Sample records for additional literacy support

  1. Getting Started: Preparation for the Teaching Programme. Additional Literacy Support. The National Literacy Strategy.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Department for Education and Employment, London (England).

    This Getting Started guide contains material presented at a two-day Additional Literacy Support (ALS) training course in the summer of 1999. ALS is designed to help pupils in Key Stage 2 who have already fallen behind in literacy, but who would not otherwise receive any additional support in this area. Each module includes a practical, high…

  2. Informed Additive Literacy Instruction for ELLs

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bauer, Eurydice Bouchereau

    2009-01-01

    There are numerous reasons why schools struggle to provide English-language learners (ELLs) with additive literacy instruction. One reason for this is the lack of available trained bilingual teachers, mainstream teachers who have not received adequate training on how to teach ELLs, and the current political climate that appears to support an…

  3. A Right to Be Heard: Learning from Learners with Additional Needs in Literacy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McPhillips, Therese; Shevlin, Michael; Long, Louise

    2012-01-01

    This study aimed to explore the consultation experiences of pupils who have additional needs in literacy. An opportunistic sample of eight schools--four in Northern Ireland and four in the Republic of Ireland--were chosen by the researchers; selected pupils were receiving additional literacy support. Focus group discussions and arts-based creative…

  4. Using Coding Apps to Support Literacy Instruction and Develop Coding Literacy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hutchison, Amy; Nadolny, Larysa; Estapa, Anne

    2016-01-01

    In this article the authors present the concept of Coding Literacy and describe the ways in which coding apps can support the development of Coding Literacy and disciplinary and digital literacy skills. Through detailed examples, we describe how coding apps can be integrated into literacy instruction to support learning of the Common Core English…

  5. Evidence-Based Literacy Support: The "Literacy Octopus" Trial. Evaluation Report and Executive Summary

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lord, Pippa; Rabiasz, Adam; Roy, Palak; Harland, Jennie; Styles, Ben; Fowler, Katherine

    2017-01-01

    The Evidence-based Literacy Support-"Literacy Octopus" Trial tested a range of dissemination interventions and resources, all of which aimed to engage schools in using evidence-based materials to improve teaching and learning in Key Stage 2 literacy. Four delivery partners provided interventions. These included light-touch,…

  6. 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…

  7. Does Whole-Word Multimedia Software Support Literacy Acquisition?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Karemaker, Arjette M.; Pitchford, Nicola J.; O'Malley, Claire

    2010-01-01

    This study examined the extent to which multimedia features of typical literacy learning software provide added benefits for developing literacy skills compared with typical whole-class teaching methods. The effectiveness of the multimedia software Oxford Reading Tree (ORT) for Clicker in supporting early literacy acquisition was investigated…

  8. Supporting students in developing literacy in science.

    PubMed

    Krajcik, Joseph S; Sutherland, LeeAnn M

    2010-04-23

    Reading, writing, and oral communication are critical literacy practices for participation in a global society. In the context of science inquiry, literacy practices support learners by enabling them to grapple with ideas, share their thoughts, enrich understanding, and solve problems. Here we suggest five instructional and curricular features that can support students in developing literacy in the context of science: (i) linking new ideas to prior knowledge and experiences, (ii) anchoring learning in questions that are meaningful in the lives of students, (iii) connecting multiple representations, (iv) providing opportunities for students to use science ideas, and (v) supporting students' engagement with the discourses of science. These five features will promote students' ability to read, write, and communicate about science so that they can engage in inquiry throughout their lives.

  9. English Language Learners' Perceptions of Autonomy Support in a Literacy Classroom

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Taboada, A.; Kidd, J. K.; Tonks, S. M.

    2010-01-01

    In this study, we explored 3 Grade 4 English Language Learners' (ELLs) perceptions of teacher autonomy-supporting practices in literacy instruction in science. The support of autonomy in literacy classes is central to students' internal motivation for reading. Given that many ELLs are at risk for reading failure, understanding autonomous learning…

  10. Supporting Adolescent Literacy Achievement. Issue Brief

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Berman, Ilene

    2009-01-01

    This brief enhances recommendations and policy strategies from the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) publication "Reading to Achieve: A Governor's Guide to Adolescent Literacy". It reflects lessons from recent research and best practices from states selected to receive NGA Center support to develop statewide…

  11. Electronic Performance Support Systems and Technological Literacy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Maughan, George R.

    2005-01-01

    Electronic performance support systems (EPSS) can provide alternative learning opportunities to supplement traditional classroom or training strategies. Today's students may benefit from educational settings and strategies that they will use in the future. In using EPSS to nurture the development of technological literacy, workers and students can…

  12. Innovative Approaches to Literacy Education: Using the Internet to Support New Literacies

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Karchmer, Rachel A.; Mallette, Marla H.; Kara-Soteriou, Julia; Leu, Donald J. Jr.

    2005-01-01

    Teachers will discover new instructional ideas and resources for the classroom, new visions for the school and district, and new ways to view their work. This volume combines two powerful perspectives that will help use the Internet to support literacy learning: (1) The stories of exemplary teachers who successfully use the Web in their…

  13. Characteristics of Literacy Instruction That Support Reform in Content Area Classrooms

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Siebert, Daniel K.; Draper, Roni Jo; Barney, Daniel; Broomhead, Paul; Grierson, Sirpa; Jensen, Amy P.; Nielson, Jennifer; Nokes, Jeffery D.; Shumway, Steven; Wimmer, Jennifer

    2016-01-01

    Current reforms in content area education present new challenges for literacy educators. These reforms promote engaging students in the practices of the disciplines--teaching students how to participate in an activity in which disciplinary content is produced. Content area literacy (CAL) instruction that supports only the learning of general…

  14. Development, Validation, and Evaluation of Literacy 3D: A Package Supporting Tier 1 Preschool Literacy Instruction Implementation and Intervention

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Greenwood, Charles R.; Abbott, Mary; Beecher, Constance; Atwater, Jane; Petersen, Sarah

    2017-01-01

    Increasingly, prekindergarten programs with literacy outcome goals are seeking to implement evidence-based practices to improve results. Such efforts require instructional intervention strategies to engage children as well as strategies to support teacher implementation. Reported is the iterative development of Literacy 3D, an enhanced support…

  15. Impact of Home Language and Literacy Support on English-Chinese Biliteracy Acquisition among Chinese Heritage Language Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lu, Chan; Koda, Keiko

    2011-01-01

    Studies on monolingual children have shown that home language and literacy support is crucial in children's early literacy acquisition. However, such support has not been examined as thoroughly among bilingual children, including heritage speakers. This study investigated the effect of home language and literacy support on important precursors of…

  16. Training and Supporting the "Volunteers": Revisiting Total Literacy Campaigns in India

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Yagi, Rie

    2006-01-01

    Teacher effectiveness is one of the most important determinants of the success of adult literacy programmes. From the outset of the campaign movement, the National Literacy Mission (NLM) of the Government of India has emphasised the need for a training and support system for campaign personnel, who often have limited education and lack of…

  17. The Roles of Social Support and Health Literacy in Self-Management Among Patients With Chronic Kidney Disease.

    PubMed

    Chen, Yu-Chi; Chang, Li-Chun; Liu, Chieh-Yu; Ho, Ya-Fang; Weng, Shuo-Chun; Tsai, Tzu-I

    2018-05-01

    To investigate the relationships among social support, health literacy, and self-management, and the factors influencing self-management of chronic kidney disease (CKD). Cross-sectional study. A random sample of 410 patients was recruited from nephrology clinics. Data were collected using structured questionnaires and chart reviews from January 2013 to February 2014. Hierarchical regression analysis was used to determine the predictive factors of self-management behaviors and ∆R 2 to determine each variable's explanatory power. Health literacy and social support were positively correlated with self-management behaviors. Furthermore, social support, health literacy, and marital status were significant predictors of self-management behaviors. Social support had a relatively greater explanatory power for self-management behaviors than did health literacy. Particularly, healthcare provider support had the greatest influence on patients' self-management behaviors. Health literacy and social support play independent positive roles in self-management behaviors of patients with CKD, with social support having a particularly dominant role. Further research using a systems approach to improving self-management behaviors is necessary to clarify the role of social support. Health literacy and social support are independently and positively related to self-management. Social support, which is a system-level factor, is a relatively stronger and crucial predictor than is health literacy. Nurses have to refine self-management programs to focus on families and adopt a systems approach to help CKD patients improve their self-management behaviors. © 2018 Sigma Theta Tau International.

  18. Coaching to Support Disciplinary Literacy Instruction: Navigating Complexity and Challenges for Sustained Teacher Change

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Di Domenico, Paula M.; Elish-Piper, Laurie; Manderino, Michael; L'Allier, Susan K.

    2018-01-01

    This study investigated how a high school literacy coach provided coaching to support teachers' understanding and implementation of disciplinary literacy instruction. With a focus on collaborations between the literacy coach and teachers in the disciplines of social studies, math, and English, this article presents three case studies that…

  19. Teachers' roles in supporting children's literacy development through play.

    PubMed

    Saracho, Olivia N

    2002-04-01

    This study focused on the roles five kindergarten teachers assumed to promote literacy. Data were collected through systematic videotaped observations during the children's play periods. Saracho's analysis of the transcriptions in identifying the roles of the teachers suggested teachers' roles in the children's literacy-play include director of instructions (instructing students to follow directions and learn concepts), transition director (directing students to make smooth transitions), supporter of learning (acknowledging and praising students' work to promote learning), storyteller (reading or telling a story and encouraging children to respond), and instructional guide (providing instructional guidance for learning).

  20. The roles of low literacy and social support in predicting the preventability of hospital admission.

    PubMed

    Arozullah, Ahsan M; Lee, Shoou-Yih D; Khan, Taha; Kurup, Sindhu; Ryan, Jeffrey; Bonner, Michael; Soltysik, Robert; Yarnold, Paul R

    2006-02-01

    Prior studies found higher hospitalization rates among patients with low literacy, but did not determine the preventability of these admissions or consider other determinants of hospitalization, such as social support. This study evaluated whether low literacy was a predictor for preventability of hospitalization when considered in the context of social support, sociodemographics, health status, and risk behaviors. A convenience sample of 400 patients, admitted to general medicine wards in a university-affiliated Veterans Affairs hospital between August 1, 2001 and April 1, 2003, completed a face-to-face interview to assess literacy, sociodemographics, social support, health status, and risk behaviors. Two Board-certified Internists independently assessed preventability of hospitalization and determined the primary preventable cause through blinded medical chart reviews. Neither low literacy (literacy (support for medical care (P<.04), < or =3 annual clinic visits (P<.005), and > or =12 people talked to weekly (P<.023). Among nonbinge drinkers with lower social support for medical care, larger social networks were predictive of preventability of hospitalization. Among nonbinge drinkers with higher support for medical care, lower outpatient utilization was predictive of the preventability of hospitalization. While low literacy was not predictive of admission preventability, the formal assessment of alcohol binge drinking, social support for medical care, social network size, and prior outpatient utilization may enhance our ability to predict the preventability of hospitalizations and develop targeted interventions.

  1. "Mommy That's the Exit.": Empowering Homeless Mothers to Support Their Children's Daily Literacy Experiences

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Di Santo, Aurelia; Timmons, Kristy; Pelletier, Janette

    2016-01-01

    The present study examined how a six-week family literacy programme contributed to supporting the efforts 12 mothers living in a residential shelter were making to foster their preschool children's literacy development. We compared pre- and post-programme interviews to explore whether the mothers applied the literacy strategies discussed in the…

  2. 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…

  3. The Influence of Literacy on Patient-Reported Experiences of Diabetes Self-Management Support

    PubMed Central

    Wallace, Andrea S.; Carlson, John R.; Malone, Robb M.; Joyner, James; DeWalt, Darren A.

    2010-01-01

    Background Variability in disease-related outcomes may relate to how patients experience self-management support in clinical settings. Objectives To identify factors associated with experiences of self-management support during primary care encounters. Method A cross-sectional survey was conducted of 208 patients seen in a multidisciplinary diabetes program in an academic medicine clinic. Multiple regression analysis was used to test associations between patient-rated experiences of self-management support (Patient Assessment of Chronic Illness Care [PACIC]) and race, gender, insurance status, literacy, duration of diabetes, and intensity of care management. Results The PACIC ratings decreased with age (r = −0.235, p = .001), were higher for women than for men (3.95 vs. 3.65, t = 2.612, p = .010), and were greater for those with more education (F = 3.927, p = .009) and greater literacy skills (t = 3.839, p < .001). The ratings did not vary between racial (t = −1.108, p = .269) or insurance (F = 1.045, p = .374) groups and were unaffected by duration of diabetes (r = 0.052, p = .466) and the intensity of care management (F = 1.028, p = .360). In multivariate models, literacy was the only variable contributing significantly to variation in self-management support ratings. Discussion Even when considering the objective intensity of health services delivered, literacy was the sole variable contributing to differences in patient ratings of self-management support. Although conclusions are limited by the cross-sectional nature of this study, the results emphasize the need to consider literacy when developing and communicating treatment plans requiring self-management skills. PMID:20808193

  4. Value Addition in Information Technology and Literacy: An Empirical Investigation

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sanghera, Kamaljeet K.

    2009-01-01

    The purpose of the research is to analyze the value addition in students' information communication and technology (ICT) literacy level and confidence in using technology after completing a general education information technology course at a four-year university. An online survey was created to examine students' perceptions. The findings revealed…

  5. Using support vector machines to identify literacy skills: Evidence from eye movements.

    PubMed

    Lou, Ya; Liu, Yanping; Kaakinen, Johanna K; Li, Xingshan

    2017-06-01

    Is inferring readers' literacy skills possible by analyzing their eye movements during text reading? This study used Support Vector Machines (SVM) to analyze eye movement data from 61 undergraduate students who read a multiple-paragraph, multiple-topic expository text. Forward fixation time, first-pass rereading time, second-pass fixation time, and regression path reading time on different regions of the text were provided as features. The SVM classification algorithm assisted in distinguishing high-literacy-skilled readers from low-literacy-skilled readers with 80.3 % accuracy. Results demonstrate the effectiveness of combining eye tracking and machine learning techniques to detect readers with low literacy skills, and suggest that such approaches can be potentially used in predicting other cognitive abilities.

  6. Mathematics-Literacy Checklists: A Pedagogical Innovation to Support Teachers as They Implement the Common Core

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    del Prado Hill, Pixita; Friedland, Ellen S.; McMillen, Susan

    2016-01-01

    This article presents two innovative tools--the Mathematics-Literacy Planning Framework and Mathematics-Literacy Implementation Checklist--which are designed to help instructional coaches and specialists support teachers to meet the challenges of the mathematics-literacy integration goals of the Common Core. Developed with teacher input, these…

  7. Information Literacy Advocates: developing student skills through a peer support approach.

    PubMed

    Curtis, Ruth

    2016-12-01

    Since 2013/2014, an Information Literacy Advocates (ILA) scheme has been running at the University of Nottingham as an extracurricular module on the Nottingham Advantage Award programme. The Information Literacy Advocates scheme, which recruits medicine and health sciences students in their second year or above, aims to facilitate development of information literacy skills and confidence, as well as communication, organisation and teamwork, through the provision of peer support. Previous research indicates peer assistance effectively enhances such skills and is valued by fellow students who welcome the opportunity to approach more experienced students for help. This article, written by guest writer Ruth Curtis from the University of Nottingham, provides an overview of administering the ILA scheme and explores its impact on the Information Literacy Advocates, peers and librarians, and discusses future developments for taking the scheme forward. H. S. © 2016 Health Libraries Group.

  8. Supporting the Literacy Learner: Promising Literacy Strategies in Alberta

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Alberta Education, 2008

    2008-01-01

    Literacy has become much more than just the ability to read: recent literature related to literacy instruction suggests that an essential goal is to develop in students the ability to think deeply about what they read and to express themselves accurately and expressively in all contexts. There is a growing acceptance of the importance of lifelong…

  9. A Review of Research on the Literacy of Students with Visual Impairments and Additional Disabilities

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Parker, Amy T.; Pogrund, Rona L.

    2009-01-01

    Research on the development of literacy in children with visual impairments and additional disabilities is minimal even though these children make up approximately 65% of the population of children with visual impairments. This article reports on emerging themes that were explored after a review of the literature revealed nine literacy studies…

  10. Longitudinal Relations Between Parental Writing Support and Preschoolers’ Language and Literacy Skills

    PubMed Central

    Bindman, Samantha W.; Hindman, Annemarie H.; Aram, Dorit; Morrison, Frederick J.

    2013-01-01

    Parental writing support was examined over time and in relation to children’s language and literacy skills. Seventy-seven parents and their preschoolers were videotaped writing an invitation together twice during one year. Parental writing support was coded at the level of the letter to document parents’ graphophonemic support (letter–sound correspondence), print support (letter formation), and demand for precision (expectation for correcting writing errors). Parents primarily relied on only a couple print (i.e., parent writing the letter alone) and graphophonemic (i.e., saying the word as a whole, dictating letters as children write) strategies. Graphophonemic and print support in preschool predicted children’s decoding skills, and graphophonemic support also predicted children’s future phonological awareness. Neither type of support predicted children’s vocabulary scores. Demand for precision occurred infrequently and was unrelated to children’s outcomes. Findings demonstrate the importance of parental writing support for augmenting children’s literacy skills. PMID:25045186

  11. Learning Together: Creating a Community of Practice to Support English Language Learner Literacy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Peercy, Megan Madigan; Martin-Beltran, Melinda; Daniel, Shannon M.

    2013-01-01

    This qualitative case study examines an after-school, bilingual family literacy programme that brought together several groups to form a community of practice (CoP) that worked to support the literacy development of English language learners and their families. We explored the following question: How do parents, teachers, students, and other…

  12. Challenges and Support When Teaching Science through an Integrated Inquiry and Literacy Approach

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ødegaard, Marianne; Haug, Berit; Mork, Sonja M.; Sørvik, Gard Ove

    2014-01-01

    In the Budding Science and Literacy project, we explored how working with an integrated inquiry-based science and literacy approach may challenge and support the teaching and learning of science at the classroom level. By studying the inter-relationship between multiple learning modalities and phases of inquiry, we wished to illuminate possible…

  13. Supporting Digital Literacy across the Curriculum through Blended Support: A Pilot Project Report

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Smith, Samara

    2014-01-01

    This article describes the Collaborative Media Center pilot at SUNY Old Westbury, a digital literacy project with the aim of narrowing the digital divide at the College by embedding digital projects across the curriculum. The article explains how the Center supported students in four linked courses to create digital projects. Assessment data and…

  14. 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

  15. Supporting Academic Literacies: University Teachers in Collaboration for Change

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bergman, Lotta

    2016-01-01

    This article deals with an action research project, where a group of university teachers from different disciplines reflected on and gradually extended their knowledge about how to support students' academic literacy development. The project was conducted within a "research circle" [Bergman, L. 2014. "The Research Circle as a…

  16. Climate Literacy: Supporting Teacher Professional Development

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Haddad, N.; Ledley, T. S.; Dunlap, C.; Bardar, E.; Youngman, B.; Ellins, K. K.; McNeal, K. S.; Libarkin, J.

    2012-12-01

    Confronting the Challenges of Climate Literacy (CCCL) is an NSF-funded (DRK-12) project that includes curriculum development, teacher professional development, teacher leadership development, and research on student learning, all directed at high school teachers and students. The project's evaluation efforts inform and guide all major components of the project. The research effort addresses the question of what interventions are most effective in helping high school students grasp the complexities of the Earth system and climate processes, which occur over a range of spatial and temporal scales. The curriculum unit includes three distinct but related modules: Climate and the Cryosphere; Climate, Weather, and the Biosphere; and Climate and the Carbon Cycle. Climate-related themes that cut across all three modules include the Earth system, with the complexities of its positive and negative feedback loops; the range of temporal and spatial scales at which climate, weather, and other Earth system processes occur; and the recurring question, "How do we know what we know about Earth's past and present climate?" which addresses proxy data and scientific instrumentation. The professional development component of the project includes online science resources to support the teaching of the curriculum modules, summer workshops for high school teachers, and a support system for developing the teacher leaders who plan and implement those summer workshops. When completed, the project will provide a model high school curriculum with online support for implementing teachers and a cadre of leaders who can continue to introduce new teachers to the resource. This presentation will introduce the curriculum and the university partnerships that are key to the project's success, and describe how the project addresses the challenge of helping teachers develop their understanding of climate science and their ability to convey climate-related concepts articulated in the Next Generation

  17. Supporting English and Spanish Literacy through a Family Literacy Program

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wessels, Stephanie

    2014-01-01

    Family literacy studies have shown that the role of parental storybook reading has an impact on children's success in school-based literacy instruction. However, many children who are English language learners come from homes or cultures where storybook readings are not common practice. The purpose of this qualitative research study explored…

  18. A Collaborative Professional Development Initiative Supporting Early Literacy Coaches

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mraz, Maryann; Kissel, Brian; Algozzine, Bob; Babb, Julie; Foxworth, Kimberly

    2011-01-01

    Many believe that the key to translating research into successful practice lies in providing teachers with continuous professional development and ongoing coaching support. In this article, we provide an overview of the relevant coaching literature and describe 4 critical features of an evidence-based preschool literacy coaching model: the coach…

  19. Bringing It All Together: The Multiple Origins, Skills, and Environmental Supports of Early Literacy.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dickinson, David K.; McCabe, Allyssa

    2001-01-01

    Data from three studies investigating factors supporting literacy development of children from low-income families indicate: early levels of achievement are strongly linked to later success; kindergarten vocabulary is strongly reflective of the use of varied vocabulary during meal times; and teacher training in literacy is beneficial to classroom…

  20. Evidence Does Not Support Clinical Screening of Literacy

    PubMed Central

    Wolf, Michael S.

    2007-01-01

    Limited health literacy is a significant risk factor for adverse health outcomes. Despite controversy, many health care professionals have called for routine clinical screening of patients’ literacy skills. Whereas brief literacy screening tools exist that with further evaluation could potentially be used to detect limited literacy in clinical settings, no screening program for limited literacy has been shown to be effective. Yet there is a noted potential for harm, in the form of shame and alienation, which might be induced through clinical screening. There is fair evidence to suggest that possible harm outweighs any current benefits; therefore, clinical screening for literacy should not be recommended at this time. PMID:17992564

  1. Using Popular Text to Develop Inquiry Projects: Supporting Preservice Teachers' Knowledge of Disciplinary Literacy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cook, Kristin L.; Dinkins, Elizabeth G.

    2015-01-01

    Many educators support the idea that science requires a specific set of literacy skills and that all students should be equipped with those skills to become scientifically literate; however, this challenge requires science educators to develop methods to underscore the building of disciplinary literacy. In the presented curriculum for preservice…

  2. Expanded Territories of "Literacy": New Literacies and Multiliteracies

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sang, Yuan

    2017-01-01

    Facing the radical change in society in the 21st century, the conventional view of literacy and literacy education may no longer satisfy students' needs in working and social lives, especially beyond classroom settings. Therefore, expanded territories of literacy have been proposed to better support teachers' and students' literacy education and…

  3. Does Mother Tongue Education Support Development of Environmental Literacy in Turkey? An Analysis of Turkish Course Books

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Uyar, Yusuf; Ensar, Ferhat

    2016-01-01

    Development of environmental literacy needs an interdisciplinary effort. Especially language classes, with environment related texts, have potential to support environmental literacy. In this research it is aimed to analyze the Turkish language course books in terms of components of environmental literacy. To this end, four Turkish course books…

  4. New Literacies, Multiple Literacies, Unlimited Literacies: What Now, What Next, Where to? A Response to "Blue Listerine, Parochialism and ASL Literacy"

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Paul, Peter V.

    2006-01-01

    This article is a response to "Blue Listerine, Parochialism, and ASL Literacy" (Czubek, 2006). The author presents his views on the concepts of literacy and the new and multiple literacies. In addition, the merits of print literacy and other types of literacies are discussed. Although the author agrees that there is an American Sign…

  5. Workplace Literacy in the 90's: Definitions, Descriptions, Opportunities, and Cautions.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Garay, Mary Sue

    The globalization of business has influenced the development of customized, job-specific workplace literacy programs. Work-centered participatory literacy receives support from both business and labor and additional impetus from the National Literacy Act of 1991. The worker of the future will be a thinking and communicating problem solver. The…

  6. Challenges and Support When Teaching Science Through an Integrated Inquiry and Literacy Approach

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ødegaard, Marianne; Haug, Berit; Mork, Sonja M.; Ove Sørvik, Gard

    2014-12-01

    In the Budding Science and Literacy project, we explored how working with an integrated inquiry-based science and literacy approach may challenge and support the teaching and learning of science at the classroom level. By studying the inter-relationship between multiple learning modalities and phases of inquiry, we wished to illuminate possible dynamics between science inquiry and literacy in an integrated science approach. Six teachers and their students were recruited from a professional development course for the current classroom study. The teachers were to try out the Budding Science teaching model. This paper presents an overall video analysis of our material demonstrating variations and patterns of inquiry-based science and literacy activities. Our analysis revealed that multiple learning modalities (read it, write it, do it, and talk it) are used in the integrated approach; oral activities dominate. The inquiry phases shifted throughout the students' investigations, but the consolidating phases of discussion and communication were given less space. The data phase of inquiry seems essential as a driving force for engaging in science learning in consolidating situations. The multiple learning modalities were integrated in all inquiry phases, but to a greater extent in preparation and data. Our results indicate that literacy activities embedded in science inquiry provide support for teaching and learning science; however, the greatest challenge for teachers is to find the time and courage to exploit the discussion and communication phases to consolidate the students' conceptual learning.

  7. New literacies, multiple literacies, unlimited literacies: what now, what next, where to? A response to blue listerine, parochialism and ASL literacy.

    PubMed

    Paul, Peter V

    2006-01-01

    This article is a response to Blue Listerine, Parochialism, and ASL Literacy (Czubek, 2006). The author presents his views on the concepts of literacy and the new and multiple literacies. In addition, the merits of print literacy and other types of literacies are discussed. Although the author agrees that there is an American Sign Language (ASL) literacy, he maintains that there should be a distinction between conversational "literacy" forms (speech and sign) and secondary literacy forms (reading and writing). It might be that cognitive skills associated with print literacy and, possibly, other captured literacy forms, are necessary for a technological, scientific-driven society such as that which exists in the United States.

  8. Suicide literacy predicts the provision of more appropriate support to people experiencing psychological distress.

    PubMed

    Cruwys, Tegan; An, Soontae; Chang, Melissa Xue-Ling; Lee, Hannah

    2018-06-01

    Mental health literacy has been hailed as a public health priority to reduce stigma and increase help seeking. We examined the effect of suicide literacy on the type of help provided to those experiencing suicidal ideation. A community sample of 363 Australians were randomly assigned to read one of three messages from a member of their social network (the target). The target reported symptoms consistent with either (1) subclinical distress, (2) clinical depression, or (3) suicidal ideation. Participants were most likely to recommend social support and least likely to recommend professional help. Suicide literacy interacted with the target's presentation, such that participants with higher suicide literacy who considered a suicidal target were less likely to recommend self-help or no action, and more likely to recommend professional help. Suicide literacy was also associated with lower suicide stigma, and unexpectedly, this indirectly predicted more reluctance to recommend professional help. Overall, results indicated that the relationship between mental health literacy, stigma, and provision of help is not straightforward. While suicide literacy was associated with greater sensitivity to a person's risk of suicide, it also predicted fewer recommendations for professional help overall, partly due to the stigma associated with seeking professional help. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  9. Supporting the Literacy Development of Children Living in Homeless Shelters

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    MacGillivray, Laurie; Ardell, Amy Lassiter; Curwen, Margaret Sauceda

    2010-01-01

    There are approximately 1.5 million children in the United States who go to sleep each night without a home of their own (National Center on Family Homelessness, 2009). In this article, we provide insights into how educators can create greater classroom support, particularly in literacy learning and development, for this population. Drawing from…

  10. SARC Literacy Activities Handbook: Supporting Literacy for People with Intellectual/Developmental Challenges.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lockert, Richard

    This document is intended as a handbook for literacy practitioners working with adults with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities. The handbook is the product of the following activities: extensive research of the literature; discussion and exchange with literacy experts, practitioners, and some learners; and solicitation of input from…

  11. A Family Literacy Intervention to Support Parents in Children's Early Literacy Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Steiner, Lilly M.

    2014-01-01

    This study examines a family literacy intervention conducted in two first-grade classrooms with culturally diverse student populations. In the treatment and control classrooms, six parents and a classroom teacher learned practices for building home-school partnerships. Data were analyzed to determine changes in home-literacy practices, increases…

  12. Emergent Literacy Supports for Students Who Are Deaf-Blind or Have Visual and Multiple Impairments: A Multiple-Case Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McKenzie, Amy R.

    2009-01-01

    Seven classrooms of students with deaf-blindness or visual and multiple impairments were observed to document the emergent literacy supports that were present, including environmental characteristics, strategies, or activities. The findings revealed that the majority of classrooms used emergent literacy supports that were previously documented for…

  13. Social Validity: Perceptions of Check and Connect with Early Literacy Support

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Miltich Lyst, Aimee; Gabriel, Stacey; O'Shaughnessy, Tam E.; Meyers, Joel; Meyers, Barbara

    2005-01-01

    This article underscores the potential advantages of qualitative methods to illustrate the depth and complexity of social validity. This investigation evaluates the social validity of Check and Connect with Early Literacy Support (CCEL), through the perspectives of teachers and caregivers whose children participated in the intervention. Teachers…

  14. Developing a Zone of Relevance: Emergent Bilinguals' Use of Social, Linguistic, and Cognitive Support in Peer-Led Literacy Discussions

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Martin-Beltrán, Melinda; Daniel, Shannon; Peercy, Megan; Silverman, Rebecca

    2017-01-01

    This article analyzes how emergent bilinguals discursively support one another during literacy activities in a cross-aged peer-tutoring program in their elementary school. Drawing from Vygotskian sociocultural theory, we frame peer supports as developing a zone of relevance that fosters and sustains peer engagement in literacy discussions.…

  15. Parental Writing Support and Preschoolers' Early Literacy, Language, and Fine Motor Skills

    PubMed Central

    Bindman, Samantha W.; Skibbe, Lori E.; Hindman, Annemarie H.; Aram, Dorit; Morrison, Frederick J.

    2014-01-01

    The current study examines the nature and variability of parents' aid to preschoolers in the context of a shared writing task, as well as the relations between this support and children's literacy, vocabulary, and fine motor skills. In total, 135 preschool children (72 girls) and their parents (primarily mothers) in an ethnically diverse, middle-income community were observed while writing a semi-structured invitation for a pretend birthday party together. Children's phonological awareness, alphabet knowledge, word decoding, vocabulary, and fine motor skills were also assessed. Results revealed that parents provided variable, but generally low–level, support for children's approximation of sound-symbol correspondence in their writing (i.e., graphophonemic support), as well as for their production of letter forms (i.e., print support). Parents frequently accepted errors rather than asking for corrections (i.e., demand for precision). Further analysis of the parent-child dyads (n = 103) who wrote the child's name on the invitation showed that parents provided higher graphophonemic, but not print, support when writing the child's name than other words. Overall parental graphophonemic support was positively linked to children's decoding and fine motor skills, whereas print support and demand for precision were not related to any of the child outcomes. In sum, this study indicates that while parental support for preschoolers' writing may be minimal, it is uniquely linked to key literacy-related outcomes in preschool. PMID:25284957

  16. Parental Writing Support and Preschoolers' Early Literacy, Language, and Fine Motor Skills.

    PubMed

    Bindman, Samantha W; Skibbe, Lori E; Hindman, Annemarie H; Aram, Dorit; Morrison, Frederick J

    2014-01-01

    The current study examines the nature and variability of parents' aid to preschoolers in the context of a shared writing task, as well as the relations between this support and children's literacy, vocabulary, and fine motor skills. In total, 135 preschool children (72 girls) and their parents (primarily mothers) in an ethnically diverse, middle-income community were observed while writing a semi-structured invitation for a pretend birthday party together. Children's phonological awareness, alphabet knowledge, word decoding, vocabulary, and fine motor skills were also assessed. Results revealed that parents provided variable, but generally low-level, support for children's approximation of sound-symbol correspondence in their writing (i.e., graphophonemic support), as well as for their production of letter forms (i.e., print support). Parents frequently accepted errors rather than asking for corrections (i.e., demand for precision). Further analysis of the parent-child dyads ( n = 103) who wrote the child's name on the invitation showed that parents provided higher graphophonemic, but not print, support when writing the child's name than other words. Overall parental graphophonemic support was positively linked to children's decoding and fine motor skills, whereas print support and demand for precision were not related to any of the child outcomes. In sum, this study indicates that while parental support for preschoolers' writing may be minimal, it is uniquely linked to key literacy-related outcomes in preschool.

  17. Improving low health literacy and patient engagement: A social ecological approach.

    PubMed

    McCormack, Lauren; Thomas, Veronica; Lewis, Megan A; Rudd, Rima

    2017-01-01

    This article posits four principal objectives related to the overarching goal of broadening the conceptualization of health literacy. We propose a social ecological approach to health literacy and patient engagement by illustrating how this multilevel approach offers an array of strategic options for interventions. A social ecological approach supports a broader understanding of health literacy that aligns with increased patient engagement. The ecological model highlights the importance of context, demonstrates how health literacy and patient engagement are inextricably connected, and gives rise to strategies to enhance them both. We illustrate the five multilevel intervention strategies for addressing low health literacy and promoting patient engagement: accumulation, amplification, facilitation, cascade, and convergence strategies. In addition, we provide a theoretical foundation to facilitate the development of interventions to enhance health literacy and ultimately increase patient engagement. The practice implications of adopting a broader social ecological perspective to address low health literacy shifts the field from thinking about individual educational interventions to how individual interventions may be augmented or supported by interventions at additional levels of influence. The potential benefit of adopting a multilevel intervention approach is that combining interventions could produce synergies that are greater than interventions that only utilize one level of influence. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. Effect of a Targeted Early Literacy Intervention for English Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Arellano, Elizabeth Michelle

    2013-01-01

    This study examined the effectiveness of a targeted early literacy intervention among Spanish-speaking kindergarten English Learners (ELs). Using a Response to Intervention (RtI) framework, participants were screened in English to ensure a need for additional literacy support. Selected students were then screened in Spanish, and students with…

  19. Salvadoran Campesinos/as' Literacy Practices and Perceptions of the Benefits of Literacy: A Longitudinal Study with Former Literacy Participants

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Prins, Esther

    2010-01-01

    This article uses data from longitudinal, ethnographic research to examine how, six years after attending literacy classes, 12 adults in rural El Salvador used literacy, their perceptions of the temporary and longer-term psychosocial and economic benefits of literacy education, and their memories of literacy classes. The findings support prior…

  20. Developing Digital Information Literacy in Higher Education: Obstacles and Supports

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jeffrey, Lynn; Hegarty, Bronwyn; Kelly, Oriel; Penman, Merrolee; Coburn, Dawn; McDonald, Jenny

    2011-01-01

    The development of digital information literacy (DIL) has been slow in comparison to changes in information communication technologies, and this remains an issue for the higher education sector. Competency in such skills is essential to full participation in society and work. In addition, these skills are regarded as underpinning the ability to…

  1. "You're Like Yourself": Multimodal Literacies in a Reading Support Class

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wissman, Kelly; Costello, Sean; Hamilton, Diane

    2012-01-01

    This article explores the experiences and literacy practices of an adolescent boy enrolled in an academic support class, in which students received an open-ended invitation to respond to S.E. Hinton's novel "The Outsiders" with the software programme Comic Life. In constructing this "telling case", we highlight how traditional…

  2. Maternal Involvement in the Home Literacy Environment: Supporting Literacy Skills in Children with Cochlear Implants

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    DesJardin, Jean L.; Ambrose, Sophie E.; Eisenberg, Laurie S.

    2011-01-01

    This study examines the home literacy environment in a group of mothers and their early-school-age children with cochlear implants (N = 16). The goals of this investigation are to (a) describe the characteristics of the home literacy environment and (b) study the relationships between home literacy factors and children's reading skills. Mothers…

  3. The Literacy Environment of Preschool Classrooms: Contributions to Children's Emergent Literacy Growth

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Guo, Ying; Justice, Laura M.; Kaderavek, Joan N.; McGinty, Anita

    2012-01-01

    This study examined the relations among features of the classroom physical literacy environment (book materials, literacy area and writing materials) and psychological literacy environment (instructional support), and preschool children's gains in two areas of emergent literacy over an academic year. Results showed that features of the physical…

  4. SARC Supplementary Tutor Handbook: Supporting Literacy for People with Intellectual/Developmental Challenges.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lockert, Richard

    This handbook, which is intended for tutors, disability practitioners, and others working with adults with intellectual/developmental disabilities, contains supplementary materials for and about supporting literacy for people with intellectual/developmental challenges. The handbook is a product of the following activities: extensive research of…

  5. Supports for Vocabulary Instruction in Early Language and Literacy Methods Textbooks

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wright, Tanya S.; Peltier, Marliese R.

    2016-01-01

    The goal of this study was to examine the extent to which the content and recommendations in recently published early language and literacy methods textbooks may support early childhood teachers in learning to provide vocabulary instruction for young children. We completed a content analysis of 9 textbooks with coding at the sentence level.…

  6. Using Music to Support the Literacy Development of Young English Language Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Paquette, Kelli R.; Rieg, Sue A.

    2008-01-01

    Integrating experiences with music in the early childhood classroom supports English language learners' literacy development (Peregoy and Boyle, "Reading, writing, and learning in ESL." Pearson, Boston, 2008; Saricoban and Metin, "Songs, verse and games for teaching grammar." Internet "TESL J," 2000). This article describes the benefits of…

  7. Enhancing Literacy Skills through Technology.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sistek-Chandler, Cynthia

    2003-01-01

    Discusses how to use technology to enhance literacy skills. Highlights include defining literacy, including information literacy; research to support reading and writing instruction; literacy software; thinking skills; organizational strategies for writing and reading; how technology can individualize literacy instruction; and a new genre of…

  8. Improving Literacy Instruction in Kenya through Teacher Professional Development and Text Messages Support: A Cluster Randomized Trial

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jukes, Matthew C. H.; Turner, Elizabeth L.; Dubeck, Margaret M.; Halliday, Katherine E.; Inyega, Hellen N.; Wolf, Sharon; Zuilkowski, Stephanie Simmons; Brooker, Simon J.

    2017-01-01

    We evaluated a program to improve literacy instruction on the Kenyan coast using training workshops, semiscripted lesson plans, and weekly text-message support for teachers to understand its impact on students' literacy outcomes and on the classroom practices leading to those outcomes. The evaluation ran from the beginning of Grade 1 to the end of…

  9. Are Health Literacy and eHealth Literacy the Same or Different?

    PubMed

    Monkman, Helen; Kushniruk, Andre W; Barnett, Jeff; Borycki, Elizabeth M; Greiner, Leigh E; Sheets, Debra

    2017-01-01

    Many researchers assume that there is a relationship between health literacy and eHealth literacy, yet it is not clear whether the literature supports this assumption. The purpose of this study was to determine if there was a relationship between health and eHealth literacy. To this end, participants' (n = 36) scores on the Newest Vital Sign (NVS, a health literacy measure) were correlated with the eHealth Literacy Scale (eHEALS, an eHealth literacy measure). This analysis revealed no relationship (r = -.041, p = .81) between the two variables. This finding suggests that eHealth Literacy and health literacy are dissimilar. Several possible explanations of the pattern of results are proposed. Currently, it does not seem prudent to use the eHEALS as the sole measure of eHealth literacy, but rather researchers should continue to complement it with a validated health literacy screening tool.

  10. Crime Scenes and Mystery Players! Using Driving Questions to Support the Development of Statistical Literacy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Leavy, Aisling; Hourigan, Mairead

    2016-01-01

    We argue that the development of statistical literacy is greatly supported by engaging students in carrying out statistical investigations. We describe the use of driving questions and interesting contexts to motivate two statistical investigations. The PPDAC cycle is use as an organizing framework to support the process statistical investigation.

  11. Expanding Opportunities to Learn to Support Inclusive Education through Drama-Enhanced Literacy Practices

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kilinc, Sultan; Farrand, Kathleen; Chapman, Kathryn; Kelley, Michael; Millinger, Jenny; Adams, Korbi

    2017-01-01

    This study examines how the Early Years Educators at Play (EYEPlay) professional development (PD) programme supported inclusive learning settings for all children, including English language learners and students with disabilities. The EYEPlay PD model is a year-long programme that integrates drama strategies into literacy practices within…

  12. Migrant Adult Learners and Digital Literacy: Using DBR to Support Teaching and Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Vanek, Jenifer B.

    2017-01-01

    This research explores the difficulties faced by many migrant, refugee, and immigrant adults confronted with technological ubiquity in economically developed countries. Preparing migrant adult learners for the digital world by building digital literacy skills can help to maintain home language proficiency, support English language learning, and…

  13. The Ocean Literacy Campaign

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Schoedinger, S. E.; Strang, C.

