Popular Ideas, Attitudes, and Value Patterns Affecting Participation in Adult Literacy Programs in Slum Communities of Turkey: The Case of Nato Yolu Neighborhood

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yildiz, Ahmet

2008-01-01

Despite the fact that there are nationwide literacy programs in Turkey in order to raise the literacy rate, the participation of illiterate individuals in these programs is not at a satisfactory level. This article is a study into the popular ideas, attitudes, and value patterns that negatively affect participation in literacy programs in a slum…

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.

Challenging How English Is Done: Engaging the Ethical and the Human in a Community Literacies Seminar

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weinstein, Susan; Cornelius, Jeremy; Kenny, Shannon; Leung, Muriel; Liew, Grace Shuyi; Lyons, Kieran; Torres, Alejandra; Tougas, Matthew; Webb, Sarah

2016-01-01

Eight English graduate students and a professor reflect on their semester-long exploration of community literacy studies. The students, some in a MFA Creative Writing program and some doing doctoral work in literature, rhetoric, or English Education, discuss how the community literacies lens unsettled their relationship to English Studies.

Developing school-pharmacist partnerships to enhance correct medication use and pain medication literacy in Taiwan.

PubMed

Chang, Fong-Ching; Chi, Hsueh-Yun; Huang, Li-Jung; Lee, Chun-Hsien; Yang, Jyun-Long; Yeh, Ming-Kung

2015-01-01

To evaluate the effectiveness of the health promoting school (HPS)-community pharmacist partnership program that promotes students' correct medication use and enhances pain medication literacy in Taiwan. Pre- and post-studies and intervention/comparison group comparisons. Primary and middle schools, along with their communities, in Taiwan. In 2013, baseline and follow-up self-administered, online surveys were received from 5,373 students enrolled in intervention primary and middle schools and from 4,643 students enrolled in comparison primary and middle schools. The level of medication literacy, including correct medication use knowledge, self-efficacy, and skills. The development and implementation of the HPS-community pharmacist partnership program in primary and middle schools significantly enhanced students' knowledge, self-efficacy, and skills in correct medication use and pain medication literacy (P <0.001). The HPS-community pharmacist partnership had a positive impact on enhancing correct medication use and pain medication literacy in Taiwan.

Harlan County Public Library, Final Performance Report for Library Services and Construction Act (LSCA) Title VI, Library Literacy Program.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Warren, Carol E.

The Harlan County Public Library Literacy Project (Kentucky) provided rural-oriented, basic literacy, and oral history programs to a community of 100,000-200,000. The goal of the project was to produce six booklets about local people and issues, to be used as literacy materials in programs with Appalachian students. Students wanted to produce…

Developing Promotional Materials for Adult Literacy Programs. Practitioner Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jae, Haeran

2014-01-01

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

World Perspective Case Descriptions on Educational Programs for Adults: India.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jayagopal, R.; Burns, E. P.

Four adult education programs being conducted in India are described in the case studies in this packet. Two of the projects involve literacy; the third promotes literacy as one part of its community development program, and the fourth trains workers in hotel management and catering technology. The literacy programs are (1) development of a…

Examining the Efficacy of an mHealth Media Literacy Education Program for Sexual Health Promotion in Older Adolescents Attending Community College

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scull, Tracy Marie; Kupersmidt, Janis Beth; Malik, Christina Valerie; Keefe, Elyse Mallory

2018-01-01

Objective: To determine the feasibility of a mobile health (mHealth), media literacy education program, "Media Aware", for improving sexual health outcomes in older adolescent community college students. Participants: 184 community college students (ages 18-19) participated in the study from April-December 2015. Methods: Eight community…

"Excuse Me, but What Is a Research Paper?": Embedded Librarian Program and Information Literacy Skills of Community College Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kim, Miseon; Dolan, Michael

2015-01-01

This paper examines the embedded librarian program and its impact on the information literacy skills of community college students at Queensborough Community College (QCC). It is a collaboration between an embedded librarian and an English instructor at QCC. The study participants are QCC students enrolled in seven sections of English 101 and…

Evaluation of an Annual Community-Focused Agricultural Literacy Event

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sandlin, M'Randa R.; Perez, Kauahi

2017-01-01

Agricultural literacy programs are effective pathways to informally teach the public about agriculture through stakeholder (attendee and exhibitor) interaction. Such programs are generally evaluated using attendee feedback but fail to include exhibitors' experience. The purpose of this study was to evaluate a local community agricultural event by…

Literacy and the Black Church: A Demonstration Project in Connecticut.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lakes, Richard D.; Lewis, Linda H.

1990-01-01

The Literacy Improvement Needs Collaboration in Bridgeport, Connecticut, was assisted by African-American ministers from the Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance in recruiting adults from the community for a literacy program and 50 volunteers to serve as tutors and community liaisons. Some of the stigma of illiteracy was alleviated by using…

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…

Promoting Community Renewal through Civic Literacy and Service Learning. New Directions for Community Colleges, Number 93.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Parsons, Michael H., Ed.; Lisman, C. David, Ed.

1996-01-01

Based on the idea that community colleges have a critical role in enhancing civic literacy through community-based programming and service learning, this volume provides descriptions of theoretical frameworks and practical models for incorporating community renewal into the college mission. The following articles are provided: (1) "Service…

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…

Effective Practices in Community Based Family Literacy: Results of a National Research and Evaluation Project.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Association for Community Based Education, Washington, DC.

A field evaluation of 14 community-based family and intergenerational literacy programs identified the most effective strategies, structures, and approaches to reach and teach the "hardest to reach." Information was collected through 90-minute telephone surveys with program coordinators and/or executive directors. Although different in structural…

Connecting Preservice Teacher Education to Diverse Communities: A Focus on Family Literacy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McCaleb, Sudia Paloma

1998-01-01

Describes a teacher education program at the New College of California as an example of efforts to empower new teachers to meet the challenges of educating diverse students. Discusses the candidate intake process, the preprogram reading effort, community building, instructional strategies, and the family literacy program, which is integral to…

Curriculum-Integrated Information Literacy (CIIL) in a Community College Nursing Program: A Practical Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Argüelles, Carlos

2016-01-01

This article describes a strategy to integrate information literacy into the curriculum of a nursing program in a community college. The model is articulated in four explained phases: preparatory, planning, implementation, and evaluation. It describes a collaborative process encouraging librarians to work with nursing faculty, driving students to…

Distinction, Integration and Identity: Motivations for Local Language Literacy in Senegalese Communities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Trudell, Barbara; Klaas, Anthony R.

2010-01-01

Successful adult literacy and basic education programs are notoriously difficult to achieve. One reason for this has to do with how the question, "literacy for what?" is answered for a given program. All too frequently, the answer to that question is shaped more by the goals of the literacy provider than it is by learners' own goals and…

Effects of Explicit and Non-Explicit Versions of an Early Intervention Program Incorporating Indigenous Culture into Kindergarten Literacy Instruction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

MacKay, Leslie D.; McIntosh, Kent

2012-01-01

Low literacy is a challenge facing Indigenous communities across North America and is an identified barrier to school success. Early literacy intervention is an important target to reduce the discrepancies in literacy outcomes. The Moe the Mouse® Speech and Language Development Program (Gardner & Chesterman, 2006) is a cultural curriculum…

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…

"Our Door Is Always Open": Aligning Literacy Learning Practices in Writing Programs and Residential Learning Communities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Voss, Julia

2016-01-01

Writing studies has considered college students' literacy development as a chronological progression and as influenced by their off-campus connections to various cultural and professional communities. This project considers students' literacy development across disciplines and university activity systems in which they're simultaneously involved to…

The Northeast Texas Adult Education Rural Workplace Literacy Program. Annual Performance Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barker, Sue; Burns, Kathryn; Bowers, Jana; Pruitt, Jeanni; Pate, Sally

The Northeast Texas Adult Education Rural Education Workplace Literacy Program, which is a partnership between Northeast Texas Community College and area businesses, offers workplace literacy instruction designed around job-specific basic skills. Training is offered in the following: applied workplace technology; applied math skills; measurements…

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…

Identifying Key Early Literacy and School Readiness Issues: Exploring a Strategy for Assessing Community Needs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weigel, Daniel J.; Martin, Sally S.

2006-01-01

Much effort has been expended in developing intervention programs to help improve the early literacy and school readiness skills of young children. This article presents the results of a needs assessment project aimed at identifying priorities for community intervention programs aimed at ensuring that young children enter school ready to learn. A…

Improvement in maternal health literacy among pregnant women who did not complete compulsory education: policy implications for community care services.

