01

    This research investigates similarities and differences in young children's early numeracy skills related to age, nationality and gender. The participants were five- to seven-year-old children from Finland and Iran. Early numeracy was investigated by using tasks measuring number-related relational skills (e.g. comparison, one-to-one…

  16. Quick Guide to Health Literacy and Older Adults

    MedlinePlus

    ... starter tips Resources Additional Resources Cultural Competence Health Literacy Older Adults Plain Language Visual Impairment Web sites Content last updated: October 30, 2007 skip to navigation | skip to content ACCESSIBILITY | FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT | PRIVACY POLICY | CONTACT US Office of Disease ...

  17. Affective Aspects of Adult Literacy Programs: A Look at the Types of Support Systems, Teacher Behavior and Materials That Characterize Effective Literacy Programs.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Phillips, Kathleen J.; And Others

    To determine the effect of attention to affective needs on the success of adult literacy programs, researchers analyzed data from 400 programs nominated by advisors to the National Adult Literacy Project (NALP), and selected a sample of 15 for the field research. The sample programs included three military, three prison, three English as a second…

  18. Investigating Predictors of Spelling Ability for Adults with Low Literacy Skills

    PubMed Central

    Talwar, Amani; Cote, Nicole Gilbert; Binder, Katherine S.

    2014-01-01

    This study examined whether the spelling abilities of adults with low literacy skills could be predicted by their phonological, orthographic, and morphological awareness. Sixty Adult Basic Education (ABE) students completed several literacy tasks. It was predicted that scores on phonological and orthographic tasks would explain variance in spelling scores, whereas scores on morphological tasks may not. Scores on all phonological tasks and on one orthographic task emerged as significant predictors of spelling scores. Additionally, error analyses revealed a limited influence of morphological knowledge in spelling attempts. Implications for ABE instruction are discussed. PMID:25364644

  19. Educating Low-Literacy Adults: To Teach or Not to Teach?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Morgan, Anne M.

    2004-01-01

    According to statistics compiled by the National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy (NCSALL), more than 40% of working-age adults in the United States lack the requisite skills and education to succeed in life (Merrifield, 1998). In the field of adult education, however, there is much debate about how programs can best serve…

  20. Outcomes of Adult Learners Who Participate in Family Literacy Programs

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McVey, Shawn D.

    2010-01-01

    Adults who are undereducated or who lack basic skills are at a disadvantage in American society. Family literacy programs are often one of the last opportunities for adults to raise their level of education or develop skills which enable them to participate in different aspects of American society. This study explored the outcomes of adults who…

  1. Adult Literacy Research in 2006: Where Did It Appear, What Methodologies Were Used, and What Did It Say?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mikulecky, Larry; Smith-Burke, Trika; Beatty, Jeanine

    2009-01-01

    From 1999 to 2005, the National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy (NCSALL) did an annual review and synthesis of adult literacy research. This did not continue due to reallocation of federal education funds. To fill a portion of the gap left by NCSALL's departure, this adult literacy literature review analyzes and synthesizes the…

  2. Global, Regional and Local Influences on Adult Literacy Policy in England

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hamilton, Mary

    2014-01-01

    This paper explores the relationship between global, regional and local influences on adult literacy policy and practice in the UK through a discourse analysis of policy-related texts. The analysis is framed by theoretical perspectives from literacy studies and socio-material theory. The paper identifies a number of specific features in the UK…

  3. Moving the Markers: New Perspectives on Adult Literacy Rates in Canada

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sussman, Susan B.

    2003-01-01

    This report describes a project originally intended to identify demographic patterns among adults with low literacy skills in each Canadian province. The project was carried out between March 2000 and June 2001 under the auspices of Movement for Canadian Literacy (MCL). The project was based on the assumption that demographic information about…

  4. The Uses and Consequences of Literacy in the Daily Lives of Ordinary People: From an Evaluation of Adult Literacy Organization of Zimbabwe (ALOZ).

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bhola, H. S.

    To evaluate the Adult Literacy Organization of Zimbabwe (ALOZ), an organization whose aim is to achieve universal literacy in Zimbabwe, a study interviewed officials at ALOZ, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and other institutions involved in literacy development; reviewed relevant literature and documents;…

  5. Numbers Start Here. Material from the Merseyside and Cheshire Numeracy Lift-Off Project.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Adult Literacy and Basic Skills Unit, London (England).