    2008-12-01

    "Ocean Literacy is an understanding of the ocean's influence on you and your influence on the ocean." This simple statement captures the spirit of a conceptual framework supporting ocean literacy (COSEE et al., 2005). The framework comprises 7 essential principles and 44 fundamental concepts an ocean literate person would know (COSEE et al., 2005). The framework is the result of an extensive grassroots effort to reach consensus on (1) a definition for ocean literacy and (2) an articulation of the most important concepts to be understood by ocean-literate citizen (Cava et al., 2005). In the process of reaching consensus on these "big ideas" about the ocean, what began as a series of workshops has emerged as a campaign "owned" by an ever-expanding community of individuals, organizations and networks involved in developing and promoting the framework. The Ocean Literacy Framework has provided a common language for scientists and educators working together and serves as key guidance for the ocean science education efforts. This presentation will focus on the impact this Ocean Literacy Campaign has had to date as well as efforts underway to provide additional tools to enable educators and educational policy makers to further integrate teaching and learning about the ocean and our coasts into formal K-12 education and informal education. COSEE, National Geographic Society, NOAA, College of Exploration (2005). Ocean Literacy: The Essential Principles of Ocean Sciences Grades K-12, a jointly published brochure, URL: http://www.coexploration.org/oceanliteracy/documents/OceanLitChart.pdf Cava, F., S. Schoedinger , C. Strang, and P. Tuddenham (2005). Science Content and Standards for Ocean Literacy: A Report on Ocean Literacy, URL: http://www.coexploration.org/oceanliteracy/documents/OLit2004-05_Final_Report.pdf.

  14. The Potential of Community Libraries in Supporting Literate Environments and Sustaining Literacy Skills

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Shrestha, Sanjana; Krolak, Lisa

    2015-01-01

    This article shows how community libraries can create and support literate environments, which are essential for building and sustaining literacy skills in local communities. The paper begins with a subject analysis reviewing available background materials and literature on the topic. Next, relevant issues are considered based on experiences and…

  15. Uncovering Collaborative Literacy Strategies, Alternative Assessments, and a Personalized Behavior Plan to Support Learners with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    LaMantia, Dana J.

    2012-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to delve into the challenges of collaborative literacy instruction, literacy assessments, and the development of behavior plans in order to support Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) learners in an urban classroom setting. The DSM-IV states that the neuropsychiatry syndrome of ADHD affects approximately…

  16. Collboard: Fostering New Media Literacies in the Classroom through Collaborative Problem Solving Supported by Digital Pens and Interactive Whiteboards

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Alvarez, Claudio; Salavati, Sadaf; Nussbaum, Miguel; Milrad, Marcelo

    2013-01-01

    Education systems worldwide must strive to support the teaching of a set of New Media Literacies (NMLs). These literacies respond to the need for educating human capital within participatory cultures in a highly technologized world. In this paper, we present Collboard, a constructivist problem solving activity for fostering the development of…

  17. "Literacy Lift-Off": An Experimental Evaluation of a Reading Recovery Programme on Literacy Skills and Reading Self-Concept

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Higgins, Edel; Fitzgerald, Johanna; Howard, Siobhán

    2015-01-01

    Worldwide, considerable emphasis is currently being placed on the provision of appropriate classroom-based preventative interventions and in-class literacy support, in preference to withdrawal methods of educational support. Many schools in Ireland are currently implementing Literacy Lift-Off in their classrooms. Literacy Lift-Off is an adaption…

  18. Researching Literacy in Context: Using Video Analysis to Explore School Literacies

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Blikstad-Balas, Marte; Sørvik, Gard Ove

    2015-01-01

    This article addresses how methodological approaches relying on video can be included in literacy research to capture changing literacies. In addition to arguing why literacy is best studied in context, we provide empirical examples of how small, head-mounted video cameras have been used in two different research projects that share a common aim:…

  19. Cooperative Efforts in Urban Literacy: Learnings from the Urban Literacy Network's Grant Projects.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Williams, Martha

    One of the major activities of the Urban Literacy Network (ULN) is a grants program aimed at supporting cooperative, collaborative approaches to developing resources and support systems for literacy in urban areas. Eleven grants were awarded in 1987-1988 in the following urban areas: Boston; Chicago; Denver; El Paso; Houston; Nashville; Oklahoma…

  20. Variations of Maternal Support to Children's Early Literacy Development in Chinese and American Indian Families: Implications for Early Childhood Educators.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wang, Xiao-lei; Bernas, Ronan; Eberhard, Philippe

    2002-01-01

    Examined how Chinese and American Indian mothers (20 mother-child dyads from each culture) supported their young children's emergent literacy development during everyday interactions. Found that Chinese mothers tended to privilege print-based literacy interactions more than American Indian mothers. American Indian mothers tended to privilege…

  1. 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.

  2. Embedding Information Literacy Skills in the Psychology Curriculum: Supporting Students in Their Transition to Independent Researchers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bohan, Jason; Friel, Niamh; Szymanek, Larissa

    2015-01-01

    Here we report on a new initiative which supported first-year psychology undergraduates in developing their information literacy skills. These skills were taught in a small-group tutorial setting with tutor guidance and peer-supported activities. We measured student's Autonomous Learning and Academic Self-Efficacy before and after the teaching…

  3. Translating Information Literacy: Online Library Support for ESL Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lombard, Emmett

    2016-01-01

    This article describes information literacy struggles of ESL college students within the context of four information literacy components: Identify, Locate, Evaluate, Use. Experiences from an online freshman composition course are used to illustrate these struggles, along with techniques academic librarians use to help ESL students from a distance.

  4. Middle school special education teachers' perceptions and use of assistive technology in literacy instruction.

    PubMed

    Flanagan, Sara; Bouck, Emily C; Richardson, Jennifer

    2013-01-01

    In this research the authors examined middle school special education teachers' perceptions of assistive technology during literacy instruction with students with high incidence disabilities. A survey explored the use, effectiveness, and factors impacting use or effectiveness of assistive technology for literacy teaching and learning. Results suggested teachers' perceived assistive technology to be an effective tool for literacy, but use it minimally. When assistive technology was used, teachers indicated it was an effective literacy support. Teachers also reported barriers to using assistive technology in literacy including cost, usability, and lack of training/experience. However, factors such as previous successful experiences with assistive technology and assistive technology supporting students' learning encouraged assistive technology use. The consistency of teachers' reports of needing more experience and knowledge in assistive technology to fully use it suggests implications for preservice preparation such as providing additional experiences and information on assistive technology.

  5. Literacy Is VITAL. Final Report.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gillfillan, Nancy M.

    Via an LSCA (Library Services and Construction Act) Title VI Library Literacy grant for fiscal year 1986, the Dixon (Illinois) Public Library expanded its involvement in the literacy effort. Additional rooms were made available for tutoring, materials and equipment for literacy students and books and equipment for literacy tutors were provided,…

  6. The Professional Development Requirements of Workplace English Language and Literacy Programme Practitioners: Support Document

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Berghella, Tina; Molenaar, John; Wyse, Linda

    2006-01-01

    This support document was produced by the authors based on their research for the report, "The Professional Development Requirements of Workplace English Language and Literacy Programme Practitioners," [ED495200] and is an added resource for further information. The original report examines the extent and nature of professional development…

  7. Patient counseling materials: The effect of patient health literacy on the comprehension of printed prescription drug information.

    PubMed

    Patel, Amit; Bakina, Daria; Kirk, Jim; von Lutcken, Scott; Donnelly, Tom; Stone, William; Ashley-Collins, Heather; Tibbals, Karen; Ricker, Lynn; Adler, Jeffrey; Ewing, John; Blechman, Michelle; Fox, Sherry; Leopold, Will; Ryan, Daniel; Wray, Donna; Turkoz, Heather

    2018-05-16

    Counseling patients with written materials relies equally on patients' health literacy to understand their disease and its treatment, and the written materials' effectiveness communicating clearly in accessible and actionable ways. Only about 12% of the US population is adequately health literate. To explore the impact of reducing the health literacy demands of written patient health information. 805 patients were screened for health literacy, and recruited for balanced cohorts of adequate and low literacy, and high and normal blood pressure. Half of each patient cohort received either standard or "health literacy-friendly" drug summaries (i.e. Patient Package Inserts, or PPIs or "leaflets") along with a standardized health literacy assessment scale. The literacy-friendly drug summary improved comprehension of drug-related information overall from 50% to 71% correct responses. Adequate literacy patients improved from 58% correct to 90%, while lower literacy patients improved from 42% to 52% correct in response to the health literacy-friendly PPIs. Health literacy demands require special attention in developing and using written drug summary materials. Additionally, pharmacists should be provided additional information and counseling support materials to facilitate communications with low health literacy level patients. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  8. Students' experiences of embedded academic literacy support in a graduate entry nursing program: A qualitative study.

    PubMed

    Ramjan, Lucie M; Maneze, Della; Everett, Bronwyn; Glew, Paul; Trajkovski, Suza; Lynch, Joan; Salamonson, Yenna

    2018-01-01

    Graduate entry nursing (GEN) programs were designed to address the predicted nursing shortfall. In Australia, although these programs attract students from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds, the workload is compounded by cultural differences and a new academic learning environment which presents additional challenges. This qualitative descriptive study explored the experiences of GEN students enrolled in the introductory unit of their nursing program with embedded academic literacy support in Sydney, Australia. Twenty-four commencing GEN students were interviewed in January 2016. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and thematically analysed. Three main themes emerged which illustrated that GEN students were 'diamonds in the rough'. They possessed a raw natural beauty that required some shaping and polishing to ensure academic needs were met. To ensure retention is high, institutions need to evaluate how best to support and harness the potential of these unique students. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. Emergent Literacy of Deaf Children

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Williams, Cheri

    2004-01-01

    This article reviews the literature on emergent literacy in young deaf children, focusing on the nature and course of both emergent reading and emergent writing. Beginning with definitions and background information concerning emergent literacy as a field of study, it examines instructional approaches that support emergent literacy learning. The…

  10. Addressing Low Literacy and Health Literacy in Clinical Oncology Practice

    PubMed Central

    Garcia, Sofia F.; Hahn, Elizabeth A.; Jacobs, Elizabeth A.

    2011-01-01

    Low functional literacy and low health literacy continue to be under-recognized and are associated with poorer patient health outcomes. Health literacy is a dynamic state influenced by how well a healthcare system delivers information and services that match patients’ abilities, needs and preferences. Oncology care poses considerable health literacy demands on patients who are expected to process high stakes information about complex multidisciplinary treatment over lengths of time. Much of the information provided to patients in clinical care and research is beyond their literacy levels. In this paper, we provide an overview of currently available guidelines and resources to improve how the needs of patients with diverse literacy skills are met by cancer care providers and clinics. We present recommendations for health literacy assessment in clinical practice and ways to enhance the usability of health information and services by improving written materials and verbal communication, incorporating multimedia and culturally appropriate approaches, and promoting health literacy in cancer care settings. The paper also includes a list of additional resources that can be used to develop and implement health literacy initiatives in cancer care clinics. PMID:20464884

  11. Differences in Osteoarthritis Self-Management Support Intervention Outcomes According to Race and Health Literacy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sperber, Nina R.; Bosworth, Hayden B.; Coffman, Cynthia J.; Lindquist, Jennifer H.; Oddone, Eugene Z.; Weinberger, Morris; Allen, Kelli D.

    2013-01-01

    We explored whether the effects of a telephone-based osteoarthritis (OA) self-management support intervention differed by race and health literacy. Participants included 515 veterans with hip and/or knee OA. Linear mixed models assessed differential effects of the intervention compared with health education (HE) and usual care (UC) on pain…

  12. The Effects of Literacy Support Tools on the Comprehension of Informational e-Books and Print-Based Text

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Herman, Heather A.

    2017-01-01

    This mixed methods research explores the effects of literacy support tools to support comprehension strategies when reading informational e-books and print-based text with 14 first-grade students. This study focused on the following comprehension strategies: annotating connections, annotating "I wonders," and looking back in the text.…

  13. Parental Literacy Predicts Children's Literacy: A Longitudinal Family-Risk Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Torppa, Minna; Eklund, Kenneth; van Bergen, Elsje; Lyytinen, Heikki

    2011-01-01

    This family-risk (FR) study examined whether the literacy skills of parents with dyslexia are predictive of the literacy skills of their offspring. We report data from 31 child-parent dyads where both had dyslexia (FR-D) and 68 dyads where the child did not have dyslexia (FR-ND). Findings supported the differences in liability of FR children with…

  14. 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…

  15. 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…

  16. The Emotional Literacy Support Assistant (ELSA) Programme: Parental Perceptions of Its Impact in School and at Home

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wilding, Lucy; Claridge, Simon

    2016-01-01

    The Emotional Literacy Support Assistant (ELSA) programme is an example of an individualised intervention to support pupils experiencing a range of social and emotional needs. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to explore parents' constructions of several aspects of the programme: its aims and how these are achieved; its impact on children,…

  17. Bonded Relationships: Supporting Pre-Service Teachers to Develop Confidence and Competency as Elementary Literacy Educators

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ticknor, Anne Swenson; Cavendish, Leslie M.

    2015-01-01

    Relationships matter in learning and in particular they matter for pre-service teachers engaged in learning how to teach in Midwest University, USA. This article reports findings from an 18-month long study that investigated how relationships supported and constrained four elementary pre-service literacy teachers' professional identities as…

  18. Innovative Approaches in Chronic Disease Management: Health Literacy Solutions and Opportunities for Research Validation.

    PubMed

    Villaire, Michael; Gonzalez, Diana Peña; Johnson, Kirby L

    2017-01-01

    This chapter discusses the need for innovative health literacy solutions to combat extensive chronic disease prevalence and costs. The authors explore the intersection of chronic disease management and health literacy. They provide specific examples of successful health literacy interventions for managing several highly prevalent chronic diseases. This is followed by suggestions on pairing research and practice to support effective disease management programs. In addition, the authors discuss strategies for collection and dissemination of knowledge gained from collaborations between researchers and practitioners. They identify current challenges specific to disseminating information from the health literacy field and offer potential solutions. The chapter concludes with a brief look at future directions and organizational opportunities to integrate health literacy practices to address the need for effective chronic disease management.

  19. 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.…

  20. Integrating Literacy and the Content Curriculum to Support Diverse Learners

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fenty, Nicole S.; Brydon, Melissa

    2017-01-01

    This study explored the impact of training special education teacher candidates to implement content literacy strategy instruction on the teacher candidates' feelings of self-efficacy, beliefs, and practice. The study also explored the impact of implementing content literacy interventions on the content knowledge of elementary age students with or…

  1. Teacher Candidate Mental Health and Mental Health Literacy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dods, Jennifer

    2016-01-01

    Providing teacher candidates with a strong foundation in mental health literacy during their teacher education program is crucial in ensuring novice teachers are prepared to support the mental health needs of their students. In addition to responding to students, teacher candidates are typically at an age when mental health disorders are common…

  2. Laying a Firm Foundation: Embedding Evidence-Based Emergent Literacy Practices Into Early Intervention and Preschool Environments.

    PubMed

    Terrell, Pamela; Watson, Maggie

    2018-04-05

    As part of this clinical forum on curriculum-based intervention, the goal of this tutorial is to share research about the importance of language and literacy foundations in natural environments during emergent literacy skill development, from infancy through preschool. Following an overview of intervention models in schools by Powell (2018), best practices at home, in child care, and in preschool settings are discussed. Speech-language pathologists in these settings will be provided a toolbox of best emergent literacy practices. A review of published literature in speech-language pathology, early intervention, early childhood education, and literacy was completed. Subsequently, an overview of the impact of early home and preschool literacy experiences are described. Research-based implementation of best practice is supported with examples of shared book reading and child-led literacy embedded in play within the coaching model of early intervention. Finally, various aspects of emergent literacy skill development in the preschool years are discussed. These include phonemic awareness, print/alphabet awareness, oral language skills, and embedded/explicit literacy. Research indicates that rich home literacy environments and exposure to rich oral language provide an important foundation for the more structured literacy environments of school. Furthermore, there is a wealth of evidence to support a variety of direct and indirect intervention practices in the home, child care, and preschool contexts to support and enhance all aspects of oral and written literacy. Application of this "toolbox" of strategies should enable speech-language pathologists to address the prevention and intervention of literacy deficits within multiple environments during book and play activities. Additionally, clinicians will have techniques to share with parents, child care providers, and preschool teachers for evidence-based literacy instruction within all settings during typical daily

  3. Literacy in the 21st Century: Supporting Struggling Adolescent Readers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Miller, Julie Annette

    2013-01-01

    The purpose of this narrative bounded case study research was to describe the different perspectives of five struggling readers regarding contributing factors to their literacy experiences and success. The theoretical framework used to make meaning included: (a) high schools and literacy, (b) school culture, (c) motivation, (d) technology, and (e)…

  4. Emergent literacy of deaf children.

    PubMed

    Williams, Cheri

    2004-01-01

    This article reviews the literature on emergent literacy in young deaf children, focusing on the nature and course of both emergent reading and emergent writing. Beginning with definitions and background information concerning emergent literacy as a field of study, it examines instructional approaches that support emergent literacy learning. The review of the literature is organized into four major sections that reflect the body of work to date. The article concludes with an eye toward the future of emergent literacy in pedagogy, theory, and research.

  5. Prevention literacy: community-based advocacy for access and ownership of the HIV prevention toolkit

    PubMed Central

    Parker, Richard G; Perez-Brumer, Amaya; Garcia, Jonathan; Gavigan, Kelly; Ramirez, Ana; Milnor, Jack; Terto, Veriano

    2016-01-01

    Introduction Critical technological advances have yielded a toolkit of HIV prevention strategies. This literature review sought to provide contextual and historical reflection needed to bridge the conceptual gap between clinical efficacy and community effectiveness (i.e. knowledge and usage) of existing HIV prevention options, especially in resource-poor settings. Methods Between January 2015 and October 2015, we reviewed scholarly and grey literatures to define treatment literacy and health literacy and assess the current need for literacy related to HIV prevention. The review included searches in electronic databases including MEDLINE, PsycINFO, PubMed, and Google Scholar. Permutations of the following search terms were used: “treatment literacy,” “treatment education,” “health literacy,” and “prevention literacy.” Through an iterative process of analyses and searches, titles and/or abstracts and reference lists of retrieved articles were reviewed for additional articles, and historical content analyses of grey literature and websites were additionally conducted. Results and discussion Treatment literacy was a well-established concept developed in the global South, which was later partially adopted by international agencies such as the World Health Organization. Treatment literacy emerged as more effective antiretroviral therapies became available. Developed from popular pedagogy and grassroots efforts during an intense struggle for treatment access, treatment literacy addressed the need to extend access to underserved communities and low-income settings that might otherwise be excluded from access. In contrast, prevention literacy is absent in the recent surge of new biomedical prevention strategies; prevention literacy was scarcely referenced and undertheorized in the available literature. Prevention efforts today include multimodal techniques, which jointly comprise a toolkit of biomedical, behavioural, and structural/environmental approaches

  6. Prevention literacy: community-based advocacy for access and ownership of the HIV prevention toolkit.

    PubMed

    Parker, Richard G; Perez-Brumer, Amaya; Garcia, Jonathan; Gavigan, Kelly; Ramirez, Ana; Milnor, Jack; Terto, Veriano

    2016-01-01

    Critical technological advances have yielded a toolkit of HIV prevention strategies. This literature review sought to provide contextual and historical reflection needed to bridge the conceptual gap between clinical efficacy and community effectiveness (i.e. knowledge and usage) of existing HIV prevention options, especially in resource-poor settings. Between January 2015 and October 2015, we reviewed scholarly and grey literatures to define treatment literacy and health literacy and assess the current need for literacy related to HIV prevention. The review included searches in electronic databases including MEDLINE, PsycINFO, PubMed, and Google Scholar. Permutations of the following search terms were used: "treatment literacy," "treatment education," "health literacy," and "prevention literacy." Through an iterative process of analyses and searches, titles and/or abstracts and reference lists of retrieved articles were reviewed for additional articles, and historical content analyses of grey literature and websites were additionally conducted. Treatment literacy was a well-established concept developed in the global South, which was later partially adopted by international agencies such as the World Health Organization. Treatment literacy emerged as more effective antiretroviral therapies became available. Developed from popular pedagogy and grassroots efforts during an intense struggle for treatment access, treatment literacy addressed the need to extend access to underserved communities and low-income settings that might otherwise be excluded from access. In contrast, prevention literacy is absent in the recent surge of new biomedical prevention strategies; prevention literacy was scarcely referenced and undertheorized in the available literature. Prevention efforts today include multimodal techniques, which jointly comprise a toolkit of biomedical, behavioural, and structural/environmental approaches. However, linkages to community advocacy and mobilization

  7. Clinical, classroom, or personal education: attitudes about health literacy.

    PubMed

    Logan, Robert A

    2007-04-01

    This study explores how diverse attitudes about health literacy are assessed by medical librarians and other health care professionals. An online survey of thirty-six items was conducted using Q methodology in two phases in spring 2005 and winter 2006. Respondents (n = 51) were nonrandomly self-selected from a convenience sample of members of the Medical Library Association and a group of environmental health consultants to the National Library of Medicine. Three factors were identified. Factor 1 is optimistic and supportive of health literacy's transformative sociocultural and professional potential, if clinical settings become a launching point for health literacy activities. Factor 2 is less optimistic about health literacy's potential to improve clinical or patient outcomes and prefers to focus health literacy initiatives on classroom education settings. Factor 3 supports improving the nation's health literacy but tends to support health literacy initiatives when people privately interact with health information materials. Each factor's attitudes about the appropriate educational venue to initiate health literacy activities are different and somewhat mutually exclusive. This suggests that health literacy is seen through different perceptual frameworks that represent a possible source of professional disagreement.

  8. Growing the Good Stuff: One Literacy Coach's Approach to Support Teachers with High-Stakes Testing

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Zoch, Melody

    2015-01-01

    This ethnographic study reports on one elementary literacy coach's response to high-stakes testing and her approach to support third- through fifth-grade teachers in a Title I school in Texas. Sources of data included field notes and observations of classes and meetings, audio/video recordings, and transcribed interviews. The findings illustrate…

  9. Parents' Perceptions of Professional Support for the Emergent Literacy of Young Children with Visual Impairments

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Brennan, Susan A.; Luze, Gayle J.; Peterson, Carla

    2009-01-01

    This survey explored the emergent literacy experiences that parents provided for their children with visual impairments, aged 1-8, as well as the parents' perceptions of the professional support that they received to facilitate these activities. The results indicated that the parents and children engaged in reading, singing songs, and writing or…

  10. Developing a Successful Community Supported Literacy Program. The Adivasi Oriya-Telugu Adult Literacy Project, Araku Valley, India.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gustafsson, Uwe

    A literacy project in the eastern hill ranges of India is reported, based on 20 years of involvement, at the beginning of which the tribal language, Adivasi Oriya, was not yet a written language. The literacy rate among tribals in the agricultural community is about 10%. Researchers studied the tribal language, gave it an alphabet, adapted the…

  11. Cognition and Health Literacy in Older Adults’ Recall of Self-Care Information

    PubMed Central

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

    2017-01-01

    Abstract Purpose of the Study: 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. Design and Methods: 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: 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. Implications: 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. PMID:26209450

  12. Literacy in the Early Years and English as an Additional Language: The Case of a British International School

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Englezou, Eliana; Fragkouli, Elpiniki

    2014-01-01

    The study upon which this article is based investigates teachers' literacy development methods used in nursery and reception classrooms of a British international school, and focuses specifically on children having English as an additional language (EAL). Findings from teaching observations and from interviews with teachers present the techniques…

  13. Social Support and "Playing Around": An Examination of How Older Adults Acquire Digital Literacy With Tablet Computers.

    PubMed

    Tsai, Hsin-Yi Sandy; Shillair, Ruth; Cotten, Shelia R

    2017-01-01

    This study examines how older adults learn to use tablet computers. Learning to use new technologies can help older adults to be included in today's digital society. However, learning to use new technologies is not always easy, especially for older adults. This study focuses on how older adults learn to use a specific technology, tablet computers, and the role that social support plays in this process. Data for this project are from 21 in-depth interviews with individuals who own tablet computers. We examine how older adults engage with tablet devices and increase their digital literacy. The findings suggest that, for older adults to start to use tablets, social support plays an important role. In addition, a key way that many participants report gaining expertise with the technology is through "playing around" with the tablets. Suggestions for how to help older adults learn to use new technologies are detailed. © The Author(s) 2015.

  14. The Intersection of Information and Science Literacy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Klucevsek, Kristin

    2017-01-01

    To achieve higher science literacy, both students and the public require discipline-specific information literacy in the sciences. Scientific information literacy is a core component of the scientific process. In addition to teaching how to find and evaluate resources, scientific information literacy should include teaching the process of…

  15. Toward Disciplinary Literacy: Dilemmas and Challenges in Designing History Curriculum to Support Middle School Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Duhaylongsod, Leslie; Snow, Catherine E.; Selman, Robert L.; Donovan, M. Suzanne

    2015-01-01

    In this article, Leslie Duhaylongsod, Catherine E. Snow, Robert L. Selman, and M. Suzanne Donovan describe the principles behind the design of curricular units that offer disciplinary literacy support in the subject of history for middle school students who represent a wide range of reading levels, and for their teachers, whose own subject matter…

  16. 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…

  17. Literacy-Related Play Activities and Preschool Staffs' Strategies to Support Children's Concept Development

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Norling, Martina; Lillvist, Anne

    2016-01-01

    This study investigates language-promoting strategies and support of concept development displayed by preschool staffs' when interacting with preschool children in literacy-related play activities. The data analysed consisted of 39 minutes of video, selected systematically from a total of 11 hours of video material from six Swedish preschool…

  18. Sharing the Literacy Load

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Orechovsky, Patricia

    2010-01-01

    The literacy team at Brentwood (NY) High School, a large urban high school, focused its efforts on building content-area teachers' literacy instruction skills. The team is made up of teachers from the various content areas, including physical education and art, as well as supportive administrators. The team developed a pacing guide, a monthly…

  19. Blue listerine, parochialism, and ASL literacy.

    PubMed

    Czubek, Todd A

    2006-01-01

    There are not many elements of human life that have had as significant an impact on our development as literacy. Literacy has certainly been, and remains, a crucial issue especially in Deaf Education and in the Deaf World. The traditional definition of literacy has been exclusively understood as reading and writing. However, this article is intended to provide a thoughtful and provocative commentary that supports adopting new directions and comprehensive definitions for understanding literacy, which includes both written and signed languages. By applying ideas from Deaf Studies and New Literacy Studies we will conduct a thorough exploration of the fundamental components of literacy and illuminate important political and practical applications related to Deaf Education.

  20. Media literacy and positive youth development.

    PubMed

    Boyd, Michelle J; Dobrow, Julie

    2011-01-01

    This chapter explores the links among media literacy (specifically news media literacy), civic engagement, and positive youth development (PYD). We begin by providing an overview of the literature on PYD and media literacy, and go on to discuss media literacy in the context of civic development. We also explore the existing literature on the associations between news media use, news media literacy, and civic indicators. In addition, we discuss the promotion of media literacy (with a focus on news media literacy) and PYD in educational, extracurricular, and home settings. We conclude with a discussion of the current research in this nascent and interdisciplinary area and, as well, consider directions for future research.

  1. Approaches to Classroom Assessment Inventory: A New Instrument to Support Teacher Assessment Literacy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    DeLuca, Christopher; LaPointe-McEwan, Danielle; Luhanga, Ulemu

    2016-01-01

    Teacher assessment literacy has become a central priority across many educational systems in North America and elsewhere in response to growing accountability demands. Although many scholars have aimed to measure teacher assessment literacy, recent research has identified that current assessment literacy instruments do not fully reflect current…

  2. The home literacy environment and Latino head start children's emergent literacy skills.

    PubMed

    Farver, Jo Ann M; Xu, Yiyuan; Lonigan, Christopher J; Eppe, Stefanie

    2013-04-01

    This study examined children's early literacy skills in both English and Spanish at entry to preschool to investigate the pattern of association among these skills and their families' home language and literacy practices. The participants were 392 primarily Latino immigrant (85%) families and their children. Mothers completed questionnaires about their families and their home literacy environment (HLE), and children's emergent literacy skills were measured in English and Spanish at the outset of the preschool year. Project assistants interviewed mothers in their homes and tallied the presence of literacy-related materials. Results of structural equation modeling showed that the 3 preliteracy skills were significantly associated within and across English and Spanish, suggesting the possible transfer of these early preliteracy skills across languages. For the English language HLE, parents' literacy-related behaviors, sibling-child reading, and families' literacy resources were all associated with children's English oral language skills, and their English print knowledge was associated with their home resources. For the Spanish language HLE, only parents' literacy-related behaviors were related to children's Spanish oral language and print knowledge skills. There were no significant cross-linguistic relations between any aspect of the English HLE and children's Spanish preliteracy skills, whereas parents' literacy-related behaviors in Spanish were negatively associated with children's English oral language and phonological awareness skills. Given the importance of oral language and vocabulary in promoting children's literacy, these results indicate that parents can support this skill in both languages, but their relative impact seems to be within rather across language. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved).

  3. Contributions of the emergent literacy environment to literacy outcomes for young children who are deaf.

    PubMed

    Easterbrooks, Susan R; Lederberg, Amy R; Connor, Carol M

    2010-01-01

    Specific characteristics of early literacy environments support hearing children's emergent literacy. The researchers investigated these characteristics' role in emergent literacy in young deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) children, using the Early Language and Literacy Classroom Observation (ELLCO; M. W. Smith, Dickinson, Sangeorge, & Anastasopoulos, 2002). Eighteen self-contained classrooms of preschool, kindergarten, and first-grade DHH children (N = 40) were studied. Hierarchical linear analysis was used to examine study participants' classroom environment and growth in emergent literacy skills. Correlations suggested that classroom environment was more closely related to vocabulary and phonological awareness in DHH children than in typically hearing children. Major differences among classrooms were also indicated. However, growth in children's skills did not correlate strongly with attributes captured by the ELLCO. This suggests that classrooms promoting emergent literacy skills acquisition in DHH children may differ from classrooms of typically developing hearing children.

  4. literacy.ca EXPRESS. December 2010

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Canadian Literacy and Learning Network, 2010

    2010-01-01

    This issue of "literacy.ca EXPRESS" features new and exciting developments, updates and exciting new resources. Articles included in this issue are: (1) Introducing CLLN (Canadian Literacy and Learning Network)!; (2) Supporting Learner Leadership; (3) Involving Learners by Patricia Ashie; (4) Catching Confidence; (5) CALL (Committee of…

  5. 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.

  6. The use and application of assistive technology to promote literacy in early childhood: a systematic review.

    PubMed

    Burne, Brian; Knafelc, Valerie; Melonis, Maureen; Heyn, Patricia C

    2011-01-01

    The Individuals with Disabilities Act was implemented in 1975 to assure that all children aged 0-21 years old have access and the right to an equal education. However, young children with disabilities continue to need additional support to meet the reading readiness standards as outlined in The No Child Left Behind legislation (2004). Although all children benefit from readiness skills, it is essential for children with special needs. With the technology boom of the past decade, assistive technology (AT) has been used increasingly to enhance emerging literacy skills. In order to identify current trends in the use of AT as a means to enhance emergent literacy skills in young children with disabilities, a systematic review of the literature was undertaken. The findings from this review support the scarcity of empirical research demonstrating the benefit of AT to promote emergent literacy with young children with disabilities. We also found a need for evidence supporting education approaches for the proper use of AT in early childhood literacy as well as little family knowledge regarding the implementation and instructional use of AT.

  7. New Literacies in Schome Park

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gillen, Julia

    In this chapter I deploy a synthesis of methods I term virtual literacy ethnography to investigate the diverse literacy practices of the Schome Park project (SPP). This project worked with teenagers on the first European "closed" (i.e. protected) island in the 3D virtual world Teen Second LifeTM (TSL) as described in the previous chapter. Firstly I introduce an ethnographic perspective on this lengthy, rich project and reflect on my own interpretive approach. Introducing my own focus of interest, the new literacy practices fostered by the environment and in particular activities I judge to be especially creative, I begin to develop the methodology of a "virtual literacy ethnography". I show how the diverse multimodal affordances of the communicative domains are imaginatively exploited by the students, supported by peers and staff in an environment characterised by "fluid leadership". I include some analysis of literacy work around a genre traditionally valued by educators, a dictionary, which I was not involved in at the time. I suggest this is an exemplar literacy practice, creative in itself and illustrative of the methodological possibilities and of course limitations linked with the technologies utilised. Traditional distinctions between "reading" and "writing" become permeable in interesting ways as new creative practices, fostered by the environment of the Schome Park programme, emerged. I offer support for Kress's (2005) claim that changes in writing and reading practices amount to a "revolution in the world of communication." In conclusion, I claim that virtual literacy ethnography, as I have proposed it here, can be fruitful in exploring the complexity and creativity of the students' literacy practices, although more developmental work is needed.

  8. Negotiating the Literacy Block: Constructing Spaces for Critical Literacy in a High Stakes Setting

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Paugh, Patricia; Carey, Jane; King-Jackson, Valerie; Russell, Shelley

    2007-01-01

    This article focuses on the evolution of the classroom literacy block as a learning space where teachers and students renegotiated activities for independent vocabulary and word work within a high-stakes reform environment. When a second grade classroom teacher and literacy support specialist decided to co-teach, they invited all students in the…

  9. Strategies To Promote Agricultural Literacy.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    1992

    The purpose of the agricultural literacy effort has been to produce informed citizens able to participate more fully in the establishment of policies that support a highly competitive agricultural industry in this country and abroad. In their article titled, "Position Statement on Agricultural Literacy," Russell, McCracken, and Miller…

  10. Social Support and “Playing Around”: An Examination of How Older Adults Acquire Digital Literacy With Tablet Computers

    PubMed Central

    Tsai, Hsin-yi Sandy; Shillair, Ruth; Cotten, Shelia R.

    2017-01-01

    This study examines how older adults learn to use tablet computers. Learning to use new technologies can help older adults to be included in today’s digital society. However, learning to use new technologies is not always easy, especially for older adults. This study focuses on how older adults learn to use a specific technology, tablet computers, and the role that social support plays in this process. Data for this project are from 21 in-depth interviews with individuals who own tablet computers. We examine how older adults engage with tablet devices and increase their digital literacy. The findings suggest that, for older adults to start to use tablets, social support plays an important role. In addition, a key way that many participants report gaining expertise with the technology is through “playing around” with the tablets. Suggestions for how to help older adults learn to use new technologies are detailed. PMID:26491029

  11. The Effectiveness of Classroom-Based Supplementary Video Presentations in Supporting Emergent Literacy Development in Early Childhood Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sadik, Alaa M.; Badr, Khadeja

    2012-01-01

    This study investigated the impact of supplementary video presentations in supporting young children's emergent literacy development. Videos were produced by teachers using prototype software developed specifically for the purpose of this study. The software obtains media content from a variety of resources and devices, including webcam,…

  12. National Literacy Trust Survey in Partnership with Nursery World: Investigating Communication, Language and Literacy Development in the Early Years Sector

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Halden, Amanda; Clark, Christina; Lewis, Fiona

    2011-01-01

    In May 2011 "Nursery World" and the National Literacy Trust launched its language development survey to celebrate Hello; the national year of communication. The National Literacy Trust teamed up with "Nursery World" to carry out research into the sector's support for children's language and literacy development. Two hundred…

  13. Studying Students' Science Literacy: Non-Scientific Beliefs and Science Literacy Measures

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Impey, C.; Buxner, S.

    2015-11-01

    We have been conducting a study of university students' science literacy for the past 24 years. Based on the work of the National Science Board's ongoing national survey of the US public, we have administered the same survey to undergraduate science students at the University of Arizona almost every year since 1989. Results have shown relatively little change in students' overall science literacy, descriptions of science, and knowledge of basic science topics for almost a quarter of a century despite an increase in education interventions, the rise of the internet, and increased access to knowledge. Several trends do exist in students' science literacy and descriptions of science. Students who exhibit beliefs in non-scientific phenomenon (e.g., lucky numbers, creationism) consistently have lower science literacy scores and less correct descriptions of scientific phenomenon. Although not surprising, our results support ongoing efforts to help students generate evidence based thinking.

  14. Assessment of Preschool Early Literacy Skills: Linking Children's Educational Needs with Empirically Supported Instructional Activities.

    PubMed

    Lonigan, Christopher J; Allan, Nicholas P; Lerner, Matthew D

    2011-05-01

    The importance of the preschool period for becoming a skilled reader is highlighted by a significant body of evidence that preschool children's development in the areas of oral language, phonological awareness, and print knowledge is predictive of how well they will learn to read once they are exposed to formal reading instruction in elementary school. Although there are now a number of empirically supported instructional activities for helping children who are at -risk of later reading difficulties acquire these early literacy skills, limitations in instructional time and opportunities in most preschool settings requires the use of valid assessment procedures to ensure that instructional resources are utilized efficiently. In this paper, we discuss the degree to which informal, diagnostic, screening, and progress-monitoring assessments of preschool early literacy skills can inform instructional decisions by considering the strengths and weaknesses of each approach to assessment.

  15. The Role of Introductory Geosciences in Students' Quantitative Literacy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wenner, J. M.; Manduca, C.; Baer, E. M.

    2006-12-01

    Quantitative literacy is more than mathematics; it is about reasoning with data. Colleges and universities have begun to recognize the distinction between mathematics and quantitative literacy, modifying curricula to reflect the need for numerate citizens. Although students may view geology as 'rocks for jocks', the geosciences are truthfully rife with data, making introductory geoscience topics excellent context for developing the quantitative literacy of students with diverse backgrounds. In addition, many news items that deal with quantitative skills, such as the global warming phenomenon, have their basis in the Earth sciences and can serve as timely examples of the importance of quantitative literacy for all students in introductory geology classrooms. Participants at a workshop held in 2006, 'Infusing Quantitative Literacy into Introductory Geoscience Courses,' discussed and explored the challenges and opportunities associated with the inclusion of quantitative material and brainstormed about effective practices for imparting quantitative literacy to students with diverse backgrounds. The tangible results of this workshop add to the growing collection of quantitative materials available through the DLESE- and NSF-supported Teaching Quantitative Skills in the Geosciences website, housed at SERC. There, faculty can find a collection of pages devoted to the successful incorporation of quantitative literacy in introductory geoscience. The resources on the website are designed to help faculty to increase their comfort with presenting quantitative ideas to students with diverse mathematical abilities. A methods section on "Teaching Quantitative Literacy" (http://serc.carleton.edu/quantskills/methods/quantlit/index.html) focuses on connecting quantitative concepts with geoscience context and provides tips, trouble-shooting advice and examples of quantitative activities. The goal in this section is to provide faculty with material that can be readily incorporated

  16. The Reading Connection: Literacy Development and Homeless Children.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hanning, Eileen

    1996-01-01

    Describes a model of intervention that is designed to support and encourage literacy development among children whose families are or recently have been homeless. The article then places this model within a global context, discussing the broader implications of providing literacy support services for homeless families. (GR)

  17. Wanted: A New Literacy for the Information Age.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ross, Tweed W.; Bailey, Gerald D.

    1994-01-01

    New (information) literacy may be defined as accessing, analyzing, applying, creating, and communicating information electronically. School leaders must encourage and support electronic literacy and understand its relationship to previous pictographic, oral, and bibliographic eras. Unless schools begin to address and teach the new literacy, U.S.…

  18. Virtual and Virtuous Realities of Workplace Literacy.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Castleton, Geraldine

    Workplace literacy has been a recent addition to the field of literacy education and research, achieving a level of "commonsense" acceptability so that its meaning(s) or constructions have largely gone unchallenged. A study, therefore, explored the concepts of "work,""workers," and "literacy," not so much to…

  19. The Next Chapter: Supporting Literacy within ESEA

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Haynes, Mariana

    2015-01-01

    Noting that 60 percent of both fourth and eighth graders currently struggle with reading, this report urges the U.S. Congress to focus on students' literacy development from early childhood through grade twelve as it works to rewrite of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), currently known as the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). In…

  20. Literacy: An Ecological View.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sless, David

    It is productive to think about literacy in ecological terms inasmuch as the literacy problem is a system of interdependent components. Illiteracy must be a concern of writers of the myriad of forms on which both the private and public sectors rely to function in this information-intensive society. In addition to helping readers, adult literacy…

  1. Early Career Teachers' Research Literacy: What Does It Look Like and What Elements Support Its Development in Practice?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Evans, Carol

    2017-01-01

    This article reviews the effectiveness of two projects: "NQT and Beyond; Developing Resilience in Learning and Teaching," and the underpinning conceptual framework (PLSP) in supporting early career teachers' (ECTs') development of their research literacy. Evidence of effective integration of research into practice is illustrated through…

  2. 'Distributed health literacy': longitudinal qualitative analysis of the roles of health literacy mediators and social networks of people living with a long-term health condition.