PubMed

Ohnishi, Mayumi; Nakamura, Keiko; Takano, Takehito

2005-05-01

This paper examined factors that influence the improvement in maternal health literacy among pregnant women in Paraguay, including those who did not complete compulsory education but participated in a community-based antenatal care program. Structured interviews were conducted to evaluate the pregnant women's maternal health literacy during their first, second, and third visits to the program in the Caazapa Region. The associations between individual maternal health knowledge scores and its gains, healthcare personnel capabilities, available health facility equipment, community social network, and living environment were analyzed by multiple regression analysis. The mean maternal health knowledge score from 124 women who completed three-consecutive assessments increased between the first and third interviews. Higher capabilities of healthcare personnel and better living environment were significantly related to gains in the maternal health knowledge score (p<0.01). Wider application of a community-based antenatal care program to meet the needs of those who are functionally illiterate in the standard language of the country, training for community healthcare personnel to improve capabilities, and resources for social network in the community would contribute to the improvement in maternal health literacy.

A Position on a Computer Literacy Course.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Self, Charles C.

A position is put forth on the appropriate content of a computer literacy course and the role of computer literacy in the community college. First, various definitions of computer literacy are examined, including the programming, computer awareness, and comprehensive approaches. Next, five essential components of a computer literacy course are…

Health literacy of an urban business community.

PubMed

Johnson, Barbara H; Hayes, Sandra C; Ekundayo, Olugbemiga T; Wheeler, Primus; Ford, D'Arcy M

2012-02-01

The impact of community-based organizations on the delivery of health care knowledge is well documented. Little research has focused on the importance of health literacy in the dissemination of health care information by minority small business owners. This study sampled 38 business owners within a local business district to assess their level of health literacy. Although adequate health literacy is not required to serve as a community resource, it may be necessary to understand the health literacy level of local business owners as gatekeepers in order to develop appropriate training/educational programs. The results of this descriptive cross-sectional study indicate that for sample of business owners, health literacy levels are adequate. The findings suggest the feasibility of using local business owners as disseminators of health-related materials to the communities in which they operate their businesses.

Literacy as an Act of Creative Resistance: Joining the Work of Incarcerated Teaching Artists at a Maximum-Security Prison

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Plemons, Anna

2013-01-01

Considering the situated complexities and competing interest of exploitation and hope inherent in community literacy work, this article examines the ways that the Community Arts Program (CAP) at California State Prison-Sacramento complicates and also reifies archetypal grand literacy narratives and considers the place of such narratives within a…

Families at a Disadvantage: Class, Culture, and Literacies.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tett, Lyn; Crowther, Jim

1998-01-01

Addresses the issue of diverse literacies and the problems of privileging a dominant form of literacy at the expense of those from non-mainstream cultures. Illustrates how the literacy practices of working-class families and communities can be incorporated into learning programs. Stresses the need to legitimate the vernacular literacies of the…

Animal Crackers, Milk, and a Good Book: Creating a Successful Early Childhood Literacy Program.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oakes, Susan; Virbick, Diane E.

2001-01-01

Describes an early childhood literacy program called Begin with Books and provides ideas for starting up, finding, and administering similar programs in public libraries. Topics include corporate sponsors; staffing; partnering with community organizations; training; scheduling; and budget information. (LRW)

Empowering the people: development of an HIV peer education model for low literacy rural communities in India.

PubMed

Van Rompay, Koen K A; Madhivanan, Purnima; Rafiq, Mirriam; Krupp, Karl; Chakrapani, Venkatesan; Selvam, Durai

2008-04-18

Despite ample evidence that HIV has entered the general population, most HIV awareness programs in India continue to neglect rural areas. Low HIV awareness and high stigma, fueled by low literacy, seasonal migration, gender inequity, spatial dispersion, and cultural taboos pose extra challenges to implement much-needed HIV education programs in rural areas. This paper describes a peer education model developed to educate and empower low-literacy communities in the rural district of Perambalur (Tamil Nadu, India). From January to December 2005, six non-governmental organizations (NGO's) with good community rapport collaborated to build and pilot-test an HIV peer education model for rural communities. The program used participatory methods to train 20 NGO field staff (Outreach Workers), 102 women's self-help group (SHG) leaders, and 52 barbers to become peer educators. Cartoon-based educational materials were developed for low-literacy populations to convey simple, comprehensive messages on HIV transmission, prevention, support and care. In addition, street theatre cultural programs highlighted issues related to HIV and stigma in the community. The program is estimated to have reached over 30,000 villagers in the district through 2051 interactive HIV awareness programs and one-on-one communication. Outreach workers (OWs) and peer educators distributed approximately 62,000 educational materials and 69,000 condoms, and also referred approximately 2844 people for services including voluntary counselling and testing (VCT), care and support for HIV, and diagnosis and treatment of sexually-transmitted infections (STI). At least 118 individuals were newly diagnosed as persons living with HIV (PLHIV); 129 PLHIV were referred to the Government Hospital for Thoracic Medicine (in Tambaram) for extra medical support. Focus group discussions indicate that the program was well received in the communities, led to improved health awareness, and also provided the peer educators with increased social status. Using established networks (such as community-based organizations already working on empowerment of women) and training women's SHG leaders and barbers as peer educators is an effective and culturally appropriate way to disseminate comprehensive information on HIV/AIDS to low-literacy communities. Similar models for reaching and empowering vulnerable populations should be expanded to other rural areas.

Assisting Vulnerable Communities: Canyon Ranch Institute's and Health Literacy Media's Health Literacy and Community-Based Interventions.

PubMed

Pleasant, Andrew

2017-01-01

Canyon Ranch Institute and Health Literacy Media are a 501(c)3 non-profit public charity working to improve health based on the best evidence-based practices of health literacy and integrative health. As an organization, we offer a spectrum of health literacy work extending from plain language services to intensive community-based interventions. (See www.canyoranchinstitute.org & www.healthliteracy.media) In this chapter, we discuss the methodologies and outcomes of two of those community-based interventions - the Canyon Ranch Institute Life Enhancement Program and our Theater for Health program. Perhaps uniquely, an underpinning approach to both efforts is based on the increasing body of evidence of health literacy as a social determinant of health. Therefore, our research and evaluation of these programs captures not only changes in knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs but explicitly includes changes in informed behavior change and objective health outcomes as well. Our work makes it clear - that if you engage people in a health literate approach to informed behavior change (and respect their knowledge of their own lives and context) you can help people help themselves to better health. Further, from the perspective of health as a right and a resource for living, we find people who advance their health use this resource to continually better their own and their family's lives as well as the communities where they live. Hopefully, the examples provided in this chapter provide a sense of direction and motivation to others to fully explore the potential of health literacy to improve health and well-being, increase satisfaction with life, and produce health outcomes at a lower cost.

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

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Imel, Susan

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

Have Broad-Based Community and Professional Education Programs Influenced Mental Health Literacy and Treatment Seeking of those with Major Depression and Suicidal Ideation?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goldney, Robert D.; Fisher, Laura J.

2008-01-01

"Mental health literacy" is the knowledge and beliefs about mental disorders that aid in their recognition, management, or prevention; it is also a determinant of help seeking. As such, it is presumed to be important in community suicide prevention programs. In Australia there have been a number of government, professional, and…

Pennsylvania's Family Literacy Programs: Results of a Statewide Evaluation, 1999-2000.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Van Horn, Barbara; Kassab, Cathy; Grinder, Elisabeth

Pennsylvania's family literacy programs were subjected to a statewide evaluation in 1999-2000. Data were collected through focus groups with parents, a survey of staff in community agencies and organizations, and analyses of program data and the findings of selected assessments administered to adults and children involved in the program.…

Lexical Input to Young Children from Extremely Poor Communities in Argentina: Effects of a Home Literacy Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rosemberg, Celia Renata; Stein, Alejandra; Borzone, Ana Maria

2011-01-01

The study analyzes the lexical properties of the linguistic context that children from marginalized urban neighborhoods from Buenos Aires, Argentina, are exposed to in the literacy situations generated by an at-home early literacy program. The analysis is focused on the comparison of the vocabulary that these children are exposed to daily with the…

Improving health literacy through adult basic education in Australia.

PubMed

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

2017-05-25

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

Towards the sustainability of information campaigns: training Promotores to increase the psychosis literacy of Spanish-speaking communities.

PubMed

Calderon, Vanessa; Mejia, Yesenia; del Carmen Lara-Muñoz, María; Segoviano, Joanna; Castro, Quetzalli; Casados, Ava; López, Steven Regeser

2015-04-01

To assess the acceptability and efficacy of training community health workers (promotores) in Mexico to both recognize psychosis and to teach others to recognize psychosis. Two studies were carried out utilizing a single-group design. In Study 1, promotores watched a DVD-based psychosis literacy training. In Study 2, promotores were trained to administer a flip-chart version of the program and they then administered it to community residents. Significant increases in the post-training assessment of psychosis literacy were observed. Promotores can be an important resource in identifying psychosis early and enhancing the sustainability of psychosis literacy information campaigns.

Improving Early Reading and Literacy: A Guide for Developing Research-Based Programs.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

St. John, Edward P.; Bardzell, Jeffrey S.