    This skills pack is intended to assist basic numeracy tutors working with adults needing help with prenumber work, number concepts up to 10, time telling, and British money handling. The package includes notes on using the materials provided; materials for use in assessing student skills with respect to color and shape recognition, number…

  6. Do Basic Skills Predict Youth Unemployment (16- to 24-Year-Olds) Also when Controlled for Accomplished Upper-Secondary School? A Cross-Country Comparison

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lundetrae, Kjersti; Gabrielsen, Egil; Mykletun, Reidar

    2010-01-01

    Basic skills and educational level are closely related, and both might affect employment. Data from the Adult Literacy and Life Skills Survey were used to examine whether basic skills in terms of literacy and numeracy predicted youth unemployment (16-24 years) while controlling for educational level. Stepwise logistic regression showed that in…

  7. Effects of an eHealth Literacy Intervention for Older Adults

    PubMed Central

    2011-01-01

    Background Older adults generally have low health and computer literacies, making it challenging for them to function well in the eHealth era where technology is increasingly being used in health care. Little is known about effective interventions and strategies for improving the eHealth literacy of the older population. Objective The objective of this study was to examine the effects of a theory-driven eHealth literacy intervention for older adults. Methods The experimental design was a 2 × 2 mixed factorial design with learning method (collaborative; individualistic) as the between-participants variable and time of measurement (pre; post) as the within-participants variable. A total of 146 older adults aged 56–91 (mean 69.99, SD 8.12) participated in this study during February to May 2011. The intervention involved 2 weeks of learning about using the National Institutes of Health’s SeniorHealth.gov website to access reliable health information. The intervention took place at public libraries. Participants were randomly assigned to either experimental condition (collaborative: n = 72; individualistic: n = 74). Results Overall, participants’ knowledge, skills, and eHealth literacy efficacy all improved significantly from pre to post intervention (P < .001 in all cases; effect sizes were >0.8 with statistical power of 1.00 even at the .01 level in all cases). When controlling for baseline differences, no significant main effect of the learning method was found on computer/Web knowledge, skills, or eHealth literacy efficacy. Thus, collaborative learning did not differ from individualistic learning in affecting the learning outcomes. No significant interaction effect of learning method and time of measurement was found. Group composition based on gender, familiarity with peers, or prior computer experience had no significant main or interaction effect on the learning outcomes. Regardless of the specific learning method used, participants had overwhelmingly

  8. Annual Adult Education Research Conference (AERC) Proceedings (33rd, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, May 15-17, 1992). Revised Edition.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Blunt, Adrian, Ed.

    The following are included in section 1: "Purposes and Methods of Sistematizacion" (Beder); "At the Crossroads" (Bingman, White); "Relationship between Literacy and Numeracy Test Scores on the 'Survey of Literacy Skills Used in Daily Activities'" (Blunt); "Vaclav Havel, Postmodernism, and Modernity" (Briton,…

  9. Adult Literacy and Parenting Outcomes of a Rural, Home-Based Program.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Meehan, Merrill L.; Walsh, Sandra; Spring, Janet; Swisher, Angie; Lewis, Harry

    The Even Start Family Literacy Program is a national program designed to break the cycle of poverty and illiteracy by working with low-income families to improve adult literacy, parenting skills, and developmental and preschool readiness of young children in the family. The Monongalia County (West Virginia) Even Start Program is unusual in that…

  10. Mathematics and Numeracy--Is There a Difference?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Australian Mathematics Teacher, 2012

    2012-01-01

    The term "numeracy" seems to be commonly used in discussions about school mathematics education these days. It is not altogether clear what various school systems intend "numeracy" to mean and whether or not it is meant to replace the term "mathematics", whether it is just one part of mathematics or whether it is…

  11. The Northeast Texas Adult Education Rural Workplace Literacy Program. Annual Performance Report.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Barker, Sue; Burns, Kathryn; Bowers, Jana; Pruitt, Jeanni; Pate, Sally

    The Northeast Texas Adult Education Rural Education Workplace Literacy Program, which is a partnership between Northeast Texas Community College and area businesses, offers workplace literacy instruction designed around job-specific basic skills. Training is offered in the following: applied workplace technology; applied math skills; measurements…