    PubMed

    Edwards, Michelle; Wood, Fiona; Davies, Myfanwy; Edwards, Adrian

    2015-10-01

    The role of one's social network in the process of becoming health literate is not well understood. We aim to explain the 'distributed' nature of health literacy and how people living with a long-term condition draw on their social network for support with health literacy-related tasks such as managing their condition, interacting with health professionals and making decisions about their health. This paper reports a longitudinal qualitative interview and observation study of the development and practice of health literacy in people with long-term health conditions, living in South Wales, UK. Participants were recruited from health education groups (n = 14) and community education venues (n = 4). The 44 interview transcripts were analysed using the 'Framework' approach. Health literacy was distributed through family and social networks, and participants often drew on the health literacy skills of others to seek, understand and use health information. Those who passed on their health literacy skills acted as health literacy mediators and supported participants in becoming more health literate about their condition. The distribution of health literacy supported participants to manage their health, become more active in health-care decision-making processes, communicate with health professionals and come to terms with living with a long-term condition. Participants accessed health literacy mediators through personal and community networks. Distributed health literacy is a potential resource for managing one's health, communicating with health professionals and making health decisions. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  3. Get Wild about Reading: Using "Between the Lions" To Support Early Literacy.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rath, Linda K.

    2002-01-01

    Describes the curriculum of the public television program "Between the Lions" (BTL), a series modeling behaviors and skills that foster early literacy. Shows how BTL incorporates developmentally appropriate early literacy practices. Highlights teachers' comments illustrating how BTL is being used in different classrooms and how it…

  4. Moving toward Collective Impact in Climate Change Literacy: The Climate Literacy and Energy Awareness Network (CLEAN)

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ledley, Tamara Shapiro; Gold, Anne U.; Niepold, Frank; McCaffrey, Mark

    2014-01-01

    In recent years, various climate change education efforts have been launched, including federally (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, National Science Foundation, etc.) and privately funded projects. In addition, climate literacy and energy literacy frameworks have been developed and…

  5. Health Literacy and Heart Failure

    PubMed Central

    Cajita, Maan Isabella; Cajita, Tara Rafaela; Han, Hae-Ra

    2015-01-01

    Background Low health literacy affects millions of Americans, putting those who are affected at a disadvantage and at risk for poorer health outcomes. Low health literacy can act as a barrier to effective disease self-management; this is especially true for chronic diseases such as heart failure (HF) that require complicated self-care regimens. Purpose This systematic review examined quantitative research literature published between 1999 and 2014 to explore the role of health literacy among HF patients. The specific aims of the systematic review are to (1) describe the prevalence of low health literacy among HF patients, (2) explore the predictors of low health literacy among HF patients, and (3) discuss the relationship between health literacy and HF self-care and common HF outcomes. Methods A systematic search of the following databases was conducted, PubMed, CINAHL Plus, Embase, PsycINFO, and Scopus, using relevant keywords and clear inclusion and exclusion criteria. Conclusions An average of 39% of HF patients have low health literacy. Age, race/ethnicity, years of education, and cognitive function are predictors of health literacy. In addition, adequate health literacy is consistently correlated with higher HF knowledge and higher salt knowledge. Clinical Implications Considering the prevalence of low health literacy among in the HF population, nurses and healthcare professionals need to recognize the consequences of low health literacy and adopt strategies that could minimize its detrimental effect on the patient's health outcomes. PMID:25569150

  6. Supporting Literacy Across the Sunshine State: A Study of Florida Middle School Reading Coaches

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Marsh, Julie A.; McCombs, Jennifer Sloan; Lockwood, J. R.; Martorell, Francisco; Gershwin, Daniel; Naftel, Scott; Le, Vi-Nhuan; Shea, Molly; Barney, Heather; Crego, Al

    2008-01-01

    Although literacy skills needed to engage in the economy and public life have grown, the literacy skills of many adolescents remain low. One popular approach to improving student literacy is using school-based reading coaches; however, there is little empirical evidence regarding the nature of coaching and its effectiveness in changing teacher…

  7. Results of Studying Astronomy Students’ Science Literacy, Quantitative Literacy, and Information Literacy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Buxner, Sanlyn; Impey, Chris David; Follette, Katherine B.; Dokter, Erin F.; McCarthy, Don; Vezino, Beau; Formanek, Martin; Romine, James M.; Brock, Laci; Neiberding, Megan; Prather, Edward E.

    2017-01-01

    Introductory astronomy courses often serve as terminal science courses for non-science majors and present an opportunity to assess non future scientists’ attitudes towards science as well as basic scientific knowledge and scientific analysis skills that may remain unchanged after college. Through a series of studies, we have been able to evaluate students’ basic science knowledge, attitudes towards science, quantitative literacy, and informational literacy. In the Fall of 2015, we conducted a case study of a single class administering all relevant surveys to an undergraduate class of 20 students. We will present our analysis of trends of each of these studies as well as the comparison case study. In general we have found that students basic scientific knowledge has remained stable over the past quarter century. In all of our studies, there is a strong relationship between student attitudes and their science and quantitative knowledge and skills. Additionally, students’ information literacy is strongly connected to their attitudes and basic scientific knowledge. We are currently expanding these studies to include new audiences and will discuss the implications of our findings for instructors.

  8. Using the Geoscience Literacy Frameworks and Educational Technologies to Promote Science Literacy in Non-science Major Undergraduates

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Carley, S.; Tuddenham, P.; Bishop, K. O.

    2008-12-01

    In recent years several geoscience communities have been developing ocean, climate, atmosphere and earth science literacy frameworks as enhancements to the National Science Education Standards content standards. Like the older content standards these new geoscience literacy frameworks have focused on K-12 education although they are also intended for informal education and general public audiences. These geoscience literacy frameworks potentially provide a more integrated and less abstract approach to science literacy that may be more suitable for non-science major students that are not pursuing careers in science research or education. They provide a natural link to contemporary environmental issues - e.g., climate change, resource depletion, species and habitat loss, natural hazards, pollution, development of renewable energy, material recycling. The College of Exploration is an education research non-profit that has provided process and technical support for the development of most of these geoscience literacy frameworks. It has a unique perspective on their development. In the last ten years it has also gained considerable national and international expertise in facilitating web-based workshops that support in-depth conversations among educators and working scientists/researchers on important science topics. These workshops have been of enormous value to educators working in K-12, 4-year institutions and community colleges. How can these geoscience literacy frameworks promote more collaborative inquiry-based learning that enhances the appreciation of scientific thinking by non-majors? How can web- and mobile-based education technologies transform the undergraduate non-major survey course into a place where learners begin their passion for science literacy rather than end it? How do we assess science literacy in students and citizens?

  9. Using the Digital Transmedia Magazine Project to Support Students with 21st-Century Literacies

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Conner-Zachocki, Jennifer

    2015-01-01

    Digital technologies have had a significant impact on how educators have come to understand and define literacy, and on the types of literacies and literacy practices that are required in the 21st century. In response, organizations such as the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) have designed frameworks that attempt to articulate…

  10. Exploring Digital Literacy Practices in an Inclusive Classroom

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Price-Dennis, Detra; Holmes, Kathlene A.; Smith, Emily

    2015-01-01

    In this article instructional practices from a diverse inclusive 5th grade classroom are examined to better understand how students engaged in 21st century literacies. The authors focus on one classroom to provide insight into how a 21st century literacies perspective can support inclusive literacy practices that 1) create a community of learners,…

  11. Literacy Instruction in Multilingual Classrooms: Engaging English Language Learners in Elementary School. Language & Literacy Series--Practitioners Bookshelf

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Helman, Lori

    2012-01-01

    This hands-on guide shows elementary school teachers how to create multilingual classroom communities that support every learner's success in reading, writing, and general literacy development. The author provides a practical overview of key ideas and techniques and describes specific literacy activities that lead to vocabulary and oral English…

  12. Emotional Literacy Support Assistants' Views on Supervision Provided by Educational Psychologists: What EPs Can Learn from Group Supervision

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Osborne, Cara; Burton, Sheila

    2014-01-01

    The Educational Psychology Service in this study has responsibility for providing group supervision to Emotional Literacy Support Assistants (ELSAs) working in schools. To date, little research has examined this type of inter-professional supervision arrangement. The current study used a questionnaire to examine ELSAs' views on the supervision…

  13. Examining the Digital Divide in K-12 Public Schools: Four-Year Trends for Supporting ICT Literacy in Florida

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hohlfeld, Tina N.; Ritzhaupt, Albert D.; Barron, Ann E.; Kemker, Kate

    2008-01-01

    While there is evidence that access to computers in schools has increased, there remain questions about whether low socio-economic status (SES) schools provide students with equitable supports for achieving information communication technology (ICT) literacy. This research first presents a theoretical model to examine the digital divide within…

  14. Parents' Experiences of a Literacy Class

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wells, Sherry L.

    2013-01-01

    School districts often find it challenging to teach strategies and skills in literacy development to the parents of the students they serve. These challenges underscore the importance that parents understand the research-based strategies teachers use to assist their children at home with literacy development. In order to support parents'…

  15. Health Literacy in Patients Seeking Orthopaedic Care: Results of the Literacy in Musculoskeletal Problems (LIMP) Project.

    PubMed

    Rosenbaum, Andrew J; Pauze, Denis; Pauze, Daniel; Robak, Nancy; Zade, Ralph; Mulligan, Michael; Uhl, Richard L

    2015-01-01

    Health literacy is the most important predictor of an individual's health status, with more frequent hospitalizations, worse control of chronic conditions, and suboptimal treatment outcomes associated with limited literacy. Despite this, little is known about musculoskeletal health literacy. As such, this study utilized a musculoskeletal specific literacy survey (the LiMP questionnaire) to evaluate the level of comprehension in patients presenting to the emergency department with musculoskeletal complaints, with an emphasis on their understanding of anatomy, terminology, diagnosis and treatment of musculoskeletal conditions. The relationship between musculoskeletal specific and general health literacy was also assessed, in addition to the risk factors for limited musculoskeletal comprehension. In this cross-sectional study, each of the 248 participants completed a demographic survey, the LiMP questionnaire, and the Newest Vital Sign (NVS), a general health literacy assessment tool. A x(2) analysis was used to compare results from the LiMP questionnaire and NVS, and to evaluate the relationship between musculoskeletal health literacy and demographic parameters. The mean LiMP score was 4.68 ± 1.78 out of a possible nine points. Questions regarding musculoskeletal conditions were answered correctly by 47.4% of respondents. Questions regarding diagnosis and treatment were answered correctly by 31.2% of respondents. Questions regarding anatomy and terminology were answered correctly by 65.3% of respondents. Limited musculoskeletal literacy, defined as LiMP questionnaire scores of <6, was observed in 69% of subjects. Inadequate general health literacy, defined as NVS scores <4, was observed in 48% of subjects. This difference was statistically significant (p<0.001). Those who identified themselves as Caucasian and having an education level of ≥ college were significantly more likely to have adequate musculoskeletal literacy (p=0.001, p<0.001, respectively). The

  16. On Defining and Developing Literacy across Communities

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bernardo, Allan B. I.

    2000-09-01

    The paper attempts to raise a few issues relating to the task of defining and operationalizing literacy and literacy development across communities with diverse socio-economic profiles. In particular, the following concerns are raised: (1) Can literacy development be assessed using one set of domains, given that the domains of literacy practices vary across cultures? (2) Does the acquisition of literacy skills mean the same thing to people across different communities? (3) Does illiteracy have the same consequences for people in different communities? (4) Is the process of literacy acquisition and development the same across diverse communities? The paper underscores the importance of considering the diverse socio-economic patterns in different communities in trying to determine present levels of literacy development and in proposing programs to increase levels of literacy skill. It also proposes using the level of community (in addition to the macro-level of nation-state and the micro-level of individual) in analyzing matters relating to literacy development.

  17. 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…

  18. Adolescent Literacy Walk-Through for Principals: A Guide for Instructional Leaders

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rissman, Lila M.; Miller, Debra H.; Torgesen, Joseph K.

    2009-01-01

    The purpose of this "Adolescent Literacy Walk-Through for Principals" ("ALWP") is to help principals monitor and support adolescent literacy instruction in their schools more effectively. To meet the goals of improving adolescent literacy in grades four through twelve, principals must be familiar with what literacy instruction…

  19. Use of a UDL Literacy Environment by Middle School Students With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities.

    PubMed

    Coyne, Peggy; Evans, Miriam; Karger, Joanne

    2017-02-01

    Universal Design for Learning (UDL) has been shown to have benefits for students with disabilities. However, little is known about its potential to support literacy for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). This qualitative study explored (a) to what extent students with IDD are able to use Udio, an online UDL literacy environment; and (b) how students with IDD experienced and perceived Udio. A grounded theory approach was used to analyze classroom observations, as well as teacher and student interviews. Electronic usage logs and student-produced discussions and projects were analyzed descriptively. Students independently navigated the environment and used embedded supports, including audio-assisted reading and sentence starters. In addition, findings indicate that age-relevant content, choice, and opportunities to socialize in online discussions were especially engaging for students. Further research is warranted to determine how UDL environments affect the literacy development of students with IDD.

  20. Diabetes self-management support for patients with low health literacy: Perceptions of patients and providers.

    PubMed

    Fransen, Mirjam P; Beune, Erik J A J; Baim-Lance, Abigail M; Bruessing, Raynold C; Essink-Bot, Marie-Louise

    2015-05-01

    The aim of the present study was to explore perceptions and strategies of health care providers regarding diabetes self-management support for patients with low health literacy (LHL), and to compare their self-management support with the needs of patients with LHL and type 2 diabetes. This study serves as a problem analysis for systematic intervention development to improve diabetes self-management among patients with LHL. This qualitative study used in-depth interviews with general practitioners (n = 4), nurse practitioners (n = 5), and patients with LHL (n = 31). The results of the interviews with health care providers guided the patient interviews. In addition, we observed 10 general practice consultations. Providers described patients with LHL as uninvolved and less motivated patients who do not understand self-management. Their main strategy to improve self-management was to provide standard information on a repeated basis. Patients with LHL seemed to have a different view of diabetes self-management than their providers. Most demonstrated a low awareness of what self-management involves, but did not express needing more information. They reported several practical barriers to self-management, although they seemed reluctant to use the information provided to overcome them. Providing and repeating information does not fit the needs of patients with LHL regarding diabetes self-management support. Health care providers do not seem to have the insight or the tools to systematically support diabetes self-management in this group. Systematic intervention development with a focus on skills-based approaches rather than cognition development may improve diabetes self-management support of patients with LHL. © 2014 Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine and Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.

  1. Conceptualisation and development of the Conversational Health Literacy Assessment Tool (CHAT).

    PubMed

    O'Hara, Jonathan; Hawkins, Melanie; Batterham, Roy; Dodson, Sarity; Osborne, Richard H; Beauchamp, Alison

    2018-03-22

    The aim of this study was to develop a tool to support health workers' ability to identify patients' multidimensional health literacy strengths and challenges. The tool was intended to be suitable for administration in healthcare settings where health workers must identify health literacy priorities as the basis for person-centred care. Development was based on a qualitative co-design process that used the Health Literacy Questionnaire (HLQ) as a framework to generate questions. Health workers were recruited to participate in an online consultation, a workshop, and two rounds of pilot testing. Participating health workers identified and refined ten questions that target five areas of assessment: supportive professional relationships, supportive personal relationships, health information access and comprehension, current health behaviours, and health promotion barriers and support. Preliminary evidence suggests that application of the Conversational Health Literacy Assessment Tool (CHAT) can support health workers to better understand the health literacy challenges and supportive resources of their patients. As an integrated clinical process, the CHAT can supplement existing intake and assessment procedures across healthcare settings to give insight into patients' circumstances so that decisions about care can be tailored to be more appropriate and effective.

  2. Supporting English-Language Learners and Struggling Readers in Content Literacy with the "Partner Reading and Content, Too" Routine

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ogle, Donna; Correa-Kovtun, Amy

    2010-01-01

    Increasing numbers of English-language learners and the challenge of supporting their learning in social studies and science brought together a group of urban literacy coaches and university faculty. This article describes the development and refinement of a partner reading routine, Partner Reading and Content, Too (PRC2). Partners with similar…

  3. Using Mobile Technology to Support Literacy Coaching Practices

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bates, C. C.; Martin, Aqueasha

    2013-01-01

    This article examines literacy coaches' (n = 7) digital note-taking practices using mobile technology and their influence on reflective practice. The study, which employed a design-based approach, investigated the coaches' transition from note-taking by paper and pencil to the note-taking application Evernote. Data included interviews with the…

  4. Mission: Define Computer Literacy. The Illinois-Wisconsin ISACS Computer Coordinators' Committee on Computer Literacy Report (May 1985).

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Computing Teacher, 1985

    1985-01-01

    Defines computer literacy and describes a computer literacy course which stresses ethics, hardware, and disk operating systems throughout. Core units on keyboarding, word processing, graphics, database management, problem solving, algorithmic thinking, and programing are outlined, together with additional units on spreadsheets, simulations,…

  5. Climate Literacy and Energy Awareness Network (CLEAN) - Supporting the Scientists and Citizens of Tomorrow

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ledley, T. S.; McCaffrey, M. S.; Gold, A. U.; Buhr, S. M.; Manduca, C. A.; Fox, S.; Kirk, K. B.; Grogan, M.; Niepold, F.; Lynds, S. E.; Howell, C.

    2011-12-01

    The US Global Change Research Program and a consortium of science and education partners in 2009 concluded "climate change will bring economic and environmental challenges as well as opportunities, and citizens who have an understanding of climate science will be better prepared to respond to both." In order for citizens to achieve that understanding there is a clear need to support teachers, students, and the public in becoming climate and energy literate and to enable them to make responsible decisions about the environment and energy use for themselves and for society. However, to pursue climate and energy literacy it is necessary to identify and access educational materials that are scientifically accurate, pedagogically effective, and technically robust, and to use them effectively. The CLEAN Pathway (http://cleanet.org) is a National Science Digital Library (http://www.nsdl.org) project that is stewarding a collection of materials for teaching climate and energy science in grades 6-16. The collection contains classroom activities, lab demonstrations, visualizations, simulations and more. Each resource is extensively reviewed for scientific accuracy, pedagogical effectiveness, and technical quality. Once accepted into the CLEAN collection, a resource is aligned with the Climate Literacy Essential Principles for Climate Science, the AAAS Project 2061 Benchmarks for Science Literacy and other national standards. The CLEAN website hosts a growing collection of currently 300+ resources that represent the leading edge of climate and energy science resources for the classroom. In this presentation we will demonstrate the various avenues of how the CLEAN portal that can help educators improve their own climate and energy literacy, help them determine why and how to effectively integrate the climate and energy principles into their teaching, and facilitate educators successfully using the resources with their students. This will include a brief overview of the: a

  6. 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.

  7. Information Literacy and the Introductory Management Classroom

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Leigh, Jennifer S. A.; Gibbon, Cynthia A.

    2008-01-01

    This article proposes that the integration of information literacy standards into the management classroom can address underdeveloped student research strategies and promote effective use of print, digital, and free Web resources. Incorporating information literacy can support management educators in their need to balance disciplinary content,…

  8. Dynamic visualizations as tools for supporting cosmological literacy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Buck, Zoe Elizabeth

    My dissertation research is designed to improve access to STEM content through the development of cosmology visualizations that support all learners as they engage in cosmological sense-making. To better understand how to design visualizations that work toward breaking cycles of power and access in the sciences, I orient my work to following "meta-question": How might educators use visualizations to support diverse ways of knowing and learning in order to expand access to cosmology, and to science? In this dissertation, I address this meta-question from a pragmatic epistemological perspective, through a sociocultural lens, following three lines of inquiry: experimental methods (Creswell, 2003) with a focus on basic visualization design, activity analysis (Wells, 1996; Ash, 2001; Rahm, 2012) with a focus on culturally and linguistically diverse learners, and case study (Creswell, 2000) with a focus on expansive learning at a planetarium (Engestrom, 2001; Ash, 2014). My research questions are as follows, each of which corresponds to a self contained course of inquiry with its own design, data, analysis and results: 1) Can mediational cues like color affect the way learners interpret the content in a cosmology visualization? 2) How do cosmology visualizations support cosmological sense-making for diverse students? 3) What are the shared objects of dynamic networks of activity around visualization production and use in a large, urban planetarium and how do they affect learning? The result is a mixed-methods design (Sweetman, Badiee & Creswell, 2010) where both qualitative and quantitative data are used when appropriate to address my research goals. In the introduction I begin by establishing a theoretical framework for understanding visualizations within cultural historical activity theory (CHAT) and situating the chapters that follow within that framework. I also introduce the concept of cosmological literacy, which I define as the set of conceptual, semiotic and

  9. Food Literacy at Secondary Schools in Australia.

    PubMed

    Ronto, Rimante; Ball, Lauren; Pendergast, Donna; Harris, Neil D

    2016-11-01

    Food literacy can encourage adolescents to develop healthy dietary patterns. This study examined home economics teachers' (HET) perspectives of the importance, curriculum, self-efficacy, and food environments regarding food literacy in secondary schools in Australia. A 20-item cross-sectional survey was completed by 205 HETs. The survey focused on the importance of aspects of food literacy, HETs' self-efficacy, and attitudes toward food literacy and schools' food environments. Data were analyzed descriptively, and associations between participants' demographic characteristics and perceptions were investigated by chi-square analyses. HETs rated aspects of food literacy including preparing and cooking food, knowing about healthy foods and food safety and hygiene practices as very important. They indicated animal welfare, where food comes from, and plan and manage time for food shopping to be the least important aspects of food literacy. HETs reported that students' involvement in food literacy activities resulted in healthier diets and improved food practices, but the schools' food environments are not comprehensively supportive of food literacy. HETs report that food literacy is very important for adolescents to learn. The focus is more on microaspects in comparison to macroaspects of food literacy. Schools' food environments are ideally positioned to shape dietary intake of adolescents but their potential is not being realized. © 2016, American School Health Association.

  10. Climate Literacy Ambassadors

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ackerman, S. A.; Mooney, M. E.

    2011-12-01

    The Climate Literacy Ambassadors program is a collaborative effort to advance climate literacy led by the Cooperative Institute of Meteorological Satellite Studies (CIMSS) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. With support from NASA, CIMSS is coordinating a three-tiered program to train G6-12 teachers to be Ambassadors of Climate Literacy in their schools and communities. The complete training involves participation at a teacher workshop combined with web-based professional development content around Global and Regional Climate Change. The on-line course utilizes e-learning technology to clarify graphs and concepts from the 2007 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Summary for Policy Makers with content intricately linked to the Climate Literacy: The Essential Principles of Climate Science. Educators who take the course for credit can develop lesson plans or opt for a project of their choosing. This session will showcase select lesson plans and projects, ranging from a district-wide action plan that engaged dozens of teachers to Ambassadors volunteering at the Aldo Leopold Climate Change Nature Center to a teacher who tested a GLOBE Student Climate Research Campaign (SCRC) learning project with plans to participate in the SCRC program. Along with sharing successes from the CIMSS Climate Literacy Ambassadors project, we will share lessons learned related to the challenges of sustaining on-line virtual educator communities.

  11. The role of home literacy practices in preschool children's language and emergent literacy skills.

    PubMed

    Roberts, Joanne; Jurgens, Julia; Burchinal, Margaret

    2005-04-01

    This study examined how 4 specific measures of home literacy practices (i.e., shared book reading frequency, maternal book reading strategies, child's enjoyment of reading, and maternal sensitivity) and a global measure of the quality and responsiveness of the home environment during the preschool years predicted children's language and emergent literacy skills between the ages of 3 and 5 years. Study participants were 72 African American children and their mothers or primary guardians primarily from low-income families whose home literacy environment and development have been followed since infancy. Annually, between 18 months and 5 years of age, the children's mothers were interviewed about the frequency they read to their child and how much their child enjoyed being read to, and the overall quality and responsiveness of the home environment were observed. Mothers also were observed reading to their child once a year at 2, 3, and 4 years of age, and maternal sensitivity and types of maternal book reading strategies were coded. Children's receptive and expressive language and vocabulary were assessed annually between 3 years of age and kindergarten entry, and emergent literacy skills were assessed at 4 years and kindergarten entry. The specific home literacy practices showed moderate to large correlations with each other, and only a few significant associations with the language and literacy outcomes, after controlling for maternal education, maternal reading skills, and the child's gender. The global measure of overall responsiveness and support of the home environment was the strongest predictor of children's language and early literacy skills and contributed over and above the specific literacy practice measures in predicting children's early language and literacy development.

  12. Teacher Assessment Literacy: A Review of International Standards and Measures

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    DeLuca, Christopher; LaPointe-McEwan, Danielle; Luhanga, Ulemu

    2016-01-01

    Assessment literacy is a core professional requirement across educational systems. Hence, measuring and supporting teachers' assessment literacy have been a primary focus over the past two decades. At present, there are a multitude of assessment standards across the world and numerous assessment literacy measures that represent different…

  13. Let's Read Together: Tools for Early Literacy Development for All Young Children

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bruns, Deborah A.; Pierce, Corey D.

    2007-01-01

    Early literacy development is the gateway to reading and future academic success. Learning about sound-letter correspondence and basic decoding strategies are but two fundamental skills that have been found to support this later success. In addition, an emphasis on environmental print (e.g., McDonald's, Wal-Mart, Shell) and functional print (e.g.,…

  14. iDemocracy: Critical Literacy, Civic Engagement, and Podcasting in an Elementary Classroom

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Montgomery, Sarah E.

    2009-01-01

    The present study explored the ways in which the production of digital media, specifically podcasts (i.e., downloadable digital audio files), rooted in the key tenets of critical literacy, can support education for democracy, in addition to the overall benefits and barriers of podcasting in an elementary classroom. The project can be considered a…

  15. The environmental literacy of urban middle school teachers

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Owens, Marcia Allen

    This dissertation study assessed the environmental literacy of 292 urban, middle school teachers using the Wisconsin Environmental Literacy Survey (WELS). Environmental literacy may be defined in terms of observable behaviors. Specifically, the study examined four dimensions of participants' environmental literacy: (a) attitudes toward the environment, (b) beliefs about their own power and responsibility to affect environmental change, (c) personal behaviors and actions toward the environment, and (d) knowledge regarding ecology and environmental issues. The WELS measures these components of environmental literacy through a Likert-type attitude survey, a self-reporting behavior instrument, and a multiple choice measure of cognitive learning outcomes or environmental knowledge. These scores were combined to derive a total environmental literacy score. In addition, the study explored differences between African American and European American female teachers' environmental literacy; interactions between demographic variables; and patterns of frequently missed questions, environmental attitudes, or environmental behaviors. Differences in teachers' environmental literacy were examined relative to gender, racial/ethnic background, number of preservice environmental courses taken, number of inservice environmental courses taken, years of teaching experience, and subject area taught. Overall, teachers in the present study demonstrated nominal environmental literacy. Significant differences in scores on various subscales were found among teachers according to racial/ethnic background, subject area taught, and years of teaching experience. Taking preservice and inservice environmental courses appears to have a positive impact on environmental behavior, environmental sensitivity, awareness and values, but not appear to impact environmental knowledge. This study underscores the need for further descriptive environmental literacy research on urban, minority, and poor students

  16. Factors affecting adoption and implementation of AHRQ health literacy tools in pharmacies.

    PubMed

    Shoemaker, Sarah J; Staub-DeLong, Leah; Wasserman, Melanie; Spranca, Mark

    2013-01-01

    Pharmacies are key sources of medication information for patients, yet few effectively serve patients with low health literacy. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) supported the development of four health literacy tools for pharmacists to address this problem, and to help assess and improve pharmacies' health literacy practices. This study aimed to understand the facilitators and barriers to the adoption and implementation of AHRQ's health literacy tools, particularly a tool to assess a pharmacy's health literacy practices. We conducted a comparative, multiple-case study of eight pharmacies, guided by an adaptation of Rogers's Diffusion of Innovations model. Data were collected and triangulated through interviews, site visit observations, and the review of documents, and analyzed on the factors affecting pharmacies' adoption decisions and implementation of the tools. Factors important to pharmacies' decision to adopt the health literacy tools included awareness of health literacy; a culture of innovation; a change champion; the relative advantage and compatibility of the tools; and an invitation to utilize and receive support to use the tools. The barriers included a lack of leadership support, limited staff time, and a perception of the tools as complex with limited value. For implementation, the primary facilitators were buy-in from leadership, qualified staff, college-affiliated change champions, the adaptability and organization of the tool, and support. Barriers to implementation were limited leadership buy-in, prioritization of other activities, lack of qualified staff, and tool complexity. If pharmacists are provided tools that could ultimately improve their health literacy practices and patient-centered services; and the tools have a clear relative advantage, are simple as well adaptable, and the pharmacists are supported in their efforts - either by colleagues or by collaborating with colleges of pharmacy-then there could be important

  17. Do Workplace Literacy Programs Promote High Skills or Low Wages? Suggestions for Future Evaluations of Workplace Literacy Programs.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sarmiento, Tony

    Workplace literacy programs can support the path toward either low wages or high skills. Instead of the "high skill" path, most U.S. companies follow the "low wage" path. Depending on who is involved, which program goals are selected, and what planning process is followed, a workplace literacy program can maintain outdated workplaces or foster…

  18. Developing Disciplinary Literacy in a Multilingual History Classroom

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Achugar, Mariana; Carpenter, Brian D.

    2012-01-01

    This paper reports on a design experiment (Brown, 1992) where we explored how providing a linguistic support for understanding historical documents affected students comprehension of historical documents and their disciplinary literacy. The functional approach to disciplinary literacy parallels historians' reading practices while supporting…

  19. Perceptions of Visual Literacy. Selected Readings from the Annual Conference of the International Visual Literacy Association (21st, Scottsdale, Arizona, October 1989).

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Braden, Roberts A., Ed.; And Others

    These proceedings contain 37 papers from 51 authors noted for their expertise in the field of visual literacy. The collection is divided into three sections: (1) "Examining Visual Literacy" (including, in addition to a 7-year International Visual Literacy Association bibliography covering the period from 1983-1989, papers on the perception of…

  20. Climate Literacy and Cyberlearning: Emerging Platforms and Programs

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    McCaffrey, M. S.; Wise, S. B.; Buhr, S. M.

    2009-12-01

    With the release of the Essential Principles of Climate Science Literacy: A Guide for Individuals and Communities in the Spring of 2009, an important step toward an shared educational and communication framework about climate science was achieved. Designed as a living document, reviewed and endorsed by the thirteen federal agencies in the U.S. Climate Change Science Program (now U.S. Global Change Research Program), the Essential Principles of Climate Literacy complement other Earth system literacy efforts. A variety of emerging efforts have begun to build on the framework using a variety of cyberlearning tools, including an online Climate Literacy course developed by Education and Outreach group at CIRES, the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, and the Independent Learning program of the Continuing Education Division at the University of Colorado at Boulder. The online course, piloted during the Summer of 2009 with formal classroom teachers and informal science educators, made use of the online Climate Literacy Handbook, which was developed by CIRES Education and Outreach and the Encyclopedia of Earth, which is supported by the National Council for Science and the Environment and hosted by Boston University. This paper will explore challenges and opportunities in the use of cyberlearning tools to support climate literacy efforts, highlight the development of the online course and handbook, and note related emerging cyberlearning platforms and programs for climate literacy, including related efforts by the Climate Literacy Network, the NASA Global Climate Change Education programs, the National STEM Education Distributed Learning (NSDL) and AAAS Project 2061.

  1. Literacy Learning in Limpopo--A Multilingual Environment

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cherian, Lily; Du Toit, Cecilia

    2008-01-01

    This article is a report on research conducted to support the development of a multilingual literacy learning software programme for adult learners in rural Limpopo Province, South Africa. The topic of inquiry for the research was literacy learning in a multilingual environment, with special attention paid to attitudinal and metacognitive aspects.…

  2. Data Literacy is Statistical Literacy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gould, Robert

    2017-01-01

    Past definitions of statistical literacy should be updated in order to account for the greatly amplified role that data now play in our lives. Experience working with high-school students in an innovative data science curriculum has shown that teaching statistical literacy, augmented by data literacy, can begin early.

  3. Both Theory and Practice: Science Literacy Instruction and Theories of Reading

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wright, Katherine Landau; Franks, Amanda D.; Kuo, Li-Jen; McTigue, Erin M.; Serrano, Jiniva

    2016-01-01

    Many journal articles detail recommendations to naturally integrate literacy instruction into content-area classes, particularly science, claiming that such instructional practices will support both literacy and content-knowledge acquisition. This begs the question, are the literacy strategies recommended for content-area instruction founded in…

  4. Working to Improve Literacy Learning for All Students through School Leadership: An Analytic Autoethnography

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Carrico, Happy

    2009-01-01

    Teachers' expertise in literacy education has a direct impact on children's success in elementary school, yet school principals can also serve a major role by supporting the teachers' abilities to develop literacy expertise by facilitating the implementation of practices grounded in literacy theory and supporting teachers as they acquire and apply…

  5. Building Teachers' Research Literacy: Integrating Practice and Research

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Evans, Carol; Waring, Michael; Christodoulou, Andri

    2017-01-01

    Supporting early career teacher (ECT) research literacy is essential in promoting research-integrated professional practice, however it remains an area in much need of development. This article discusses the importance and process of developing ECTs' research literacy, through establishing strong collaborative links between universities and…

  6. Post-Literacy: A Pre-Requisite for Literacy. Literacy Lessons.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dumont, Bernard

    Post-literacy is all the means and activities that allow persons who have recently become literate to make use of their skills and to increase and deepen the knowledge acquired. There are many kinds of literacy. What they all have in common is the merciless test of the durability of literacy's effect: After 1, 2, or 5 years, what will the…

  7. Psychological Literacy and "The Emperor's New Clothes"

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Newstead, Stephen E.

    2015-01-01

    Despite the widespread use of the term psychological literacy, it is argued in this paper that it lacks a clear definition and empirical support. The claim that all psychology students possess psychological literacy in the sense of knowing the main ideas and concepts is relatively uncontroversial. However, the claim that they also possess a wide…

  8. Health Literacy and Access to Care

    PubMed Central

    Janke, Alex

    2016-01-01

    Despite well-documented links between low health literacy, low rates of health insurance coverage, and poor health outcomes, there has been almost no research on the relationship between low health literacy and self-reported access to care. This study analyzed a large, nationally representative sample of community-dwelling adults ages 50 and older to estimate the relationship between low health literacy and self-reported difficulty obtaining care. We found that individuals with low health literacy were significantly more likely than individuals with adequate health literacy to delay or forego needed care or to report difficulty finding a provider, even after controlling for other factors including health insurance coverage, employment, race/ethnicity, poverty, and general cognitive function. They were also more likely to lack a usual source of care, although this result was only marginally significant after controlling for other factors. The results show that in addition to any obstacles that low health literacy creates within the context of the clinical encounter, low health literacy also reduces the probability that people get in the door of the health care system in a timely way. PMID:27043757

  9. "Handy Manny" and the Emergent Literacy Technology Toolkit

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hourcade, Jack J.; Parette, Howard P., Jr.; Boeckmann, Nichole; Blum, Craig

    2010-01-01

    This paper outlines the use of a technology toolkit to support emergent literacy curriculum and instruction in early childhood education settings. Components of the toolkit include hardware and software that can facilitate key emergent literacy skills. Implementation of the comprehensive technology toolkit enhances the development of these…

  10. Health literacy and its importance for effective communication. Part 2.

    PubMed

    Lambert, Veronica; Keogh, Deborah

    2014-05-01

    This is the second of two articles exploring the concept of health literacy, an often hidden barrier to effective healthcare communication. Part 1 was published in April ( Lambert and Keogh 2014 ). This article explains how to detect low levels of health literacy among parents and children, and outlines the challenges to assessing health literacy levels, including the stigma and discrimination some people experience. Some basic healthcare communication strategies for supporting health literacy in practice are suggested.

  11. Making the Invisible Visible: Disciplinary Literacy in Secondary School Classrooms

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mac Mahon, Brendan

    2014-01-01

    In Ireland, policy on literacy now aims to expand the role that post-primary teachers of all subjects have in developing students' literacy skills. This paper draws on data from a wider research study carried out in secondary schools in 2010 and focuses on the classroom support with disciplinary literacy provided by subject teachers for students…

  12. A Queer Critical Media Literacies Framework in a Digital Age

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Leent, Lisa; Mills, Kathy

    2018-01-01

    Media literacy skills are focal for many educators across the globe in an age of ubiquitous access to the Internet and the rapid circulation of digital texts. A critical media literacies perspective is often a key element in teaching adolescents to read a range of texts. A queer critical media literacies pedagogy supports a social justice agenda…

  13. Annual Report. 2009-2010 Fiscal Year. Building Capacity for Literacy and Essential Skills

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Movement for Canadian Literacy, 2010

    2010-01-01

    For over 30 years, Movement for Canadian Literacy (MCL) has provided a forum and voice for literacy organizations, practitioners and learners across the country. In partnership with its member literacy coalitions, learner representatives from every province and territory and other key stakeholders, MCL has supported the literacy and essential…

  14. Instruction of Keyboarding Skills: A Whole Language Approach to Teaching Functional Literacy Skills to Students Who are Blind and Have Additional Disabilities

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Stauffer, Mary

    2008-01-01

    This article describes an unconventional method to teach un-contracted braille reading and writing skills to students who are blind and have additional disabilities. It includes a keyboarding curriculum that focuses on the whole language approach to literacy. A special feature is the keyboard that is adapted with braille symbols. Un-contracted…

  15. IQ variations across time, race, and nationality: an artifact of differences in literacy skills.

    PubMed

    Marks, David F

    2010-06-01

    A body of data on IQ collected over 50 years has revealed that average population IQ varies across time, race, and nationality. An explanation for these differences may be that intelligence test performance requires literacy skills not present in all people to the same extent. In eight analyses, population mean full scale IQ and literacy scores yielded correlations ranging from .79 to .99. In cohort studies, significantly larger improvements in IQ occurred in the lower half of the IQ distribution, affecting the distribution variance and skewness in the predicted manner. In addition, three Verbal subscales on the WAIS show the largest Flynn effect sizes and all four Verbal subscales are among those showing the highest racial IQ differences. This pattern of findings supports the hypothesis that both secular and racial differences in intelligence test scores have an environmental explanation: secular and racial differences in IQ are an artifact of variation in literacy skills. These findings suggest that racial IQ distributions will converge if opportunities are equalized for different population groups to achieve the same high level of literacy skills. Social justice requires more effective implementation of policies and programs designed to eliminate inequities in IQ and literacy.

  16. Investigating the role of content knowledge, argumentation, and situational features to support genetics literacy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shea, Nicole Anne

    Science curriculum is often used as a means to train students as future scientists with less emphasis placed on preparing students to reason about issues they may encounter in their daily lives (Feinstein, Allen, & Jenkins, 2013; Roth & Barton, 2004). The general public is required to think scientifically to some degree throughout their life and often across a variety of issues. From an empirical standpoint, we do not have a robust understanding of what scientific knowledge the public finds useful for reasoning about socio-scientific issues in their everyday lives (Feinstein, 2011). We also know very little about how the situational features of an issue influences reasoning strategy (i.e., the use of knowledge to generate arguments). Rapid advances in science - particularly in genetics - increasingly challenge the public to reason about socio-scientific issues. This raises questions about the public's ability to participate knowledgeably in socio-scientific debates, and to provide informed consent for a variety of novel scientific procedures. This dissertation aims to answer the questions: How do individuals use their genetic content knowledge to reason about authentic issues they may encounter in their daily lives? Individuals' scientific knowledge is a critical aspect of scientific literacy, but what scientific literacy looks like in practice as individuals use their content knowledge to reason about issues comprised of different situational features is still unclear. The purpose of this dissertation is to explore what knowledge is actually used by individuals to generate and support arguments about a variety of socio-scientific issues, and how the features of those issues influences reasoning strategy. Three studies were conducted to answer questions reflecting this purpose. Findings from this dissertation provide important insights into what scientific literacy looks like in practice.

  17. Educational Television as Mediated Literacy Environments for Preschoolers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jennings, Nancy A.; Hooker, Steven D.; Linebarger, Deborah L.

    2009-01-01

    Research on children's television suggests that preschool programs can facilitate literacy and language development. In 1998 Whitehurst and Lonigan described two interdependent sets of skills involved in literacy acquisition: "outside-in" or oral language skills and "inside-out" or code-related skills. Outside-in skills support children's…

  18. Handbook of Early Literacy Research. Volume 2

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dickinson, David K., Ed.; Neuman, Susan B., Ed.