This guide is designed to help school communities make good choices about early literacy intervention. The guide distinguishes between "reading" (a process of learning to decode and comprehend texts) and a broader concept of "literacy" that includes understanding of the value of language and reading (emergent literacy), the…

Nonparticipation of Mayan Adults in Rural Literacy Programs.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cutz, German; Chandler, Paul

1999-01-01

Interviews with five Mayans in Guatemalan villages identified deterrents to participation in literacy programs at four levels: (1) individual (personal history, self-perception); (2) family (values, machismo); (3) community (ethnic identity, economic system); and (4) national (funding, policies, culturally inappropriate formats). (SK)

Ahead of the game protocol: a multi-component, community sport-based program targeting prevention, promotion and early intervention for mental health among adolescent males.

PubMed

Vella, Stewart A; Swann, Christian; Batterham, Marijka; Boydell, Katherine M; Eckermann, Simon; Fogarty, Andrea; Hurley, Diarmuid; Liddle, Sarah K; Lonsdale, Chris; Miller, Andrew; Noetel, Michael; Okely, Anthony D; Sanders, Taren; Telenta, Joanne; Deane, Frank P

2018-03-21

There is a recognised need for targeted community-wide mental health strategies and interventions aimed specifically at prevention and early intervention in promoting mental health. Young males are a high need group who hold particularly negative attitudes towards mental health services, and these views are detrimental for early intervention and help-seeking. Organised sports provide a promising context to deliver community-wide mental health strategies and interventions to adolescent males. The aim of the Ahead of the Game program is to test the effectiveness of a multi-component, community-sport based program targeting prevention, promotion and early intervention for mental health among adolescent males. The Ahead of the Game program will be implemented within a sample drawn from community sporting clubs and evaluated using a sample drawn from a matched control community. Four programs are proposed, including two targeting adolescents, one for parents, and one for sports coaches. One adolescent program aims to increase mental health literacy, intentions to seek and/or provide help for mental health, and to decrease stigmatising attitudes. The second adolescent program aims to increase resilience. The goal of the parent program is to increase parental mental health literacy and confidence to provide help. The coach program is intended to increase coaches' supportive behaviours (e.g., autonomy supportive behaviours), and in turn facilitate high-quality motivation and wellbeing among adolescents. Programs will be complemented by a messaging campaign aimed at adolescents to enhance mental health literacy. The effects of the program on adolescent males' psychological distress and wellbeing will also be explored. Organised sports represent a potentially engaging avenue to promote mental health and prevent the onset of mental health problems among adolescent males. The community-based design, with samples drawn from an intervention and a matched control community, enables evaluation of adolescent males' incremental mental health literacy, help-seeking intentions, stigmatising attitudes, motivation, and resilience impacts from the multi-level, multi-component Ahead of the Game program. Notable risks to the study include self-selection bias, the non-randomised design, and the translational nature of the program. However, strengths include extensive community input, as well as the multi-level and multi-component design. Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN12617000709347 . Date registered 17 May 2017. Retrospectively registered.

Alpena Community College Workplace Partnership Project. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alpena Community Coll., MI.

This document consists of materials produced during the Workplace Partnership Project (WPP), a National Workplace Literacy Program-funded workplace literacy partnership between Alpena Community College (ACC) in Alpena, Michigan, and area businesses. Presented first is a personal reflection in which the project director shares some of the lessons…

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 Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) developed the tool, "Is Our Pharmacy Meeting Patients' Needs? Pharmacy Health Literacy Assessment Tool" to evaluate health literacy preparedness of pharmacy environments from patient, staff, and environmental perspectives. The tool was designed at a clinic-based, outpatient pharmacy of a large, urban, public hospital. Despite the ready availability of this tool and the encouragement of AHRQ to adapt it to other environments, there is no published literature on the dissemination and translation of this tool in the community pharmacy environment. The five objectives of this study were to: (1) pilot the AHRQ tool "Is Our Pharmacy Meeting Patients' Needs? Pharmacy Health Literacy Assessment Tool" in a community pharmacy environment; (2) evaluate and adapt the tool; (3) describe the use of health literacy practices from patient, staff, and independent auditor perspectives using the revised tool; (4) evaluate the effect of a low-intensity educational health literacy awareness program; and (5) identify opportunities to improve health literacy-sensitive practices in the community pharmacy environment. The study employed a mixed method, posttest-only control group design using community pharmacies in the Tulsa, OK area. Participants included community pharmacists, staff, patients, and independent auditors. Select pharmacy staff members were invited to receive a health literacy training program delivered by a nationally-recognized health literacy expert to raise awareness of health literacy issues. Approximately eight months after the program, pharmacy staffs were surveyed using a written instrument, patients were interviewed by telephone, and the study investigators performed independent environmental audits in each of the selected pharmacies. Results from auditor evaluations, staff survey responses, and patient interviews were compared for similarities and differences to provide a multidimensional perspective about 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.

Empowering the people: Development of an HIV peer education model for low literacy rural communities in India

PubMed Central

Van Rompay, Koen KA; Madhivanan, Purnima; Rafiq, Mirriam; Krupp, Karl; Chakrapani, Venkatesan; Selvam, Durai

2008-01-01

Background Despite ample evidence that HIV has entered the general population, most HIV awareness programs in India continue to neglect rural areas. Low HIV awareness and high stigma, fueled by low literacy, seasonal migration, gender inequity, spatial dispersion, and cultural taboos pose extra challenges to implement much-needed HIV education programs in rural areas. This paper describes a peer education model developed to educate and empower low-literacy communities in the rural district of Perambalur (Tamil Nadu, India). Methods From January to December 2005, six non-governmental organizations (NGO's) with good community rapport collaborated to build and pilot-test an HIV peer education model for rural communities. The program used participatory methods to train 20 NGO field staff (Outreach Workers), 102 women's self-help group (SHG) leaders, and 52 barbers to become peer educators. Cartoon-based educational materials were developed for low-literacy populations to convey simple, comprehensive messages on HIV transmission, prevention, support and care. In addition, street theatre cultural programs highlighted issues related to HIV and stigma in the community. Results The program is estimated to have reached over 30 000 villagers in the district through 2051 interactive HIV awareness programs and one-on-one communication. Outreach workers (OWs) and peer educators distributed approximately 62 000 educational materials and 69 000 condoms, and also referred approximately 2844 people for services including voluntary counselling and testing (VCT), care and support for HIV, and diagnosis and treatment of sexually-transmitted infections (STI). At least 118 individuals were newly diagnosed as persons living with HIV (PLHIV); 129 PLHIV were referred to the Government Hospital for Thoracic Medicine (in Tambaram) for extra medical support. Focus group discussions indicate that the program was well received in the communities, led to improved health awareness, and also provided the peer educators with increased social status. Conclusion Using established networks (such as community-based organizations already working on empowerment of women) and training women's SHG leaders and barbers as peer educators is an effective and culturally appropriate way to disseminate comprehensive information on HIV/AIDS to low-literacy communities. Similar models for reaching and empowering vulnerable populations should be expanded to other rural areas. PMID:18423006

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.

Towards the Sustainability of Information Campaigns: Training Promotores to Increase the Psychosis Literacy of Spanish-Speaking Communities

PubMed Central

Calderon, Vanessa; Mejia, Yesenia; Lara, María del Carmen; Segoviano, Joanna; Castro, Quetzali; Casados, Ava; López, Steven Regeser

2015-01-01

Purpose To assess the acceptability and efficacy of training community health workers (promotores) in Mexico to both recognize psychosis and to teach others to recognize psychosis. Method Two studies were carried out utilizing a single-group design. In Study 1, promotores watched a DVD-based psychosis literacy training. In Study 2, promotores were trained to administer a flip-chart version of the program and they then administered it to community residents. Results Significant increases in the post-training assessment of psychosis literacy were observed. Conclusion Promotores can be an important resource in identifying psychosis early and enhancing the sustainability of psychosis literacy information campaigns. PMID:25520238

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.

Church-Based ESL Adult Programs: Social Mediators for Empowering "Family Literacy Ecology of Communities"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chao, Xia; Mantero, Miguel

2014-01-01

This multi-sited ethnographic study examines the ways in which Latino and Asian immigrant parents' English learning through two church-based ESL programs in a Southeastern U.S. city affects their family literacy and home language practices. It demonstrates that the parents' participation in the programs is an empowering experience promoting ESL…

Scratching beyond the Surface of Literacy: Programming for Early Adolescent Gifted Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hagge, Julia

2017-01-01

Digital technology offers new possibilities for children to play, express themselves, learn, and communicate. A recent development in online practice is a shift toward youth engaged in computer programming online communities. Programming is argued to be the new literacy of the millennium. In this article, I examine the use of Scratch, an online…

Literacy: The Information Superhighway to Success.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Camperell, Kay, Ed.; And Others

1996-01-01

Several of the papers in this collection describe university programs or provide practical suggestions for using technology to enhance literacy instruction; other papers focus on a diverse range of issues, instructional strategies, and research findings related to different aspects of literacy. Papers in the collection are: "A Community of…

Low Female Literacy: Factors and Strategies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vasudeva Rao, B. S.; Gupta, P. Viswanadha

2006-01-01

Literacy is a process which dispels and promotes rational thinking and moulds human beings into becoming responsible citizens. The absence of literacy directly and indirectly retards the development of individuals, society, community and the country. For the success of any program, people should be motivated by providing necessary congenial…

When Words Are Bars. A Guide to Literacy Programming in Correctional Institutions.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Paul, Marianne

This five-chapter guide for coordinators of community-based literacy groups working with prisoners is illustrated with prisoners' drawings. The first chapter examines issues affecting learning behind bars. Topics covered include similarities to and differences from other programs, respecting the learner's culture, links between poverty and…

Reading Can You Dig It: Resources for Adult New Readers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ossolinski, Lynn, Comp.