  12. Application of the Health Literacy INDEX on the development of a manual for prevention of falls for older adults.

    PubMed

    Andrade, Isabel; Silva, Catarina; Martins, Anabela Correia

    2017-01-01

    The Health Literacy INDEX tool has been developed for creating accessible and readable health information materials for people of all literacy levels. To increase knowledge of falls risk factors and actively engage older adults, we developed an improved manual for prevention of falls for low-health literacy older people entitled "Preventing falls-I can do it",with the aid of INDEX. First time application of the INDEX tool for assessing the health literacy demands of available manuals for prevention of falls for older adults and subsequent development of an improved manual using the INDEX tool as a checklist, supported by a pretest phase involving sixteen adults ≥65, living in the community, with literacy ≤4th grade and limited functional health literacy. The engagement of older adults from the target audience and their feedback obtained during the validation process contributed to the development of an improved health literacy- and age-friendly manual for prevention of falls. By offering effective health information materials, older adults can play a more active role in their health care. The manual developed to be health literacy- and age-friendly is available to be included in any multifactorial program for the prevention of falls in older adults. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  13. Predictors of health literacy and numeracy concordance among adolescent with special health care needs and their parents

    PubMed Central

    Chisolm, Deena J; Sarkar, Madhurima; Kelleher, Kelly J.; Sanders, Lee M.

    2015-01-01

    Background Parent and teen health literacies (HL) are employed as teens with chronic illnesses transition to health self-management and the adult health system. This study explores the relationships between parent and teen HL. Methods Teens ages 12-18 with chronic conditions and their parents, sampled from a pediatric Medicaid ACO, completed an interview assessing HL and self-reported competence with written and numeric health information. Rates of teen and parent HL, degree of concordance, and relationship between concordance and teen-reported competence with health materials were measured. Results Half (52%) of teens had adequate HL. 62% of teens reported competence with written health materials and 69% with numeric information. Correlation between parent and teen HL was modest but significant (phi=0.13; p=0.03). 47% of parent-teen dyads were concordant for adequate HL while 10% were concordant inadequate. Adequate teen HL was associated with parental adequate HL and parental education. Discordance was associated with self-reported competence with written material and numeric material. Conclusion Over half of parent-teen dyads had at least one member with less than adequate health literacy and parent-teen HL concordance were associated with teen perception of health literacy. These findings support the consideration of both independent and dyad HL levels in adolescent care. PMID:26513030

  14. The Effects of Literacy Enriched Classroom Environment Partnered with Quality Adult/Child Interaction on the Development of Emergent Literacy Skills in Preschool Children

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Haustein, Susan L.

    2012-01-01

    This study examines the effect of literacy enriched preschool classroom environments and the quality of adult/child interaction in the classroom on the emergent literacy growth and development of preschool children. Data was collected within the 2009-2010 school year and analyzed to determine if providing a literacy enriched preschool environment…

  15. Devising Principles of Design for Numeracy Tasks

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Geiger, Vince; Forgasz, Helen; Goos, Merrilyn; Bennison, Anne

    2014-01-01

    Numeracy is a fundamental component of the Australian National Curriculum as a General Capability identified in each F-10 subject. In this paper, we consider the principles of design necessary for the development of numeracy tasks specific to subjects other than mathematics--in this case, the subject of English. We explore the nature of potential…

  16. Helping older adults to help themselves: the role of mental health literacy in family members.

    PubMed

    White, Margaret; Casey, Leanne

    2017-11-01

    Family members may play an important role in the health and well-being of older adults. However, little is known about the factors that influence the likelihood of family members supporting older relatives to seek help from mental health professionals for mental health concerns. Mental health literacy is associated with people's help-seeking intentions regarding their own mental health concerns, and some studies have suggested it may play a role in help-seeking on behalf of others. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether mental health literacy is associated with adults' likelihood of supporting an older relative to seek professional help for mental health concerns. Two hundred and sixty-three participants completed a measure of mental health literacy and responded to a hypothetical scenario by indicating their likelihood of supporting an older relative experiencing mental health problems to seek help from various sources. Mental health literacy was positively associated with intentions to support older relative's help-seeking. Interventions to increase the mental health literacy of the relatives of older adults may lead to additional support for older adults' help-seeking for mental health concerns.

  17. Adult literacy policy and provision in an age of austerity

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Limage, Leslie J.

    1986-12-01

    Against a background of growing concern for the large numbers of semiliterate or completely illiterate school leavers and adults in the industrialized countries, this article examines four key aspects necessary for gauging a nation's response to the problem of adult illiteracy. The four aspects — awareness raising, high-level national commitment, resource allocation, and range and extent of in-school and out-of-school basic education/literacy provision — are analyzed with particular reference to the United Kingdom, the United States, France and Canada. The article indicates that, in a period of economic austerity when education budgets are being cut, provision for adult literacy and for remedial classes in school is one of the first areas to be sacrificed. The article ends on a pessimistic note with respect to the implementation of a `Right to Read' charter in all industrialized countries.