    2006-01-01

    Current research increasingly highlights the role of early literacy in young children's development--and informs practices and policies that promote success among diverse learners. This handbook presents cutting-edge knowledge on all aspects of literacy learning in the early years. Volume 2 provides additional perspectives on important topics…

  19. Aligning Literacy Practices in Secondary History Classes with Research on Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Nokes, Jeffery D.

    2008-01-01

    Literacy is a basic element of the discipline of history and of traditional secondary history instruction. However neither the growing body of research on learning with texts nor modern learning theories support the traditional literacy practices that are taking place in many secondary history classrooms. Nor are classroom literacy practices a…

  20. Beyond computer literacy: supporting youth's positive development through technology.

    PubMed

    Bers, Marina Umaschi

    2010-01-01

    In a digital era in which technology plays a role in most aspects of a child's life, having the competence and confidence to use computers might be a necessary step, but not a goal in itself. Developing character traits that will serve children to use technology in a safe way to communicate and connect with others, and providing opportunities for children to make a better world through the use of their computational skills, is just as important. The Positive Technological Development framework (PTD), a natural extension of the computer literacy and the technological fluency movements that have influenced the world of educational technology, adds psychosocial, civic, and ethical components to the cognitive ones. PTD examines the developmental tasks of a child growing up in our digital era and provides a model for developing and evaluating technology-rich youth programs. The explicit goal of PTD programs is to support children in the positive uses of technology to lead more fulfilling lives and make the world a better place. This article introduces the concept of PTD and presents examples of the Zora virtual world program for young people that the author developed following this framework.

  1. The Research Circle as a Resource in Challenging Academics' Perceptions of How to Support Students' Literacy Development in Higher Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bergman, Lotta

    2014-01-01

    This article deals with an action research project in which a group of academics from different disciplines reflect on and gradually extend their knowledge on how to support students' academic literacy development. The aim of this research is to understand how the collaborative work becomes a resource in challenging participants' initial…

  2. Undergraduate nursing students integrating health literacy in clinical settings.

    PubMed

    Zanchetta, Margareth; Taher, Yasmin; Fredericks, Suzanne; Waddell, Janice; Fine, Carol; Sales, Rona

    2013-09-01

    Analyzing students' performance and self-criticism of their roles in promoting health literacy can inform nursing education in a social environment that expects new graduates to be health promoters. The pilot study reported here aimed to a) analyze students' understanding of and sensitivity to issues of health literacy, (b) identify students' perceptions of structural, organizational, and political barriers to the promotion of health literacy in social and health care organizations, and (c) document students' suggestions for curriculum changes that would develop their skills and competencies as health-literacy promoters. A qualitative pilot study. A collaborative undergraduate nursing degree program in the metropolitan area of Toronto, Canada. Sixteen undergraduate, Year 4 nursing students. Signed informed consent was obtained from the participants. Participation was unpaid and voluntary. Recruitment was through an email invitation sent by the School of Nursing Student Affairs Coordinator. Three, one-time individual interviews and three focus groups were conducted. All were audio-recorded. Recordings were transcribed, and the transcriptions were coded using the qualitative software ATLAS ti 6.0. The interview data were submitted to thematic analysis. Additional data were gathered from the two-page self-assessments in students' academic portfolios. Sensitivity to health literacy was documented. Students performed best as health promoters in supportive teaching hospitals. Their performance was hindered by clinical settings unsupportive of health education, absence of role models, and insufficient theoretical preparation for health teaching. Students' sensitivity to their clients' diversity reportedly reinforced the interconnection, in multicultural healthcare settings, between health literacy and other social determinants of health and a growing demand for educating future nurses in expanding their role also as health promoters. Students recommended more socially

  3. Factors Associated with Physical Activity Literacy among Foster Parents

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dominick, Gregory M.; Friedman, Daniela B.; Saunders, Ruth P.; Hussey, Jim R.; Watkins, Ken W.; W.

    2012-01-01

    Objectives: To explore associations between physical activity (PA) literacy and psychosocial constructs for providing instrumental social support for youth PA. Methods: Ninety-one foster parents completed surveys assessing PA literacy (overall and specific), perceptions of child PA, coordination, PA enjoyment, psychosocial variables:…

  4. Information Literacy and Digital Literacy: Competing or Complementary?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cordell, Rosanne Marie

    2013-01-01

    Digital literacy is a more recent concept than information literacy and can relate to multiple categories of library users in multiple types of libraries. Determining the relationship between information literacy and digital literacy is essential before revision of the ACRL "Standards" can proceed.

  5. A New Direction for Multiple Literacy Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Van Heertum, Richard; Share, Jeff

    2006-01-01

    A broader view of literacy has emerged as part of the larger debate about educational reform across the globe. Many now argue that availing children with additional skills in technological and media literacy will foster creativity, motivate youth, and improve their economic opportunities while increasing the core of high skilled labourers…

  6. The health information literacy research project.

    PubMed

    Shipman, Jean P; Kurtz-Rossi, Sabrina; Funk, Carla J

    2009-10-01

    This research studied hospital administrators' and hospital-based health care providers' (collectively, the target group) perceived value of consumer health information resources and of librarians' roles in promoting health information literacy in their institutions. A web-based needs survey was developed and administered to hospital administrators and health care providers. Multiple health information literacy curricula were developed. One was pilot-tested by nine hospital libraries in the United States and Canada. Quantitative and qualitative methods were used to evaluate the curriculum and its impact on the target group. A majority of survey respondents believed that providing consumer health information resources was critically important to fulfilling their institutions' missions and that their hospitals could improve health information literacy by increasing awareness of its impact on patient care and by training staff to become more knowledgeable about health literacy barriers. The study showed that a librarian-taught health information literacy curriculum did raise awareness about the issue among the target group and increased both the use of National Library of Medicine consumer health resources and referrals to librarians for health information literacy support. It is hoped that many hospital administrators and health care providers will take the health information literacy curricula and recognize that librarians can educate about the topic and that providers will use related consumer health services and resources.

  7. The Health Information Literacy Research Project*

    PubMed Central

    Kurtz-Rossi, Sabrina; Funk, Carla J.

    2009-01-01

    Objectives: This research studied hospital administrators' and hospital-based health care providers' (collectively, the target group) perceived value of consumer health information resources and of librarians' roles in promoting health information literacy in their institutions. Methods: A web-based needs survey was developed and administered to hospital administrators and health care providers. Multiple health information literacy curricula were developed. One was pilot-tested by nine hospital libraries in the United States and Canada. Quantitative and qualitative methods were used to evaluate the curriculum and its impact on the target group. Results: A majority of survey respondents believed that providing consumer health information resources was critically important to fulfilling their institutions' missions and that their hospitals could improve health information literacy by increasing awareness of its impact on patient care and by training staff to become more knowledgeable about health literacy barriers. The study showed that a librarian-taught health information literacy curriculum did raise awareness about the issue among the target group and increased both the use of National Library of Medicine consumer health resources and referrals to librarians for health information literacy support. Conclusions: It is hoped that many hospital administrators and health care providers will take the health information literacy curricula and recognize that librarians can educate about the topic and that providers will use related consumer health services and resources. PMID:19851494

  8. Geographic Media Literacy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lukinbeal, Chris

    2014-01-01

    While the use of media permeates geographic research and pedagogic practice, the underlying literacies that link geography and media remain uncharted. This article argues that geographic media literacy incorporates visual literacy, information technology literacy, information literacy, and media literacy. Geographic media literacy is the ability…

  9. New Pedagogical Literacy Requirement Resulting from Technological Literacy in Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Adigüzel, Abdullah

    2014-01-01

    The aim of this study was to determine the recent pedagogical literacy requirements in the technologically supported lessons. In this study, case study which is one of the qualitative research methods was used. The participants of the study included 12 voluntary classroom teachers who were in service in three different private primary schools…

  10. Critical Literacy and Transgender Topics in an Upper Elementary Classroom: A Portrait of Possibility

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hermann-Wilmarth, Jill M.; Lannen, Rosemary; Ryan, Caitlin L.

    2017-01-01

    In this paper, we explore the intersection of critical literacy pedagogy, queer pedagogy, and transgender topics by turning our attention to the learning that supported the writing of an acrostic poem about Title IX and transgender students. We examine how this writing, in turn, created additional content and context that spurred others' learning.…

  11. International Computer and Information Literacy Study: Assessment Framework

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fraillon, Julian; Schulz, Wolfram; Ainley, John

    2013-01-01

    The purpose of the International Computer and Information Literacy Study 2013 (ICILS 2013) is to investigate, in a range of countries, the ways in which young people are developing "computer and information literacy" (CIL) to support their capacity to participate in the digital age. To achieve this aim, the study will assess student…

  12. Autism Spectrum Disorder Today: Life, Literacy, and the Pursuit of Content

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Boroson, Barbara

    2016-01-01

    We hold this truth to be self-evident: Students on the autism spectrum need support with life literacy before they can reach for content literacy. This article provides educators with an understanding of the interplay between life and content literacy in the classroom, as well as strategies to maximize success for these diverse learners. Students…

  13. Health literacy and surgery expectations in total hip and knee arthroplasty patients.

    PubMed

    Hadden, Kristie B; Prince, Latrina Y; Bushmiaer, Marty K; Watson, Jamie C; Barnes, C Lowry

    2018-05-28

    This study assessed patients' health literacy and expectations for total hip (THA) and total knee (TKA) replacement surgery, and compared health literacy levels of patients and their caregivers. A convenience sample of 200 THA/TKA participants, patients and their caregivers, participated in this study. Results demonstrated no statistical difference in health literacy between patients and their caregivers. However, patients with lower health literacy had significantly lower expectations for walking after surgery. Practices should be aware that caregivers may not be any better equipped to consume and use complicated patient education materials than the patient they are assisting. Additionally, lower health literacy, rather than or in addition to race or social factors, may contribute to disparities in opting for THA/TKA because of lower expectations for walking after surgery. Healthcare practices should develop patient educational materials that are easy for all patients and caregivers to understand, especially those with low health literacy. Additional patient education and counseling may help patients with low health literacy realistically align their expectations and mitigate barriers to consenting to surgery due to low expectations. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  14. Emergent literacy in kindergartners with cochlear implants

    PubMed Central

    Nittrouer, Susan; Caldwell, Amanda; Lowenstein, Joanna H; Tarr, Eric; Holloman, Christopher

    2012-01-01

    Problem A key ingredient to academic success is being able to read. Deaf individuals have historically failed to develop literacy skills comparable to those of their normal-hearing peers, but early identification and cochlear implants have improved prospects that these children can learn to read at the levels of their peers. The goal of this study was to examine early, or emergent, literacy in these children. Method 27 deaf children with cochlear implants (CIs) who had just completed kindergarten were tested on emergent literacy, as well as on cognitive and linguistic skills that support emergent literacy, specifically ones involving phonological awareness, executive functioning, and oral language. 17 kindergartners with normal hearing (NH) and 8 with hearing loss, but who used hearing aids (HAs) served as controls. Outcomes were compared for these three groups of children, regression analyses were performed to see if predictor variables for emergent literacy differed for children with NH and those with CIs, and factors related to the early treatment of hearing loss and prosthesis configuration were examined for children with CIs. Results Performance of children with CIs was roughly one or more standard deviations below the mean performance of children with NH on all tasks, except for syllable counting, reading fluency, and rapid serial naming. Oral language skills explained more variance in emergent literacy for children with CIs than for children with NH. Age of first implant explained moderate amounts of variance for several measures. Having one or two CIs had no effect, but children who had some amount of bimodal experience outperformed children who had none on several measures. Conclusions Even deaf children who have benefitted from early identification, intervention, and implantation are still at risk for problems with emergent literacy that could affect their academic success. This finding means that intensive language support needs to continue through at

  15. Quantitative Literacy: Geosciences and Beyond

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Richardson, R. M.; McCallum, W. G.

    2002-12-01

    Quantitative literacy seems like such a natural for the geosciences, right? The field has gone from its origin as a largely descriptive discipline to one where it is hard to imagine failing to bring a full range of mathematical tools to the solution of geological problems. Although there are many definitions of quantitative literacy, we have proposed one that is analogous to the UNESCO definition of conventional literacy: "A quantitatively literate person is one who, with understanding, can both read and represent quantitative information arising in his or her everyday life." Central to this definition is the concept that a curriculum for quantitative literacy must go beyond the basic ability to "read and write" mathematics and develop conceptual understanding. It is also critical that a curriculum for quantitative literacy be engaged with a context, be it everyday life, humanities, geoscience or other sciences, business, engineering, or technology. Thus, our definition works both within and outside the sciences. What role do geoscience faculty have in helping students become quantitatively literate? Is it our role, or that of the mathematicians? How does quantitative literacy vary between different scientific and engineering fields? Or between science and nonscience fields? We will argue that successful quantitative literacy curricula must be an across-the-curriculum responsibility. We will share examples of how quantitative literacy can be developed within a geoscience curriculum, beginning with introductory classes for nonmajors (using the Mauna Loa CO2 data set) through graduate courses in inverse theory (using singular value decomposition). We will highlight six approaches to across-the curriculum efforts from national models: collaboration between mathematics and other faculty; gateway testing; intensive instructional support; workshops for nonmathematics faculty; quantitative reasoning requirement; and individual initiative by nonmathematics faculty.

  16. 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…

  17. Educational Electronic Books for Supporting Emergent Literacy of Kindergarteners At-Risk for Reading Difficulties--What Do We Know so Far?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Shamir, Adina; Korat, Ofra

    2015-01-01

    This article reviews the authors' findings regarding the electronic book's (e-book's) support of emergent reading among kindergarten-aged children at-risk for reading difficulties. All the studies involved use of educational e-books specially designed by the authors to promote literacy among young children in the 5-6 age group. The review focuses…

  18. Connecting Science and Literacy in the Classroom: Using Space and Earth Science to Support Language Arts

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wessen, A. S.; Cobabe-Ammann, E. A.

    2009-12-01

    The connections between science and literacy in the classroom have received increasing attention over the last two decades, as more and more evidence demonstrates that science provides an exciting vehicle in which to engage students on the path to literacy improvement. Combining literacy with science allows students to creatively explore the world or universe, and it. Combining science and literacy improves both reading and science scores, and increases students’ interest in science. At a time when over 40% of students beyond the 5th grade are reading two or more levels below grade level and are struggling with their current materials, finding ways to excite and engage them in the reading process is key. Literacy programs incorporating unique space science content can help prepare children for standardized language arts tests. It also engages our nation’s youngest learners and their teachers with the science, math, and technology of exploration in a language arts format. This session focuses on programs and products that bring the excitement of earth and space science into the literacy classroom, with a focus on research-based approached to combining science and language arts. Reading, Writing and Rings! Grades 1-2

  19. Building Strong Literacy Foundations, Birth to Three Years

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Makin, Laurie

    2005-01-01

    SHELLS (Support at Home for Early Language and LiteracieS) is a program designed for families with children from birth to three years of age. It has operated in Australia since 1998. Partnerships are at the heart of SHELLS. Parents know their children, their community, and what is culturally appropriate. Facilitators know the community, have…

  20. A Progressive Reading, Writing, and Artistic Module to Support Scientific Literacy.

    PubMed

    Stockwell, Stephanie B

    2016-03-01

    Scientific literacy, marked by the ability and willingness to engage with scientific information, is supported through a new genre of citizen science-course-based research in association with undergraduate laboratories. A three-phased progressive learning module was developed to enhance student engagement in such contexts while supporting three learning outcomes: I) present an argument based on evidence, II) analyze science and scientists within a social context, and III) experience, reflect upon, and communicate the nature of scientific discovery. Phase I entails guided reading and reflection of citizen science-themed texts. In Phase II, students write, peer-review, and edit position and counterpoint papers inspired by the following prompt, "Nonscientists should do scientific research." Phase III involves two creative assignments intended to communicate the true nature of science. Students work collaboratively to develop public service announcement-like poster campaigns to debunk a common misconception about the nature of science or scientists. Individually, they create a work of art to communicate a specific message about the raw experience of performing scientific research. Suggestions for implementation and modifications are provided. Strengths of the module include the development of transferable skills, temporal distribution of grading demands, minimal in-class time needed for implementation, and the inclusion of artistic projects to support affective learning domains. This citizen science-themed learning module is an excellent complement to laboratory coursework, as it serves to surprise, challenge, and inspire students while promoting disciplinary values.

  1. Evaluating Mental Health Literacy and Adolescent Depression: What Do Teenagers "Know?"

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McCarthy, John; Bruno, Michelle; Fernandes, Teresa E.

    2011-01-01

    The prevalence of depression increases markedly during adolescence, yet many youth are not receiving the support that they need. One factor that has been speculated as contributing to low rates of care is a lack of mental health literacy about depression and viable sources of support. This pilot study focused on mental health literacy as it…

  2. Assistive Technology and Literacy Partnerships

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gillette, Yvonne

    2006-01-01

    Assistive technology (AT) has the potential to support the literacy skills of students with disabilities as they participate in the general education curriculum. Empirical evidence is presented to support the use of AT, at least for some students. A case study interwoven within the article illustrates team decision-making regarding software and…

  3. Hybridization, Resistance, and Compliance: Negotiating Policies to Support Literacy Achievement

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kersten, Jodene

    2006-01-01

    This article discusses a veteran teacher's literacy pedagogy in response to policies at the district, state, and national level. The yearlong ethnographic case study analyzed the teacher's resistance, compliance, and innovative hybridization of both "official" and "unofficial" curriculum. The author collected data through…

  4. 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.

  5. Parents' Views on Literacy Development: A Brief Poll

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bolton, Clare; Clark, Christina

    2012-01-01

    This report outlines research that was conducted in February 2012 at the launch of the National Literacy Trust's Words for Life campaign that encourages parents to support their children's communication and literacy development and gives them the confidence to feel they can make a positive difference. The campaign was set up as it is parents who…

  6. 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

  7. 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.

  8. Patterns of problem-solving in children's literacy and arithmetic.

    PubMed

    Farrington-Flint, Lee; Vanuxem-Cotterill, Sophie; Stiller, James

    2009-11-01

    Patterns of problem-solving among 5-to-7 year-olds' were examined on a range of literacy (reading and spelling) and arithmetic-based (addition and subtraction) problem-solving tasks using verbal self-reports to monitor strategy choice. The results showed higher levels of variability in the children's strategy choice across Years I and 2 on the arithmetic (addition and subtraction) than literacy-based tasks (reading and spelling). However, across all four tasks, the children showed a tendency to move from less sophisticated procedural-based strategies, which included phonological strategies for reading and spelling and counting-all and finger modellingfor addition and subtraction, to more efficient retrieval methods from Years I to 2. Distinct patterns in children's problem-solving skill were identified on the literacy and arithmetic tasks using two separate cluster analyses. There was a strong association between these two profiles showing that those children with more advanced problem-solving skills on the arithmetic tasks also showed more advanced profiles on the literacy tasks. The results highlight how different-aged children show flexibility in their use of problem-solving strategies across literacy and arithmetical contexts and reinforce the importance of studying variations in children's problem-solving skill across different educational contexts.

  9. Collaboration around Facilitating Emergent Literacy: Role of Occupational Therapy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Asher, Asha; Nichols, Joy D.

    2016-01-01

    The article uses a case study to illustrate transdisciplinary perspectives on facilitating emergent literacy skills of Elsa, a primary grade student with autism. The study demonstrates how a professional learning community implemented motor, sensory, and speech/language components to generate a classroom model supporting emergent literacy skills.…

  10. Situated Literacies: Reading and Writing in Context. Literacies Series.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Barton, David, Ed.; Hamilton, Mary, Ed.; Ivanic, Roz, Ed.

    This book contains 13 papers on situated literacies and reading and writing in context. The following papers are included: "Foreword" (Denny Taylor); "Introduction: Exploring Situated Literacies"; "Literacy Practices" (David Barton, Mary Hamilton); "Expanding the New Literacy Studies: Using Photographs To Explore…

  11. Adolescent Literacy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ippolito, Jacy, Ed.; Steele, Jennifer L., Ed.; Samson, Jennifer F., Ed.

    2012-01-01

    "Adolescent Literacy" initially appeared as a special issue of the "Harvard Educational Review". It explores key issues and debates in the adolescent literacy crisis, the popular use of cognitive strategies, and disciplinary and content-area literacy. Also examined are alternative forms of literacy, afterschool interventions, new instruction…

  12. Factors that Impact West Virginia Head Start Parental Involvement in Early Literacy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Clausell, Arlene Midget

    2010-01-01

    The research problem is: Many parents are not involved in their children's early literacy education. Some Head Start parents experience issues that keep them from teaching their children early literacy skills. The research questions were: What are the factors for parental involvement in the support of early literacy skill development for their…

  13. Generalization of Literacy Skills through Portable Technology for Students with Severe Disabilities

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Spooner, Fred; Kemp-Inman, Amy; Ahlgrim-Delzell, Lynn; Wood, Leah; Ley Davis, Luann

    2015-01-01

    Literacy is an important skill for accessing all academic content areas, and there has been an increased focus on using a variety of assistive technology (AT) to support the acquisition of literacy skills for students with severe disabilities. Literacy also provides these students with skills to increase community participation, with independence,…

  14. The Case for Authentic Tasks in Content Literacy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Parsons, Seth A.; Ward, Allison E.

    2011-01-01

    Motivation, academic vocabulary, and the role of teachers have been themes of previous Content Literacy columns. In this installment, we suggest that the tasks, or assignments, students complete are an important aspect of content literacy because they influence students' understandings of content and reading. Additionally, we demonstrate how…

  15. Literacy in a Bag: Colorado School for the Deaf Sends Reading Home

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Branch, Deborah

    2009-01-01

    To assist parents with deaf or hard of hearing children who may need help supporting their child's learning, the Colorado School for the Deaf and the Blind developed Family Literacy Packs. These literacy packs, available to families within the state of Colorado, provide fun, interactive activities that help parents support their children's…

  16. 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…

  17. Literacy and Women's Empowerment: Stories of Success and Inspiration

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Eldred, Janine

    2013-01-01

    This paper explores how literacy learning can support women's empowerment and the development of greater equality, benefitting not only individual women, but families, communities and economies too. It describes and reflects upon some of the most promising approaches to developing literacy and learning for women, who form the majority of the…

  18. Technological Literacy Workshop. Proceedings. (Washington, D.C., May 6-8, 1991).

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jones, Russel C., Ed.

    This document reports the proceedings of a workshop on Technological Literacy. The objectives of the workshop were: to review programs and to identify issues in technological literacy for liberal arts majors; to discuss mechanisms for the stimulation of appropriate additional technological literacy programs; and to develop an action plan for…

  19. Advancing organizational health literacy in health care organizations serving high-needs populations: a case study.

    PubMed

    Weaver, Nancy L; Wray, Ricardo J; Zellin, Stacie; Gautam, Kanak; Jupka, Keri

    2012-01-01

    Health care organizations, well positioned to address health literacy, are beginning to shift their systems and policies to support health literacy efforts. Organizations can identify barriers, emphasize and leverage their strengths, and initiate activities that promote health literacy-related practices. The current project employed an open-ended approach to conduct a needs assessment of rural federally qualified health center clinics. Using customized assessment tools, the collaborators were then able to determine priorities for changing organizational structures and policies in order to support continued health literacy efforts. Six domains of organizational health literacy were measured with three methods: environmental assessments, patient interviews, and key informant interviews with staff and providers. Subsequent strategic planning was conducted by collaborators from the academic and clinic teams and resulted in a focused, context-appropriate action plan. The needs assessment revealed several gaps in organizational health literacy practices, such as low awareness of health literacy within the organization and variation in perceived values of protocols, interstaff communication, and patient communication. Facilitators included high employee morale and patient satisfaction. The resulting targeted action plan considered the organization's culture as revealed in the interviews, informing a collaborative process well suited to improving organizational structures and systems to support health literacy best practices. The customized needs assessment contributed to an ongoing collaborative process to implement organizational changes that aided in addressing health literacy needs.

  20. Religious Literacies in a Secular Literacy Classroom

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Skerrett, Allison

    2014-01-01

    This article examines how a literacy teacher and her students engaged students' Christian religious literacies in a secular classroom and the outcomes of those transactions. Case study methods; scholarship offering historical, cultural, and social perspectives on Christian religious literacies; and the New London Group's theory of a pedagogy of…

  1. 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…

  2. Information Literacy Meets Media Literacy and Visual Literacy.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sutton, Ronald E.

    Current definitions of three media literacies are offered from a theoretical and practical standpoint. Information literacy means that a person must be able to recognize when information is needed, and have the ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information. In response to the concerns of legislators and organizations such…

  3. Year 5 Booster Units. The National Literacy Strategy.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Department for Education and Employment, London (England).

    The eight units of work in this document are designed to complement existing literacy booster units. Each unit is based on teaching objectives from the National Literacy Strategy Framework. They have been produced with the help of Year 5 teachers and have been trialled with pupils in a range of schools. The units support teachers' work with Year 5…

  4. Personal Literacy Experience.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Knotts, Lester William

    Literacy is inextricably linked to the social context in which literacy is taught, and in which the language is used. Cultural expectations require the use of specific literacies. Who a person is, in terms of a literacy user and a literacy worker are dictated by the culture in which a person chooses to operate. Literacy is not neutral, but an…

  5. Intelligent Tutoring Systems for Literacy: Existing Technologies and Continuing Challenges

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jacovina, Matthew E.; McNamara, Danielle S.

    2017-01-01

    In this chapter, we describe several intelligent tutoring systems (ITSs) designed to support student literacy through reading comprehension and writing instruction and practice. Although adaptive instruction can be a powerful tool in the literacy domain, developing these technologies poses significant challenges. For example, evaluating the…

  6. Assessing Dental Hygienists' Communication Techniques for Use with Low Oral Health Literacy Patients.

    PubMed

    Flynn, Priscilla; Acharya, Amit; Schwei, Kelsey; VanWormer, Jeffrey; Skrzypcak, Kaitlyn

    2016-06-01

    This primary aim of this study was to assess communication techniques used with low oral health literacy patients by dental hygienists in rural Wisconsin dental clinics. A secondary aim was to determine the utility of the survey instrument used in this study. A mixed methods study consisting of a cross-sectional survey, immediately followed by focus groups, was conducted among dental hygienists in the Marshfield Clinic (Wisconsin) service area. The survey quantified the routine use of 18 communication techniques previously shown to be effective with low oral health literacy patients. Linear regression was used to analyze the association between routine use of each communication technique and several indicator variables, including geographic practice region, oral health literacy familiarity, communication skills training and demographic indicators. Qualitative analyses included code mapping to the 18 communication techniques identified in the survey, and generating new codes based on discussion content. On average, the 38 study participants routinely used 6.3 communication techniques. Dental hygienists who used an oral health literacy assessment tool reported using significantly more communication techniques compared to those who did not use an oral health literacy assessment tool. Focus group results differed from survey responses as few dental hygienists stated familiarity with the term "oral health literacy." Motivational interviewing techniques and using an integrated electronic medical-dental record were additional communication techniques identified as useful with low oral health literacy patients. Dental hygienists in this study routinely used approximately one-third of the communication techniques recommended for low oral health literacy patients supporting the need for training on this topic. Based on focus group results, the survey used in this study warrants modification and psychometric testing prior to further use. Copyright © 2016 The American Dental

  7. 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

  8. Developing Health Literacy Knowledge and Skills Through Case-Based Learning

    PubMed Central

    Lopez, Tina

    2014-01-01

    Objective. To evaluate the efficacy of case-based learning to teach pharmacy students health literacy concepts and skills in managing patients with limited health literacy. Design. A health literacy patient case was developed and incorporated into a case-based learning laboratory. The case involved a patient with limited health literacy and required students to evaluate and formulate a care plan. Assessment. A comparison of pretest and posttest scores demonstrated that students gained health literacy knowledge and skills through completion of the patient case. Students believed that the case-based exercise was successful in meeting specific learning objectives for the course. Conclusions. Addition of a case-based learning was effective in teaching pharmacy students health literacy concepts and skills. PMID:24558285

  9. 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…

  10. Literacy: Learning and Schooling.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Milz, Vera E.

    1987-01-01

    The concern for literacy dominates the elementary classroom as instructional theories mesh with the realities of practice. Reviews of research literature, such as "Becoming a Nation of Readers," have given considerable support to meaning-centered, active language learning curricula. Questioning whether today's children will be literate…

  11. The Literacy Skills of Secondary Teaching Undergraduates: Results of Diagnostic Testing and a Discussion of Findings

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Moon, Brian

    2014-01-01

    The capacity of secondary school teachers to support general literacy and to teach discipline-specific literacy skills depends upon their personal literacy competence. Diagnostic testing of 203 secondary teaching undergraduates at one Australian university revealed deficiencies in personal literacy competence that could affect their future…

  12. Empirical Support for the Integration of Dispositions in Action and Multiple Literacies into AASL's Standards for the 21st Century Learner

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Arnone, Marilyn P.; Reynolds, Rebecca

    2009-01-01

    AASL's Standards for the 21st Century Learner are based on a number of common beliefs, including the importance of reading and technology skills, and the acknowledgement that the concept of information literacy has indeed become more complex since the last century. The data provided in this article support the importance of considering the…

  13. Literacy and Learning in Healthcare

    PubMed Central

    Wolf, Michael S.; Wilson, Elizabeth A.H.; Rapp, David N.; Waite, Katherine R.; Bocchini, Mary V.; Davis, Terry C.; Rudd, and Rima E.

    2014-01-01

    The relationship between literacy and health outcomes are well documented in adult medicine, yet specific causal pathways are not entirely clear. Despite an incomplete understanding of the problem, numerous interventions have already been implemented with variable success. Many of the earlier strategies assumed the problem to originate from reading difficulties only. Given the timely need for more effective interventions, it is of increasing importance to reconsider the meaning of health literacy in order to advance our conceptual understanding of the problem and how best to respond. One potentially effective approach might involve recognizing the known associations between a larger set of cognitive and psychosocial abilities with functional literacy skills. We review the current health literacy definition and literature and draw upon relevant research from the fields of education, cognitive science, and psychology. In this framework, a research agenda is proposed that considers an individual's health learning capacity, referring to the broad constellation of cognitive and psychosocial skills patients or family members must draw upon to effectively promote, protect, and manage their own or a child's health. This new, related concept will ideally lead to more effective ways of thinking about health literacy interventions, including the design of health education materials, instructional strategies, and the delivery of healthcare services to support patients and families across the lifespan. PMID:19861481

  14. 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…

  15. Artifactual Critical Literacy: A New Perspective for Literacy Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pahl, Kate H.; Rowsell, Jennifer

    2011-01-01

    In this article, we propose a framework for literacy education, called artifactual critical literacy, which unites a material cultural studies approach together with critical literacy education. Critical literacy is a field that addresses imbalances of power and, in particular, pays attention to the voices of those who are less frequently heard.…

  16. Young offenders' perspectives on their literacy and communication skills.

    PubMed

    Hopkins, Thomas; Clegg, Judy; Stackhouse, Joy

    2016-01-01

    Research has revealed that the youth offending population has low language ability when assessed on standardized language measures. However, little is known about the perceptions young offenders (YOs) have of their own literacy ability and their communicative interactions with others. Such knowledge might further our understanding of the possible association between language, literacy and offending behaviour. This study investigates the perceptions and experiences YOs have of using literacy and communicating with others. It addresses the following questions. How satisfied are YOs with their own literacy and communication skills and how important do YOs perceive these to be? How much do YOs believe they understand others in their communicative interactions? How satisfied are YOs with their communicative interactions with others and how does this influence conflict at home, school, and in the youth justice system? An opportunity sample of 31 YOs on court orders were recruited from a local youth offending service, excluding any who did not have English as a first language or were in receipt of current speech and language therapy provision. Twenty-six qualitative individual semi-structured interviews and two focus group interviews were carried out and analysed using a framework analysis method. Themes revealed participants were dissatisfied with their communication and literacy ability. Other themes identified were difficulty in understanding others, a perceived lack of support and respect gained from others, and a negative impact of communication on self-esteem. The findings suggest that YOs often found themselves in disputes with authority figures, but that they avoided using positive communication to solve such conflicts and also avoided confiding in others. The findings support the results found from quantitative research on the language abilities of YOs. This emphasizes the value in adopting qualitative methodology to understand the relationship between literacy

  17. Supporting Kindergartners' Science Talk in the Context of an Integrated Science and Disciplinary Literacy Curriculum

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wright, Tanya S.; Gotwals, Amelia Wenk

    2017-01-01

    Given the growing evidence of limited attention to science, disciplinary literacy, and oral language in elementary classrooms serving low-income children, this study focused on designing and testing an integrated science and disciplinary language and literacy curriculum aligned with NGSS and CCSS ELA standards for kindergarten. We used…

  18. Active-learning strategies to develop health literacy knowledge and skills.

    PubMed

    Devraj, Radhika; Butler, Lakesha M; Gupchup, Gireesh V; Poirier, Therese I

    2010-10-11

    To implement active-learning exercises in a required pharmacy course and assess their impact on students' knowledge and confidence in identifying and communicating with patients with low health literacy, as part of a required course in cultural competency, health literacy, and health beliefs. Active-learning activities including administering health literacy assessments, identifying informal signs of low health literacy, conducting mock patient counseling sessions, rating the readability of drug information, analyzing information in drug advertisements, and writing patient education materials were incorporated into the 6-sesssion health literacy portion of the course. A pretest and posttest showed that students' knowledge of health literacy increased, and a retrospective pretest found improvement in students' confidence in their ability to care for patients with low health literacy. In-class discussions provided informal evidence that students gained new knowledge from the active-learning activities. The addition of active-learning activities was effective in teaching health literacy concepts to pharmacy students.

  19. Middle School Science Teachers' Confidence and Pedagogical Practice of New Literacies

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hsu, Hui-Yin; Wang, Shiang-Kwei; Runco, Lisa

    2013-06-01

    Due to the rapid advancements of information and communication technologies (ICTs), educational researchers argue that multimodal and new literacies should become common practices in schools. As new ICTs emerge and evolve, students need the new literacies skills and practices to successfully participate fully in the civic life of a global community. Are teachers prepared to integrate ICTs in the classroom to develop students' new literacies skills? The purpose of this study is to suggest a new literacies framework that guides ICTs integration and supports scientific inquiry, as well as investigate middle school teachers' confidence to practice new literacies in science classrooms. The study adopted mixed-methodology design, surveyed 32 middle school science teachers' ICTs and new literacies skills, and randomly observed 15 teachers' new literacies practices in the classrooms. The results revealed that even though teachers have high confidence in using ICTs, the meaningful technology integration and new literacies practices were scarcely observed in their classroom practices.

  20. 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…

  1. Top Down versus Bottom Up: The Social Construction of the Health Literacy Movement

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Huber, Jeffrey T.; Shapiro, Robert M., II; Gillaspy, Mary L.

    2012-01-01

    The health literacy movement has been socially constructed over time. Unlike the consumer health information movement, which developed with broad public support, the health literacy movement has been fashioned primarily from the top down, initiated by policy makers and imposed on targeted populations. Interest in the health literacy movement has…

  2. Family Literacy Programs: Where Have They Come from and Where Are They Going?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Doyle, Antoinette

    2012-01-01

    Family literacy programs in North America and the United Kingdom have enjoyed widespread public and political support. Thousands of initiatives following a variety of models currently operate under the spectrum of family literacy programs. In this paper, the influence of learning theories, the research on children's early literacy development, and…

  3. Early Literacy Intervention for Preschoolers Who Need Tier 3 Support

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kaminski, Ruth A.; Powell-Smith, Kelly A.

    2017-01-01

    Phonemic awareness has been consistently identified as an essential skill for as well as an important predictor of later reading achievement. Children who lack these early literacy skills at kindergarten entry are more likely to demonstrate both short- and long-term reading difficulties. Despite the importance of providing intervention early,…

  4. The Climate Literacy and Energy Awareness Network (clean) Pathway: Integrating Science and Solutions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ledley, T. S.; McCaffrey, M. S.; Buhr, S.; Manduca, C. A.; Fox, S.; Niepold, F.; Gold, A. U.

    2010-12-01

    Changes in the climate system are underway, largely due to human impacts, and it is essential that citizens understand what these changes are, what is causing them, and the potential implications in order for them to make responsible decisions for themselves, their communities and society. The Climate Literacy Network (CLN) comprised of a broad spectrum of ~200 stakeholders, has virtual meetings weekly (since January 2008) to provide a forum to share information and leverage efforts to address the complex issues involved in making climate and energy literacy real in formal and informal educational contexts as well as for all citizens. The discussions of the CLN have led to 1) coordinated efforts to support the implementation of the Climate Literacy Essential Principles of Climate Science (CLEP, http://www.climatescience.gov/Library/Literacy/), 2) the establishment of the CLEAN Pathway collection (http://cleanet.org) of reviewed resources that directly support the CLEP, and 3) the development of a model for CLEAN-Regional Networks that facilitate increasing climate and energy literacy at the local level. In this presentation we will describe the ongoing activities of the CLN and provide an overview of the new and recently launched CLEAN Pathway collection. The CLEAN Pathway is a project to steward an on-line collection of digital teaching materials that directly address the CLEP as well as a set of energy awareness principles. All teaching materials are aligned with the NAAEE Guidelines for Excellence in Environmental Education, the AAAS Project 2061 Benchmarks for Science Literacy, and the National Science Education Standards. With a goal of vetting ~500 educational materials at the 6-16 grade levels, we have just completed our first round of identifying, reviewing and annotating ~100 excellent teaching activities. We will demonstrate the current capabilities of the CLEAN Pathway portal, describe plans for additional functionality, and provide a vision for others

  5. Cognitive decline impairs financial and health literacy among community-based older persons without dementia

    PubMed Central

    Boyle, Patricia A.; Yu, Lei; Wilson, Robert S.; Segawa, Eisuke; Buchman, Aron S.; Bennett, David A.

    2013-01-01

    Literacy is an important determinant of health and well-being across the lifespan but is critical in aging, when many influential health and financial decisions are made. Prior studies suggest that older persons exhibit lower literacy than younger persons, particularly in the domains of financial and health literacy, but the reasons why remain unknown. The objectives of this study were to: a) examine pathways linking diverse resources (i.e., education, word knowledge, cognitive function, and decision making style) to health and financial literacy among older persons and determine the extent to which the relation of age with literacy represents a direct effect versus an indirect effect due to decrements in specific cognitive functions (i.e., executive functions and episodic memory), and b) test the hypothesis that declines in executive function and episodic memory are associated with lower literacy among older persons without dementia. 645 community-based older persons without dementia underwent detailed assessments of diverse resources, including education, word knowledge, cognitive function (i.e., executive function, episodic memory) and decision making style (i.e., risk aversion), and completed a measure of literacy that included items similar to those assessed in the Health and Retirement Study, such as numeracy, financial concepts such as compound inflation and knowledge of stocks and bonds, and important health concepts such as understanding of drug risk and Medicare Part D. Path analysis revealed a strong effect of age on literacy, with about half of the effect of age on literacy due to decrements in executive functions and episodic memory. In addition, executive function had an indirect effect on literacy via decision making style (i.e., risk aversion), and education and word knowledge had independent effects on literacy. Finally, among (n=447) persons with repeated cognitive assessments available for up to 14 years, regression analysis supported the

  6. Cognitive decline impairs financial and health literacy among community-based older persons without dementia.

    PubMed

    Boyle, Patricia A; Yu, Lei; Wilson, Robert S; Segawa, Eisuke; Buchman, Aron S; Bennett, David A

    2013-09-01

    Literacy is an important determinant of health and well-being across the life span but is critical in aging, when many influential health and financial decisions are made. Prior studies suggest that older persons exhibit lower literacy than younger persons, particularly in the domains of financial and health literacy, but the reasons why remain unknown. The objectives of this study were to: (a) examine pathways linking diverse resources (i.e., education, word knowledge, cognitive function, and decision making style) to health and financial literacy among older persons and determine the extent to which the relation of age with literacy represents a direct effect versus an indirect effect due to decrements in specific cognitive functions (i.e., executive functions and episodic memory); and (b) test the hypothesis that declines in executive function and episodic memory are associated with lower literacy among older persons without dementia. Six-hundred and forty-five community-based older persons without dementia underwent detailed assessments of diverse resources, including education, word knowledge, cognitive function (i.e., executive function, episodic memory) and decision making style (i.e., risk aversion), and completed a measure of literacy that included items similar to those used in the Health and Retirement Study, such as numeracy, financial concepts such as compound inflation and knowledge of stocks and bonds, and important health concepts such as understanding of drug risk and Medicare Part D. Path analysis revealed a strong effect of age on literacy, with about half of the effect of age on literacy due to decrements in executive functions and episodic memory. In addition, executive function had an indirect effect on literacy via decision making style (i.e., risk aversion), and education and word knowledge had independent effects on literacy. Finally, among (n = 447) persons with repeated cognitive assessments available for up to 14 years, regression

  7. eHealth literacy among undergraduate nursing students.