The purpose of this bibliography is to advertise the availability of resources for adult literacy education in public libraries and reading centers throughout the state of Nevada. The literacy collections were developed in response to identified needs of students, tutors, and trainers involved in community literacy education programs. The…

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

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnston, Cynthia Wilson

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

First Thoughts on Implementing the Framework for Information Literacy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jacobson, Trudi E.; Gibson, Craig

2015-01-01

Following the action of the ACRL Board in February 2015 in accepting the "Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education" as one of the "constellation of documents" that promote and guide information literacy instruction and program development, discussion in the library community continues about steps in implementing…

Science and Society Programs Fuel Drive for Technological Literacy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Krieger, James

1987-01-01

Highlights from a conference on technological literacy are presented. The aim of an interdisciplinary community to meet the needs of students and society is presented through quotations from speakers. (MNS)

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.

Biliterate Immigrants in a Community Setting.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pacio-Lindin, Dino

Every immigrant has a right to literacy in his native language, but native language literacy alone does not guarantee success. The objective of a program begun in the 1970s in New York City was to develop biliteracy in immigrants so they could start and manage small businesses in the community. Despite a lack of political protection for the…

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.

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

Hopkinsville-Christian County Library, Final Performance Report for Library Services and Construction Act (LSCA) Title VI, Library Literacy Program.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nevels, Vada Germaine

The Hopkinsville-Christian County Library (Kentucky) conducted a project that involved recruitment, public awareness, basic literacy, collection development, tutoring, computer-assisted, other technology, and intergenerational/family programs. The project served a community of 50,000-100,000 people, and targeted the learning disabled,…

Environmental Literacy: A System of Best-Fit for Promoting Environmental Awareness in Low Literate Communities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Daudi, Sabiha S.

2008-01-01

Environmental literacy has been defined in various ways: from acquisition of scientific knowledge to addressing environmental concerns through indigenous knowledge. Program planners and educators need to identify and employ strategies for inclusive program development where all stakeholders are given an equal opportunity to share their opinions as…

Columbia County Public Library, Final Performance Report for Library Services and Construction Act (LSCA) Title VI, Library Literacy Program.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cole, Lucy; Fraser, Ruth

The Columbia County Public Library (Lake City, Florida) conducted a project that involved recruitment, retention, public awareness, training, basic literacy, collection development, tutoring, computer- assisted, other technology, intergenerational/family, and English as a Second Language (ESL) programs. The project served a community of…

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

PubMed

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

2016-05-27

People with low literacy and low health literacy have poorer health outcomes. Literacy and health literacy are distinct but overlapping constructs that impact wellbeing. Interventions that target both could improve health outcomes. This is a cluster randomised controlled trial with a qualitative component. Participants are 300 adults enrolled in basic language, literacy and numeracy programs at adult education colleges across New South Wales, Australia. Each adult education institute (regional administrative centre) contributes (at least) two classes matched for student demographics, which may be at the same or different campuses. Classes (clusters) are randomly allocated to receive either the health literacy intervention (an 18-week program with health knowledge and skills embedded in language, literacy, and numeracy training (LLN)), or the standard Language Literacy and Numeracy (LLN) program (usual LLN classes, specifically excluding health content). The primary outcome is functional health literacy skills - knowing how to use a thermometer, and read and interpret food and medicine labels. The secondary outcomes are self-reported confidence, more advanced health literacy skills; shared decision making skills, patient activation, health knowledge and self-reported health behaviour. Data is collected at baseline, and immediately and 6 months post intervention. A sample of participating teachers, students, and community health workers will be interviewed in-depth about their experiences with the program to better understand implementation issues and to strengthen the potential for scaling up the program. Outcomes will provide evidence regarding real-world implementation of a health literacy training program with health worker involvement in an Australian adult education setting. The evaluation trial will provide insight into translating and scaling up health literacy education for vulnerable populations with low literacy. Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN12616000213448 .

Food for Education in Honduras: Psychosocial Correlates of Childhood Literacy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crea, Thomas M.; Diaz-Valdes, Antonia Eliana; Gruenfeld, Elizabeth; Acevedo, José; Cerney, Blain; Medina, Marlon; Hernandez, Glenda; Canelas, Olga

2017-01-01

School feeding programs in low- and middle-income countries tend to focus on school attendance and literacy. Some evidence suggests that bolstering schools as a nexus of community plays an important psychosocial function for children and families. This study examines the extent to which childhood literacy rates are associated with parents' and…

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.

Integrating Industry Resources and Community Development: A Vision for the Future.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Frost, Sally Joy

The Adult Basic Education Program at Umgeni Water, a water authority in South Africa, is a workplace literacy program that seeks to impart skills within the workplace that can be used in community development, benefiting both the business and community involved. From a pilot project in 1989, the adult education program at Umgeni Water has grown…

Place-Based Partnerships on Behalf of Children, Families and Communities: Energy Express.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Butera, Gretchen; Richason, Dan; Phillips, Ruthellen

Energy Express is an 8-week summer nutrition and literacy program in low-income West Virginia communities. Multi-age groups of eight children in grades 1-6 work with college student mentors for 3 1/2 hours each day, eating breakfast and lunch served family-style and creating print-rich environments that support their emerging literacy. The program…

Marin County Free Library, Final Performance Report for Library Services and Construction Act (LSCA) Title VI, Library Literacy Program.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mooney, Sharon Lopez

The West Marin Literacy Project, a project of the Marin County Free Library (San Rafael, California), involved recruitment, retention, coalition building, public awareness, training, rural oriented, tutoring, computer- assisted, intergenerational/family, and English as a Second Language (ESL) programs. The project served a community of under…

"Aqui No Somos Unidos"/"We're Not United Here": Adult Literacy and the Obstacles to Solidarity in Postwar El Salvador

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Prins, Esther

2007-01-01

Based on ethnographic, participatory research in two Salvadoran villages, this article analyzes how features of the sociocultural setting bred discord and mistrust among the participants in an adult literacy program and other community residents, thereby undermining the program's goal of equipping "campesinos" to work together to improve…

The White House Conference on Global Literacy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

US Agency for International Development, 2006

2006-01-01

Literacy is power--the power to improve one's life and shape one's community. All people should know how to read and write, yet 771 million people (18 percent of the world's population) are illiterate. The programs described in this booklet address this challenge. They are samples of a few of the many hundreds of excellent programs around the…

Learning to Read the World: Language and Literacy in the First Three Years

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Knapp-Philo, Joanne, Ed.; Rosenkoetter, Sharon E., Ed.

2006-01-01

The newborn is amazingly equipped to acquire language and literacy--these early years are the foundation upon which later learning is built. Drawing on current research, the authors of this book examine the elements of beginning language and literacy and look at how families, programs, and communities can encourage beginning language and literacy…

Engaging the Refugee Community of Greater Western Sydney

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Naidoo, Loshini

2010-01-01

This paper discusses the community engagement program, "Refugee Action Support" (RAS) at the University of Western Sydney. RAS is a partnership program between the Australian Literacy and Numeracy Foundation, The NSW Department of Education and Training and the university. The Refugee Action Support program prepares pre-service teachers…

Learning Communities, First Year Programs and Their Effectiveness: The Role of the IR Office. AIR 2002 Forum Paper.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Knight, William E.

Several learning communities and first-year programs have been developed at Bowling Green State University, a public doctoral-research intensive university in the midwest, over the last few years. Such programs include the Bowling Green Effect Mentoring Program, the Literacy Serve and Learn program, the Honors Program, the Center for Multicultural…

Leading a Successful Reading Program: Administrators and Reading Specialists Working Together to Make It Happen

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

DeVries Guth, Nancy; Pettengill, Stephanie

2005-01-01

What's involved in establishing a high-quality literacy program? This book outlines elements such as a schoolwide literacy vision, an involved staff, a strong sense of community, a top-notch resource collection, a plan for monitoring progress, and the right tools to work effectively with students and parents. Here the reader will find: suggestions…

Ouachita Parish Public Library, Final Performance Report for Library Services and Construction Act (LSCA) Title VI, Library Literacy Program, 1992-1993.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Camp, Gloria S.