  18. When Investment in Basic Skills Gives Negative Returns

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Billington, Mary Genevieve; Nissinen, Kari; Gabrielsen, Egil

    2017-01-01

    In recent years, the Norwegian government has invested heavily in improving basic skills in the adult population. Initiatives have included legislation, the introduction of work-based adult education programs, and reforms in schooling. In light of this investment, we explore trends in adult literacy and numeracy, by comparing data from two…

  19. Meaningful Reading Gains by Adult Literacy Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Scarborough, Hollis S.; Sabatini, John P.; Shore, Jane; Cutting, Laurie E.; Pugh, Kenneth; Katz, Leonard

    2013-01-01

    To obtain a fuller picture of the efficacy of reading instruction programs for adult literacy learners, gains by individual students were examined in a sample (n = 148) in which weak to moderate gains at the group level had been obtained in response to tutoring interventions that focused on strengthening basic decoding and fluency skills of low…

  20. Measuring Health Literacy in Individuals with Diabetes: A Systematic Review and Evaluation of Available Measures

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Al Sayah, Fatima; Williams, Beverly; Johnson, Jeffrey A.

    2013-01-01

    Objective: To identify instruments used to measure health literacy and numeracy in people with diabetes; evaluate their use, measurement scope, and properties; discuss their strengths and weaknesses; and propose the most useful, reliable, and applicable measure for use in research and practice settings. Methods" A systematic literature review…

  1. An Investigation of the Relationship between Health Literacy and Social Communication Skills in Older Adults

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hester, Eva Jackson

    2009-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to examine connections between health literacy and social communication skills in older adults, a population that experiences chronic health conditions but is reported to have low health literacy and declines in communication skills. Sixty-three older adults were administered the "Social Communication"…

  2. Adult Education and Family Literacy Act. Report to Congress on State Performance. Program Year 2003-2004

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Office of Vocational and Adult Education, US Department of Education, 2006

    2006-01-01

    The state-administered grant program authorized under the Adult Education and Family Literacy Act (AEFLA), enacted as Title II of the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) of 1998, is the major source of federal support for adult basic and literacy education programs. The purpose of the program is to provide educational opportunities to adults sixteen…

  3. Adult Literacy in Africa: The Push and Pull Factors

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Omolewa, Michael

    2008-11-01

    This paper examines the question of why Africa has made such slow progress towards the goal of eradicating illiteracy, and why it remains an exceptionally disadvantaged region in this respect. The article surveys the history of the development of literacy in Africa from colonial times to the present day, focusing on the role of adult education in pursuing the goal of universal literacy. The author seeks to identify both the "push" factors (those favouring the pursuit of this goal) and the "pull" factors (the obstacles and hindrances), examining these factors at the local, national and international levels. The author concludes that, while the literacy challenge in Africa remains a formidable one, there are examples of successful initiatives that give hope for the future.

  4. Adult Illiterates and Adult Literacy Programs: A Summary of Descriptive Data.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McGrail, Janet

    A portrait of illiterates and literacy programs in the United States in the 1980s is derived from this summary of the most up-to-date, valid information that could be obtained from a literature review. The first section on adult illiterates identifies data sources, numbers of illiterates, and characteristics of the five main groups (the elderly,…

  5. School to Work Program as a Contributor to Adult Literacy Skill Development

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Nuno-Toledo, Elsa

    2010-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between the learning of basic reading literacy skills in a contextualized, educational career technical training program, specifically the School to Work Program. The study explores whether adult literacy rates can change through students' participation in a contextualized, educational…

  6. Elevating Adult Civic Science Literacy through a Renewed Citizen Science Paradigm

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cronin, David P.; Messemer, Jonathan E.