    PubMed

    Tubaishat, Ahmad; Habiballah, Laila

    2016-07-01

    The Internet has become a major source of health related information. Nursing students, as future healthcare providers, should be skilled in locating, using and evaluating online health information. The main purpose of this study was to assess eHealth literacy among nursing students in Jordan, as well as to explore factors associated with eHealth literacy. A descriptive cross sectional survey was conducted in two universities in Jordan, one public and one private. A total of 541 students completed the eHealth literacy scale (eHEALS). Some additional personal and demographical variables were collected to explore their relation to eHealth literacy. Students have a moderate self-perceived level of eHealth literacy (M=3.62, SD=0.58). They are aware of the available online health resources and know how to search, locate, and use these resources. Yet, they lack skills to evaluate them and cannot differentiate between high and low quality resources. Factors that are related to eHealth literacy include type of university, type of student admission, academic level, students' internet skills, and their perception of the usefulness and importance of the internet. On the other hand, age, gender, grade point average (GPA), and frequency of internet use were found not to significantly affect eHealth literacy. This study represents a baseline reference for eHealth literacy in Jordan. Students have some of the necessary skills, while others still need to be improved. Nursing educators and administrators should incorporate eHealth literacy skills into the curriculum. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. Low Health Literacy Is Associated with Increased Transitional Care Needs in Hospitalized Patients.

    PubMed

    Boyle, Joseph; Speroff, Theodore; Worley, Katherine; Cao, Aize; Goggins, Kathryn; Dittus, Robert S; Kripalani, Sunil

    2017-11-01

    To examine the association of health literacy with the number and type of transitional care needs (TCN) among patients being discharged to home. A cross-sectional analysis of patients admitted to an academic medical center. Nurses administered the Brief Health Literacy Screen and documented TCNs along 10 domains: caregiver support, transportation, healthcare utilization, high-risk medical comorbidities, medication management, medical devices, functional status, mental health comorbidities, communication, and financial resources. Among the 384 patients analyzed, 113 (29%) had inadequate health literacy. Patients with inadequate health literacy had needs in more TCN domains (mean = 5.29 vs 4.36; P < 0 .001). In unadjusted analysis, patients with inadequate health literacy were significantly more likely to have TCNs in 7 out of the 10 domains. In multivariate analyses, inadequate health literacy remained significantly associated with inadequate caregiver support (odds ratio [OR], 2.61; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.37-4.99) and transportation barriers (OR, 1.69; 95% CI, 1.04-2.76). Among hospitalized patients, inadequate health literacy is prevalent and independently associated with other needs that place patients at a higher risk of adverse outcomes, such as hospital readmission. Screening for inadequate health literacy and associated needs may enable hospitals to address these barriers and improve postdischarge outcomes. © 2017 Society of Hospital Medicine

  9. Oral language supports early literacy: a pilot cluster randomized trial in disadvantaged schools.

    PubMed

    Snow, Pamela C; Eadie, Patricia A; Connell, Judy; Dalheim, Brenda; McCusker, Hugh J; Munro, John K

    2014-10-01

    This study examined the impact of teacher professional development aimed at improving the capacity of primary teachers in disadvantaged schools to strengthen children's expressive and receptive oral language skills and early literacy success in the first 2 years of school. Fourteen low-SES schools in Victoria, Australia were randomly allocated to a research (n = 8) or control arm (n = 6), resulting in an initial sample of 1254 students, (n = 602 in research arm and n = 652 in control arm). The intervention comprised 6 days of teacher and principal professional development (delivered by language and literacy experts), school-based continuing contact with the research team and completion by one staff member of each research school of a postgraduate unit on early language and literacy. Schools in the control arm received standard teaching according to state auspiced curriculum guidelines. Full data were available on 979 students at follow-up (time 2). Students in the research arm performed significantly better on Test of Language Development: Primary (Fourth Edition) sub-tests (p ≤ .002) and the Reading Progress Test (F = 10.4(1); p = .001) than students in the control arm at time 2. Narrative scores were not significantly different at time 2, although students in research schools showed greater gains. Findings provide "proof of concept" for this approach, and are discussed with respect to implications for teacher professional development and pre-service education concerning the psycholinguistic competencies that underpin the transition to literacy.

  10. Supporting Adults to Address Their Literacy Needs Using E-Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fletcher, Jo; Nicholas, Karen; Davis, Niki

    2011-01-01

    Many adults need help with literacy learning. This is extremely challenging for the tertiary education sector and workplace-situated learning organisations. E-learning may be an effective and efficient way to improve the delivery of teaching of basic skills to learners. Our research study included five embedded case studies within one tertiary…

  11. Breastfeeding peer support: are there additional benefits?

    PubMed

    Wade, Deborah; Haining, Shona; Day, Ann

    2009-12-01

    Anecdotal discussion among breastfeeding peer supporters and the infant-feeding co-ordinator suggested that breastfeeding peer support provided by breastfeeding peer supporters may offer benefits to breastfeeding women and their families other than increasing breastfeeding initiation and sustainability. The aim of this research was to determine whether there was evidence to support this. The research team used focus groups to obtain information from 16 local women who had received breastfeeding peer support from breastfeeding peer supporters. The key themes that emerged were--improved mental health, increased self-esteem or confidence, parenting skills, improved family diet, breastfeeding sustainability and poor hospital experience.The findings suggest that breastfeeding peer supporters supporting mothers to breastfeed, with the intention of increasing both breastfeeding rates and sustainability, may have additional benefits in several aspects of families' lives. Breastfeeding peer support may play an important role in helping to attain targets such as reducing obesity and postnatal depression.

  12. Literacy Mash-Up: Discipline-Specific Practices Empower Content-Area Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dostal, Hannah; Gabriel, Rachael

    2016-01-01

    The authors describe a process for building teachers' capacity to identify, develop, and engage in discipline-specific literacy instruction that supports both content and literacy aims. This process uses three questions to frame inquiry and guide discussions. Addressing these three questions can empower content-area teachers to incorporate…

  13. 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.…

  14. An investigation of Taiwanese graduate students' level of civic scientific literacy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lee, Yu-Mei

    2003-07-01

    Professionals in a variety of disciplines have stressed the importance of advancing the scientific literacy of all citizens in a democratic and science- and technology-based society. Taiwan has been striving hard to advance its democracy and heavily relies on a knowledge-based economy. The high rank Taiwan receives in international comparisons demonstrates Taiwan's high achievement in science at the middle school level. However, no empirical evidence has been collected to examine whether this high achievement at the middle school level promises a high level of scientific literacy in adults. This study investigated the level of scientific literacy of Taiwanese graduate students using Miller's framework of three dimensions of civic scientific literacy, including: (1) a vocabulary of basic scientific constructs, (2) an understanding of the process of scientific inquiry, and (3) some level of understanding of the impact of science and technology on individuals and on society. A web-based questionnaire was employed to survey Taiwanese graduate students studying in three different types of graduate schools and eleven academic fields. A total of 525 responses were collected. In addition, following the survey, eight participants were purposefully selected for individual interviews in order to obtain additional information on participants' scientific literacy. Descriptive statistical analyses were computed to summarize the participants' overall responses to each of the survey sections. Regression models using dummy coding of categorical variables (i.e., gender, school type, and academic areas) were performed to examine whether significant differences exist among different groups. The major findings suggest that: (1) Taiwanese graduate students' civic scientific literacy is not at a satisfactory level; (2) the participants carry mixed attitudes toward science and technology, (3) Taiwanese graduate students are not very attentive to new information of science and technology

  15. Scientific Literacy and Student Attitudes: Perspectives from PISA 2006 science

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bybee, Rodger; McCrae, Barry

    2011-01-01

    International assessments provide important knowledge about science education and help inform decisions about policies, programmes, and practices in participating countries. In 2006, science was the primary domain for the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), supported by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and conducted by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER). Compared to the school curriculum orientation of Trends in International Math and Science Study (TIMSS), PISA provides a perspective that emphasises the application of knowledge to science and technology-related life situations. The orientation of PISA includes both knowledge and attitudes as these contribute to students' competencies that are central to scientific literacy. In addition to students' knowledge and competencies, the 2006 PISA survey gathered data on students' interest in science, support for scientific enquiry, and responsibility towards resources and environments. The survey used both a non-contextualised student questionnaire and contextualised questions. The latter is an innovative approach which embedded attitudinal questions at the conclusion of about two-thirds of the test units. The results presented in this article make connections between students' attitudes and interests in science and scientific literacy.

  16. An education intervention to improve health literacy and decision making about supporting self-care among older Australians: a study protocol for a randomised controlled trial.

    PubMed

    Smith, Caroline A; Chang, Esther; Gallego, Gisselle; Balneaves, Lynda G

    2017-09-26

    Older Australians are high consumers of complementary and alternative medicines (CM). To help older people to take an active role in their health, we will develop and evaluate a novel educational intervention to support decision self-efficacy, and improve health literacy skills. The primary hypothesis is that participants receiving a web/DVD plus booklet intervention compared with a booklet-only group will demonstrate an increase in decision self-efficacy. This study is a randomised controlled trial. One hundred and sixty-eight people aged 65 years and older will be recruited from community settings comprising retirement villages and community groups, based in Sydney, Australia. Participants will be randomly allocated to either the education intervention delivered by the Internet or a DVD plus booklet versus a control group (booklet only). The primary outcome measure is CM decision self-efficacy. Secondary outcomes are health literacy, knowledge and attitudes, and change in health-seeking behaviour. Participants' views on the ease of using the resources, the length of the modules, the amount of information, and participant understanding of the modules will be assessed. Outcomes will be collected on completion of the intervention at 3 weeks, and at a 2-month follow up from trial entry. This trial has the potential to improve CM health literacy in older Australians. There are no educational resources designed to support decision self-efficacy and improve health literacy amongst older people related to CM. Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ANZCTR), ACTRN12616000135415 . Registered on 5 February 2016.

  17. ICT Literacy of Vocational High School Students

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Miraj, Y. Z.; Rohendi, D.; Yannuar; Nurhabibah; Wendi, H. F.

    2018-02-01

    The development of information and communication technology (ICT) has brought about change in education in Indonesia. With ICT students can easily access a variety of information in supporting the learning process. But there was a problem where ICT infrastructure across Indonesia including in the uneven Siak Regency, this can lead to gaps in technology and also weak ICT literacy. This research aims to know the ICT literacy of the students of SMK in Siak Regency. The research method used was survey with the quantitative approach. The results of this study showed that the use of ICT (computers, Internet) has been used by students of SMK, but usability of ICT has not been fullest support the learning process.

  18. A Strengths Model for Learning in a Family Literacy Program.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Potts, Meta W.

    Family literacy programs are developed on the premise that the important relationships between children and adults affect literacy achievement and activity. The programs bring parents and children together in a teaching and learning environment. The critical teacher in a child's life is the parent. Family programs support and strengthen family…

  19. eHealth Literacy and Partner Involvement in Treatment Decision Making for Men With Newly Diagnosed Localized Prostate Cancer.

    PubMed

    Song, Lixin; Tatum, Kimberly; Greene, Giselle; Chen, Ronald C

    2017-03-01

    To examine how the eHealth literacy of partners of patients with newly diagnosed prostate cancer affects their involvement in decision making, and to identify the factors that influence their eHealth literacy.
. Cross-sectional exploratory study.
. North Carolina.
. 142 partners of men with newly diagnosed localized prostate cancer. 
. A telephone survey and descriptive and multiple linear regression analyses were used.
. The partners' eHealth literacy, involvement in treatment decision making, and demographics, and the health statuses of the patients and their partners. 
. Higher levels of eHealth literacy among partners were significantly associated with their involvement in getting a second opinion, their awareness of treatment options, and the size of the social network they relied on for additional information and support for treatment decision making for prostate cancer. The factor influencing eHealth literacy was the partners' access to the Internet for personal use, which explained some of the variance in eHealth literacy.
. This study described how partners' eHealth literacy influenced their involvement in treatment decision making for prostate cancer and highlighted the influencing factors (i.e., partners' access to the Internet for personal use).
. When helping men with prostate cancer and their partners with treatment decision making, nurses need to assess eHealth literacy levels to determine whether nonelectronically based education materials are needed and to provide clear instructions on how to use eHealth resources.

  20. Teachers' Engagement with New Literacies: Support for Implementing Technology in the English/Language Arts Classroom

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Zoch, Melody; Myers, Joy; Belcher, Jennifer

    2017-01-01

    This qualitative study examined in-service teachers who were enrolled in a graduate level course that focused on new literacies and the integration of technology with literacy. They also taught children enrolled in a summer writing camp as part of the course. The authors followed the teachers into their classrooms once the graduate course ended to…

  1. Measuring Ocean Literacy: What teens understand about the ocean using the Survey of Ocean Literacy and Engagement (SOLE)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Greely, T. M.; Lodge, A.

    2009-12-01

    attitudes significantly contributed to ocean literacy. Teens demonstrated a 2-32% increase in content knowledge following the OCG learning experience. The most significant content gains correlated with ocean literacy Essential Principles 1, 2 and 5. Analysis of environmental reasoning patterns revealed that biocentric reasoning (71%) was most important to teens in solving ocean dilemmas. Further, teens reasoning about challenging ocean dilemmas were capable of supporting a position, counter-argument, rebuttal, and accurately use scientific information. Findings provide empirical evidence that connects field studies with ocean literacy. Current guidelines for ocean literacy address cognitive understanding but lack multimodality. The need for ocean literacy that goes beyond content to include reasoning and actions is relevant towards preparing students, teachers and citizens to regularly contribute to decisions about ocean issues and undertake actions as consumer, citizen or steward. This research supports the use of socioscientific issues and stewardship to advance ‘functional’ ocean literacy.

  2. Movement for Canadian Literacy: Statistics Show Millions Struggle with Literacy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Movement for Canadian Literacy, 2005

    2005-01-01

    The International Adult Literacy and Skills Survey (IALSS), released on November 9, takes a closer look at Canadians' ability to deal with everyday literacy demands. In today's information-based society and economy, literacy is more important than ever. IALSS defines literacy as one's capacity to "use printed and written information to…

  3. Literacy Assessment in the Service of Literacy Policy.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Venezky, Richard L.

    Literacy policy has often developed independently of other social and employment programs. As a consequence, literacy tends to become an end unto itself, and assessment is directed more toward academic, archival ends than toward policy evaluation. Many justifications given for large-scale literacy programs are not based upon empirical data.…

  4. Keeping Current. Celebrating National Literacy Month: Media Literacy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Baker, Frank

    2004-01-01

    There is reason to believe that media literacy is gaining a higher profile in schools across the United States. For the first time, most states' teaching standards include elements of media literacy and textbook publishers are beginning to include media education. The inclusion of "viewing" and media literacy presents school library…

  5. Approaches to Dispute Resolution in Additional Support Needs in Scotland

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Riddell, Sheila; Weedon, Elisabet

    2009-01-01

    The Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004 aimed, among other things, to increase parents' rights in relation to the education of their children. In addition to the creation of the Additional Supports Needs Tribunals for Scotland, parents were given new rights to challenge local authority decisions through mediation and…

  6. Internet Literacy of Vocational High School Teachers

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Vernanda, D.; Abdullah, A. G.; Rohendi, D.

    2018-02-01

    Internet literacy is needed to know the development of the world in various things quickly and precisely, as well as in the world of education, especially teachers. Seeing the importance of internet literacy, there is an interest to discuss and analyze the level of internet literacy of teachers. The method used in this research is descriptive qualitative. The sample of research is vocational school teacher (SMK) as many as 99 respondents. Data are collected through questionnaires. The theory used is adopted from Suitable Learning Object Type (LRE APV4.7) and Three Elements of Literacy Digital. The result data of the questionnaire is processed and analyzed using Capability Maturity Model theory, the result of the research shows that the level of internet literacy of vocational teachers is at level 2, meaning that SMK teachers have used the internet many times to assist their daily activities and have pattern of repetition in internet utilization. The use of internet by teachers of SMK with various needs that support the process of teaching, communicating, sharing knowledge, but the most dominant is to communicate through social media. Factors affecting internet usage include age, gender, and employment status.

  7. Introduction to Media Literacy Education and Media Literacy Education Bibliography.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Robinson, Julia

    Noting that media literacy education is mandated in almost every developed country in the world except the United States, this paper introduces the concept of media literacy education and presents a 32-item annotated bibliography on media literacy education. The paper defines media literacy as the ability to access, decode, analyze, evaluate, and…

  8. The Impact of Peer Mentoring on Pupils' Emotional Literacy Competencies

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    O'Hara, Donna

    2011-01-01

    Research suggests that peer mentoring can positively impact on emotional literacy competencies. This study explored the effects of peer mentoring on the emotional literacy competencies of Year 7 peer mentees using a quasi-experimental pre-test and post-test control group design. Results supported the hypothesis that peer mentoring has a positive…

  9. Clickers to the Rescue: Technology Integration Helps Boost Literacy Scores

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Moratelli, Katelyn; DeJarnette, Nancy K.

    2014-01-01

    Literacy assessment scores in an urban 5th grade classroom left much to be desired. In this diverse classroom population, typical urban distractions such as poverty, crime, English as a second language, and lack of parental support contribute to extremely low literacy scores. This classroom study examined the effects of implementing clickers, a…

  10. Additional Support Needs Policy in Scotland: Challenging or Reinforcing Social Inequality?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Riddell, Sheila; Weedon, Elisabet

    2016-01-01

    This paper focuses on Scottish policy on additional support needs and its material outcomes. The central question addressed is the extent to which the Scottish additional support needs system undermines or reinforces existing social and economic inequalities. Administrative data highlight the inflation of the additional support needs category,…

  11. Workplace Literacy. Essays from the Model Literacy Project.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Holzman, Michael, Ed.; Connolly, Olga, Ed.

    The 20 essays in this collection are based on a project undertaken by the California Conservation Corps (CCC) and the Model Literacy Project in 1983-85. (The goal of the project was to institute changes within the CCC to enhance the literacy of corpsmembers.) Essays describe innovative approaches to literacy education, analyze bureaucratic…

  12. Double threshold in bi- and multilingual contexts: preconditions for higher academic attainment in English as an additional language

    PubMed Central

    Lechner, Simone; Siemund, Peter

    2014-01-01

    Bi- and multilingualism has been shown to have positive effects on the attainment of third and additional languages. These effects, however, depend on the type of bi- and multilingualism and the status of the languages involved (Cenoz, 2003; Jessner, 2006). In this exploratory trend study, we revisit Cummins' Threshold Hypothesis (1979), claiming that bilingual children must reach certain levels of attainment in order to (a) avoid academic deficits and (b) allow bilingualism to have a positive effect on their cognitive development and academic attainment. To this end, we examine the attainment of English as an academic language of 16-years-old school children from Hamburg (n = 52). Our findings support the existence of thresholds for literacy attainment. We argue that language external factors may override positive effects of bilingualism. In addition, these factors may compensate negative effects attributable to low literacy attainment in German and the heritage languages. We also show that low attainment levels in migrant children's heritage languages preempt high literacy attainment in additional languages. PMID:24926277

  13. Literacy in America.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Graubard, Stephen R., Ed.

    1990-01-01

    This collection of essays addresses issues related to basic literacy and mathematical competence in the United States. Articles include the following: "The Roots of Literacy" (David Hawkins); "Historical Perspectives on Literacy and Schooling" (Daniel P. Resnick); "Reconciling the Literacies of Generations" (William…

  14. Measuring functional, interactive and critical health literacy of Chinese secondary school students: reliable, valid and feasible?

    PubMed

    Guo, Shuaijun; Davis, Elise; Yu, Xiaoming; Naccarella, Lucio; Armstrong, Rebecca; Abel, Thomas; Browne, Geoffrey; Shi, Yanqin

    2018-04-01

    Health literacy is an increasingly important topic in the global context. In mainland China, health literacy measures mainly focus on health knowledge and practices or on the functional domain for adolescents. However, little is known about interactive and critical domains. This study aimed to adopt a skills-based and three-domain (functional, interactive and critical) instrument to measure health literacy in Chinese adolescents and to examine the status and determinants of each domain. Using a systematic review, the eight-item Health Literacy Assessment Tool (HLAT-8) was selected and translated from English to Chinese (c-HLAT-8). Following the translation process, a cross-sectional study was conducted in four secondary schools in Beijing, China. A total of 650 students in Years 7-9 were recruited to complete a self-administered questionnaire that assessed socio-demographics, self-efficacy, social support, school environment, community environment and health literacy. Results showed that the c-HLAT-8 had satisfactory reliability (Cronbach's α = 0.79; intra-class correlation coefficient = 0.72) and strong validity (translation validity index (TVI) ≥0.95; χ 2 / df = 3.388, p < 0.001; comparative fit index = 0.975, Tucker and Lewis's index of fit = 0.945, normed fit index = 0.965, root mean error of approximation = 0.061; scores on the c-HLAT-8 were moderately correlated with the Health Literacy Study-Taiwan, but weakly with the Newest Vital Sign). Chinese students had an average score of 26.37 (±5.89) for the c-HLAT-8. When the determinants of each domain of health literacy were examined, social support was the strongest predictor of interactive and critical health literacy. On the contrary, self-efficacy and school environment played more dominant roles in predicting functional health literacy. The c-HLAT-8 was demonstrated to be a reliable, valid and feasible instrument for measuring functional, interactive and critical health literacy among Chinese students

  15. Reform in Literacy Education in China. Literacy Lessons.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Yianwei, Wang; Jiyuan, Li

    Literacy in China is mainly concerned with illiteracy in rural areas. Therefore, reforming literacy education is largely a problem of how to eliminate rural literacy within the general framework of reform in contemporary China. From 1949 to 1988, the illiteracy rate among the population decreased from 80 percent to 20 percent. There are still…

  16. Understanding Health Literacy Measurement Through Eye Tracking

    PubMed Central

    Mackert, Michael; Champlin, Sara E.; Pasch, Keryn E.; Weiss, Barry D.

    2013-01-01

    This study used eye-tracking technology to explore how individuals with different levels of health literacy visualize health-related information. The authors recruited 25 university administrative staff (more likely to have adequate health literacy skills) and 25 adults enrolled in an adult literacy program (more likely to have limited health literacy skills). The authors administered the Newest Vital Sign (NVS) health literacy assessment to each participant. The assessment involves having individuals answer questions about a nutrition label while viewing the label. The authors used computerized eye-tracking technology to measure the amount of time each participant spent fixing their view at nutrition label information that was relevant to the questions being asked and the amount of time they spent viewing nonrelevant information. Results showed that lower NVS scores were significantly associated with more time spent on information not relevant for answering the NVS items. This finding suggests that efforts to improve health literacy measurement should include the ability to differentiate not just between individuals who have difficulty interpreting and using health information, but also between those who have difficulty finding relevant information. In addition, this finding suggests that health education material should minimize the inclusion of nonrelevant information. PMID:24093355

  17. Family Literacy: The Missing Link to School-Wide Literacy Efforts

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Zygouris-Coe, Vicky

    2007-01-01

    Everyone has a literacy component to their lives. Family literacy refers to the ways people learn and use literacy in their home and everyday lives. Many times there is a disconnect between family and school literacies. Schools do not have systematic ways of tapping into the wealth of knowledge families possess and linking that knowledge to school…

  18. Beyond Bells and Whistles: Content Area Teachers' Understanding of and Engagement with Literacy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Huysman, Mary

    2012-01-01

    The purpose of this qualitative action research study was to explore content area teachers' understanding of literacy, the strategies they use in working with content materials to support their students' learning of content, and how collaboration with a literacy expert informs literacy instruction. In my work with content area teachers,…

  19. A Multidisciplinary Approach to Literacy through Picture Books and Drama

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Burke, Anne; Peterson, Shelley Stagg

    2007-01-01

    Anne Burke and Shelley Stagg Peterson argue that "picture books offer a medium for teaching visual and critical literacy across the curriculum." To support this idea, they describe a multidisciplinary unit on World War II that pushes high school students to utilize visual and print literacies to analyze, comprehend, and relate to public events and…

  20. Health literacy lost in translations? Introducing the European Health Literacy Glossary.

    PubMed

    Sørensen, Kristine; Brand, Helmut

    2014-12-01

    Health literacy has gained momentum in the Western world, yet in Europe the concept of health literacy is only marginally integrated in research, policy and practice. The present paper presents how translation may act as an influential factor with regard to integration of the health literacy notion in Europe. This study has compared five data sources that provide translations of health literacy: The European Union's Health Strategy; the translations applied in the European Health Literacy Project; national health expert opinions and Google Translate. The comparison integrated Peter Fawcett's translation techniques as a framework for analysis. The results showed a total of 28 translations: 22 from the European Union Health Strategy; 6 from the HLS-EU project; 17 from experts; 25 from Google Translate. Some countries are consistent in translations of health literacy, other countries diverge, the reasons being that health literacy is not yet mainstreamed and the translations are primarily driven by a latent polarized discourse of the concept of literacy. The study showed that translations in general reveals enriched insights in the cohesion of health literacy as one notion and provides the European Health Literacy Glossary that can inform health professionals, academia and decision-makers to further advance health literacy across Europe. © The Author (2013). Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  1. The Envirothon and its effects on students' environmental literacy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Weiser, Brenda Gayle

    During the past thirty years, significant progress has been made in defining environmental education and its goals, and operationally by the emerging concept of environmental literacy. Environmental literacy includes affective, behavioral, and cognitive components. Roth (1992) includes environmental sensitivity, knowledge, skills, attitudes and values, personal investment and responsibility, and active involvement as components of environmental literacy. In addition, Simmons (1995) identifies affect, ecological knowledge, socio-political knowledge, knowledge of environmental issues, skills, environmentally responsible behaviors, and additional determinants of environmentally responsible behaviors as components of environmental literacy. Environmental education is the primary vehicle for promoting environmental literacy. Most K through 12 environmental education is delivered in non-formal programs outside traditional curriculum and instruction and is exemplified by the National Envirothon program. Student teams compete to demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of ecological principles in aquatics, forestry, soils, wildlife, and a selected environmental issue. Each year over 75,000 high school students participate in the Envirothon. The purpose of the study was to identify the effects of Envirothon participation on its high school students from 17 out of 43 states with Envirothon programs. One hundred forty eight students completed the Wisconsin Environmental Literacy Assessment Instrument; (Peri, 1996), to assess their environmental literacy status. Data were analyzed using an analysis of covariance where the pretest was the covariate. The results indicated the participation in the Envirothon program does make a statistically significant difference between the environmental literacy of those high school students who have participated in the Envirothon program and the environmental literacy of those high school students who have not participated in the

  2. Literacy and Young Children: Research-Based Practices. Solving Problems in the Teaching of Literacy.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Barone, Diane M., Ed.; Morrow, Lesley Mandel, Ed.

    This book presents current, research-based best practices for supporting young children's development as readers and writers. From leading figures in early literacy, the book's essays demonstrate that scientifically grounded instruction need not be dull, drill-oriented, or "one-size-fits-all"--rather, it describes language-rich approaches to…

  3. But What Does It Look Like? Illustrations of Disciplinary Literacy Teaching in Two Content Areas

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rainey, Emily C.; Maher, Bridget L.; Coupland, David; Franchi, Rod; Moje, Elizabeth Birr

    2018-01-01

    In this piece, the authors offer two illustrations of central features of disciplinary literacy teaching. One illustration describes an episode of history literacy teaching, and the other describes an episode of physics literacy teaching. Both examples show how teachers may support students' development of disciplinary inquiry, disciplinary…

  4. Comic Books' Latest Plot Twist: Enhancing Literacy Instruction

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rapp, David N.

    2011-01-01

    Recently, support has grown for using comic books and graphic novels to enhance and support literacy instruction. In some ways, it's surprising that the medium has only recently enjoyed such support. Stereotyped views of comics as unsophisticated, disposable entertainment or material written to the lowest common denominator fail to consider the…

  5. Thinking beyond Technology: Using the iSkills Assessment as Evidence to Support Institutional ICT Literacy Initiatives

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Egan, Teresa; Katz, Irvin R.

    2007-01-01

    When Educational Testing Service (ETS) was first approached by college librarians, professors, and administrators to develop an assessment of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) literacy, there was a resounding concern: incoming students could use technology for entertainment purposes, but many did not have the ICT literacy skills to do…

  6. Supporting the Teaching of the Visual Literacies in the Earth and Life Sciences in Higher Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Paxton, Moragh; Frith, Vera; Kelly-Laubscher, Roisin; Muna, Natashia; van der Merwe, Mathilde

    2017-01-01

    Internationally, there has been increasing emphasis on the teaching of the academic literacies, particularly reading and writing, in higher education institutions. However, recent research is highlighting the need for more explicit teaching of multimodal forms of communication, such as the visual literacies, in undergraduate courses in a wide…

  7. Family Planning & Literacy.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    International Planned Parenthood Federation, London (England).

    This publication is an International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) annotated bibliography of books and articles concerned with family planning and literacy. The subject is divided into four major listings: (1) Literacy; (2) Education; (3) Literacy and Family Planning; and (4) Functional Literacy/Family Planning Projects and Programs.…

  8. Writing Stories to Enhance Scientific Literacy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ritchie, Stephen M.; Tomas, Louisa; Tones, Megan

    2011-03-01

    In response to international concerns about scientific literacy and students' waning interest in school science, this study investigated the effects of a science-writing project about the socioscientific issue (SSI) of biosecurity on the development of students' scientific literacy. Students generated two BioStories each that merged scientific information with the narrative storylines in the project. The study was conducted in two phases. In the exploratory phase, a qualitative case study of a sixth-grade class involving classroom observations and interviews informed the design of the second, confirmatory phase of the study, which was conducted at a different school. This phase involved a mixed methods approach featuring a quasi-experimental design with two classes of Australian middle school students (i.e., sixth grade, 11 years of age, n = 55). The results support the argument that writing the sequence of stories helped the students become more familiar with biosecurity issues, develop a deeper understanding of related biological concepts, and improve their interest in science. On the basis of these findings, teachers should be encouraged to engage their students in the practice of writing about SSI in a way that integrates scientific information into narrative storylines. Extending the practice to older students and exploring additional issues related to writing about SSI are recommended for further research.

  9. Literacy in Motion: A Guide to Inclusive Literacy Education.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Roeher Inst., North York (Ontario).

    This guide, which was developed for Canadian literacy teachers, contains practical guidelines for including people with intellectual and other disabilities in literacy education. The foreword examines the problems caused by various barriers that have traditionally excluded intellectually disabled individuals from literacy programs, and the…

  10. Contextual Shifting: Teachers Emphasizing Students' Academic Identity to Promote Scientific Literacy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Reveles, John M.; Brown, Bryan A.

    2008-01-01

    This research presents a case study of two teachers' emphasis on students' academic identity as a means of facilitating their science literacy development. These cases support a theoretical position that deconstructs the notion of normative science literacy into its constitutive components: (a) being scientific and (b) appropriating its literate…

  11. Core Literacies.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Perkins, Joan, Ed.

    2003-01-01

    This journal issue focuses on teaching various types of literacies. The journal contains the following 16 articles: "Our Heritage, Ourselves: The Importance of Maintaining Cultural Literacy in the Pacific Islands" (Masa-Aki Emesiochl); "It Works! Web-Based Reading Program Helps ELLs Make Literacy Gains" (Zoe Ann Brown); "A…

  12. Improving health literacy in community populations: a review of progress.

    PubMed

    Nutbeam, Don; McGill, Bronwyn; Premkumar, Pav

    2017-03-28

    Governments around the world have adopted national policies and programs to improve health literacy. This paper examines progress in the development of evidence to support these policies from interventions to improve health literacy among community populations. Our review found only a limited number of studies (n=7) that met the criteria for inclusion, with many more influenced by the concept of health literacy but not using it in the design and evaluation. Those included were diverse in setting, population and intended outcomes. All included educational strategies to develop functional health literacy, and a majority designed to improve interactive or critical health literacy skills. Several papers were excluded because they described a protocol for an intervention, but not results, indicating that our review may be early in a cycle of activity in community intervention research. The review methodology may not have captured all relevant studies, but it provides a clear message that the academic interest and attractive rhetoric surrounding health literacy needs to be tested more systematically through intervention experimentation in a wide range of populations using valid and reliable measurement tools. The distinctive influence of the concept of health literacy on the purpose and methodologies of health education and communication is not reflected in many reported interventions at present. Evidence to support the implementation of national policies and programs, and the intervention tools required by community practitioners are not emerging as quickly as needed. This should be addressed as a matter of priority by research funding agencies. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  13. 75 FR 54225 - Comment Request for the Financial Literacy and Education Commission on the Draft National...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2010-09-03

    ... DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY Comment Request for the Financial Literacy and Education Commission on... Literacy and Education Commission (Commission) through passage of the Financial Literacy and Education... Treasury's Office of Financial Education to lend its expertise and provide primary support to the...

  14. Powerful Literacies.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Crowther, Jim, Ed.; Hamilton, Mary, Ed.; Tett, Lyn, Ed.

    These 15 papers share a common theme: seeking to promote literacy as a powerful tool for challenging existing inequalities and dependencies. "Powerful Literacies" (Jim Crowther et al.) is an introduction. Section 1 establishes the theoretical and policy frameworks that underpin the book and shows how literacy is situated in different…

  15. Literacy Toolkit

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Center for Best Practices in Early Childhood Education, 2005

    2005-01-01

    The toolkit contains print and electronic resources, including (1) "eMERGing Literacy and Technology: Working Together", A 492 page curriculum guide; (2) "LitTECH Interactive Presents: The Beginning of Literacy", a DVD that provides and overview linking technology to the concepts of emerging literacy; (3) "Your Preschool Classroom Computer Center:…

  16. HumRRO's Literacy Research for the U.S. Army: Developing Functional Literacy Training.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sticht, Thomas G.; And Others

    The major purposes of the project were to determine the nature of the literacy problem in the Army by studying the literacy demands of Army jobs together with the literacy skills of Army personnel, and to develop a literacy training program to provide job-related-functional, literacy skills. Literacy research and development performed by HumRRO…

  17. Health literacy and patient portals.

    PubMed

    Gu, Yulong; Orr, Martin; Warren, Jim

    2015-06-01

    Health literacy has been described as the capacity to obtain, process, and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions. Improving health literacy may serve to promote concordance with therapy, engage patients in their own health care, and improve health outcomes. Patient portal technology aims at enabling patients and families to have easy access to key information in their own medical records and to communicate with their health care providers electronically. However, there is a gap in our understanding of how portals will improve patient outcome. The authors believe patient portal technology presents an opportunity to improve patient concordance with prescribed therapy, if adequate support is provided to equip patients (and family/carers) with the knowledge needed to utilise the health information available via the portals. Research is needed to understand what a health consumer will use patient portals for and how to support a user to realise the technology's potential.

  18. Foundations for Literacy: An Early Literacy Intervention for Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Children

    PubMed Central

    Lederberg, Amy R.; Miller, Elizabeth M.; Easterbrooks, Susan R.; Connor, Carol McDonald

    2014-01-01

    The present study evaluated the efficacy of a new preschool early literacy intervention created specifically for deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) children with functional hearing. Teachers implemented Foundations for Literacy with 25 DHH children in 2 schools (intervention group). One school used only spoken language, and the other used sign with and without spoken language. A “business as usual” comparison group included 33 DHH children who were matched on key characteristics with the intervention children but attended schools that did not implement Foundations for Literacy. Children’s hearing losses ranged from moderate to profound. Approximately half of the children had cochlear implants. All children had sufficient speech perception skills to identify referents of spoken words from closed sets of items. Teachers taught small groups of intervention children an hour a day, 4 days a week for the school year. From fall to spring, intervention children made significantly greater gains on tests of phonological awareness, letter–sound knowledge, and expressive vocabulary than did comparison children. In addition, intervention children showed significant increases in standard scores (based on hearing norms) on phonological awareness and vocabulary tests. This quasi-experimental study suggests that the intervention shows promise for improving early literacy skills of DHH children with functional hearing. PMID:25125456

  19. Recognizing and Addressing Limited PHarmaceutical literacy: Development of the RALPH interview guide.

    PubMed

    Vervloet, Marcia; van Dijk, Liset; Rademakers, Jany J D J M; Bouvy, Marcel L; De Smet, Peter A G M; Philbert, Daphne; Koster, Ellen S

    2018-04-30

    In the context of medication use, pharmaceutical literacy skills are crucial for appropriate and safe use of medication. Recognition of patients with inadequate pharmaceutical literacy in daily pharmacy practice is difficult. No instrument is yet available to support pharmacists herein. The aim of this study was therefore to develop an interview guide for pharmacists to Recognize and Address Limited PHarmaceutical literacy (RALPH). The RALPH interview guide was constructed in three phases: (1) development including a literature search, expert group discussion, and feasibility test with 15 patients; (2) pilot-test with 421 patients throughout 30 community pharmacies, and (3) final test with 508 patients to optimize the interview guide. The development phase resulted in a first interview guide comprising 15 questions: seven in the functional domain (understanding instructions), four in the communicative domain (finding and understanding medication information) and four in the critical domain (critically analyzing medication information). This version was pilot-tested in 30 pharmacies, with 147 patients during medication reviews and another 274 patients were interviewed while waiting to collect their medication. This test phase led to removal of questions that proved difficult to interpret and to rephrasing some questions. The second version including 11 questions was tested by 109 pharmacists trainees with 508 patients, resulting in the final RALPH interview guide comprising 10 questions, all directly linked to the patient's own medication: three in the functional, three in the communicative and four in the critical domain. Besides instructions on how to use the interview guide, recommendations are provided for pharmacists on how to support patients with limited pharmaceutical literacy skills. The practice-based RALPH interview guide supports pharmacists in recognizing patients with limited pharmaceutical literacy. With this insight, pharmacists can tailor their

  20. Literacy as Value: Cultural Capital in Barbara Bush's Foundation for Family Literacy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Westmoreland, Brandi Davis

    2010-01-01

    Many different views of literacy exist. In my study, I make use of Brian V. Street's two major models of literacy--the autonomous and the ideological. These models show contrasting views of literacy and are based on very different assumptions. I examine the views of literacy prevalent in family literacy campaigns, with special focus on Barbara…

  1. 'Literacy Octopus' Dissemination Trial: Evaluation Report and Executive Summary

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lord, Pippa; Rabiasz, Adam; Styles, Ben

    2017-01-01

    The "'Literacy Octopus' Dissemination Trial" aimed to test the impact on pupil outcomes of disseminating research summaries and evidence-based resources to schools. The materials aimed to support teaching and learning of Key Stage 2 literacy and were created by leading organisations with experience of engaging schools in evidence use.…

  2. 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.

  3. Developing Basic and Higher Level Reading Processing Skills: Exploring an Instructional Framework with the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) 2006 Database

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Deasy, Michael Joseph

    2012-01-01

    Concern over worldwide literacy rates prompted the United Nations to establish the UN Literacy Decade (2003-2012) with one area of focus being to provide support to schools to develop effective literacy programs (UNESCO, 2005). This study addressed the area of providing support to schools to develop effective literacy programs by exploring the…

  4. Using Literacy Booster Groups To Maintain and Extend Reading Recovery Success in the Primary Grades.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    MacKenzie, Karla K.

    2001-01-01

    Describes a comprehensive school literacy program for primary students and looks specifically at one component, Literacy Booster Groups. Notes that in Booster Groups, former Reading Recovery students receive extra support to maintain and extend literacy progress. Concludes that students who were once functioning at the bottom of their class are…

  5. Literacy in Francophone Africa.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kokora, Pascal D.

    1991-01-01

    Literacy in francophone Africa, where literacy is still a privilege, is reviewed in terms of the complex linguistic situation, effects of population change, concepts and definitions of literacy, promotion of literacy in adult nonformal settings (e.g., African language literacy materials, multilingual settings). (23 references) (LB)

  6. Musical Literacy.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Levinson, Jerrold

    1990-01-01

    Defines cultural literacy, relating it to verbal and musical literacy. Discusses how reading with comprehension compares to listening to music. Describes what musically literate people know, and the level of their knowledge. Maintains that to attain musical literacy one needs to know some cultural data but primarily one needs to listen to music.…

  7. The New Literacies of Online Reading Comprehension: Expanding the Literacy and Learning Curriculum

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Leu, Donald J.; McVerry, J. Gregory; O'Byrne, W. Ian; Kiili, Carita; Zawilinski, Lisa; Everett-Cacopardo, Heidi; Kennedy, Clint; Forzani, Elena

    2011-01-01

    This commentary explores a central issue for our times, online reading comprehension. It first defines three issues that have largely gone unnoticed as the Internet enters our classrooms: (1) literacy has become deictic; (2) effective online information use requires additional online reading comprehension practices, skills, and dispositions; and…

  8. Shake, Rattle and Roll--Can Music Be Used by Parents and Practitioners to Support Communication, Language and Literacy within a Pre-School Setting?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Harris, Deborah Jayne

    2011-01-01

    The aim of this small-scale study was to evaluate whether music could support communication, language and literacy development within a pre-school setting. The research focused on a music specialist who provided a range of musical activities that engaged both parents and children over a 20-week period. Initial interviews with parents indicated…

  9. Differentiation of Effect Across Systemic Literacy Programs in Rwanda, the Philippines, and Senegal.

    PubMed

    Christina, Rachel; Vinogradova, Elena

    2017-03-01

    In this article, we compare three localized applications (in Rwanda, Senegal, and the Philippines) of a literacy approach for resource-lean environments and examine the factors influencing its impact in each context, considering dosage, duration, and environment. In Rwanda, a bilingual early grade literacy initiative implemented in partnership with the ministry of education included literacy standards development, training for early grade teachers, materials development, leadership support, and community-based activities. In the Philippines, a primary grades trilingual curriculum was implemented in close collaboration with the Department of Education to strengthen its literacy component through standards development, teacher and school leader training, materials development, and awareness campaigns. Finally, in Senegal, a program was conducted supporting the YMCA's efforts to improve local educational outcomes by training youth volunteers to mentor students at risk and by engaging families and communities. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  10. Writing for the Instant Messaging and Text Messaging Generation: Using New Literacies to Support Writing Instruction

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sweeny, Sheelah M.