The Ouachita Parish Public Library (Louisiana) conducted a project that involved recruitment, coalition building, public awareness, training, basic literacy, collection development, tutoring, technology, and English as a Second Language (ESL) programs. The project served a community of over 200,000 people, and targeted the learning disabled,…

Saad Naakih Bee'enootiilji Na'alkaa: Restructuring the Teaching of Language and Literacy in a Navajo Community School.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dick, Galena Sells; And Others

1994-01-01

Describes the 10-year development of the Rough Rock English-Navajo Language Arts Program (RRENLAP) to improve the teaching of language, literacy, and biliteracy. Discusses collaboration between Rough Rock and the Hawaii-based Kamehameha Early Education Program, key RRENLAP instructional features, and the role of bilingual teachers in the struggle…

Cook It Up! A community-based cooking program for at-risk youth: overview of a food literacy intervention.

PubMed

Thomas, Heather Mc; Irwin, Jennifer D

2011-11-15

In Canada, there are limited occasions for youth, and especially at-risk youth, to participate in cooking programs. The paucity of these programs creates an opportunity for youth-focused cooking programs to be developed, implemented, and evaluated with the goal of providing invaluable life skills and food literacy to this potentially vulnerable group. Thus, an 18-month community-based cooking program for at-risk youth was planned and implemented to improve the development and progression of cooking skills and food literacy. This paper provides an overview of the rationale for and implementation of a cooking skills intervention for at-risk youth. The manuscript provides information about the process of planning and implementing the intervention as well as the evaluation plan. Results of the intervention will be presented elsewhere. Objectives of the intervention included the provision of applied food literacy and cooking skills education taught by local chefs and a Registered Dietitian, and augmented with fieldtrips to community farms to foster an appreciation and understanding of food, from 'gate to plate'. Eight at-risk youth (five girls and three boys, mean age = 14.6) completed the intervention as of November 2010. Pre-test cooking skills assessments were completed for all participants and post-test cooking skills assessments were completed for five of eight participants. Post intervention, five of eight participants completed in-depth interviews about their experience. The Cook It Up! program can provide an effective template for other agencies and researchers to utilize for enhancing existing programs or to create new applied cooking programs for relevant vulnerable populations. There is also a continued need for applied research in this area to reverse the erosion of cooking skills in Canadian society.

Cook It Up! A community-based cooking program for at-risk youth: overview of a food literacy intervention

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background In Canada, there are limited occasions for youth, and especially at-risk youth, to participate in cooking programs. The paucity of these programs creates an opportunity for youth-focused cooking programs to be developed, implemented, and evaluated with the goal of providing invaluable life skills and food literacy to this potentially vulnerable group. Thus, an 18-month community-based cooking program for at-risk youth was planned and implemented to improve the development and progression of cooking skills and food literacy. Findings This paper provides an overview of the rationale for and implementation of a cooking skills intervention for at-risk youth. The manuscript provides information about the process of planning and implementing the intervention as well as the evaluation plan. Results of the intervention will be presented elsewhere. Objectives of the intervention included the provision of applied food literacy and cooking skills education taught by local chefs and a Registered Dietitian, and augmented with fieldtrips to community farms to foster an appreciation and understanding of food, from 'gate to plate'. Eight at-risk youth (five girls and three boys, mean age = 14.6) completed the intervention as of November 2010. Pre-test cooking skills assessments were completed for all participants and post-test cooking skills assessments were completed for five of eight participants. Post intervention, five of eight participants completed in-depth interviews about their experience. Discussion The Cook It Up! program can provide an effective template for other agencies and researchers to utilize for enhancing existing programs or to create new applied cooking programs for relevant vulnerable populations. There is also a continued need for applied research in this area to reverse the erosion of cooking skills in Canadian society. PMID:22085523

Transferring Emerging Technology from ICT-115 "Computer Aided Writing" to a Three-Way Coordinated Program in Vocational Literacy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Neff, George

Vocational Literacy is a new academic field which has arisen in response to criticism from industry that vocational graduates are not sufficiently literate to perform on the job. South Seattle Community College (SSCC) in Washington has investigated the feasibility of coordinating courses in computer literacy with English and technical courses to…

Back to Basics: Literacy at Work. Special Report. ERB Report No. 1764, Section III.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bureau of Business Practice, Waterford, CT.

Functional illiteracy is an urgent problem for the U.S. business and industrial communities. Employers can uncover literacy problems among employees by conducting analyses of the literacy tasks needed on the job and assessing the basic skill levels of their work force. The design of a basic skills training program should be based on clearly…

Illinois Community College Board FY 2006 Adult Education and Family Literacy Report to the Governor and General Assembly

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Illinois Community College Board, 2007

2007-01-01

Economic and demographic changes are dramatically increasing the need for adult education, basic literacy, and English-as-a-Second Language (ESL) programs. Millions of Illinois residents lack the level of literacy skills needed to obtain good jobs, perform well on the job, and function well in an increasingly complex society. Addressing the scope…

Illinois Community College Board FY 2005 Adult Education and Family Literacy Report to the Governor and General Assembly

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Illinois Community College Board, 2006

2006-01-01

Economic and demographic changes are dramatically increasing the need for adult education, basic literacy, and English-as-a-Second Language (ESL) programs. Millions of Illinois residents lack the level of literacy skills needed to obtain good jobs, perform well on the job, and function well in an increasingly complex society. Addressing the scope…

Excellence in Workplace Literacy, Large Business Winner, 2001: The North West Company. Case Study.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Campbell, Alison

The North West Company (NWC), which is the leading retailer of food and everyday products and services to remote communities across northern Canada and Alaska, was the large business winner of the Excellence in Workplace Literacy award in 2001. NWC's workplace literacy program was selected for an award because of the improvements it brought, not…

The Social and Political Context of Literacy Education for Pastoral Societies: The Case of the Maasai of Tanzania.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Semali, Ladislaus

Part of a large study in Tanzania, a study provides a broad context of obstacles to literacy, particularly those affecting migratory subpopulation groups. Subjects, 480 adults who participated in national literacy programs and belonged to one of two communities of the Maasai, were interviewed. The first group--the Maasai of Longido--represent a…

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.

Lifewide Learning for Early Reading Development.

PubMed

Dowd, Amy Jo; Friedlander, Elliott; Jonason, Christine; Leer, Jane; Sorensen, Lisa Zook; Guajardo, Jarrett; D'Sa, Nikhit; Pava, Clara; Pisani, Lauren

2017-03-01

The authors examine the relationships between children's reading abilities and the enabling environment for learning in the context of Save the Children's Literacy Boost program. They conceptualize the enabling environment at a micro level, with two components: the home literacy environment, represented by reading materials/habits at home, and the community learning environment (community reading activities). Using longitudinal reading scores of 6,874 students in 424 schools in 12 sites across Africa and Asia, there was 1) a modest but consistent relationship between students' home literacy environments and reading scores, and 2) a strong relationship between reading gains and participation in community reading activities, suggesting that interventions should consider both home and community learning environments and their differential influences on interventions across different low-resource settings. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Literacy Training and Upward Mobility in Community Action, a Report on the Literacy Instructor Project.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Woolman, Myron; Carey, Gordon R.

This 1965-66 study was made for the Office of Economic Opportunity under subcontract to the United Planning Organization, Washington, D.C. Its aim was to develop and test a combined literacy and job skill program for functionally illiterate dropouts in the District of Columbia. Only 54 such trainees were secured, and the remainder (315) were male…

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;…

Examining the efficacy of an mHealth media literacy education program for sexual health promotion in older adolescents attending community college.

PubMed

Scull, Tracy Marie; Kupersmidt, Janis Beth; Malik, Christina Valerie; Keefe, Elyse Mallory

2018-04-01

To determine the feasibility of a mobile health (mHealth), media literacy education program, Media Aware, for improving sexual health outcomes in older adolescent community college students. 184 community college students (ages 18-19) participated in the study from April-December 2015. Eight community college campuses were randomly assigned to either the intervention or a wait-list control group. Student participants from each campus completed web-based pretest and posttest questionnaires. Intervention group students received Media Aware in between questionnaires. Several intervention effects of the Media Aware program were significant, including reducing older adolescents' self-reported risky sexual behaviors; positively affecting knowledge, attitudes, normative beliefs, and intentions related to sexual health; and increasing media skepticism. Some gender differences in the findings were revealed. The results from this study suggest that Media Aware is a promising means of delivering comprehensive sexual health education to older adolescents attending community college.

Bridging the digital divide by increasing computer and cancer literacy: community technology centers for head-start parents and families.

PubMed

Salovey, Peter; Williams-Piehota, Pamela; Mowad, Linda; Moret, Marta Elisa; Edlund, Denielle; Andersen, Judith

2009-01-01

This article describes the establishment of two community technology centers affiliated with Head Start early childhood education programs focused especially on Latino and African American parents of children enrolled in Head Start. A 6-hour course concerned with computer and cancer literacy was presented to 120 parents and other community residents who earned a free, refurbished, Internet-ready computer after completing the program. Focus groups provided the basis for designing the structure and content of the course and modifying it during the project period. An outcomes-based assessment comparing program participants with 70 nonparticipants at baseline, immediately after the course ended, and 3 months later suggested that the program increased knowledge about computers and their use, knowledge about cancer and its prevention, and computer use including health information-seeking via the Internet. The creation of community computer technology centers requires the availability of secure space, capacity of a community partner to oversee project implementation, and resources of this partner to ensure sustainability beyond core funding.