    2013-01-01

    America's adult populace has failed to keep pace with the rapid inundation of science-centric knowledge affecting nearly every facet of personal, familial, and communal life. With three out of every four American adults considered scientifically illiterate, adult civic science literacy (CSL) has reached alarmingly low levels. The purpose of…

  7. A Public Health Approach to Improving the Lives of Adult Learners: Introduction to the Special Issue on Adult Literacy Interventions

    PubMed Central

    Miller, Brett; Esposito, Layla; McCardle, Peggy

    2013-01-01

    Addressing the literacy needs of adult basic and secondary education learners must form a core part of a broader public health effort to increase educational and health outcomes for these individuals and their families. Adult learners constitute a significant proportion of the overall adult U.S. population and a proportion that impacts, directly and indirectly, on the physical and economic health of millions of families and society writ large. Enhancing the literacy skills of low literate adults has proven difficult, hampered by the relative dearth of research data on struggling adult learners and effective intervention approaches, the contextual challenges of delivering intensive interventions, limited personal and systemic resources, and competing demands on learners’ time. We propose a systems level view of adult low-literacy as one that holds promise and provides a basic framework for providing coordinated, comprehensive, and integrated services, but that requires additional research to support. Informed and coordinated efforts with the pre-kindergarten to twelfth grade education system and health and labor services sectors is needed if we are to improve the lives of these adults and their families. PMID:24288581

  8. Their Words and Worlds: English as a Second Language Students in Adult Basic Education Literacy Programs

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Csepelyi, Tünde

    2010-01-01

    The focus of this article is on adult literacy in adult basic education (ABE) programs with special emphasis on English as a Second Language (ESL) students. The article intends to highlight several relevant points in ABE ESL literacy instruction. It focuses on (a) the nature of adult learning, (b) the structure of ABE programs, (c) who the…

  9. Numeracy Task Design: A Case of Changing Mathematics Teaching Practice

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Liljedahl, Peter

    2015-01-01

    Over the last 15 years, numeracy has become more and more prominent in curriculum initiatives around the world. Yet, the notion of numeracy is still not well defined, and as such, often not well understood by the teachers who are charged with the responsibility of helping our students to develop their numeracy skills. In this article I explore the…

  10. Does Nonformal Education Matter? Nonformal Education, Immigration, and Skills in Canada

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Krupar, Allyson; Horvatek, Renata; Byun, Soo-yong

    2017-01-01

    This article examined the relationship between participation in adult nonformal education (NFE), defined as on-the-job training, attending private lessons, attending seminars, or distance learning, and Canadian immigrant respondents' literacy and numeracy outcomes, using data from the Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies…

  11. How Numeracy Influences Risk Comprehension and Medical Decision Making

    PubMed Central

    Reyna, Valerie F.; Nelson, Wendy L.; Han, Paul K.; Dieckmann, Nathan F.

    2009-01-01

    We review the growing literature on health numeracy, the ability to understand and use numerical information, and its relation to cognition, health behaviors, and medical outcomes. Despite the surfeit of health information from commercial and noncommercial sources, national and international surveys show that many people lack basic numerical skills that are essential to maintain their health and make informed medical decisions. Low numeracy distorts perceptions of risks and benefits of screening, reduces medication compliance, impedes access to treatments, impairs risk communication (limiting prevention efforts among the most vulnerable), and, based on the scant research conducted on outcomes, appears to adversely affect medical outcomes. Low numeracy is also associated with greater susceptibility to extraneous factors (i.e., factors that do not change the objective numerical information). That is, low numeracy increases susceptibility to effects of mood or how information is presented (e.g., as frequencies vs. percentages) and to biases in judgment and decision making (e.g., framing and ratio bias effects). Much of this research is not grounded in empirically supported theories of numeracy or mathematical cognition, which are crucial for designing evidence-based policies and interventions that are effective in reducing risk and improving medical decision making. To address this gap, we outline four theoretical approaches (psychophysical, computational, standard dual-process, and fuzzy trace theory), review their implications for numeracy, and point to avenues for future research. PMID:19883143

  12. Regional Resource Initiative. A Blueprint for Sharing Resources and Expertise in Adult Education and Literacy across State Lines.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tennessee Univ., Knoxville. Center for Literacy Studies.

    The Arizona Adult Literacy and Technology Resource Center and the University of Tennessee's Center for Literacy Studies undertook a collaborative project to explore the feasibility and effectiveness of regional sharing of resources and expertise in field of adult education and literacy education. The project's goals were as follows: involve a…

  13. Intellectualizing Adult Basic Literacy Education: A Case Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bradbury, Kelly S.