    2010-01-01

    Writing, for adolescents who live in an age of digital communication, has taken on new importance and plays a prominent role in the way they socialize, share information, and structure communication. New literacies expand the literacy realm by considering the skills needed to function using media other than the printed page. Internet resources can…

  11. Literacy of the Other: The Inner Life of Literacy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tarc, Aparna Mishra

    2015-01-01

    My paper situates literacy in the pre-symbolic implications of the maternal relation. Turning to child psychoanalysis, particularly Melanie Klein's theories of infancy and symbolization, my paper discusses the role the child's inner life plays in her engagements with literacy. Citing cases of second language learning, I pose literacy as…

  12. From Situated Privilege to Dis/abilities: Developing Critical Literacies across Social Issues

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Young, Sara Lewis-Bernstein

    2018-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to investigate how curriculum grounded in critical literacy strategies supports critical language awareness and activism across social issues and identities. The research is grounded in theories of critical literacies, discursive practices, and situated privilege. Critical practitioner research was used to collect…

  13. Continuity and change in the home literacy environment as predictors of growth in vocabulary and reading.

    PubMed

    Sénéchal, Monique; LeFevre, Jo-Anne

    2014-01-01

    One hundred and ten English-speaking children schooled in French were followed from kindergarten to Grade 2 (Mage : T1 = 5;6, T2 = 6;4, T3 = 6;11, T4 = 7;11). The findings provided strong support for the Home Literacy Model (Sénéchal & LeFevre, ) because in this sample the home language was independent of the language of instruction. The informal literacy environment at home predicted growth in English receptive vocabulary from kindergarten to Grade 1, whereas parent reports of the formal literacy environment in kindergarten predicted growth in children's English early literacy between kindergarten and Grade 1 and growth in English word reading during Grade 1. Furthermore, 76% of parents adjusted their formal literacy practices according to the reading performance of their child, in support of the presence of a responsive home literacy curriculum among middle-class parents. © 2014 The Authors. Child Development © 2014 Society for Research in Child Development, Inc.

  14. The Associations Among Individual Factors, eHealth Literacy, and Health-Promoting Lifestyles Among College Students

    PubMed Central

    Luo, Yi-Fang

    2017-01-01

    Background eHealth literacy is gaining importance for maintaining and promoting health. Studies have found that individuals with high eHealth literacy are more likely to adopt healthy eating, exercise, and sleep behaviors. In addition, previous studies have shown that various individual factors (eg, frequency of seeking information on health issues, degree of health concern, frequency of eating organic food, and students’ college major) are associated with eHealth literacy and health-promoting lifestyles. Nevertheless, few studies have explored the associations among individual factors, eHealth literacy, and health-promoting lifestyles among college students. Moreover, there is a lack of studies that focus on eHealth literacy as a predictor of psychological health behaviors. Objective To examine the associations among various individual factors, eHealth literacy, and health-promoting lifestyles. Methods The eHealth Literacy Scale is a 12-item instrument designed to measure college students’ functional, interactive, and critical eHealth literacy. The Health-promoting Lifestyle Scale is a 23-item instrument developed to measure college students’ self-actualization, health responsibility, interpersonal support, exercise, nutrition, and stress management. A nationally representative sample of 556 valid college students in Taiwan was surveyed. A questionnaire was administered to gather the respondents’ background information, including the frequency of seeking information on health issues, the frequency of eating organic food, the degree of health concern, and the students’ major. We then conducted a multiple regression analysis to examine the associations among individual factors, eHealth literacy, and health-promoting lifestyles. Results The study found that factors such as medical majors (t550=2.47-7.55, P<.05) and greater concern with health (t550=2.15-9.01, P<.05) predicted college students’ 4-6 health-promoting lifestyle dimensions and the 3 dimensions

  15. The Associations Among Individual Factors, eHealth Literacy, and Health-Promoting Lifestyles Among College Students.

    PubMed

    Yang, Shu-Ching; Luo, Yi-Fang; Chiang, Chia-Hsun

    2017-01-10

    eHealth literacy is gaining importance for maintaining and promoting health. Studies have found that individuals with high eHealth literacy are more likely to adopt healthy eating, exercise, and sleep behaviors. In addition, previous studies have shown that various individual factors (eg, frequency of seeking information on health issues, degree of health concern, frequency of eating organic food, and students' college major) are associated with eHealth literacy and health-promoting lifestyles. Nevertheless, few studies have explored the associations among individual factors, eHealth literacy, and health-promoting lifestyles among college students. Moreover, there is a lack of studies that focus on eHealth literacy as a predictor of psychological health behaviors. To examine the associations among various individual factors, eHealth literacy, and health-promoting lifestyles. The eHealth Literacy Scale is a 12-item instrument designed to measure college students' functional, interactive, and critical eHealth literacy. The Health-promoting Lifestyle Scale is a 23-item instrument developed to measure college students' self-actualization, health responsibility, interpersonal support, exercise, nutrition, and stress management. A nationally representative sample of 556 valid college students in Taiwan was surveyed. A questionnaire was administered to gather the respondents' background information, including the frequency of seeking information on health issues, the frequency of eating organic food, the degree of health concern, and the students' major. We then conducted a multiple regression analysis to examine the associations among individual factors, eHealth literacy, and health-promoting lifestyles. The study found that factors such as medical majors (t 550 =2.47-7.55, P<.05) and greater concern with health (t 550 =2.15-9.01, P<.05) predicted college students' 4-6 health-promoting lifestyle dimensions and the 3 dimensions of eHealth literacy. Moreover, critical e

  16. Effective Literacy Coaching: Building Expertise and a Culture of Literacy: An ASCD Action Tool

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Blachowicz, Camille L.Z.; Buhle, Roberta; Frost, Shari

    2009-01-01

    In "Effective Literacy Coaching: Building Expertise and a Culture of Literacy," literacy experts Shari Frost, Roberta Buhle, and Camille Blachowicz provide more than 50 practical activities designed to help K-12 literacy professionals: (1) Assess the current literacy program; (2) Plan changes that will foster a culture of literacy; (3) Collaborate…

  17. Expanding Understanding of Emergent Literacy: Empirical Support for a New Framework

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Erickson, Karen A.; Hatton, Deborah

    2007-01-01

    Emergent literacy in young children with visual impairments is examined using a conceptual framework proposed by Senechal, LeFevre, Smith-Chant, and Colton (2001). The utility of this framework for young children with visual impairments is illustrated using data from a field study of preschool classes for children with visual impairments.…

  18. Reclaiming "Old" Literacies in the New Literacy Information Age: The Functional Literacies of the Mediated Workstation

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Shepherd, Ryan; Goggin, Peter

    2012-01-01

    For many writing faculty, electronic or digital literacies may not play an overtly significant role in their course designs and teaching practices, but these literacies still play a significant role in how students write. Whether or not writing teachers want to accept it, functional computer literacies are an important aspect of teaching writing.…

  19. Literacy Strategies in the Science Classroom The Influence of Teacher Cognitive Resources on Implementation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mawyer, Kirsten Kamaile Noelani

    Scientific literacy is at the heart of science reform (AAAS, 1989; 1993: NRC, 1996). These initiatives advocate inquiry-based science education reform that promotes scientific literacy as the prerequisite ability to both understand and apply fundamental scientific ideas to real-world problems and issues involving science, technology, society and the environment. It has been argued that literacy, the very ability to read and write, is foundational to western science and is essential for the attainment of scientific literacy and the reform of science education in this country (Norris & Phillips, 2004). With this wave of reform comes the need to study initiatives that seek to support science teachers, as they take on the task of becoming teachers of literacy in the secondary science classroom. This qualitative research examines one such initiative that supports and guides teachers implementing literacy strategies designed to help students develop reading skills that will allow them to read closely, effectively, and with greater comprehension of texts in the context of science. The goal of this study is to gather data as teachers learn about literacy strategies through supports built into curricular materials, professional development, and implementation in the classroom. In particular, this research follows four secondary science teachers implementing literacy strategies as they enact a yearlong earth and environmental science course comprised of two different reform science curricula. The findings of this research suggest teacher's development of teacher cognitive resources bearing on Teaching & Design can be dynamic or static. They also suggest that the development of pedagogical design capacity (PDC) can be either underdeveloped or emergent. This study contributes to current understandings of the participatory relationship between curricular resources and teacher cognitive resources that reflects the design decision of teachers. In particular, it introduces a

  20. Developing Literacy for the Workplace.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Keeley, Meg

    This paper presents a case and some ideas for integrating basic skills development with occupational training. Explaining why traditional instructional methods do not work in the workplace, the paper summarizes learning theories that support work force literacy programs. It explains how to identify the skills needed in the workplace, provides…

  1. Empowering Adolescents for Activist Literacies

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Humphrey, Sally L.

    2013-01-01

    An essential requirement for supporting the activist literacies of adolescents is a critical understanding of the purposes, practices and roles of engaged citizens and of the linguistic and broader semiotic resources they deploy in response to their multi-layered contexts. Drawing on theories from social semiotic and rhetorical traditions as well…

  2. Public health literacy defined.

    PubMed

    Freedman, Darcy A; Bess, Kimberly D; Tucker, Holly A; Boyd, David L; Tuchman, Arleen M; Wallston, Kenneth A

    2009-05-01

    Public health literacy is an emerging concept necessary to understand and address the broad array of factors, such as climate change, globalization, and poverty, that influence the public's health. Whereas health literacy has traditionally been operationalized as an individual-level construct, public health literacy takes into account the complex social, ecologic, and systemic forces affecting health and well-being. However, public health literacy has not yet been fully articulated. This paper addresses this gap by outlining a broad, new definition of public health literacy. This definition was developed through an inductive analytic process conducted in 2007 by a multidisciplinary research team, and two expert-panel sessions were convened to assess the consensual validity of the emergent definition. Based on this process, public health literacy is defined as the degree to which individuals and groups can obtain, process, understand, evaluate, and act on information needed to make public health decisions that benefit the community. Three dimensions of public health literacy--conceptual foundations, critical skills, and civic orientation--and related competencies are also proposed. Public health literacy is distinct from individual-level health literacy, and together, the two types of literacy form a more comprehensive model of health literacy. A five-part agenda is offered for future research and action aimed at increasing levels of public health literacy.

  3. "It's That Easy": Designing Assignments That Blend Old and New Literacies

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Connors, Sean P.; Sullivan, Racheal

    2012-01-01

    This article recounts what happened when one of the authors, a pre-service teacher, introduced a digital multimodal composition project in her 9th-grade inclusion English classes to support junior high students as they read the novel "To Kill a Mockingbird". Rather than regard new literacies as competing with print literacy for attention, the…

  4. Making It Social: Considering the Purpose of Literacy to Support Participation in Making and Engineering

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tucker-Raymond, Eli; Gravel, Brian E.; Wagh, Aditi; Wilson, Naeem; Manderino, Michael; Castek, Jill

    2016-01-01

    Digital literacies for disciplinary learning explores intersections of digital and disciplinary literacies across learning contexts such as community makerspaces and schools and examines learning across disciplines including the arts, engineering, science, social studies, language arts, and math. Columns will address work with both youth and…

  5. Literacy Practitioner. Literacy and Community Development Issue.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Literacy Practitioner, 1997

    1997-01-01

    This theme issue of a newsletter for adult literacy practitioners focuses on community development. Nine articles on this topic include the following: "Adult Literacy and Community Development" (Hal Beder); "Why Community Development?" (Kirk Baker); "Freire's Revolution" (Ruth Pelz); "Impacting Communities…

  6. Why Should I Read to My Baby? The Importance of Early Literacy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    High, Pamela C.

    2013-01-01

    "Early Brain and Child Development" as a strategic priority of the American Academy of Pediatrics recognizes that early literacy and language skills build a strong foundation for healthy development and academic success. Promoting early literacy in the context of pediatric primary care supports early brain development and positive,…

  7. Cartwheels on the Keyboard: Computer-Based Literacy Instruction in an Elementary Classroom

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Carroll, Maureen

    2004-01-01

    This book helps readers imagine new instructional possibilities, try new classroom activities, and question their own teaching--learning process through the use of computers to support student literacy growth. Maureen Carroll shares her study of how one teacher and her elementary-grade students integrated computer-based literacy instruction into…

  8. Tracing Literacy Journeys: The Use of the Literacy Autobiography in Preservice Teacher Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Edwards, Debra

    2009-01-01

    This paper analyses the use of literacy autobiography as a way for preservice teachers to examine their own understandings of literacy, multiliteracies and literacy teaching. We reflect on what we as lecturers have learnt about our students and their literacy experiences, about our own literacy experiences and values, as well as what the students…

  9. Studying New Literacies

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Knobel, Michele; Lankshear, Colin

    2014-01-01

    New literacies research offers valuable insights into young people's everyday literacy practices. Teachers can use the kinds of research outcomes reported here to build on new literacies in appropriate ways for academic purposes.

  10. Literacy, Parental Roles, and Support Systems among Single Latino Father Families

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Santos, Rose A.; Alfred, Mary V.

    2016-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to investigate the roles of eight Latino single fathers as primary caregivers and their engagement with the literacy development of their children. The sample for this study consisted of eight single Latino fathers with children of elementary to middle school age. The primary method of data collection was…

  11. Implementation literacy strategies on health technology theme Learning to enhance Indonesian Junior High School Student's Physics Literacy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Feranie, Selly; Efendi, Ridwan; Karim, Saeful; Sasmita, Dedi

    2016-08-01

    The PISA results for Indonesian Students are lowest among Asian countries in the past two successive results. Therefore various Innovations in science learning process and its effectiveness enhancing student's science literacy is needed to enrich middle school science teachers. Literacy strategies have been implemented on health technologies theme learning to enhance Indonesian Junior high school Student's Physics literacy in three different health technologies e.g. Lasik surgery that associated with application of Light and Optics concepts, Ultra Sonographer (USG) associated with application of Sound wave concepts and Work out with stationary bike and walking associated with application of motion concepts. Science learning process involves at least teacher instruction, student learning and a science curriculum. We design two main part of literacy strategies in each theme based learning. First part is Integrated Reading Writing Task (IRWT) is given to the students before learning process, the second part is scientific investigation learning process design packed in Problem Based Learning. The first part is to enhance student's science knowledge and reading comprehension and the second part is to enhance student's science competencies. We design a transformation from complexity of physics language to Middle school physics language and from an expensive and complex science investigation to a local material and simply hands on activities. In this paper, we provide briefly how literacy strategies proposed by previous works is redesigned and applied in classroom science learning. Data were analysed using t- test. The increasing value of mean scores in each learning design (with a significance level of p = 0.01) shows that the implementation of this literacy strategy revealed a significant increase in students’ physics literacy achievement. Addition analysis of Avarage normalized gain show that each learning design is in medium-g courses effectiveness category

  12. Public attention to science and political news and support for climate change mitigation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hart, P. Sol; Nisbet, Erik C.; Myers, Teresa A.

    2015-06-01

    We examine how attention to science and political news may influence public knowledge, perceived harm, and support for climate mitigation policies. Previous research examining these relationships has not fully accounted for how political ideology shapes the mental processes through which the public interprets media discourses about climate change. We incorporate political ideology and the concept of motivated cognition into our analysis to compare and contrast two prominent models of opinion formation, the scientific literacy model, which posits that disseminating scientific information will move public opinion towards the scientific consensus, and the motivated reasoning model, which posits that individuals will interpret information in a biased manner. Our analysis finds support for both models of opinion formation with key differences across ideological groups. Attention to science news was associated with greater perceptions of harm and knowledge for conservatives, but only additional knowledge for liberals. Supporting the literacy model, greater knowledge was associated with more support for climate mitigation for liberals. In contrast, consistent with motivated reasoning, more knowledgeable conservatives were less supportive of mitigation policy. In addition, attention to political news had a negative association with perceived harm for conservatives but not for liberals.

  13. Distributed health literacy among people living with type 2 diabetes in Portugal: Defining levels of awareness and support.

    PubMed

    Abreu, Liliana; Nunes, João Arriscado; Taylor, Peter; Silva, Susana

    2018-01-01

    This study embraces a patient-centred and narrative-oriented notion of health literacy, exploring how social networks and personal experiences constitute distributed health literacy (DHL) by mapping out health literacy mediators of each individual and how they enable self-management skills and knowledge of health conditions. Semi-structured interviews with 26 patients with type 2 diabetes were conducted in a Primary Care Center of Porto (Portugal) from October 2014 to December 2015. Data were collected based on McGill Illness Narrative Interview (MINI). Following the grounded theory, interviews were analysed as case-based and process-tracing-oriented. Three awareness narratives emerged: (i) a narrative of minimisation revealing minimal impact of diabetes in patients' lives and daily routines, resignation towards "inevitable" consequences of the diagnosis and dependence of a large network of health literacy mediators; (ii) a narrative of empathy, where patients tended to mention readjustments in their lives by following medical recommendations regarding medication without criticism and with few health literacy mediators; (iii) a narrative of disruption, with patients highlighting the huge impact of diabetes on their lives and their individual responsibility and autonomy with respect to the management of diabetes and the search for alternatives to medication, relying on a very restrictive network of mediators. Exploring meanings given to diagnosis, identifying health mediators and analysing the structure of social networks can contribute to understand the distributed nature of health literacy. Assessing DHL can assist health professionals and those providing care in the community in promoting health literacy and providing models for a more patient-centred health system. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  14. Australian Literacies: Informing National Policy on Literacy Education. Second Edition.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lo Bianco, Joseph; Freebody, Peter

    This book is designed to inform national policy on literacy education in Australia. A preamble describes the general literacy crisis in Australia, which includes systematic underperformance in English literacy among some groups and many individuals (who are often seriously disadvantaged in their occupational and educational opportunities). The…

  15. Progress and Accountability in Family Literacy: Lessons from a Collaborative Approach.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ryan, Katherine E.; And Others

    1996-01-01

    The implementation of a collaborative approach to evaluating family literacy programs was studied using a conceptual framework and applied to 36 family literacy programs from a midwestern state. Evaluation participants learned how results could be used to develop curriculum in addition to reporting to funding agencies. (SLD)

  16. The Story Road to Literacy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Roth, Rita

    2005-01-01

    This book grew out of research conducted during a sabbatical as Associate Professor of Education at Rockhurst University in Kansas City. The study focused on collecting folktales from recently emigrated school children in order to build a curriculum to support the growth of English literacy in these students and their native English-speaking…

  17. Literacy and Health Disparities

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Prins, Esther; Mooney, Angela

    2014-01-01

    This chapter explores the relationship between literacy and health disparities, focusing on the concept of health literacy. Recommendations are provided for ways to bridge the health literacy gap for learners in adult basic education and family literacy programs.

  18. A Tri-part Model for Genetics Literacy: Exploring Undergraduate Student Reasoning About Authentic Genetics Dilemmas

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shea, Nicole A.; Duncan, Ravit Golan; Stephenson, Celeste

    2015-08-01

    Genetics literacy is becoming increasingly important as advancements in our application of genetic technologies such as stem cell research, cloning, and genetic screening become more prevalent. Very few studies examine how genetics literacy is applied when reasoning about authentic genetic dilemmas. However, there is evidence that situational features of a reasoning task may influence how students apply content knowledge as they generate and support arguments. Understanding how students apply content knowledge to reason about authentic and complex issues is important for considering instructional practices that best support student thinking and reasoning. In this conceptual report, we present a tri-part model for genetics literacy that embodies the relationships between content knowledge use, argumentation quality, and the role of situational features in reasoning to support genetics literacy. Using illustrative examples from an interview study with early career undergraduate students majoring in the biological sciences and late career undergraduate students majoring in genetics, we provide insights into undergraduate student reasoning about complex genetics issues and discuss implications for teaching and learning. We further discuss the need for research about how the tri-part model of genetics literacy can be used to explore students' thinking and reasoning abilities in genetics.

  19. Building compassion literacy: Enabling care in primary health care nursing.

    PubMed

    Burridge, Letitia Helen; Winch, Sarah; Kay, Margaret; Henderson, Amanda

    This paper introduces the concept of compassion literacy and discusses its place in nursing within the general practice setting. Compassion literacy is a valuable competency for sustaining the delivery of high quality care. Being compassion literate enables practice nurses to provide compassionate care to their patients and to recognise factors that may constrain this. A compassion literate practice nurse may be more protected from compassion fatigue and its negative consequences. Understanding how to enable self-compassion and how to support the delivery of compassionate care within the primary care team can enhance the care experienced by the patient while improving the positive engagement and satisfaction of the health professionals. The capacity to deliver compassionate care can be depleted by the day-to-day demands of the clinical setting. Compassion literacy enables the replenishing of compassion, but the development of compassion literacy can be curtailed by personal and workplace barriers. This paper articulates why compassion literacy should be an integral aspect of practice nursing and considers strategies for enabling compassion literacy to develop and thrive within the workplace environment. Compassion literacy is also a valuable opportunity for practice nurses to demonstrate their key role within the multidisciplinary team of general practice, directly enhancing the quality of the care delivered.

  20. A Socioeconomic Comparison of Emergent Literacy and Home Literacy in Australian Preschoolers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Neumann, Michelle M.

    2016-01-01

    Family socioeconomic status (SES) and home literacy practices impact upon children's early literacy development. The present study explored where current emergent literacy and home literacy differences lie in Australian preschoolers aged three to five years from lower SES (n = 49) and higher SES (n = 52) homes. Children were assessed on letter…

  1. Animal-Assisted Literacy: A Supportive Environment for Constrained and Unconstrained Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Friesen, Lori; Delisle, Esther

    2012-01-01

    Over the last 20 years or so, the popularity of animal-assisted literacy learning programs has gained momentum in schools and libraries around the world (Intermountain Therapy Animals, 2011). To date, such programs are currently running in four Canadian provinces and 43 U.S. states, as well as in Australia, the United Kingdom, Italy, and India…

  2. Supporting Deaf Students with Intellectual Disabilities through a Specialized Literacy Curriculum

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Berchin-Weiss, Janice; Falk, Jodi L.; Cunningham, Katherine Egan

    2016-01-01

    The incidence of d/Deaf students with intellectual disabilities in schools for the d/Deaf has increased; however, the development of curricula for this population has not kept up with this trend. A literacy curriculum was developed at St. Joseph's School for the Deaf (SJSD) to address the special needs of these students using a reading and writing…

  3. 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…

  4. Use of Service-Learning to Teach Health Literacy with Online Graduate Nursing Students.

    PubMed

    George, Tracy P; DeCristofaro, Claire

    To meet Healthy People 2020 goals, health literacy must be included in health care program curricula. In a fully online graduate nursing course, an innovative service-learning activity asked students to collaborate in the creation of low-literacy patient education pamphlets for practice partners at a community rehabilitation facility. Involvement with community stakeholders such as support groups and interprofessional team members enhanced interdisciplinary educational outcomes. Through this innovative project-based activity, students were able to meet the clinical education and decision support needs of rehabilitation patients while translating academic coursework to support actual community needs.

  5. Web Literacy, Web Literacies or Just Literacies on the Web? Reflections from a Study of Personal Homepages.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Karlsson, Anna-Malin

    2002-01-01

    Discusses the question of whether there is such a thing as web literacy. Perspectives from media studies, literacy studies, and the study of multimodal texts are used to find the main contextual parameters involved in what might be classed as web literacy. The parameters suggested are material conditions, domain, power or ideology, and semiotic…

  6. Defining and identifying concepts of medication literacy: An international perspective.

    PubMed

    Pouliot, Annie; Vaillancourt, Régis; Stacey, Danielle; Suter, Philippe

    2017-11-08

    Multiple concepts to define health literacy in the context of medication use exist, such as medication literacy, pharmacotherapy literacy, pharmacy health literacy; however, no studies have looked at consensus among experts internationally. A Delphi process was used to achieve consensus on the statements about medication literacy. Experts for the Delphi were selected from a review of the literature and suggestions from an international survey conducted with members of the International Pharmaceutical Federation on medication literacy. The preliminary Delphi questionnaire was built using the statements about medication literacy found in the scientific literature. Responses and comments were analyzed using a pre-established method and communicated to the experts after each round of Delphi. Statements with an agreement of at least 80% were accepted and used to develop a definition of medication literacy. The Delphi process started with 21 experts and included 4 rounds. Overall, 30 statements regarding medication literacy were accepted and divided into 4 clusters representing: (1) type of information necessary for optimal and safe use of medication, (2) skills and abilities, (3) format of information, and (4) outcomes. These statements were used to propose 2 different definitions of medication literacy. One of the definitions was preferred by 75% of the expert panel, which provided further comments for improvements. Of the 11 experts who answered the final questionnaire, nine strongly agreed with the refined definition. Medication literacy is the degree to which individuals can obtain, comprehend, communicate, calculate and process patient-specific information about their medications to make informed medication and health decisions in order to safely and effectively use their medications, regardless of the mode by which the content is delivered (e.g. written, oral and visual). Future studies should focus on how this definition can be operationalized to support the role

  7. Effectiveness of a hospital school mathematics literacy program.

    PubMed

    Covic, Amalia Neide; Kanemoto, Eduardo; Bastos, Andre Covic

    2012-01-01

    To receive treatment for cancer, patients in Brazil often travel to larger hospitals that may be located far away from their families and communities. Pediatric patients miss time in the classroom and may achieve educational milestones later than other students. They may also struggle with some educational topics after receiving certain types of cancer treatment. The Hospital School at the GRAACC helps to close this education gap by providing educational support to school-age students receiving treatment for cancer. In addition to providing educational services during treatment, teachers at the hospital school, Mobile School - Specific Student (EMAE). The objective of this preliminary study is to build knowledge about the impact of school enrollment on mathematics literacy in hospitalized cancer patients undergoing treatment. We followed 15-year-old patients (n = 54) with at last 1 year inside the hospital school for a period of 8 years (2001-2008). Study participants were affected by a variety of diseases including bone tumors (n = 39), Hodgkin lymphoma (n = 08) and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (n = 07). The level of participants' mathematical literacy was regularly assessed by reviewing the results of formative assessments completed by students. Using that information, students were grouped into categories according to mathematics literacy levels established by the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). The formative assessment is based on the analysis of all the material produced by the student and the EMAE teacher across the years of the study, including the recordings of working meetings that were held with all the teachers every class day.

  8. Literacy Events and Practices That Position Hmong Women to Meet Academic Success in Community Colleges

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Koch, Jody C.

    2017-01-01

    This study examined the literacy events and practices of Hmong women achieving academic success at a community college. Three women participants were interviewed regarding their past and present literacy events and practices. In addition, each participant took photographs of their own literacy events for five weeks. The photographs provided…

  9. Problematizing Statistical Literacy: An Intersection of Critical and Statistical Literacies

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Weiland, Travis

    2017-01-01

    In this paper, I problematize traditional notions of statistical literacy by juxtaposing it with critical literacy. At the school level statistical literacy is vitally important for students who are preparing to become citizens in modern societies that are increasingly shaped and driven by data based arguments. The teaching of statistics, which is…

  10. Roundtable on Health Literacy: Issues and Impact.

    PubMed

    Hernandez, Lyla; French, Melissa; Parker, Ruth

    2017-01-01

    In 2004 the Institute of Medicine (IOM) report, Health Literacy: A Prescription to End Confusion, highlighted that "efforts to improve quality, to reduce costs, and to reduce disparities cannot succeed without efforts to improve health literacy" [1]. The IOM report emphasized that poor health literacy is a major challenge for individuals who need to find, understand, and use information to make informed decisions for health. Following the publication of the 2004 report and in response to rising interest in health literacy in the U.S., the IOM established the Roundtable on Health Literacy. Roundtables convene a broad array of stakeholders from foundations, health plans, associations, government, private companies, and patient and consumer groups to discuss challenges and provide a forum for exchange of knowledge and expertise. The Roundtable does not make recommendations, rather its mission is to inform, inspire, and activate diverse U.S. (and potentially international) stakeholders. The Roundtable's activities support the development, implementation, and sharing of evidence-based health literacy practices and policies. The Roundtable's goal is to improve the health and well-being of Americans as well as persons in other nations. Since its inception, the Roundtable has explored ways in which health literacy relates to a diverse array of topics from medications to oral health to public health to health equity and more. In particular the Roundtable has served to highlight the issues central to the alignment of system demands and complexities with individual skills and abilities. Roundtable workshops and discussions, no matter the specific topic, maintain a focus on identifying and illuminating evidence-based health literacy approaches that foster high-quality, patient centered care. The work of the Roundtable has been used throughout the United States and globally to foster health literate organizations and approaches to improving patient-centered care and the health

  11. Embedded-explicit emergent literacy intervention I: Background and description of approach.

    PubMed

    Justice, Laura M; Kaderavek, Joan N

    2004-07-01

    This article, the first of a two-part series, provides background information and a general description of an emergent literacy intervention model for at-risk preschoolers and kindergartners. The embedded-explicit intervention model emphasizes the dual importance of providing young children with socially embedded opportunities for meaningful, naturalistic literacy experiences throughout the day, in addition to regular structured therapeutic interactions that explicitly target critical emergent literacy goals. The role of the speech-language pathologist (SLP) in the embedded-explicit model encompasses both indirect and direct service delivery: The SLP consults and collaborates with teachers and parents to ensure the highest quality and quantity of socially embedded literacy-focused experiences and serves as a direct provider of explicit interventions using structured curricula and/or lesson plans. The goal of this integrated model is to provide comprehensive emergent literacy interventions across a spectrum of early literacy skills to ensure the successful transition of at-risk children from prereaders to readers.

  12. Health literacy and participation in sports club activities among adolescents.

    PubMed

    Paakkari, Leena; Kokko, Sami; Villberg, Jari; Paakkari, Olli; Tynjälä, Jorma

    2017-12-01

    The aim of this research was to compare the levels of perceived health literacy among adolescents who do or do not participate in sports club activities. Organized sport club activities reach a high proportion of adolescents, and have the potential to contribute to the development of their health literacy. The cross-sectional data on health literacy among school children in Finland (aged 13 and 15, n=3852) were measured, as a part of the Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children (HBSC) study, using the Health Literacy for School-aged Children (HLSAC) instrument. Sports club participation and its association with health literacy were examined in relation to age, gender, family affluence, school achievement, and physical activity. The statistical analyses included cross-tabulation and the multilevel mixed-effects logistic regression analyses. Perceived health literacy was higher among adolescents who participated in sports club activities. This conclusion was valid for boys and girls, for both age groups, among those who were physically active 6-7 days a week, had at least moderate school achievement, and those who belonged to the middle or high affluence families. From the health literacy perspective, participation in sports club activities was especially beneficial for those having low or moderate school achievement level. The sports club setting may work towards equalizing health literacy differences related to school achievement. However, the clubs should ensure that access is available to as many adolescents as possible; by this means they may spread beneficial influences, supporting the development of health literacy among broader population groups.

  13. Small Businesses. Workforce & Workplace Literacy Series.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    BCEL Brief, 1992

    1992-01-01

    This brief presents summary information and contacts/references for a sampling of programs and resources that have been developed to support small business workplace literacy projects. Twenty-two contacts are included: Finger Lakes Regional Education Center for Economic Development; Development Assistance Corporation; Wayne Community College;…

  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

    additional support to learn and recall the signs of stroke.

  15. Communication: Literacy and Development

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Literacy Work, 1971

    1971-01-01

    Author presents a preliminary discussion of the relationship of literacy and rural development. It presents the literacy continuum amongst the African population of Rhodesia, results of a small study of literacy retention, and a brief account of literacy effect on the development of subsistance agriculture. (Editor/LF)

  16. Literacies for Life.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Shaker, Paul

    2001-01-01

    To prosper as adults, students must develop varied literacies, including personal economic skills (understandings of credit, home ownership, retirement planning, taxation, and investing) and social and emotional literacies such as family and personal coping skills. Regarding aesthetic literacy, art should permeate the school environment through…

  17. Literacy and Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McKenna, Greg; Penner, Audrey J.

    2013-01-01

    This study evaluates the influence of literacy on outcomes in college programs with defined course requirements. This overcomes the limitations of previous research by contextualizing literacy according to program requirements. Results suggest (a) learner literacy varies considerably among programs, (b) there are socio-demographic variables…

  18. Effect of Health Literacy on Research Follow-up

    PubMed Central

    Leak, Cardella; Goggins, Kathryn; Schildcrout, Jonathan S.; Theobald, Cecelia; Donato, Katharine M.; Bell, Susan P.; Schnelle, John; Kripalani, Sunil

    2016-01-01

    Previous research has not examined the effect of health literacy on research subjects' completion of scheduled research follow-up. This article evaluates patient factors associated with incomplete research follow-up at three time points after enrollment in a large, hospital-based prospective cohort study. Predictor variables included health literacy, age, race, gender, education, employment status, difficulty paying bills, hospital diagnosis, length of stay, self-reported global health status, depression, perceived health competence, medication adherence and healthcare system distrust. In a sample of 2042 patients, multivariable models demonstrated that lower health literacy and younger age were significantly associated with a lower likelihood of completing research follow-up interviews at 2-3 days, 30 days and 90 days after hospital discharge. Additionally, patients who had less education, were currently employed, and had moderate financial stress were less likely to complete 90-day follow-up. This study is the first to demonstrate that lower health literacy is a significant predictor of incomplete research follow-up. PMID:26513035

  19. Promoting improved family caregiver health literacy: evaluation of caregiver communication resources.

    PubMed

    Wittenberg, Elaine; Goldsmith, Joy; Ferrell, Betty; Ragan, Sandra L

    2017-07-01

    Family caregivers of cancer patients have a vital role in facilitating and sharing information about cancer, revealing a need to develop caregiver health literacy skills to support caregiver communication. The goal of this study was to investigate caregiver print materials and develop and assess a new caregiver communication resource titled A Communication Guide for Caregivers TM . Using a model of six domains of caregiver health literacy skills, print cancer education materials were collected and evaluated for caregiver communication support. A new caregiver communication resource was also developed and assessed by caregivers and healthcare providers. Caregivers reviewed content and assessed utility, relatability, and reading quality. Healthcare providers also assessed whether the material would be understandable and usable for cancer caregivers. Only three of the 28 print materials evaluated were written at the recommended sixth grade reading level and only five addressed all six caregiver health literacy skills. Readability scores for A Communication Guide for Caregivers TM were at the sixth grade level, and caregivers reported its contents were relatable, useful, and easy to read. Healthcare providers also rated the material as easy for patient/family members of diverse backgrounds and varying levels of literacy to understand and use. Existing print-based caregiver education materials do not address caregivers' health literacy skill needs and are aimed at a highly literate caregiving population. A Communication Guide for Caregivers TM meets health literacy standards and family caregiver and provider communication needs. The findings are relevant for healthcare professionals who provide cancer education. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  20. Spanish Literacy Investigation Project.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cook, Jacqueline; Quinones, Anisia

    The Spanish Literacy Investigation Project was implemented to identify adult Spanish literacy programs throughout the country, to explore the availability of relevant Spanish literacy teaching methods, to determine relevant elements between Spanish literacy and English as a Second Language (ESL), and to describe a model for incorporating a Spanish…

  1. Natural Emergent Literacy Supports for Preschoolers with Autism and Severe Communication Impairments.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Koppenhaver, David A.; Erickson, Karen A.

    2003-01-01

    Print materials, experiences, and writing technologies were introduced to three preschoolers (age 3) with autism and severe communication impairments. The goal was to increase natural literacy learning opportunities. Children found the materials and experiences interesting and their understanding and use of print materials and tools increased in…

  2. Examining How Media Literacy and Personality Factors Predict Skepticism Toward Alcohol Advertising.

    PubMed

    Austin, Erica Weintraub; Muldrow, Adrienne; Austin, Bruce W

    2016-05-01

    To examine the potential effectiveness of media literacy education in the context of well-established personality factors, a survey of 472 young adults, focused on the issue of alcohol marketing messages, examined how individual differences in personality associate with constructs representing aspects of media literacy. The results showed that need for cognition predicted social expectancies and wishful identification with media portrayals in alcohol advertising only through critical thinking about media sources and media content, which are foci of media literacy education. Need for affect did not associate with increased or diminished levels of critical thinking. Critical thinking about sources and messages affected skepticism, represented by expectancies through wishful identification, consistent with the message interpretation process model. The results support the view that critical thinking about media sources is an important precursor to critical thinking about media messages. The results also suggest that critical thinking about media (i.e., media literacy) reflects more than personality characteristics and can affect wishful identification with role models observed in media, which appears to be a key influence on decision making. This adds support to the view that media literacy education can improve decision making across personality types regarding alcohol use by decreasing the potential influence of alcohol marketing messages.

  3. Literacy across the Curriculum: Connecting Literacy in the Schools, Community and Workplace, 1995-1996.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Shohet, Linda, Ed.

    1996-01-01

    This document contains four issues of a journal that aims to connect literacy in the schools, the community, and the workplace. Each issue also contains an insert focusing on media literacy. Some of the topics covered in the spring 1995 issue include the following: positioning literacy--naming literacy; literacy and machines--an overview of the…

  4. Literacy in the Southern Sudan: A Case Study of Variables Affecting Literacy Programs.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cowan, J. Ronayne

    1983-01-01

    Describes the Local Languages Literacy Project in the Southern Sudan; delineates the most important educational, socioeconomic, and linguistic variables affecting the success of large-scale literacy programs in Africa; and questions the widely held assumption that indigenous language literacy is essential to subsequent literacy in the prestige…

  5. Building Literacy. Beginnings Workshop.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lombardi, Joan; Curry-Rood, Leah; Racin, Jean Berry; Schickedanz, Judith A.; Allison, Jeanette

    1999-01-01

    Presents five articles discussing aspects of literacy promotion in the day care center setting: "Promoting Language, Literacy, and a Love of Learning Makes a Difference (Joan Lombardi); "Creating Readers" (Leah Curry-Rood); "Family Literacy" (Jean Berry Racin); "Setting the Stage for Literacy Events in the Classroom" (Judith A. Schickedanz); and…

  6. Using Gaming Literacies to Cultivate New Literacies

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hsu, Hui-Yin; Wang, Shiang-Kwei

    2010-01-01

    The use of games in educational contexts has recently received growing attention; however, many teachers struggle with finding a right context to adopt games in the classroom. To strengthen teachers' beliefs about the educational value of games, this article explains the similarities and differences between new literacies and gaming literacy and…

  7. Genres, Contexts, and Literacy Practices: Literacy Brokering among Sudanese Refugee Families

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Perry, Kristen H.