Transfer Opportunities Program: Community College of Philadelphia.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McGrath, Dennis

The Transfer Opportunities Program (TOP) at the Community College of Philadelphia (CCP) has focused primarily on faculty development and curriculum design as the essential elements in improving the transfer prospects of students. Extensive faculty development activities were undertaken to forge collegial agreements about standards of literacy and…

Media literacy and remote community development in Eastern Indonesia Region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aras, M.

2018-03-01

This study focused on media literacy phenomenon and educational development of remote communities in the eastern Indonesia region. Therefore, this study used the qualitative approach. The research was done by using direct observation and depth-interview. The research results showed that (1) the media literacy phenomenon of remote community in eastern Indonesia region was apprehensive. This was due to lack of access to information or media exposure through print media, electronic media, and social media. Therefore, the implication was the education awareness of the local community. The media literacy community has a strong relation with public awareness in improving education, and (2) the role of media in the development as facilitators or means of socialization to convey messages related to sustainable development programs in Indonesia. The current media phenomenon had become a necessity, without the exception of the remote communities. The development of an area was also characterized by the increasing education of its citizen and media became one of supporting factors that can motivate the citizen in gaining knowledge. It meant that media literacy community has strong relationships with people awareness in increasing their education. The more media literate, the more people have an awareness of self-development and their region development. Therefore, in the future, there will be no more remote areas because the media network has reached all areas.

Computer Technology Resources for Literacy Projects.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Florida State Council on Aging, Tallahassee.

This resource booklet was prepared to assist literacy projects and community adult education programs in determining the technology they need to serve more older persons. Section 1 contains the following reprinted articles: "The Human Touch in the Computer Age: Seniors Learn Computer Skills from Schoolkids" (Suzanne Kashuba);…

Developing an Information Literacy Action Plan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, Wendell G.

2009-01-01

In order to increase the benefits that the student receives from bibliographic instruction, many community college libraries are incorporating the Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education of the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) into their BI programs. In order to take full advantage of the Competency…

Engaging Youth on Climate & Health to Cultivate Community Resilience

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haine, D. B.; Gray, K. M.; Chang, D.; Morton, T.; Steele, B.; Backus, A.; Hauptman, M.

2017-12-01

Cultivating climate literacy among youth positions them to develop solutions and advocate for actions that prepare communities to adapt to climate change, mitigate emissions and ultimately protect human health and well-being, with an eye towards protecting the most vulnerable populations. This presentation will describe an innovative partnership among three university environmental health programs—based at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Columbia University and Harvard University—and their community collaborators: the Alliance for Climate Education, Boston Children's Hospital Pediatric Environmental Health Center and WE ACT for Environmental Justice. This project engages youth through non-formal educational programming that promotes climate literacy while also building the capacity of today's youth to promote community resilience. This partnership led to the development and implementation of two, long-duration extracurricular youth science enrichment programs in 2017, one in North Carolina (NC) and one in New York, with joint activities conducted virtually and in person to connect students with each other and with leading public health professionals and others working to promote community resilience and climate justice. Forty high school students, 20 from central NC and 20 from West Harlem in New York City, are enrolled in each program. In July 2017, students came together for a 3-day summer institute in NC. This session will feature the strategies, STEM-based activities and resources used in this project to engage students in the examination of their communities, identification and evaluation of climate adaptation and mitigation strategies and promotion of community resilience. Programming entailed having students interact with public health professionals, scientists and others to learn about climate impacts to public health and its infrastructure, vulnerable populations and planning for resilient communities. Ultimately, we sought to promote climate literacy among students by providing relevant and authentic learning opportunities using the lenses of human health and social justice. This session will include program evaluation data and lessons learned as students from two different regions of the country came together to explore community resilience.

Online Writing Labs as Sites for Community Engagement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wells, Jaclyn Michelle

2010-01-01

This dissertation investigates the Community Writing and Education Station (CWEST), a community engagement project that partners a community adult basic literacy program with a university writing lab. The author argues that the community and university partners, the Lafayette Adult Resource Academy (LARA) and the Purdue Writing Lab, offer positive…

Preventing Parolees from Returning to Prison through Community-Based Reintegration

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zhang, Sheldon X.; Roberts, Robert E. L.; Callanan, Valerie J.

2006-01-01

In the late 1990s, California legislators funded a statewide, community-based correctional program intended to reduce parolee recidivism. Overseen by the California Department of Corrections, the Preventing Parolee Crime Program (PPCP) provided literacy training, employment services, housing assistance, and substance abuse treatment to tens of…

Programs/Plans for the 21st Century.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

COMBASE, Stockton, CA.

This collection of brief program descriptions focuses on the efforts of 10 community colleges to meet the current and future needs of their communities in the areas of economic development, worker training and retraining, and literacy education. The 10 colleges highlighted are: (1) Central Arizona College, which offers a highway maintenance worker…

Effects of a Program to Improve Mental Health Literacy for Married Immigrant Women in Korea.

PubMed

Choi, Yun-Jung

2017-08-01

This study aimed to develop and evaluate a mental health improvement program for the acculturative stress and mental health literacy of married immigrant women using bilingual gatekeepers. Bilingual gatekeepers were recruited from multicultural centers and trained to provide 8-week structured mental health improvement services to the women in the experimental group using a mental health improvement guidebook developed by the authors in 8 different languages. The program was effective in improving mental health and mental health literacy scores as well as reducing the degree of acculturative stress. This study offers a model of effective mental healthcare for multicultural communities. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Critical Civic Literacy: Knowledge at the Intersection of Career and Community

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pollack, Seth S.

2013-01-01

Traditional approaches to civic engagement have been marginalized and have had little impact on the core curriculum. "Critical civic literacy" is an alternative curricular approach to civic engagement that explicitly moves departments, disciplines, and degree programs to examine issues of social responsibility and social justice from the…

Against Infrastructure: Curating Community Literacy in a Jail Writing Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jacobi, Tobi

2016-01-01

This essay argues that while fostering individual and collaborative literacy can indeed promote self-awareness, confidence, and political awareness, the threat of emotional and material retribution is ever-present in jail, making the development of infrastructure challenging. Such reality compels engaged teacher-researchers to develop tactical…

Workplace Literacy Demonstration Project.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kissack, Tessie Saenz, Comp.; Clymer-Spradling, Carol, Ed.

A model workplace literacy program is described that was designed to upgrade the basic skills of adult workers and developed by El Paso Community College in partnership with J&J Register Company, a Texas division of Philips Industries with approximately 300 workers. Pre-assessment results indicated that about 95 percent of the workers had…

A Randomized Control Trial Of A community Mental Health Intervention For Military Personnel

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-10-01

findings for this study for this reporting period. Mental health literacy , Mental Health First Aid (MHFA), curriculum adaptation 6 DMohatt@wiche.edu 3...collection instruments to assess impact of mental health literacy program in the military setting. REPORTABLE OUTCOMES: None at this time

Improving Vocabulary Development Through Balanced Literacy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mlakar-Hillig, Mary Ellen; Malvin, Pam; Troy, Leonora

This report describes a program for improving vocabulary development thorough balanced literacy. The targeted population consisted of three elementary classrooms in a community located in a southern suburb of Chicago. A lack of vocabulary knowledge that interfered with student academic success was documented in state and standardized test results,…

Project INSPIRE-HBCU Undergraduate Collaborative Summer Training Program to Inspire Students in Prostate Cancer Research

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-02-01

rate – Factors impacting these disparities – Cancer Education/Awareness /Interventions Health Literacy Community Health Fairs Faith-based...approaches that have been developed to address cancer health disparities. One approach considers increasing health literacy as a measure to lessen the...lead to a decreased mortality rate because the cancers would be caught earlier when they are less aggressive and more treatable. The health literacy approach

Transformational Bilingual Learning: Re-Engaging Marginalized Learners through Language, Culture, Community, and Identity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tulloch, Shelley; Kusugak, Adriana; Chenier, Cayla; Pilakapsi, Quluaq; Uluqsi, Gloria; Walton, Fiona

2017-01-01

The Miqqut project was a participatory action research project through which Inuit language and literacy learning was embedded in a traditional skills program. Community-based researchers tracked learners' progress through entrance, exit, and post-program interviews and questionnaires, as well as through participant observation. Results show that…

The Development of Digital Literacy and Inclusion Skills of Public Librarians

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martzoukou, Konstantina; Elliott, Joanneke

2016-01-01

This paper examines the extent to which public librarians are successfully prepared to engage the community in digital literacy and inclusion. A qualitative, multiple case study research design was chosen, using an analysis of policy documents and existing training programs offered by the libraries together with semi-structured interviews with…

Youth, Technology, and DIY: Developing Participatory Competencies in Creative Media Production

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kafai, Yasmin B.; Peppler, Kylie A.