    2012-01-01

    At a time when accusations of American ignorance and anti-intellectualism are ubiquitous, this article challenges problematic assumptions about intellectualism that overlook the work of adult basic literacy programs and proposes an expanded view of intellectualism. It is important to recognize and to challenge narrow views of intellectualism…

  14. Relationships Between eHealth Literacy and Health Behaviors in Korean Adults.

    PubMed

    Kim, Sun-Hee; Son, Youn-Jung

    2017-02-01

    The Internet is a useful and accessible source for health-related information for modern healthcare consumers. Individuals with adequate eHealth literacy have an incentive to use the Internet to access health-related information, and they consider themselves capable of using Web-based knowledge for health. This cross-sectional study aimed to describe the relationship between eHealth literacy and health behaviors. A total of 230 adults aged 18 to 39 years and residing in South Korea participated in the study. The mean (SD) score for eHealth literacy was 25.52 (4.35) of a total possible score of 40. The main source of health information was the Internet. Using hierarchical linear regression, the results showed that eHealth literacy was the strongest predictor of health behaviors after adjusting for general characteristics. These findings indicate that eHealth literacy can be an important factor in promoting individual health behaviors. Further research on eHealth literacy and actual health behaviors including intention and self-reported health behaviors are required to explain the impact of eHealth literacy on overall health status.

  15. Internal consistency of the Spanish health literacy test (TOFHLA-SPR) for Puerto Rico.

    PubMed

    Rivero-Méndez, Marta; Suárez, Erick; Solís-Báez, Solymar S; Hernández, Gloryvee; Cordero, Wanda; Vázquez, Irma; Medina, Zullettevy; Padilla, Raisa; Flores, Aida; Bonilla, José Luis; Holzemer, William L

    2010-03-01

    Low functional health literacy has been related to poor viral control, and lower levels of ART adherence in people living with HIV/AIDS. Research in functional health literacy among people living with HIV/AIDS in Puerto Rico (PR) is an unexplored area. The purpose of this paper is to describe how the full-length Spanish Version of the Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults (TOFHLA-S) scale was adapted to PR. Thirty participants (women = 16, men = 14) completed a basic demographic questionnaire, the TOFHLA-S and participated in an interview. Analyses were performed to examine the information provided by participants and the internal consistency of the TOFHLA-S. The mean age was 47.7 years (range 34-77). Thirty-seven percent had less than 12 years of formal schooling and 43% reported having education above high school. Changes suggested by participants included: increasing font size from 14 to 16 points for better readability and changes/simplification of several words in order to make them colloquial and comprehensible for the PR context. The reliability coefficient obtained for this scale was strong (estimated alpha = 0.95) however, differences were observed by subtype: numeracy (estimated alpha(num) = .819 vs. comprehension (estimated alpha =. 953). Based on this process, we have adapted the original version of the TOFHLA-S and the new version of the full-length TOFHLA-S, PR is now valid for further research and testing levels of functional health literacy in a larger sample in PR.

  16. Highlights From the 2003 International Adult Literacy and Lifeskills Survey (ALL). Issue Brief NCES 2005-117rev.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lemke, Mariann; Miller, David; Johnston, Jamie; Krenzke, Tom; Alvarez-Rojas, Laura; Kastberg, David; Jocelyn, Leslie

    2005-01-01

    The Adult Literacy and Lifeskills Survey (ALL) is an international comparative study conducted in 2003 to provide participating countries with information about the skills of their adult populations. ALL builds upon earlier national and international studies of adult literacy. Information from ALL addresses questions such as: (1) What is the…

  17. The Conflation of Adult ESL and Literacy: The Views of Experienced Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fleming, Douglas; René, Carène Pierre; Bangou, Francis; Sarwar, Gul Shahzad

    2015-01-01

    This article explores the links between English as a second language (ESL) instruction and literacy instruction through an examination of viewpoints from eight teachers in two Canadian provinces. Four of these teachers worked in government--funded adult ESL and literacy education programs for a large urban school district in the province of…

  18. Adult Literacy in the Third World: A Review of Objectives and Strategies.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lind, Agneta; Johnston, Anton

    Today, nearly 1 billion adults are totally illiterate; the large majority are women. Varying and vague definitions of literacy abound in the literature and in practice. Literacy is only a potential tool that can be used for a variety of economic, social, political, and cultural purposes. Three principal state objectives for launching literacy…

  19. Literacy Development and Language Expression for Adult Learners in Transition

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Larrotta, Clarena; Moon, Ji Yoon Christine

    2016-01-01

    This chapter provides examples of transitions that learners face connected to their participation in adult education and English literacy instruction. It describes their efforts to attain relevant language expression skills.

  20. Adult Literacy in Tennessee: An Analysis by Gender, Age, and Race

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Keesler, Amy R.

    2014-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to investigate the state of adult literacy in Tennessee. The field of adult education underwent a transition as the testing procedure and the test changed to correlate with the induction of the Common Core standards in public schools. Adult students face many barriers to overcome to be successful. The research…