    2009-01-01

    This ethnographic study examined literacy brokering among Sudanese refugee families in Michigan. Literacy brokering occurs as individuals seek informal help with unfamiliar texts and literacy practices. Data collection involved participant observation, semi-structured interviews, and collection of artifacts over 18 months. Researcher analysis of…

  8. Using Digital Comics to Develop Digital Literacy: Fostering Functionally, Critically, and Rhetorically Literate Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kirchoff, Jeff

    2017-01-01

    Literacy scholarship has established the importance of teaching, supporting, and facilitating digital literacy education for 21st century students. Stuart Selber goes a step further, arguing that students must be functionally (using digital technology), critically (questioning digital technology), and rhetorically (producing effective digital…

  9. Depression Literacy and Awareness of Psychopathological Symptoms During the Perinatal Period.

    PubMed

    Fonseca, Ana; Silva, Sheila; Canavarro, Maria Cristina

    To characterize women's depression literacy during the perinatal period, including their ability to recognize clinically significant symptoms of depression. A quantitative, cross-sectional, survey design. Internet communities and Web sites focused on the topics of pregnancy and motherhood. A total of 194 women during the perinatal period (32.5% pregnant, 67.5% postnatal) completed the survey; 34.0% had clinically significant psychopathological symptoms. Most women were married/cohabiting (82.0%) and employed (71.8%). Women answered self-report questionnaires to assess depression literacy, symptoms of depression, emotional competence, and awareness/recognition of psychopathological symptoms. Women had moderate levels of depression literacy during the perinatal period, with higher literacy levels concerning depression-related characteristics than depression-related treatments. Lower education and lower income were associated with poor depression literacy, whereas prior history of psychiatric problems or treatments was associated with higher levels of depression literacy. An indirect effect through emotional competence in the relationship between depression literacy and awareness/recognition of symptoms was found: women with poor depression literacy tended to have a greater lack of emotional clarity, which negatively affected their symptom awareness and recognition. Our results support the need to improve women's mental health literacy during the perinatal period. Education on mental health topics in the context of a trusting relationship with health professionals may contribute to the promotion of women's depression literacy and emotional competence. Copyright © 2017 AWHONN, the Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  10. The Climate Literacy and Energy Awareness Network (CLEAN) - Enabling Collective Impact on Climate and Energy Literacy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Ledley, T. S.; Gold, A. U.; Niepold, F., III

    2015-12-01

    Numerous climate change education efforts exist that aim to enable citizens and society to make informed decisions addressing environmental and societal issues arising from climate change. To extend the reach and impact of these efforts, it is necessary to coordinate them in order to reach a greater collective impact. The Collective Impact model, as described by Kania & Kramer (2011), requires five elements: 1) a common agenda; 2) shared measurement systems; 3) mutually reinforcing activities; 4) continuous communication; and 5) a well-funded backbone support organization. The CLEAN Network, as an example of a rudimentary form of such an organization, engages in continuous communication through weekly teleconferences, an active listserv and other activities to share resources, activities, and ideas that is moving the network to develop common understandings that will likely lead to the development of effective collective impact on increasing climate and energy literacy. A Spring 2013 survey of the CLEAN Network provided insight as to how the CLEAN Network was addressing member needs and identified what other support was needed to increase its collective impact. In addition, community discussions identified the components needed for an effective overarching backbone support organization. A Fall 2015 survey of the CLEAN Network and the broader climate change education community is being conducted to examine 1) how the CLEAN Network make up and needs have evolved and how they compare to the broader community, and 2) to gather further input into the shaping of the elements of collective impact on climate and energy literacy. This presentation will describe the results from the 2015 survey and compare them to the 2013 survey and the community discussions. This will include describing the CLEAN Network's evolving professional make up, engagement of its members network activities, the importance of the network to members; how the findings compare with the broader climate

  11. Toward Defining Literacy.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Venezky, Richard L., Ed.; And Others

    This collection of four papers (each with a response) given at a 1987 symposium focuses on a renewed consideration of literacy in America and its implications for national, state, and local policy. The papers include "Definitions of Literacy" (Richard L. Venezky); "Literacy for What Purpose?" (Larry Mikulecky); "Measuring…

  12. Theme: Agricultural Literacy.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Deeds, Jacquelyn P.; And Others

    1991-01-01

    Six theme articles attempt to define and advocate agricultural literacy, review the status of K-8 agricultural literacy programs in states, discuss an Oklahoma study of agricultural literacy, clarify the meaning of sustainable agriculture, and describe the Future Farmers of America's Food for America program for elementary students. (SK)

  13. 102: PROMOTING INFORMATION LITERACY BY PROMOTING HEALTH LITERACY IN THE INFORMATION SOCIETY

    PubMed Central

    Dastani, Meisam; Sattari, Masoume

    2017-01-01

    Background and aims In the information society the production, distribution and use of information is freely and widely available for all issues of life. Correct and appropriate use of appropriate and reliable information is especially important in health care. The present study introduces the concepts and benefits of health literacy and information literacy and its role in improving health literacy. Methods This study is a review based on a review of the concepts of the information society, information literacy and information educated to present importance of promoting information literacy on health literacy in the information society. Results and Conclusion The information society by providing a platform of information technology and computer systems to attempts exchange and development information between people in the community. Currently, electronic and web-based health information in the form of mass is available for people. Information as a fundamental base of the information society is a phenomenon that our decisions are affect in relation to various issues such as safety and health issues. It is important point to avoid the mass of information invalid, incorrect and inappropriate available on the internet. This requires information literacy skills such as identifying, accessing and evaluating information. In general, it can be said that the promotion of health literacy in communities are required to learn different skills in the form of information literacy.

  14. Developing Digital and Media Literacies in Children and Adolescents.

    PubMed

    Turner, Kristen Hawley; Jolls, Tessa; Hagerman, Michelle Schira; O'Byrne, William; Hicks, Troy; Eisenstock, Bobbie; Pytash, Kristine E

    2017-11-01

    In today's global culture and economy, in which individuals have access to information at their fingertips at all times, digital and media literacy are essential to participate in society. But what specific competencies must young citizens acquire? How do these competencies influence pedagogy? How are student knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors changed? What are the best ways to assess students' digital and media literacy? These questions underscore what parents, educators, health professionals, and community leaders need to know to ensure that youth become digitally and media literate. Experimental and pilot programs in the digital and media literacy fields are yielding insights, but gaps in understanding and lack of support for research and development continue to impede growth in these areas. Learning environments no longer depend on seat time in factory-like school settings. Learning happens anywhere, anytime, and productivity in the workplace depends on digital and media literacy. To create the human capital necessary for success and sustainability in a technology-driven world, we must invest in the literacy practices of our youth. In this article, we make recommendations for research and policy priorities. Copyright © 2017 by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

  15. National Consumer and Financial Literacy Framework

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ministerial Council for Education, Early Childhood Development and Youth Affairs (NJ1), 2011

    2011-01-01

    This document is a revised version of the National Consumer and Financial Literacy Framework (the Framework) originally developed in 2005. It articulates a rationale for consumer and financial education in Australian schools; describes essential consumer and financial capabilities that will support lifelong learning; and provides guidance on how…

  16. Servant Leadership and Instructional Literacy Coaching

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Phillips, Thelma Jodale

    2013-01-01

    In an effort to enhance student achievement in reading, many high schools have integrated instructional literacy coaches into the teaching staff to provide support for the English teachers. The purpose of this quantitative, correlational study was to explore the relationship between the self-reported servant leadership practices used by…

  17. Perspectives on Family Literacy.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Literacy Assistance Center, New York, NY.

    This joint publication of the journals of the Literacy Assistance Center (LAC) and the National Even Start Association (NESA) focuses on innovative practices and theory in family literacy education, offers an array of perspectives to members of the literacy community, and critically examines some assumptions about literacy in general, as well as…

  18. Comprehensive Literacy Instruction, Interprofessional Collaborative Practice, and Students With Severe Disabilities.

    PubMed

    Erickson, Karen A

    2017-05-17

    The purpose of this clinical focus article is to briefly describe comprehensive emergent and conventional literacy instruction for students with severe disabilities. Specific attention is given to interprofessional collaborative practice and the roles of team members in planning and delivering instruction. A rationale for the delivery of comprehensive instruction that balances skill and meaning emphases is provided with reference to new college and career readiness standards, the literature on literacy acquisition for students without disabilities, and, when possible, the literature on literacy acquisition for students with severe disabilities. Specific instructional approaches are presented to demonstrate how teams can actively engage students with severe disabilities in instruction that is collaborative, participatory, and interactive. Successful provision of comprehensive literacy instruction that allows students with severe disabilities to achieve conventional literacy takes time and the efforts of a collaborative interprofessional team. Speech-language pathologists play a critical role on these teams as they ensure that students with severe disabilities have the language and communication supports they need to be successful.

  19. Embedding Academic Literacy Support within the Electrical Engineering Curriculum: A Case Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Skinner, I.; Mort, P.

    2009-01-01

    This paper reports the integration of supplementary training in academic literacy, for those without the assumed entry standard, into a standard electrical engineering program without compromising any other educational objectives. All students who commenced an engineering degree were tested as part of their first session's assessment activities.…

  20. An Early Intervention Supporting the Literacy Learning of Children Experiencing Substantial Difficulty.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jackson, Jane B.; Paratore, Jeanne R.; Chard, David J.; Garnick, Sheila

    1999-01-01

    A study examined the degree to which eight teachers would faithfully implement an early literacy intervention plan. Teachers implemented the intervention with a high degree of fidelity and benefited from the community approach to intervention for struggling readers. Most children made substantial gains in phonemic blending and segmenting…

  1. Development of functional oral health literacy assessment instruments: application of literacy and cognitive theories.

    PubMed

    Bridges, Susan M; Parthasarathy, Divya S; Au, Terry K F; Wong, Hai Ming; Yiu, Cynthia K Y; McGrath, Colman P

    2014-01-01

    This paper describes the development of a new literacy assessment instrument, the Hong Kong Oral Health Literacy Assessment Task for Paediatric Dentistry (HKOHLAT-P). Its relationship to literacy theory is analyzed to establish content and face validity. Implications for construct validity are examined by analyzing cognitive demand to determine how "comprehension" is measured. Key influences from literacy assessment were identified to analyze item development. Cognitive demand was analyzed using an established taxonomy. The HKOHLAT-P focuses on the functional domain of health literacy assessment. Items had strong content and face validity reflecting established principles from modern literacy theory. Inclusion of new text types signified relevant developments in the area of new literacies. Analysis of cognitive demand indicated that this instrument assesses the "comprehension" domain, specifically the areas of factual and procedural knowledge, with some assessment of conceptual knowledge. Metacognitive knowledge was not assessed. Comprehension tasks assessing patient health literacy predominantly examine functional health literacy at the lower levels of comprehension. Item development is influenced by the fields of situated and authentic literacy. Inclusion of content regarding multiliteracies is suggested for further research. Development of functional health literacy assessment instruments requires careful consideration of the clinical context in determining construct validity. © 2013 American Association of Public Health Dentistry.

  2. Social Literacies across Communities, Cultures and Contexts. Adult Literacy Research Network.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Searle, Jean, Ed.

    This document contains eight papers on social literacies across communities, cultures, and contexts in Australia. "Social Literacies" (Jean Searle) is an introduction to the other papers, which each report on small action research projects examining how particular groups of people use literacy. "Recognising Shifting Delivery Modes:…

  3. [Health literacy in Czech population results of the comparative representative research].

    PubMed

    Kučera, Zdeněk; Pelikan, Jurgen; Šteflová, Alena

    Health literacy survey was carried out at the end of 2014 in the context of preparation of implementation strategy of the Program Health 2020 in the Czech Republic. The survey was conducted by the National Institute of Public Health with financial support from the Ministry of Health and the Czech WHO office. Sociological survey replicated comparative research conducted in eight EU countries in the first half of this decade. Representative survey in 1037 respondents in the age over 16 years, selected in all regions of the country. The identical methodology as used in the original study was utilized. Health literacy was measured in the areas of health care, disease prevention and health promotion.We found that 59,4 % of respondents showed limited general health literacy; health literacy in health care is proved to be 49.5 % of the population, in the area of disease prevention it was 54.1 % respondents and in health promotion it was even even 64.3 % of respondents. Compared to the other countries surveyed, Czech Republic occupies the eighth, penultimate place. Health literacy is correlated negatively with age and positively with education. We found a strong social gradient of health literacy which rises with social status. Health literacy quite significantly influences the health status and health behaviors.Key words: health literacy, health behaviour, health promotion, social determinants of health.

  4. Asthma 1-2-3: a low literacy multimedia tool to educate African American adults about asthma.

    PubMed

    Sobel, Rina M; Paasche-Orlow, Michael K; Waite, Katherine R; Rittner, Sarah S; Wilson, Elizabeth A H; Wolf, Michael S

    2009-08-01

    Asthma 1-2-3 is a newly-developed low-literacy multimedia education tool designed to promote asthma self-care concepts among African American adults. An expert panel (n = 10) informed content development for the tool. The video script and storyboard imagery were shown to 30 African Americans recruited from the American Lung Association, whose reactions and comments guided further revisions. The final version was pilot tested in three diverse community settings in Chicago to determine the efficacy of Asthma 1-2-3 at improving patient understanding of asthma and its symptoms. In all, 130 adults participated in the pilot test. Knowledge scores significantly improved from pretest to posttest following presentation of the developed tool for subjects across all literacy levels (Pretest: Mean = 4.2 [SD = 1.6]; Posttest: M = 6.8 [SD = 2.0], P < 0.001). Symptom pathophysiology concepts were the least understood. Individuals with low literacy had less total knowledge score gains compared to those with marginal and adequate literacy (1.8, 2.6, and 3.2 respectively; P = 0.002). The multimedia tool significantly improved understanding of asthma. Individuals with limited literacy may require additional instruction, repeated viewing, or added tangible cues (i.e. supplementary print materials) to support knowledge retention. In general, feedback from the target population was particularly helpful in the development of the tool and its initial evaluation, and should be considered as a necessary step in the creation of other patient education materials.

  5. Assessing health literacy practices in a community pharmacy environment: experiences using the AHRQ Pharmacy Health Literacy Assessment Tool.

    PubMed

    O'Neal, Katherine S; Crosby, Kimberly M; Miller, Michael J; Murray, Kelly A; Condren, Michelle E

    2013-01-01

    the use of health literacy-sensitive practices. After piloting and adapting the AHRQ tool for the community pharmacy environment, 60 patients completed telephone interviews, 31 staff members completed surveys, and four independent auditors completed environmental audits in six study pharmacies using the revised data collection instruments. The majority of patients and staff were in agreement that written materials were easy to read. However, the auditors did not report equally high agreement regarding the readability qualities of the written materials. While the majority of staff reported use of literacy-sensitive communication techniques with patients, only a minority of patients reported actual communication with the pharmacist and use of literacy-sensitive communication techniques. At trained pharmacies, a significantly larger proportion of patients reported that the pharmacist spent enough time answering their questions (100% vs. 87%, P = 0.038), but a smaller proportion reported the pharmacists reviewed important information from the written information provided (30% vs. 57%, P = 0.035). A significantly smaller proportion of pharmacy staff also reported using the repeat-back technique at the trained pharmacies (40% vs. 79%, P = 0.035). This project is the first to report piloting, revision, and implementation of the AHRQ Health Literacy Assessment Tool in a community pharmacy practice setting. In addition to adapting data collection instruments and implementation strategies, opportunities that target training to facilitate use of literacy-sensitive practices and active patient engagement with literacy-sensitive communication techniques were identified. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  6. Child Development and Emergent Literacy.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Whitehurst, Grover J.; Lonigan, Christopher J.

    1998-01-01

    Offers a typology of emergent literacy skills, reviews research relating emergent literacy to reading, and reviews evidence linking emergent literacy environments and development of emergent literacy skills. Proposes that emergent literacy consists of inside-out skills and outside-in skills that are influential at different times during reading…

  7. Enhancing the effectiveness of diabetes self-management education: the diabetes literacy project.

    PubMed

    Van den Broucke, S; Van der Zanden, G; Chang, P; Doyle, G; Levin, D; Pelikan, J; Schillinger, D; Schwarz, P; Sørensen, K; Yardley, L; Riemenschneider, H

    2014-12-01

    Patient empowerment through self-management education is central to improving the quality of diabetes care and preventing Type 2 Diabetes. Although national programs exist, there is no EU-wide strategy for diabetes self-management education, and patients with limited literacy face barriers to effective self-management. The Diabetes Literacy project, initiated with the support of the European Commission, aims to fill this gap. The project investigates the effectiveness of diabetes self-management education, targeting people with or at risk of Type 2 Diabetes in the 28 EU Member States, as part of a comprehensive EU-wide diabetes strategy. National diabetes strategies in the EU, US, Taiwan, and Israel are compared, and diabetes self-management programs inventorized. The costs of the diabetes care pathway are assessed on a per person basis at national level. A comparison is made of the (cost)-effectiveness of different methods for diabetes self-management support, and the moderating role of health literacy, organization of the health services, and implementation fidelity of education programs are considered. Web-based materials are developed and evaluated by randomized trials to evaluate if interactive internet delivery can enhance self-management support for people with lower levels of health literacy. The 3-year project started in December 2012. Several literature reviews have been produced and protocol development and research design are in the final stages. Primary and secondary data collection and analysis take place in 2014. The results will inform policy decisions on improving the prevention, treatment, and care for persons with diabetes across literacy levels. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

  8. Black Muslim Girls Navigating Multiple Oppositional Binaries through Literacy and Letter Writing

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McArthur, Sherell A.; Muhammad, Gholnecsar E.

    2017-01-01

    Writing alongside 12 African American Muslim girls, we led a summer literacy program in an effort to understand how Black Muslim adolescent girls write about their identities and ideas. The 4-week literacy program was designed to engage and support Black Muslim girls, aged 12-17 years old, in reading, writing, and understanding the multiple…

  9. Teacher literacy expectations for kindergarten children with cerebral palsy in special education.

    PubMed

    Peeters, Marieke; Verhoeven, Ludo; de Moor, Jan

    2009-09-01

    Teacher expectations are important for the literacy development of children. The goal of this study was to investigate to what extent teacher expectations for future literacy success at the end of elementary school differed for children with cerebral palsy (CP) as compared with peers without disabilities in kindergarten. In addition, we investigated to what extent teacher literacy expectations of children with CP were related to additional impairments such as speech, intellectual and physical impairments, and to the current level of emergent literacy skills. Forty-nine teachers of children with CP and 71 teachers of non-disabled children responded to the questionnaire. The results showed that teacher expectations for future reading and writing success of children with CP were lower (all P values are <0.001) but also of a different nature, as eight teachers had no idea what to expect for the future reading development, and 12 teachers did not know what to expect for the future writing development of the child with CP. Multiple regression analysis showed that teacher reading expectations could best be predicted by both intelligence and emergent literacy skills (P<0.001), whereas teacher writing skills could best be predicted by intelligence (P<0.001).

  10. Beyond Reading Alone: The Relationship Between Aural Literacy And Asthma Management

    PubMed Central

    Rosenfeld, Lindsay; Rudd, Rima; Emmons, Karen M.; Acevedo-García, Dolores; Martin, Laurie; Buka, Stephen

    2010-01-01

    Objectives To examine the relationship between literacy and asthma management with a focus on the oral exchange. Methods Study participants, all of whom reported asthma, were drawn from the New England Family Study (NEFS), an examination of links between education and health. NEFS data included reading, oral (speaking), and aural (listening) literacy measures. An additional survey was conducted with this group of study participants related to asthma issues, particularly asthma management. Data analysis focused on bivariate and multivariable logistic regression. Results In bivariate logistic regression models exploring aural literacy, there was a statistically significant association between those participants with lower aural literacy skills and less successful asthma management (OR:4.37, 95%CI:1.11, 17.32). In multivariable logistic regression analyses, controlling for gender, income, and race in separate models (one-at-a-time), there remained a statistically significant association between those participants with lower aural literacy skills and less successful asthma management. Conclusion Lower aural literacy skills seem to complicate asthma management capabilities. Practice Implications Greater attention to the oral exchange, in particular the listening skills highlighted by aural literacy, as well as other related literacy skills may help us develop strategies for clear communication related to asthma management. PMID:20399060

  11. Telling Stories and Making Books: Evidence for an Intervention to Help Parents in Migrant Head Start Families Support Their Children's Language and Literacy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Boyce, Lisa K.; Innocenti, Mark S.; Roggman, Lori A.; Norman, Vonda K. Jump; Ortiz, Eduardo

    2010-01-01

    Research Findings: In this study, 75 Spanish-speaking preschoolers (M age = 41.43 months, SD = 10.78 months; 30 girls) attending a Migrant Head Start program were randomly assigned to receive the Storytelling for the Home Enrichment of Language and Literacy Skills (SHELLS) in addition to their Head Start services (n = 32) or to continue to receive…

  12. Preschool Home Literacy Practices and Children's Literacy Development: A Longitudinal Analysis

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hood, Michelle; Conlon, Elizabeth; Andrews, Glenda

    2008-01-01

    In this 3-year longitudinal study, the authors tested and extended M. Senechal and J. Le Fevre's (2002) model of the relationships between preschool home literacy practices and children's literacy and language development. Parent-child reading (Home Literacy Environment Questionnaire plus a children's Title Recognition Test) and parental teaching…

  13. Literacy Links: Practical Strategies To Develop the Emergent Literacy At-Risk Children Need.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Robb, Laura

    Emphasizing that Literacy Links is a program for young children with little exposure to literacy activities at home, the book explains exactly how Literacy Links works to provide the background knowledge these children need to succeed. The book offers strategies to help literacy-deprived young learners. The book's educator/author has found that…

  14. Meeting the Challenges of Literacy Difficulties: Developing a Qualification for Specialist Literacy Teachers.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Limbrick, Libby; Parkhill, Faye; Smith, John

    In 2001, the New Zealand Ministry of Education awarded a contract to a consortium of three colleges of education to provide a training program that would lead to a new national literacy qualification for a newly developed specialist literacy teaching position--Resource Teacher: Literacy. Resource Teachers of Literacy are skilled and experienced…

  15. Family Literacy Programs: Who Benefits?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Padak, Nancy; Rasinski, Tim

    The concept of family literacy is firmly rooted in a substantial research base from several disciplines, including adult literacy, emergent literacy, child development, and systems analysis. Results from a review of research from each discipline found answers to questions about benefits of family literacy. Results show family literacy programs do…

  16. Family Literacy Programs: Who Benefits?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Padak, Nancy; Rasinski, Tim

    Designing and delivering literacy programs that benefit both parents (or other family members) and children makes sense. But do family literacy programs really work? And if so, who benefits? The concept of family literacy is firmly rooted in a substantial research base from several disciplines, including adult literacy, emergent literacy, child…

  17. Reconstructing Literacy as an Innovation for Sustainable Development: A Policy Advocacy for Bangladesh

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bhola, H. S.

    2009-01-01

    In outlining the framework offered at the UNESCO Regional Conference in support of Global Literacy (New Delhi, November 2007), it was pointed out that concepts of poverty, sustainable development and particularly of literacy and innovation have themselves been in continuous re-construction. An analysis of the context and condition for literacy…

  18. Literacy in Multilingual and Multicultural Contexts: Effective Approaches to Adult Learning and Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

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

    2016-01-01

    This compilation includes programmes which promote language and culture as resources and see them as an added value rather than a challenge for literacy teaching and learning. It also includes programmes designed to support migrants and refugees by equipping them for integration into mainstream society while strengthening their literacy skills in…

  19. Literacy Instruction for Young Children with Severe Speech and Physical Impairments: A Systematic Review

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Stauter, Donna W.; Myers, Sarah R.; Classen, Audra I.

    2017-01-01

    Children with severe speech and physical impairment who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) present unique challenges in literacy development. Traditional reading instruction has not met these students' needs. Occupational therapy and speech therapy provide supports to mediate limitations to literacy instruction. A systematic…

  20. Organizational Barriers to Effective Literacy Coaching

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Niedzwiecki, Allison

    2007-01-01

    Literacy coaching as a means of professional development has great potential for increasing student achievement, teacher effectiveness, and school success. However, schools and districts can inadvertently undermine the potential of coaching when a coach's role is not clearly defined and when the position is not adequately supported and protected.…

  1. E-Books as a Support for Young Children's Language and Literacy: The Case of Hebrew-Speaking Children

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Korat, Ofra; Shamir, Adina; Segal-Drori, Ora

    2014-01-01

    In this paper, we present a series of studies performed in the last decade that examined the contribution of e-books reading to the language and literacy of young Hebrew-speaking children. Children worked with two e-books designed by the researchers to achieve this aim. We present the effect of reading these e-books on the language and literacy of…

  2. Literacy Behaviors of Kindergarten-Primary Children in High Stimulus-Level Literacy Environments. Part I: The Instruments. Part II: Environments and Literacy Behaviors.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Loughlin, Catherine E.; Ivener, Bonnie L.

    A study of patterns of literacy behaviors in high level literacy environments with varying levels of access to the environment began with a study of the instruments involved. Goals were to: (1) examine the reliability of the Survey of Displayed Literacy Stimuli; (2) study the correlation between scores from the Survey of Displayed Literacy Stimuli…

  3. Media Literacy, News Literacy, or News Appreciation? A Case Study of the News Literacy Program at Stony Brook University

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fleming, Jennifer

    2014-01-01

    This case study provides practical and theoretical insights into the Stony Brook news literacy program, which is one of the most ambitious and well-funded curricular experiments in modern journalism education and media literacy. Analysis of document, interview, and observation data indicates that news literacy educators sought to teach students…

  4. The Literacy Component of Mathematical and Scientific Literacy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Yore, Larry D.; Pimm, David; Tuan, Hsiao-Lin

    2007-01-01

    This opening article of the Special Issue makes an argument for parallel definitions of scientific literacy and mathematical literacy that have shared features: importance of general cognitive and metacognitive abilities and reasoning/thinking and discipline-specific language, habits-of-mind/emotional dispositions, and information communication…

  5. Development of an easy-to-use Spanish Health Literacy test.

    PubMed

    Lee, Shoou-Yih D; Bender, Deborah E; Ruiz, Rafael E; Cho, Young Ik

    2006-08-01

    The study was intended to develop and validate a health literacy test, termed the Short Assessment of Health Literacy for Spanish-speaking Adults (SAHLSA), for the Spanish-speaking population. The design of SAHLSA was based on the Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Medicine (REALM), known as the most easily administered tool for assessing health literacy in English. In addition to the word recognition test in REALM, SAHLSA incorporates a comprehension test using multiple-choice questions designed by an expert panel. Validation of SAHLSA involved testing and comparing the tool with other health literacy instruments in a sample of 201 Spanish-speaking and 202 English-speaking subjects recruited from the Ambulatory Care Center at UNC Health Care. With only the word recognition test, REALM could not differentiate the level of health literacy in Spanish. The SAHLSA significantly improved the differentiation. Item response theory analysis was performed to calibrate the SAHLSA and reduce the instrument to 50 items. The resulting instrument, SAHLSA-50, was correlated with the Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults, another health literacy instrument, at r=0.65. The SAHLSA-50 score was significantly and positively associated with the physical health status of Spanish-speaking subjects (p<.05), holding constant age and years of education. The instrument displayed good internal reliability (Cronbach's alpha=0.92) and test-retest reliability (Pearson's r=0.86). The new instrument, SAHLSA-50, has good reliability and validity. It could be used in the clinical or community setting to screen for low health literacy among Spanish speakers.

  6. [Depression Literacy - German Translation and Testing of the Depression Literacy Scale].

    PubMed

    Freitag, Simone; Stolzenburg, Susanne; Schomerus, Georg; Schmidt, Silke

    2017-12-13

    Objective Translation and psychometric testing of a German adaptation of the Australian Depression Literacy Scale. Methods Translation of the Depression Literacy Scale by Griffith et al. (2004) into German and testing for depression literacy in a sample of 229 people with depressive syndrome. Results The investigated sample had a mean age of 49.4 years (18 - 80 years). On average, 51 % of the 22 questions were correctly answered. The scale showed a satisfactory internal consistency with α = .74. The first-time application of the translated D-Lit German scale showed significant differences in subgroup analyzes of sex, age, and education. Hence, women, younger persons and persons with a higher school education reported higher values on the Depression Literacy Scale. Conclusion The translation of the Depression Literacy Scale (D-Lit German) resulted in an easy-to-understand and applicable questionnaire. Items relating to therapeutic and drug-related treatments of depressen were more difficult to answer. The D-Lit scale proved to be a reliable and economic instrument for the investigation of depression literacy. Future studies should include depression literacy in investigations on the demands and help-seeking behaviour of people with depression. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

  7. Children's Literacy Interest and Its Relation to Parents' Literacy-Promoting Practices

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hume, Laura E.; Lonigan, Christopher J.; McQueen, Jessica D.

    2015-01-01

    This study examined how children's literacy interests related to parent literacy-promoting practices across time. Using a sample of 909 preschool-age children and the newly developed Child Activities Preference Checklist, literacy interest appeared to be a complex construct, not easily captured by a single measure. In a subsample of 230 children…

  8. Functional, communicative and critical health literacy of chronic disease patients and their importance for self-management.

    PubMed

    Heijmans, Monique; Waverijn, Geeke; Rademakers, Jany; van der Vaart, Rosalie; Rijken, Mieke

    2015-01-01

    To provide insight into the level of health literacy among chronic disease patients in the Netherlands, to identify subgroups with low literacy and to examine the associations between health literacy and self-management. Self-report questionnaires were sent to a nationwide sample of 1.341 chronic disease patients. The Dutch Functional Communicative and Critical Health Literacy scale (FCCHL), the Partners in Health scale (PIH) and Perceived Efficacy in Patient-Doctor Interactions (PEPPI-5) were used to assess health literacy and aspects of self-management. In general, health literacy skills were good. A higher age, lower education, lower income, multi-morbidity and/or functional limitations were associated with lower levels of health literacy. Communicative and critical health literacy were related to some aspects of self-management but not to all. Functional health literacy was less important. Communicative and critical health literacy play a role in successful self-management of chronic disease but the impact differs by context. Health literacy levels vary according to socio-demographic and disease characteristics of patients. Health care professionals should tailor their information and support to the health literacy skills and personal context of their patients. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. Principals as Partners with Literacy Coaches: Striking a Balance between Neglect and Interference

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ippolito, Jacy

    2009-01-01

    What role must principals play in order to effectively support literacy coaching efforts? This is a question that many educators have begun to ask (Burkins, 2007; Casey, 2006; Kral, 2007; Shanklin, 2007; Steiner & Kowal, 2007; Toll, 2008). Some suggest that principals can establish close relationships with literacy coaches by offering a number…

  10. The relationship between media literacy and health literacy among pregnant women in health centers of Isfahan

    PubMed Central

    Akbarinejad, Farideh; Soleymani, Mohammad Reza; Shahrzadi, Leila

    2017-01-01

    Background: The ability to access, analyze, evaluate, and convey information in various forms of media including print and nonprint requires media literacy, but the capacity to obtain, process, and understand basic information and services needed for appropriate decisions regarding health, considered an important element in a woman's ability to participate in health promotion and prevention activities for herself and her children, is needed to a level of health literacy. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between media literacy and health literacy among pregnant women in health centers in Isfahan. Materials and Methods: This study used a descriptive correlation study. Data collection tools include Shahin media literacy and functional health literacy in adults’ questionnaires. The population include pregnant women in health centers of Isfahan (4080 people). Ten out of the 351 health centers in Isfahan were selected as cluster. Data were analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. Results: Media literacy of respondents in the five dimensions was significantly lower than average 61.5% of pregnant women have inadequate health literacy, 18.8% had marginal health literacy, and only 19.7% of them have had adequate health literacy. There was a significant positive relationship between media literacy and health literacy among pregnant women. Conclusion: This study showed that the majority of pregnant women covered by health centers had limited health literacy and media literacy. Since one of the basic requirements for the utilization of health information is needed for adequate media literacy, promotion of media literacy is necessary for the respondents. PMID:28546982

  11. The relationship between media literacy and health literacy among pregnant women in health centers of Isfahan.

    PubMed

    Akbarinejad, Farideh; Soleymani, Mohammad Reza; Shahrzadi, Leila

    2017-01-01

    The ability to access, analyze, evaluate, and convey information in various forms of media including print and nonprint requires media literacy, but the capacity to obtain, process, and understand basic information and services needed for appropriate decisions regarding health, considered an important element in a woman's ability to participate in health promotion and prevention activities for herself and her children, is needed to a level of health literacy. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between media literacy and health literacy among pregnant women in health centers in Isfahan. This study used a descriptive correlation study. Data collection tools include Shahin media literacy and functional health literacy in adults' questionnaires. The population include pregnant women in health centers of Isfahan (4080 people). Ten out of the 351 health centers in Isfahan were selected as cluster. Data were analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. Media literacy of respondents in the five dimensions was significantly lower than average 61.5% of pregnant women have inadequate health literacy, 18.8% had marginal health literacy, and only 19.7% of them have had adequate health literacy. There was a significant positive relationship between media literacy and health literacy among pregnant women. This study showed that the majority of pregnant women covered by health centers had limited health literacy and media literacy. Since one of the basic requirements for the utilization of health information is needed for adequate media literacy, promotion of media literacy is necessary for the respondents.

  12. Marking Physical Literacy or Missing the Mark on Physical Literacy? A Conceptual Critique of Canada's Physical Literacy Assessment Instruments

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Robinson, Daniel B.; Randall, Lynn

    2017-01-01

    Margaret Whitehead first introduced the concept of physical literacy over 20 years ago. Since that introduction, physical literacy has been gaining in popularity within many Western physical education and sport contexts. This is particularly true within Canada, where physical literacy has been embraced by two of the nation's most notable national…

  13. Great Lakes Literacy Principles

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fortner, Rosanne W.; Manzo, Lyndsey

    2011-03-01

    Lakes Superior, Huron, Michigan, Ontario, and Erie together form North America's Great Lakes, a region that contains 20% of the world's fresh surface water and is home to roughly one quarter of the U.S. population (Figure 1). Supporting a $4 billion sport fishing industry, plus $16 billion annually in boating, 1.5 million U.S. jobs, and $62 billion in annual wages directly, the Great Lakes form the backbone of a regional economy that is vital to the United States as a whole (see http://www.miseagrant.umich.edu/downloads/economy/11-708-Great-Lakes-Jobs.pdf). Yet the grandeur and importance of this freshwater resource are little understood, not only by people in the rest of the country but also by many in the region itself. To help address this lack of knowledge, the Centers for Ocean Sciences Education Excellence (COSEE) Great Lakes, supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, developed literacy principles for the Great Lakes to serve as a guide for education of students and the public. These “Great Lakes Literacy Principles” represent an understanding of the Great Lakes' influences on society and society's influences on the Great Lakes.

  14. Maternal Literacy Practices and Toddlers' Emergent Literacy Skills

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Edwards, Claire Maples

    2014-01-01

    Maternal emergent literacy practices during shared-reading interactions with 18-36-month-old toddlers were examined. The investigation of emergent literacy behaviours of both mothers and toddlers investigated included the examination of phonological awareness and written language awareness. Participants included 15 mother-toddler dyads from middle…

  15. The Foundations of Literacy Development in Children at Familial Risk of Dyslexia.

    PubMed

    Hulme, Charles; Nash, Hannah M; Gooch, Debbie; Lervåg, Arne; Snowling, Margaret J

    2015-12-01

    The development of reading skills is underpinned by oral language abilities: Phonological skills appear to have a causal influence on the development of early word-level literacy skills, and reading-comprehension ability depends, in addition to word-level literacy skills, on broader (semantic and syntactic) language skills. Here, we report a longitudinal study of children at familial risk of dyslexia, children with preschool language difficulties, and typically developing control children. Preschool measures of oral language predicted phoneme awareness and grapheme-phoneme knowledge just before school entry, which in turn predicted word-level literacy skills shortly after school entry. Reading comprehension at 8½ years was predicted by word-level literacy skills at 5½ years and by language skills at 3½ years. These patterns of predictive relationships were similar in both typically developing children and those at risk of literacy difficulties. Our findings underline the importance of oral language skills for the development of both word-level literacy and reading comprehension. © The Author(s) 2015.

  16. Web-based Health Information Seeking and eHealth Literacy among Patients Living with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).

    PubMed

    Stellefson, Michael L; Shuster, Jonathan J; Chaney, Beth H; Paige, Samantha R; Alber, Julia M; Chaney, J Don; Sriram, P S

    2017-09-05

    Many people living with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) have low general health literacy; however, there is little information available on these patients' eHealth literacy, or their ability to seek, find, understand, and appraise online health information and apply this knowledge to address or solve disease-related health concerns. A nationally representative sample of patients registered in the COPD Foundation's National Research Registry (N = 1,270) was invited to complete a web-based survey to assess socio-demographic (age, gender, marital status, education), health status (generic and lung-specific health-related quality of life), and socio-cognitive (social support, self-efficacy, COPD knowledge) predictors of eHealth literacy, measured using the 8-item eHealth literacy scale (eHEALS). Over 50% of the respondents (n = 176) were female (n = 89), with a mean age of 66.19 (SD = 9.47). Overall, participants reported moderate levels of eHealth literacy, with more than 70% feeling confident in their ability to find helpful health resources on the Internet. However, respondents were much less confident in their ability to distinguish between high- and low-quality sources of web-based health information. Very severe versus less severe COPD (β = 4.15), lower lung-specific health-related quality of life (β = -0.19), and greater COPD knowledge (β = 0.62) were significantly associated with higher eHealth literacy. Higher COPD knowledge was also significantly associated with greater knowledge (ρ = 0.24, p = .001) and use (ρ = 0.24, p = .001) of web-based health resources. Findings emphasize the importance of integrating skill-building activities into comprehensive patient education programs that enable patients with severe cases of COPD to identify high-quality sources of web-based health information. Additional research is needed to understand how new social technologies can be used to help medically underserved COPD patients

  17. Information Literacy in the 21st Century Multicultural Classroom: Using Sociocultural Literacy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Blas, Elise A.

    2014-01-01

    Sociocultural literacy guides an instructor's pedagogy in the multicultural university classroom. By employing sociocultural literacy in the information literacy classroom, the instruction librarian can better teach students from all cultures including international students, first generation students, or students from a wide array of…

  18. Beyond the Hyperbole: Information Literacy Reconsidered

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Julien, Heidi

    2016-01-01

    Information literacy, as a concept, has suffered from terminological confusion and has been burdened with untenable expectations. In addition, insufficient attention has been given to the place of information with the context of information behavior or information practices generally. Significant challenges remain to developing information…

  19. 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.

  20. Promoting Literacy Learning for Children of Abuse: Strategies for Elementary School Teachers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Haeseler, Lisa Ann

    2006-01-01

    Elementary school teachers must clearly understand that many children of domestic violence abuse are struggling with abuse issues at home along with literacy learning at school. This article will demonstrate how a child from an adverse home environment may face additional literacy challenges in school. This article will also provide specific…

  1. Touch Screen Tablets and Emergent Literacy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Neumann, Michelle M.; Neumann, David L.

    2014-01-01

    The use of touch screen tablets by young children is increasing in the home and in early childhood settings. The simple tactile interface and finger-based operating features of tablets may facilitate preschoolers' use of tablet application software and support their educational development in domains such as literacy. This article reviews…

  2. Helping Families Connect Early Literacy with Social-Emotional Development

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Santos, Rosa Milagros; Fettig, Angel; Shaffer, LaShorage

    2012-01-01

    Early childhood educators know that home is a child's first learning environment. From birth, children are comforted by hearing and listening to their caregivers' voices. The language used by families supports young children's development of oral language skills. Exposure to print materials in the home also supports literacy development. Literacy…

  3. Program-Integrated Information Literacy Instruction for Online Graduate Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kumar, Swapna; Ochoa, Marilyn

    2012-01-01

    Academic librarians often provide information literacy support for specific courses or topics in the form of research guides, one-shot training sessions, library orientations, or by embedding library content into online courses. Less frequently, they provide continuous program-level support on-campus or online. This paper highlights the value of…

  4. Literacy and Education: Understanding the New Literacy Studies in the Classroom

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pahl, Kate; Rowsell, Jennifer

    2005-01-01

    In this book the authors note that for too long teachers have been at the mercy of government programmes, which have emphasized the acquisition of literacy as a set of skills. They suggest that an exciting new theory coming out of the New Literacy Studies actually helps students to access literacy skills. They attempt to bridge the gap between…

  5. Supporting the Development of Assessment Literacy of Staff through Institutional Process Change

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Forsyth, Rachel; Cullen, Rod; Ringan, Neil; Stubbs, Mark

    2015-01-01

    This paper reflects on the work done at a large UK university to redesign assessment procedures in a way that was intended to contribute to an improvement in assessment literacy for staff. Existing practice was reviewed and showed that changes in assessment processes were needed to make the organization of assessment more consistent and more…

  6. Becoming Political, Too: New Readings and Writings on the Politics of Literacy Education.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Shannon, Patrick, Ed.

    This collection of 20 essays on topics vital to literacy education, a follow-up to "Becoming Political," aims to be essential reading for anyone wishing to understand the past, present, and likely future of literacy education. The essays provide equal parts of theory, strategy, and hope for all who are interested in supporting literacies…

  7. Welcoming Families: A Parent Literacy Project in a Linguistically Rich, High-Poverty School

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Barone, Diane

    2011-01-01

    This article focuses on a parent literacy project that included shared reading and how to support this strategy with families who have a home language other than English and live in poverty circumstances. Literature about the importance of shared reading to children's literacy development is shared in tandem with the importance of building parent…

  8. Determinants of tobacco-related health literacy: A qualitative study with early adolescents.

    PubMed

    Parisod, Heidi; Axelin, Anna; Smed, Jouni; Salanterä, Sanna

    2016-10-01

    Today's adolescents are used to a constant information flow, but many face difficulties in processing health-related information due to low health literacy. There is still need for deeper understanding on the determinants of health literacy in relation to adolescents to guide the development of health literacy instruments and interventions. The purpose of this study was to explore, from the perspective of early adolescents, the determinants of health literacy in the context of tobacco-related health communication. A qualitative descriptive study. Two schools located in the south of Finland. One school represented a typical Finnish public school with students following general curriculum and the other represented a Finnish public school with students with special educational needs. Purposively selected sample of 10-13-year-old early adolescents (n=39) from the two schools to obtain a varied group of early adolescents representing different kinds of literacy levels. We conducted 10 focus groups with early adolescents and analyzed the data using the theoretical thematic analysis method. We used a combination of the determinants presented in three adolescent-specific health literacy models as the theoretical framework of deductive analysis. The remaining data extracts were coded inductively. We sorted the codes under sub-themes that represented different determinants of health literacy. These were further divided between three themes: "personal", "external", and "mediating" determinants. Finally, we named the themes with an expression that embodied the early adolescents' views and experiences. Early adolescents' descriptions revealed that the list of determinants presented in the three adolescent-specific health literacy models is not comprehensive enough. Early adolescents brought up how their motives, self-efficacy, and role expectations determine their health literacy in addition to the other personal determinants presented in the previous models. Their descriptions

  9. Tracing Academic Literacies across Contemporary Literacy Sponsorscapes: Mobilities, Ideologies, Identities, and Technologies

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wargo, Jon M.; De Costa, Peter I.