2011-01-01

In this article, the authors draw on findings from several recent studies, particularly the work on the new media-rich programming environment, Scratch, to demonstrate that contemporary youth communities move fluidly across blurry boundaries to engage in both new media literacies and computer literacies in their do-it-yourself (DIY) activities.…

Building Scientific Literacy through Summer Science Camps: A Strategy for Design, Implementation and Assessment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Foster, Jamie S.; Shiel-Rolle, Nikita

2011-01-01

To enhance scientific literacy in the general public efforts are needed that both inspire and engage the learner. Often such efforts are provided through school programs or science learning centers, however, in many rural communities such resources are unavailable. Alternate strategies are needed to provide individuals with quality educational…

Health literacy training for public health nurses in fukushima: a case-study of program adaptation, implementation and evaluation.

PubMed

Goto, Aya; Rudd, Rima E; Lai, Alden Yuanhong; Yoshida-Komiya, Hiromi

2014-05-01

Health literacy comprises not only an individual's ability to gain access to, understand and use health information, but also health care providers' ability to make health information accessible and usable. The Fukushima nuclear accident has posed challenges related to the communication of radiation-related health information. Public health nurses are gatekeepers of community health in Japan, and have primary responsibility for communicating this complex information about science and risk to lay members of the community. A health literacy training program was designed to augment communication skills of participating nurses with two primary goals: changing communication practices and norms among public health nurses, and improving access to information for community residents. Training content incorporated an overview of health literacy skills (including numeracy), processes for assessing written materials and visual displays, as well as guidelines for text improvement. The workshop was spread across two days with two-hour sessions each day. A proximal post-training evaluation survey was conducted, followed by a more distal one-month follow-up evaluation to assess the application of learned skills in practice. Twenty-six nurses in Fukushima City attended the first trial. Post-training evaluations were highly positive, with agreement from 85-100% of participants on the appropriateness and usefulness of the workshop. During a one-month follow-up, the nurses reported applying new knowledge and skills to develop written materials. However, they faced difficulties sharing their new skills with colleagues and challenges changing work norms. Participants also encountered difficulties using graphics and explaining risks in practice. This paper highlights the importance of providing health literacy training opportunities for professionals to strengthen health system's ability to accessible information and services. This program also serves as important reference for future disaster management efforts.

Health Literacy Training for Public Health Nurses in Fukushima: A Multi-site Program Evaluation.

PubMed

Goto, Aya; Lai, Alden Yuanhong; Rudd, Rima E

2015-09-01

Public health nurses (PHNs) are community residents' access points to health information and services in Japan. After the Fukushima nuclear accident, they were challenged to communicate radiation-related health information to best meet community needs. We previously developed and evaluated the outcome of a single-site health literacy training program to augment PHNs' ability to improve community residents' access to written health information. This paper presents an evaluation of an identical training program using data combined from multiple sites, and further included proximal and distal evaluations to document the impact of health literacy training in a post-disaster setting. A total of 64 participants, primarily experienced PHNs, attended one of three multi-session health literacy workshops conducted in multiple sites across Fukushima. Quantitative and qualitative data on PHNs' training satisfaction, self-evaluation of achievements regarding training goals, and application of learned skills were collected and analyzed. Each workshop consisted of two 2-hour sessions introducing health literacy and assessment tools and developing skills to improve written materials, followed by a one-month follow-up assessment on PHNs' application of the gained skills in the field. Post-training evaluations on the appropriateness and usefulness of the workshop were highly positive. At the end of the one-month follow-up, 45% of participants had gained confidence in assessing and revising written materials and had applied the skills they had gained to develop and communicate health information in various settings and modes. This increase in confidence was associated with further application of the learned skills at the municipal level. However, participants reported difficulties in explaining risks, and the need to learn more about plain language to be able to paraphrase professional terms. This paper highlighs the positive outcomes of health literacy training among PHNs. Practical strategies to reinforce their skills to use plain language and communicate the epidemiological concept of risk are also recommended.

Perceived Benefits and Barriers of a Community-Based Diabetes Prevention and Management Program.

PubMed

Shawley-Brzoska, Samantha; Misra, Ranjita

2018-03-13

This study examined the perceptions of benefits of and barriers to participating in a community-based diabetes program to improve program effectiveness. The Diabetes Prevention and Management (DPM) program was a twenty-two session, 1-year program, modeled after the evidence-based National Diabetes Prevention Program and AADE7 Self-Care Behaviors framework. Community-based participatory research approach was used to culturally tailor the curriculum. Participants included overweight or obese adults with dysglycemia. A benefits and barriers survey was developed to gather information on participants' perception of the program, as well as information on demographics and health literacy levels. Eighty-nine adults participated in the DPM program (73% females; 62% diabetic; 77% had adequate health literacy); 79% of participants completed the benefits and barriers survey. Principal component analysis indicated two components representing benefits (Cronbach's α = 0.83) and barriers (α = 0.65). The majority perceived high benefits and low barriers to program participation; benefits included helpful interaction with health coach or program leader (73%), improved lifestyle modification (65%) due to the program, and satisfaction with the program (75%). Open-ended questions confirmed themes related to benefits of program participation, suggestion for programmatic improvements as well as barriers to participation. Participant feedback could be used to guide interventions and tailor future program implementation.

Perceived Benefits and Barriers of a Community-Based Diabetes Prevention and Management Program

PubMed Central

Shawley-Brzoska, Samantha; Misra, Ranjita

2018-01-01

This study examined the perceptions of benefits of and barriers to participating in a community-based diabetes program to improve program effectiveness. The Diabetes Prevention and Management (DPM) program was a twenty-two session, 1-year program, modeled after the evidence-based National Diabetes Prevention Program and AADE7 Self-Care Behaviors framework. Community-based participatory research approach was used to culturally tailor the curriculum. Participants included overweight or obese adults with dysglycemia. A benefits and barriers survey was developed to gather information on participants’ perception of the program, as well as information on demographics and health literacy levels. Eighty-nine adults participated in the DPM program (73% females; 62% diabetic; 77% had adequate health literacy); 79% of participants completed the benefits and barriers survey. Principal component analysis indicated two components representing benefits (Cronbach’s α = 0.83) and barriers (α = 0.65). The majority perceived high benefits and low barriers to program participation; benefits included helpful interaction with health coach or program leader (73%), improved lifestyle modification (65%) due to the program, and satisfaction with the program (75%). Open-ended questions confirmed themes related to benefits of program participation, suggestion for programmatic improvements as well as barriers to participation. Participant feedback could be used to guide interventions and tailor future program implementation. PMID:29534005

Pilot evaluation of a media literacy program for tobacco prevention targeting early adolescents shows mixed results.

PubMed

Kaestle, Christine E; Chen, Yvonnes; Estabrooks, Paul A; Zoellner, Jamie; Bigby, Brandon

2013-01-01

The purpose of this pilot study was to assess the impact of media literacy for tobacco prevention for youth delivered through a community site. A randomized pretest-posttest evaluation design with matched-contact treatment and control conditions. The pilot study was delivered through the YMCA in a lower-income suburban and rural area of Southwest Virginia, a region long tied, both economically and culturally, to the tobacco industry. Children ages 8 to 14 (76% white, 58% female) participated in the study (n = 38). The intervention was an antismoking media literacy program (five 1-hour lessons) compared with a matched-contact creative writing control program. General media literacy, three domains of tobacco-specific media literacy ("authors and audiences," "messages and meanings," and "representation and reality"), tobacco attitudes, and future expectations were assessed. Multiple regression modeling assessed the impact of the intervention, controlling for pretest measures, age, and sex. General media literacy and tobacco-specific "authors and audiences" media literacy improved significantly for treatment compared with control (p < .05); results for other tobacco-specific media literacy measures and for tobacco attitudes were not significant. Future expectations of smoking increased significantly for treatment participants ages 10 and younger (p < .05). Mixed results indicated that improvements in media literacy are accompanied by an increase in future expectations to smoke for younger children.

The influence of community and individual health literacy on self-reported health status.