    2017-01-01

    Locating itself broadly within the "sociolinguistics of mobility" (Blommaert, 2014) and taking heed of Stornaiuolo and Hall's (2014) call to "trace resonance" in writing and literacies research, this article works to trace academic literacies across the emerging "literacy sponsorscapes" (Wargo, 2016a) of contemporary…

  10. Literacy for Migrants: An Ethnography of Literacy Acquisition among Nomads of Kutch.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dyer, Caroline; Choksi, Archana

    1997-01-01

    Recounts the creation of an ethnographic study of literacy acquisition among nomadic pastoralists in Gujarat (India). Describes the project's goals and methods, research problems, and experiments with Regenerated Freirean Literacy Through Empowering Community Techniques (REFLECT) methods for literacy learning. Concludes with suggestions for future…

  11. Science IDEAS: A Research-Based K-5 Interdisciplinary Instructional Model Linking Science and Literacy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Romance, Nancy R.; Vitale, Michael R.

    2012-01-01

    Science IDEAS is an evidence-based model that reflects interdisciplinary research findings that support the integration of literacy (e.g., reading comprehension) within science instruction in grades K-5. Presented is a framework for planning integrated science and literacy instruction in which six elements (hands-on investigations, reading,…

  12. A Case Study of Parental Perceptions of Literacy Skill Development for Severe Speech Impairments

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sweat, Karen

    2014-01-01

    Students exhibiting speech deficits may not have the appropriate skills or support structures necessary to obtain adequate or acceptable literacy development as mixed results from past research have indicated that some students with speech impairments have the capacity to gain appropriate literacy skills. The purpose of the qualitative holistic…

  13. Laptops Meet Schools, One-One Draw: M-Learning for Secondary Students with Literacy Difficulties

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Conway, Paul F.; Amberson, Jessica

    2011-01-01

    Mobile technology-enhanced literacy initiatives have become a focus of efforts to support learning for students with literacy difficulties. The "Laptops Initiative for Post-Primary Students with Dyslexia or other Reading/Writing Difficulties" offers insights into and addresses questions about ICT policy making regarding m-learning technologies for…

  14. Information Literacy Education on College of Technology at Kyushu Area

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kozono, Kazutake; Ikeda, Naomitsu; Irie, Hiroki; Fujimoto, Yoichi; Oshima, Shunsuke; Murayama, Koichi; Taguchi, Hirotsugu

    Recently, the importance of an engineering education increases by the development of the information technology (IT) . Development of the information literacy education is important to deal with new IT in the education on college of technology. Our group investigated the current state of information literacy education on college of technology at Kyushu area and the secondary education. In addition, we investigated about the talent whom the industrial world requested. From these investigation results, this paper proposed cooperation with the elementary and secondary education, enhancement of intellectual property education, introduction of information ethics education, introduction of career education and enhancement of PBL to information literacy education on college of technology.

  15. Libraries and Librarians: Key Partners for Progress in Health Literacy Research and Practice.

    PubMed

    Whitney, Wanda; Keselman, Alla; Humphreys, Betsy

    2017-01-01

    The field of librarianship has a history of involvement in patient education, general literacy and information literacy efforts. This history and prominent placement in communities make libraries and librarians an excellent resource in advancing health literacy practice and research. This chapter provides an overview of health literacy and health information literacy efforts in US libraries over the past two decades. The chapter begins with the description of the role of the US National Library of Medicine in developing resources, programs, and partnerships serving health information needs of the public. It then overviews special training programs for increasing librarians' expertise with health information and health literacy support. The narrative also presents different models of health information outreach programs in diverse communities, focusing on serving special populations that may suffer from health disparities. The second half of the chapter describes libraries' and librarians' health information response to continuously evolving contexts, mediums, and requirements. One subsection describes librarians' outreach effort with cutting-edge technologies, such as virtual worlds and gaming. Another focuses on supporting patients' information needs in clinical settings. Two more describe how libraries meet patrons' health information needs in the context of disaster preparedness and health insurance market place sign-up. While presenting the information, to the extent possible, the chapter draws upon research and evaluation of the effectiveness of different types of programs. It also discusses enablers of successes, limitations of the existing data, and directions for future research.

  16. Libraries and Librarians: Key Partners for Progress in Health Literacy Research and Practice

    PubMed Central

    WHITNEY, Wanda; KESELMAN, Alla; HUMPHREYS, Betsy

    2017-01-01

    The field of librarianship has a history of involvement in patient education, general literacy and information literacy efforts. This history and prominent placement in communities make libraries and librarians an excellent resource in advancing health literacy practice and research. This chapter provides an overview of health literacy and health information literacy efforts in US libraries over the past two decades. The chapter begins with the description of the role of the US National Library of Medicine in developing resources, programs, and partnerships serving health information needs of the public. It then overviews special training programs for increasing librarians’ expertise with health information and health literacy support. The narrative also presents different models of health information outreach programs in diverse communities, focusing on serving special populations that may suffer from health disparities. The second half of the chapter describes libraries’ and librarians’ health information response to continuously evolving contexts, mediums, and requirements. One subsection describes librarians’ outreach effort with cutting-edge technologies, such as virtual worlds and gaming. Another focuses on supporting patients’ information needs in clinical settings. Two more describe how libraries meet patrons’ health information needs in the context of disaster preparedness and health insurance market place sign-up. While presenting the information, to the extent possible, the chapter draws upon research and evaluation of the effectiveness of different types of programs. It also discusses enablers of successes, limitations of the existing data, and directions for future research. PMID:28972531

  17. Gender, academic achievement, and ownership of ATM as predictors of accounting students’ financial literacy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Susanti; Hardini, H. T.

    2018-01-01

    This study examined the relationships between GPA, gender, and ownership of ATM on accounting students’ financial literacy (n = 184). Financial literacy was assessed using a paper-and-pencil objective (multiple choice) test measuring general knowledge of finance, income, money management savings, loans, and investment. Gender and GPA data were obtained from the university records. Regression analysis found that GPA and ownership of ATM were associated with financial literacy, but gender was not. Female students with an ownership of ATM and those with a high GPA were found to be superior to males. The implication of this research is that students are expected to increase their GPA and utilize financial facilities in the form of ownership ATM and other financial instruments so as to increase financial literacy. In addition, the need for financial literacy training from related parties to improve financial literacy for students who have low financial literacy.

  18. Enhancing endorsement of scientific inquiry increases support for pro-environment policies.

    PubMed

    Drummond, Aaron; Palmer, Matthew A; Sauer, James D

    2016-09-01

    Pro-environment policies require public support and engagement, but in countries such as the USA, public support for pro-environment policies remains low. Increasing public scientific literacy is unlikely to solve this, because increased scientific literacy does not guarantee increased acceptance of critical environmental issues (e.g. that climate change is occurring). We distinguish between scientific literacy (basic scientific knowledge) and endorsement of scientific inquiry (perceiving science as a valuable way of accumulating knowledge), and examine the relationship between people's endorsement of scientific inquiry and their support for pro-environment policy. Analysis of a large, publicly available dataset shows that support for pro-environment policies is more strongly related to endorsement of scientific inquiry than to scientific literacy among adolescents. An experiment demonstrates that a brief intervention can increase support for pro-environment policies via increased endorsement of scientific inquiry among adults. Public education about the merits of scientific inquiry may facilitate increased support for pro-environment policies.

  19. Enhancing endorsement of scientific inquiry increases support for pro-environment policies

    PubMed Central

    Palmer, Matthew A.; Sauer, James D.

    2016-01-01

    Pro-environment policies require public support and engagement, but in countries such as the USA, public support for pro-environment policies remains low. Increasing public scientific literacy is unlikely to solve this, because increased scientific literacy does not guarantee increased acceptance of critical environmental issues (e.g. that climate change is occurring). We distinguish between scientific literacy (basic scientific knowledge) and endorsement of scientific inquiry (perceiving science as a valuable way of accumulating knowledge), and examine the relationship between people's endorsement of scientific inquiry and their support for pro-environment policy. Analysis of a large, publicly available dataset shows that support for pro-environment policies is more strongly related to endorsement of scientific inquiry than to scientific literacy among adolescents. An experiment demonstrates that a brief intervention can increase support for pro-environment policies via increased endorsement of scientific inquiry among adults. Public education about the merits of scientific inquiry may facilitate increased support for pro-environment policies. PMID:27703700

  20. Feasibility of an intervention to enhance preventive care for people with low health literacy in primary health care.

    PubMed

    Faruqi, Nighat; Lloyd, Jane; Ahmad, Raghib; Yeong, Lin-Lee; Harris, Mark

    2015-01-01

    The objective of the study was to explore the feasibility of an intervention that enhances preventive care for primary care patients with low health literacy. A mixed method study was conducted in four Sydney general practices in areas of socioeconomic disadvantage. The intervention included screening for low health literacy in patients aged 40-69 years, clinical record audits of care for prevention of diabetes and cardiovascular disease, and provider training and meetings. Surveys and interviews were conducted to identify providers' approaches to, and delivery of, preventive care for people with low health literacy. Our study found variable response rates and prevalence of low health literacy. Of the eligible patients screened, 29% had low health literacy. Providers described three approaches to preventive care, which remained largely unchanged. However, they demonstrated recognition of the importance of better communication and referral support for patients with low health literacy. Fewer patients with low health literacy were identified than expected. Despite improved awareness of the need for better communication, there was limited evidence of change in providers' approach to providing preventive care, suggesting a need for more attention towards providers' attitudes to support these patients.

  1. A Case Study Investigating Secondary Science Teachers' Perceptions of Science Literacy Instruction

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Blackmon, Phyllis Ann

    This project study addressed the lack of inclusion of discipline literacy pedagogy in secondary classrooms in a rural school district in eastern North Carolina. Discipline literacy practices are recommended in the Common Core Standards for History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects. The district had implemented content area reading strategies across content areas, yet no significant progress in secondary students' reading abilities had been demonstrated in statewide or national assessments. The conceptual framework that drove this study was disciplinary literacy, founded by the literacy research of Shanahan, Shanahan, and Zygouris-Coe. Within a qualitative case study method, this investigation of 8 secondary science teachers' experiences teaching literacy during content instruction focused on practices of embedding science-specific reading strategies into lessons and factors that influence teachers' decisions to participate in professional development to advance their learning of discipline-specific literacy methods. Data were collected and triangulated using a focus group and 8 individual interviews. Data from both methods were analyzed into codes and categories that developed into emergent themes. Findings from the focus group and individual interviews revealed that the science teachers possessed limited knowledge of science-specific reading strategies; used random, general literacy practices; and had completed inadequate professional development on science-related topics. Positive change may occur if district leaders support teachers in expanding their knowledge and application of discipline literacy strategies through participation in discipline literacy-focused professional development. The study may provide educators and researchers a deeper understanding of disciplinary literacy and increase research on the topic.

  2. Shared Decision Making Interventions: Theoretical and Empirical Evidence with Implications for Health Literacy.

    PubMed

    Stacey, Dawn; Hill, Sophie; McCaffery, Kirsten; Boland, Laura; Lewis, Krystina B; Horvat, Lidia

    2017-01-01

    Basic health literacy is required for making health decisions. The aim of this chapter is to discuss the use of shared decision making interventions for supporting patient involvement in making health decisions. The chapter provides a definition of shared decision making and discusses the link between shared decision making and the three levels of health literacy: functional, communicative/interactive, and critical. The Interprofessional Shared Decision Making Model is used to identify the various players involved: the patient, the family/surrogate/significant others, decision coach, and health care professionals. When patients are involved in shared decision making, they have better health outcomes, better healthcare experiences, and likely lower costs. Yet, their degree of involvement is influenced by their level of health literacy. Interventions to facilitate shared decision making are patient decision aids, decision coaching, and question prompt lists. Patient decision aids have been shown to improve knowledge, accurate risk perceptions, and chosen options congruent with patients' values. Decision coaching improves knowledge and patient satisfaction. Question prompts also improve satisfaction. When shared decision making interventions have been evaluated with patients presumed to have lower health literacy, they appeared to be more beneficial to disadvantaged groups compared to those with higher literacy or better socioeconomic status. However, special attention needs to be applied when designing these interventions for populations with lower literacy. Two case exemplars are provided to illustrate the design and choice of interventions to better support patients with varying levels of health literacy. Despite evidence indicating these interventions are effective for involving patients in shared decision making, few are used in routine clinical practice. To increase their uptake, implementation strategies need to overcome barriers interfering with their use

  3. Influence of Health Literacy on Outcomes Using Telehomecare Technology: A Systematic Review

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Emtekaer Haesum, Lisa Korsbakke; Ehlers, Lars; Hejlesen, Ole K.

    2016-01-01

    Objective: To conduct a systematic review of the literature describing the interaction between the use of telehomecare technology and level of health literacy among chronic patients. The aim of the review was both to explore whether and how level of health literacy affects the ability to use telehomecare technology and, additionally, whether and…

  4. Multimodal Literacies: Imagining Lives through Korean Dramas

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kim, Grace MyHyun; Omerbašic, Delila

    2017-01-01

    Global networks of information and interactions have created new conditions for access to myriad literacies, languages, and communities. Engagements with transnational texts and communities can support the imagination of lives different from one's local context. This article presents data from two qualitative studies of adolescent literacy…

  5. Literacy across the CurriculuMedia Focus, 2000.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Shohet, Linda, Ed.

    2000-01-01

    This volume presents articles and information to support and improve literacy practices in schools, the community, and the workplace. Selected article titles are as follows: "Reaching Learners Where They Are" (Linda Shohet); "The Learners' Wall: Experiences in the Health Care System"; "In-Sites: A Study in Workforce…

  6. Health Literacy and Health Outcomes

    MedlinePlus

    ... When compared to those with adequate health literacy skills, studies have shown that patients with limited health literacy ... literacy skills. 12 Back to Top Health status Studies demonstrate that persons with limited health literacy skills are significantly more likely than persons with adequate ...

  7. eHealth Literacy: Essential Skills for Consumer Health in a Networked World.

    PubMed

    Norman, Cameron D; Skinner, Harvey A

    2006-06-16

    Electronic health tools provide little value if the intended users lack the skills to effectively engage them. With nearly half the adult population in the United States and Canada having literacy levels below what is needed to fully engage in an information-rich society, the implications for using information technology to promote health and aid in health care, or for eHealth, are considerable. Engaging with eHealth requires a skill set, or literacy, of its own. The concept of eHealth literacy is introduced and defined as the ability to seek, find, understand, and appraise health information from electronic sources and apply the knowledge gained to addressing or solving a health problem. In this paper, a model of eHealth literacy is introduced, comprised of multiple literacy types, including an outline of a set of fundamental skills consumers require to derive direct benefits from eHealth. A profile of each literacy type with examples of the problems patient-clients might present is provided along with a resource list to aid health practitioners in supporting literacy improvement with their patient-clients across each domain. Facets of the model are illustrated through a set of clinical cases to demonstrate how health practitioners can address eHealth literacy issues in clinical or public health practice. Potential future applications of the model are discussed.

  8. Learning from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Classrooms: Using Inquiry to Inform Practice. Language & Literacy Series

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fingon, Joan C., Ed.; Ulanoff, Sharon H., Ed.

    2012-01-01

    This resource guide looks at new classroom-based literacy research that supports "all" learners, including culturally and linguistically diverse students. The authors demonstrate how teachers and researchers develop instructional practices based on multiple languages and the literacy contexts of their schools. They describe classrooms where…

  9. Exploring the Early Literacy Practices of Teachers of Infants, Toddlers, and Preschoolers with Visual Impairments

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Murphy, Jeanne Lovo; Hatton, Deborah; Erickson, Karen A.

    2008-01-01

    Practices endorsed by 192 teachers of young children with visual impairments who completed an online early literacy survey included facilitating early attachment (70%), providing early literacy support to families (74%), and providing adaptations to increase accessibility (55%). Few teachers reported using assistive technology, providing…

  10. The Language of Literacy: A National Resource Directory of Aboriginal Literacy Programs.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sabourin, Beverly; Globensky, Peter Andre

    This directory presents, in narrative form, core information about the operations of approximately 100 Aboriginal literacy programs throughout Canada. To qualify for inclusion in the directory, each program had to offer basic, functional, or advanced literacy training; offer literacy training in English, French, or an Aboriginal language; be…

  11. Caregivers' health literacy and their young children's oral-health-related expenditures.

    PubMed

    Vann, W F; Divaris, K; Gizlice, Z; Baker, A D; Lee, J Y

    2013-07-01

    Caregivers' health literacy has emerged as an important determinant of young children's health care and outcomes. We examined the hypothesis that caregivers' health literacy influences children's oral-health-care-related expenditures. This was a prospective cohort study of 1,132 child/caregiver dyads (children's mean age = 19 months), participating in the Carolina Oral Health Literacy Project. Health literacy was measured by the REALD-30 (word recognition based) and NVS (comprehension based) instruments. Follow-up data included child Medicaid claims for CY2008-10. We quantified expenditures using annualized 2010 fee-adjusted Medicaid-paid dollars for oral-health-related visits involving preventive, restorative, and emergency care. We used descriptive, bivariate, and multivariate statistical methods based on generalized gamma models. Mean oral-health-related annual expenditures totaled $203: preventive--$81, restorative--$99, and emergency care--$22. Among children who received services, mean expenditures were: emergency hospital-based--$1282, preventive--$106, and restorative care--$343. Caregivers' low literacy in the oral health context was associated with a statistically non-significant increase in total expenditures (average annual difference = $40; 95% confidence interval, -32, 111). Nevertheless, with both instruments, emergency dental care expenditures were consistently elevated among children of low-literacy caregivers. These findings provide initial support for health literacy as an important determinant of the meaningful use and cost of oral health care.

  12. Enhancement of Higher Degree Candidates' Research Literacy: A Pilot Study of International Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Han, Jinghe; Schuurmans-Stekhoven, James

    2017-01-01

    Research literacy (RL) training for higher degree research (HDR) students has been reduced to information technology focus by librarians and as writing practice in research supervision which is an 'underdress' for the issue. This paper argues that holistic research literacy training support should be provided to HDR students, especially those from…

  13. A Collaborative Approach to Literacy: Inner-City Preschool Children, Families and the School Community

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Streelasky, Jodi

    2008-01-01

    Makin and Jones Diaz (2002) suggest that young children's early literacy is most strongly supported when early childhood educators, children's families, and the wider community develop shared understandings about literacy--what counts, what is valued and validated, and whose voices are heard and whose voices are silent. Researchers such as Haas…

  14. Development of an Easy-to-Use Spanish Health Literacy Test

    PubMed Central

    Lee, Shoou-Yih D; Bender, Deborah E; Ruiz, Rafael E; Cho, Young Ik

    2006-01-01

    Objective The study was intended to develop and validate a health literacy test, termed the Short Assessment of Health Literacy for Spanish-speaking Adults (SAHLSA), for the Spanish-speaking population. Study Design The design of SAHLSA was based on the Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Medicine (REALM), known as the most easily administered tool for assessing health literacy in English. In addition to the word recognition test in REALM, SAHLSA incorporates a comprehension test using multiple-choice questions designed by an expert panel. Data Collection Validation of SAHLSA involved testing and comparing the tool with other health literacy instruments in a sample of 201 Spanish-speaking and 202 English-speaking subjects recruited from the Ambulatory Care Center at UNC Health Care. Principal Findings With only the word recognition test, REALM could not differentiate the level of health literacy in Spanish. The SAHLSA significantly improved the differentiation. Item response theory analysis was performed to calibrate the SAHLSA and reduce the instrument to 50 items. The resulting instrument, SAHLSA-50, was correlated with the Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults, another health literacy instrument, at r = 0.65. The SAHLSA-50 score was significantly and positively associated with the physical health status of Spanish-speaking subjects (p < .05), holding constant age and years of education. The instrument displayed good internal reliability (Cronbach's α = 0.92) and test–retest reliability (Pearson's r = 0.86). Conclusions The new instrument, SAHLSA-50, has good reliability and validity. It could be used in the clinical or community setting to screen for low health literacy among Spanish speakers. PMID:16899014

  15. Notes on Literacy, 1997.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Notes on Literacy, 1997

    1997-01-01

    The 1997 volume of "Notes on Literacy," numbers 1-4, includes the following articles: "Community Based Literacy, Burkina Faso"; "The Acquisition of a Second Writing System"; "Appropriate Methodology and Social Context"; "Literacy Megacourse Offered"; "Fitting in with Local Assumptions about…

  16. Literacy Acquisition through Literature (Literacy Issues in Focus).

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Langer, Judith A.

    1997-01-01

    Discusses a project and study that focused on literacy acquisition among middle school students from the Dominican Republic attending a school on Manhattan's lower East Side. Describes how a book writing project focusing on "stories from home" engaged students, taught them ways to discuss and ways to think, and fostered their literacy acquisition…

  17. The Italian Health Literacy Project: Insights from the assessment of health literacy skills in Italy.

    PubMed

    Palumbo, Rocco; Annarumma, Carmela; Adinolfi, Paola; Musella, Marco; Piscopo, Gabriella

    2016-09-01

    Inadequate health literacy, namely the problematic individual's ability to navigate the health care system, has been depicted as a silent epidemic affecting a large part of the world population. Inadequate health literacy has been variously found to be a predictor of patient disengagement, inappropriateness of care, increased health care costs, and higher mortality rates. However, to date the evidence on the prevalence of limited health literacy is heterogeneous; moreover, studies dealing with this topic show a pronounced geographical concentration. To contribute in filling these gaps, this paper investigates health literacy skills in Italy. Drawing on the European Health Literacy Survey (HLS-EU), a tool to measure self-perceived levels of health literacy was administered to a representative sample of Italian citizens. A stepwise regression analysis allowed to shed light on the determinants and consequences of limited health literacy. Findings suggested that inadequate health literacy is a prevailing problem in Italy, even though it has been overlooked by both policy makers and health care practitioners. Financial deprivation was found to be a significant predictor of inadequate health literacy. Low health literate patients reported higher hospitalization rates and greater use of health services. As compared with the European Countries, Italy showed some peculiarities in terms of health literacy levels and socio-demographic determinants of health literacy, which provide with intriguing insights for policy making. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. Electronic and Printed Books with and without Adult Support as Sustaining Emergent Literacy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Korat, Ofra; Segal-Drori, Ora; Klien, Pnina

    2009-01-01

    Emergent literacy (EL) enhancement has been the goal of numerous educational programs for years, especially for children from low socioeconomic statuses (LSES) (Snow, 1994; Whitehurst, Zevebergen, Crone, Schultz, Velting, & Fischel, 1999). During the past decade, technology software, including electronic books (e-books), have become…

  19. Literacy not intelligence moderates the relationships between economic development, income inequality and health.

    PubMed

    Marks, David F

    2007-05-01

    Kanazawa (2006) presented data allegedly supporting a racist version of evolutionary psychology that claims that the populations of wealthier and more egalitarian societies live longer and stay healthier, not because they are wealthier and more egalitarian, but because they are more intelligent. The objectives of this study are: (i) to determine the relationship between IQ and literacy in Kanazawa's sample of countries and (ii) to reanalyse Kanazawa's dataset using measures of literacy in lieu of national IQ test scores. Correlation and regression were employed. National literacy scores across the countries in the sample are highly skewed. In spite of this, the literacy measures are highly correlated with alleged differences in national IQ (r = .83-.86). The measure of literacy together with economic development (GDPpc) and income inequality (Gini coefficient) control at least 59-64% of the variance in national life expectancy at birth. There is no scientific justification for believing that alleged intelligence differences play any role in explaining international differences in health status. Measures of alleged national IQ scores are highly confounded with differences in literacy. Literacy is a key factor in the health of any community and policies designed to enhance the literacy of a population are expected to lead to significant improvements in health status.

  20. Taking Interaction in Literacy Events Seriously: A Conversation Analysis Approach to Evolving Literacy Practices in the Classroom

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tanner, Marie

    2017-01-01

    In this article, I examine the relation between literacy events and literacy practices in classroom interaction and add to ongoing discussions in the field of NLS about the transcontextual nature of literacy and how local literacy events are linked to broader literacy practices. It specifically focuses on how the link between literacy events and…

  1. Does Music Training Enhance Literacy Skills? A Meta-Analysis

    PubMed Central

    Gordon, Reyna L.; Fehd, Hilda M.; McCandliss, Bruce D.

    2015-01-01

    Children's engagement in music practice is associated with enhancements in literacy-related language skills, as demonstrated by multiple reports of correlation across these two domains. Training studies have tested whether engaging in music training directly transfers benefit to children's literacy skill development. Results of such studies, however, are mixed. Interpretation of these mixed results is made more complex by the fact that a wide range of literacy-related outcome measures are used across these studies. Here, we address these challenges via a meta-analytic approach. A comprehensive literature review of peer-reviewed music training studies was built around key criteria needed to test the direct transfer hypothesis, including: (a) inclusion of music training vs. control groups; (b) inclusion of pre- vs. post-comparison measures, and (c) indication that reading instruction was held constant across groups. Thirteen studies were identified (n = 901). Two classes of outcome measures emerged with sufficient overlap to support meta-analysis: phonological awareness and reading fluency. Hours of training, age, and type of control intervention were examined as potential moderators. Results supported the hypothesis that music training leads to gains in phonological awareness skills. The effect isolated by contrasting gains in music training vs. gains in control was small relative to the large variance in these skills (d = 0.2). Interestingly, analyses revealed that transfer effects for rhyming skills tended to grow stronger with increased hours of training. In contrast, no significant aggregate transfer effect emerged for reading fluency measures, despite some studies reporting large training effects. The potential influence of other study design factors were considered, including intervention design, IQ, and SES. Results are discussed in the context of emerging findings that music training may enhance literacy development via changes in brain mechanisms that

  2. Does Music Training Enhance Literacy Skills? A Meta-Analysis.

    PubMed

    Gordon, Reyna L; Fehd, Hilda M; McCandliss, Bruce D

    2015-01-01

    Children's engagement in music practice is associated with enhancements in literacy-related language skills, as demonstrated by multiple reports of correlation across these two domains. Training studies have tested whether engaging in music training directly transfers benefit to children's literacy skill development. Results of such studies, however, are mixed. Interpretation of these mixed results is made more complex by the fact that a wide range of literacy-related outcome measures are used across these studies. Here, we address these challenges via a meta-analytic approach. A comprehensive literature review of peer-reviewed music training studies was built around key criteria needed to test the direct transfer hypothesis, including: (a) inclusion of music training vs. control groups; (b) inclusion of pre- vs. post-comparison measures, and (c) indication that reading instruction was held constant across groups. Thirteen studies were identified (n = 901). Two classes of outcome measures emerged with sufficient overlap to support meta-analysis: phonological awareness and reading fluency. Hours of training, age, and type of control intervention were examined as potential moderators. Results supported the hypothesis that music training leads to gains in phonological awareness skills. The effect isolated by contrasting gains in music training vs. gains in control was small relative to the large variance in these skills (d = 0.2). Interestingly, analyses revealed that transfer effects for rhyming skills tended to grow stronger with increased hours of training. In contrast, no significant aggregate transfer effect emerged for reading fluency measures, despite some studies reporting large training effects. The potential influence of other study design factors were considered, including intervention design, IQ, and SES. Results are discussed in the context of emerging findings that music training may enhance literacy development via changes in brain mechanisms that

  3. Implementing Routine Health Literacy Assessment in Hospital and Primary Care Patients

    PubMed Central

    Cawthon, Courtney; Mion, Lorraine C.; Willens, David E.; Roumie, Christianne L.; Kripalani, Sunil

    2014-01-01

    Background Patients with inadequate health literacy often have poorer health outcomes and increased utilization and costs, compared to those with adequate health literacy skills. The Institute of Medicine has recommended that health literacy assessment be incorporated into health care information systems, which would facilitate large-scale studies of the effects of health literacy, as well as evaluation of system interventions to improve care by addressing health literacy. As part of the Health Literacy Screening (HEALS) study, a brief health literacy screen (BHLS) was incorporated into the electronic health record (EHR) at a large academic medical center. Methods Changes were implemented to the nursing intake documentation across all adult hospital units, the emergency department, and three primary care practices. The change involved replacing previous education screening items with the BHLS. Implementation was based on a quality improvement framework, with a focus on acceptability, adoption, appropriateness, feasibility, fidelity and sustainability. Support was gained from nursing leadership, education and training was provided, a documentation change was rolled out, feedback was obtained, and uptake of the new health literacy screening items was monitored. Results Between November 2010 and April 2012, there were 55,611 adult inpatient admissions, and from November 2010 to September 2011, 23,186 adult patients made 39,595 clinic visits to the three primary care practices. The completion (uptake) rate in the hospital for November 2010 through April 2012 was 91.8%. For outpatient clinics, the completion rate between November 2010 and October 2011 was 66.6%. Conclusions Although challenges exist, it is feasible to incorporate health literacy screening into clinical assessment and EHR documentation. Next steps are to evaluate the association of health literacy with processes and outcomes of care across inpatient and outpatient populations. PMID:24716329

  4. Literacy Coaching: Middle School Academic Achievement and Teacher Perceptions Regarding Content Area Literacy Strategy Instruction

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Edwards, Anjell H.; Neill, Patricia; Faust, Phyllis B.

    2015-01-01

    This study examined differences in perceptions of content area teachers receiving literacy coaching and teachers receiving no literacy coaching regarding implementation of literacy instruction. It also examined student achievement on standardized tests relative to literacy coaching. A survey measured teachers' perceptions regarding their…

  5. ESL Participation as a Mechanism for Advancing Health Literacy in Immigrant Communities

    PubMed Central

    SANTOS, MARICEL G.; HANDLEY, MARGARET A.; OMARK, KARIN; SCHILLINGER, DEAN

    2014-01-01

    A reliance on the conceptualization of health literacy as functional skill has limited our views of the adult English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) context as a site for health literacy interventions. To explore the contributions of alternative views of literacy as social practice to health literacy research, we examined teacher survey data and learner outcomes data collected as part of a multi-year collaboration involving The California Diabetes Program (CDP), university researchers, and adult ESL teachers. The survey results (n=144 teachers) indicated that ESL teachers frequently model effective pedagogical practices that mediate social interaction around health content, the basis for acquiring new literacy skills and practices. In the classroom pilot, (n=116 learners), the majority of learners reported they had learned about diabetes risk factors and prevention strategies, which affirmed existing healthy behaviors or prompted revision of unhealthy ones. About two-thirds of the learners reported sharing preventive health content with members of out-of-school social networks. This study represents a first-step in research efforts to account more fully for the mechanisms by which social interaction and social support facilitate health literacy outcomes in ESL contexts, which should complement what we already know about the development of health literacy as functional skill. PMID:25315586

  6. ESL participation as a mechanism for advancing health literacy in immigrant communities.

    PubMed

    Santos, Maricel G; Handley, Margaret A; Omark, Karin; Schillinger, Dean

    2014-01-01

    A reliance on the conceptualization of health literacy as functional skill has limited researchers' views of the adult English-as-a-second-language (ESL) context as a site for health literacy interventions. To explore the contributions of alternative views of literacy as social practice to health literacy research, the authors examined teacher survey data and learner outcomes data collected as part of a multiyear collaboration involving the California Diabetes Program, university researchers, and adult ESL teachers. The survey results (n=144 teachers) indicated that ESL teachers frequently model effective pedagogical practices that mediate social interaction around health content, the basis for acquiring new literacy skills and practices. In the classroom pilot (n=116 learners), the majority of learners reported they had learned about diabetes risk factors and prevention strategies, which affirmed existing healthy behaviors or prompted revision of unhealthy ones. About two thirds of the learners reported sharing preventive health content with members of out-of-school social networks. This study represents a first step in research efforts to account more fully for the mechanisms by which social interaction and social support facilitate health literacy outcomes in ESL contexts, which should complement what is already known about the development of health literacy as functional skill.

  7. A Critical Look at Health Literacy.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Greenberg, Daphne

    2001-01-01

    Discusses health literacy studies in medical journals, definitions of health literacy, ways to recognize patients with low literacy skills, and implications for adult literacy education. Urges more discussion and collaboration between adult literacy and health professionals. (Contains 37 references.) (SK)

  8. Climate Leadership Literacy as a Component of Climate Literacy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kothavala, D. L.

    2014-12-01

    How can the 3rd National Climate Assessment be used to go beyond climate change literacy, to include literacy in climate leadership and its improvement? The National Climate Assessment refers to "no-regrets" strategies (i.e., beneficial despite uncertainty), such as, e.g., energy efficiency, cultivating networks, and growing our adaptive capacity. As we cultivate our capacity as a species to pivot, climate leadership performance and its improvement become legitimate - and essential - realms of research, planning, and practice. However, climate leadership across sectors is not yet well-articulated; and operationalizing literacy expressed as 'what to do' may be viewed as overtly prescriptive by scientists. This talk examines approaches and illustrative examples provided in the Climate Assessment at the scale of cities, states, and firms; along with key findings from the National Academies on communicating science to decision makers; in identifying factors to enhance literacy in climate leadership and performance.

  9. Teaching Multiple Literacies and Critical Literacy to Pre-Service Teachers through Children's-Literature-Based Engagements

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lee, Cheu-jey

    2016-01-01

    This paper presents a pragmatic way of introducing pre-service teachers to multiple literacies and critical literacy through children's-literature-based engagements. The concepts of multiple literacies and critical literacy are reviewed, and their interrelationship is explained. Two instructional engagements, which connect theory to practice…

  10. Enhancing Family Literacy through Collaboration: Program Considerations.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Tice, Carolyn J.

    2000-01-01

    Presents findings from a two-year evaluation of a family literacy program in rural Appalachian Ohio. Demonstrates positive results for both impact/outcome and process objectives. Highlights an extensive network of interpersonal and interagency relationships that maximized resources and supported families as they changed. Suggests the importance of…

  11. Cross-Cultural Approaches to Literacy.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Street, Brian, Ed.

    A collection of essays on cross-cultural aspects of literacy education includes: "Conceptions and Uses of Literacy in a Papua New Guinea Village" (Don Kulick, Christopher Stroud); "Literacy and Feelings: The Encoding of Affect in Nukulaelae Letters" (Niko Besnier); "The Uses of Schooling and Literacy in a Zamfimaniry…

  12. Teaching Strategies to Develop Inquiry and Literacy Skills: "Languaging" in Foreign Language Immersion Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Husbye, Nicholas; Dorner, Lisa M.

    2017-01-01

    One-way, or foreign language, immersion schools face unique challenges as they seek to support the literacy development of their students. This manuscript draws on sociocultural theories of literacy development and the concept of languaging, the process of using language to make meaning. Working with two classrooms over one semester, we asked:…

  13. HealthLit4Kids study protocol; crossing boundaries for positive health literacy outcomes.

    PubMed

    Nash, Rose; Elmer, Shandell; Thomas, Katy; Osborne, Richard; MacIntyre, Kate; Shelley, Becky; Murray, Linda; Harpur, Siobhan; Webb, Diane

    2018-06-05

    Health attitudes and behaviours formed during childhood greatly influence adult health patterns. This paper describes the research and development protocol for a school-based health literacy program. The program, entitled HealthLit4Kids, provides teachers with the resources and supports them to explore the concept of health literacy within their school community, through classroom activities and family and community engagement. HealthLit4Kids is a sequential mixed methods design involving convenience sampling and pre and post intervention measures from multiple sources. Data sources include individual teacher health literacy knowledge, skills and experience; health literacy responsiveness of the school environment (HeLLO Tas); focus groups (parents and teachers); teacher reflections; workshop data and evaluations; and children's health literacy artefacts and descriptions. The HealthLit4Kids protocol draws explicitly on the eight Ophelia principles: outcomes focused, equity driven, co-designed, needs-diagnostic, driven by local wisdom, sustainable, responsive, systematically applied. By influencing on two levels: (1) whole school community; and (2) individual classroom, the HealthLit4Kids program ensures a holistic approach to health literacy, raised awareness of its importance and provides a deeper exploration of health literacy in the school environment. The school-wide health literacy assessment and resultant action plan generates the annual health literacy targets for each participating school. Health promotion cannot be meaningfully achieved in isolation from health literacy. Whilst health promotion activities are common in the school environment, health literacy is not a familiar concept. HealthLit4Kids recognizes that a one-size fits all approach seldom works to address health literacy. Long-term health outcomes are reliant on embedded, locally owned and co-designed programs which respond to local health and health literacy needs.

  14. Literacy Materials Bulletin 9-16.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Literacy Materials Bulletin, 1997

    1997-01-01

    These eight bulletins, which are intended for literacy instructors, tutors, librarians, and others, contain reviews of literacy materials designed for use in adult literacy, adult basic education (ABE), and family literacy programs. Each review contains some or all of the following: title, author, publisher of the item being reviewed; information…

  15. Pasifika Students: Teachers and Parents Voice Their Perceptions of What Provides Supports and Barriers to Pasifika Students' Achievement in Literacy and Learning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fletcher, Jo; Parkhill, Faye; Fa'afoi, Amosa; Taleni, Leali'ie'e Tufulasi; O'Regan, Bridget

    2009-01-01

    The changing ethnic population of schools in New Zealand challenges our educators to respond proactively in reviewing how students from minority groups develop effective literacy and learning skills. Pasifika students' achievement levels in literacy, particularly reading and writing literacy, has been an area of national focus for the Ministry of…

  16. Literacy: A Route to Addressing Child Poverty? National Literacy Trust Research Review

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    National Literacy Trust, 2011

    2011-01-01

    This short document reviews research into the role of low literacy in poverty and disadvantage. It sets out evidence for the impact of parental engagement in home learning and the significance of attitudes, aspirations and literacy development. The National Literacy Trust hopes that this is a useful resource for those with responsibility for, and…

  17. Arithmetic in Daily Life and Literacy. Literacy Lessons.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dalbera, Claude

    In order not to waste the time of the people working hard and sacrificing to become literate, literacy must offer them a real opportunity to change their life situation. Although many literacy programs are designed to fit the everyday lives and situations of their students, the same is not true for programs that teach arithmetic. Most adults…

  18. The Reciprocal Relationship between Text Literacy and Music Literacy among Beginning Band Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Carroll, David Lawson

    2017-01-01

    This dissertation examines the reciprocal relationship between text literacy and music literacy through an experimental design. Music teachers and English Language Arts (ELA) teachers often address similar components of literacy, including fluency, comprehension, and symbolic interpretation. The theory of cognitive structuralism maintains that…

  19. "One hundred percent efficiency": Technology and the pursuit of scientific literacy

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    King, Kenneth Paul

    This dissertation examined the role of technology in science education during the twentieth century. A historical approach was taken to examine teacher practices in the use of technology. The three technologies considered in this study were the motion picture, the television, and the computer. As an organizing principle, historical definitions of "scientific literacy" were used to examine the goals of using technology within science education. The evolution of the concept of science literacy is traced from the early part of the twentieth century to the late 1990s. Documentation examined revealed the "best practices" associated with the use of technology. The use of the motion picture was traced from the silent film through film loops, videotape, videodisc and the advent of the digital video disc, and the means by which teachers used this technology were considered. The instructional use of television was examined from several different approaches: commercial broadcasts, educational and instructional programming, closed circuit approaches and the use of cable and satellite programming. The manner in which these approaches were used to achieve goals of scientific literacy was considered. The use of the computer was examined in terms of the purpose of the software involved. Teaching practice to achieve scientific literacy, using computers as a means of accessing information, as an analytical tool, as a creativity tool, and as a means of communication were addressed. In each of these technologies, similar implementation trends were present within each one. The literature supporting the use of the technology described first the focus on the hardware, followed by the development of appropriate pedagogy, and then by the proliferation of software supporting the use of the technology. Suggestions for additional study were offered as well as speculation as to future practices with technology in science teaching. Investigations using expectation-value theory suggest

  20. National Center for Family Literacy, 1994.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    NCFL Newsletter, 1994

    1994-01-01

    These four newsletter issues provide information on family literacy and literacy education programs. Each 16-page issue includes several feature articles; descriptions of literacy conferences and seminars; updates on the National Family Literacy Project; descriptions of successful family literacy programs; coming events; a list of National Center…