PubMed

Sentell, Tetine; Zhang, Wei; Davis, James; Baker, Kathleen Kromer; Braun, Kathryn L

2014-02-01

Individual health literacy is an established predictor of individual health outcomes. Community-level health literacy may also impact individual health, yet limited research has simultaneously considered the influence of individual and community health literacy on individual health. The study goal was to determine if community health literacy had an independent relationship with individual self-reported health beyond individual health literacy. We used data from the 2008 and 2010 Hawai'i Health Survey, a representative statewide telephone survey. Multilevel models predicted individual self-reported health by both individual and community health literacy, controlling for relevant individual-level (education, race/ethnicity, gender, poverty, insurance status, age, and marital status) and community-level variables (community poverty and community education). The sample included 11,779 individuals within 37 communities. Individual health literacy was defined by validated self-reported measurement. Communities were defined by zip code combinations. Community health literacy was defined as the percentage of individuals within a community reporting low health literacy. Census data by ZIP Code Tabulation Areas provided community-level variables. In descriptive results, 18.2 % self-reported low health literacy, and 14.7 % reported self-reported poor health. Community-level low health literacy ranged from 5.37 % to 35.99 %. In final, multilevel models, both individual (OR: 2.00; 95 % CI: 1.63-2.44) and community low health literacy (OR: 1.02; 95 % CI: 1.00-1.03) were significantly positively associated with self-reported poor health status. Each percentage increase of average low health literacy within a community was associated with an approximately 2 % increase in poor self-reported health for individuals in that community. Also associated with poorer health were lower educational attainment, older age, poverty, and non-White race. Both individual and community health literacy are significant, distinct correlates of individual general health status. Primary care providers and facilities should consider and address health literacy at both community and individual levels.

Pacific CRYSTAL Project: Explicit Literacy Instruction Embedded in Middle School Science Classrooms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anthony, Robert J.; Tippett, Christine D.; Yore, Larry D.

2010-01-01

Science literacy leading to fuller and informed participation in the public debate about science, technology, society, and environmental (STSE) issues that produce justified decisions and sustainable actions is the shared and central goal of the Pacific CRYSTAL Project. There is broad agreement by science education researchers that learners need to be able to construct and interpret specific scientific discourses and texts to be literate in science. We view these capabilities as components in the fundamental sense of science literacy and as interactive and synergetic to the derived sense of science literacy, which refers to having general knowledge about concepts, principles, and methods of science. This article reports on preliminary findings from Years 1, 2, and 3 of the 5-year Pacific CRYSTAL project that aims to identify, develop, and embed explicit literacy instruction in science programs to achieve both senses of science literacy. A community-based, opportunistic, engineering research and development approach has been utilized to identify problems and concerns and to design instructional solutions for teaching middle school (Grades 6, 7, and 8) science. Initial data indicate (a) opportunities in programs for embedding literacy instruction and tasks; (b) difficulties generalist teachers have with new science curricula; (c) difficulties specialist science teachers have with literacy activities, strategies, genre, and writing-to-learn science tasks; and (d) potential literacy activities (vocabulary, reading comprehension, visual literacy, genre, and writing tasks) for middle school science. Preinstruction student assessments indicate a range of challenges in achieving effective learning in science and the need for extensive teacher support to achieve the project’s goals. Postinstructional assessments indicate positive changes in students’ ability to perform target reading and writing tasks. Qualitative data indicate teachers’ desire for external direction and the need for researchers to expand the literacy framework to include oral discourse. A case study of teachers’ use of a specific literacy task and its influence on students revealed indications of robustness and effectiveness. Experiences revealed procedural difficulties and insights regarding community-based research and development approaches.

Health Literacy: Cancer Prevention Strategies for Early Adults.

PubMed

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

2017-09-01

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

Implementation of a training program for low-literacy promotoras in oral rehydration therapy.

PubMed

Amerson, Roxanne; Hall-Clifford, Rachel; Thompson, Beti; Comninellas, Nicholas

2015-01-01

The purpose of this study was to ascertain the effectiveness of a culturally appropriate promotora training program related to oral rehydration therapy and diarrheal management. Factors that influenced the development, implementation, and evaluation of the program provided to low-literacy women in Guatemala are explored. Promotora training was conducted with 15 Mayan women from a rural community in the highlands of Guatemala. Women were selected by leaders of the community to participate in the program. Quantitative data were collected and analyzed to determine descriptive statistics and reliability coefficients for the pretests and posttests. A nonparametric Wilcoxon test for paired-samples was conducted. The qualitative data from the program evaluations were analyzed for themes. Mean scores increased from 41.73 (SD = 9.65) to 70.33 (SD = 21.29) on the pretest and posttest. The Cronbach's alpha was 0.54 on the pretest with 0.65 on the posttest. The Wilcoxon test demonstrated a significant difference between the pretest and posttest scores (Z = 3.040, p < .05). Extremely low-literacy levels played a major role in the ability of the women to successfully complete the requirements of the training program. The curriculum demonstrated effectiveness, but will benefit from replication with a larger sample. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

A Survey of Computer Usage in Adult Education Programs in Florida Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

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

A study was conducted to identify the types and uses of computer hardware and software in adult and community education programs in Florida. Information was gathered through a survey instrument developed for the study and mailed to 100 adult and community education directors and adult literacy center coordinators (92 surveys were returned). The…

Reading Is a BLAST! Inside an Innovative Literacy Collaboration between Public Schools and the Public Library

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Genest, Maria T.

2014-01-01

Public libraries have long supported the literacy goals of public schools in their communities by providing access to printed and electronic resources that enhance learning and teaching. This article describes an ongoing collaboration between the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh's BLAST outreach program and the Pittsburgh Public Schools that has…

Effects of Home Literacy on Children's Recall. Technical Report No. 420.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Greer, Eunice Ann; Mason, Jana M.

A study assessed the impact of the home literacy environment on kindergartners' recall of topically familiar and unfamiliar information. Subjects, 32 kindergarten students (16 from a public school and 16 in a gifted program in a private school), were selected from a mid-sized, mid-western community. All subjects recalled two of four…

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

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Perkins, Kate

2005-01-01

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

Engaging Families in Cross-Cultural Connections through a School-Based Literacy Fair

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ceprano, Maria A.; Chicola, Nancy A.

2012-01-01

This paper describes how 20 pre-service teachers enrolled in two social studies methods courses at Buffalo State College worked collaboratively to produce a Cross-cultural Literacy Fair at an urban-based elementary school. The participatory activities created for the event were provided in conjunction with a community after-school program and…

A Web-Based Psychoeducational Intervention Program for Depression and Anxiety in an Adult Community in Selangor, Malaysia: Protocol of a Randomized Controlled Trial.

PubMed

Kader Maideen, Siti Fatimah; Mohd-Sidik, Sherina; Rampal, Lekhraj; Mukhtar, Firdaus; Ibrahim, Normala; Phang, Cheng-Kar; Tan, Kit-Aun; Ahmad, Rozali

2016-06-21

Mental disorders are a major public health problem and are debilitating in many nations throughout the world. Many individuals either do not or are not able to access treatment. The Internet can be a medium to convey to the community accessible evidenced-based interventions to reduce these burdens. The objective of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of 4 weeks of a Web-based psychoeducational intervention program for depressive and anxiety symptoms in the community of Selangor, Malaysia. A two-arm randomized controlled trial of a single-blind study will be conducted to meet the objective of this study. We aim to recruit 84 participants each for the intervention and control groups. The recruitment will be from participants who participated in the first phase of this research. The primary outcomes of this study are depressive and anxiety scores, which will be assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire 9 and Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7, respectively. The secondary outcome includes mental health literacy of the participants, which will be assessed using the self-developed and adapted Mental Health Literacy Questionnaire. The psychoeducational intervention program consists of four sessions, which will be accessed each week. The depressive and anxiety symptoms will be compared between participants who participated in the psychoeducational program compared with the control group. Depressive and anxiety scores and mental health literacy will be assessed at week 1 and at follow-ups at week 5 and week 12, respectively. The psychoeducational intervention program consists of four sessions, which will be accessed at each week. The depressive and anxiety symptoms will be compared between the intervention and control groups using a series of mixed ANOVAs. Depressive and anxiety scores and mental health literacy will be assessed at week 1 and at two follow-ups at week 5 and week 12, respectively. To our knowledge, this study will be the first randomized controlled trial of a Web-based psychoeducational intervention program for depression and anxiety in an adult community in Malaysia. The results from this study will determine the effectiveness of a psychoeducational intervention program in the management of depression and anxiety among adults in the community. If proven to be effective, the intervention can serve as a new modality to manage and reduce the burden of these disorders in the community. International Standard Randomized Controlled Trial Number (ISRCTN): 39656144; http://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN39656144 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/6hSVhV71K).

Systematic development and implementation of interventions to OPtimise Health Literacy and Access (Ophelia).

PubMed

Beauchamp, Alison; Batterham, Roy W; Dodson, Sarity; Astbury, Brad; Elsworth, Gerald R; McPhee, Crystal; Jacobson, Jeanine; Buchbinder, Rachelle; Osborne, Richard H

2017-03-03

The need for healthcare strengthening to enhance equity is critical, requiring systematic approaches that focus on those experiencing lesser access and outcomes. This project developed and tested the Ophelia (OPtimising HEalth LIteracy and Access) approach for co-design of interventions to improve health literacy and equity of access. Eight principles guided this development: Outcomes focused; Equity driven, Needs diagnosis, Co-design, Driven by local wisdom, Sustainable, Responsive and Systematically applied. We report the application of the Ophelia process where proof-of-concept was defined as successful application of the principles. Nine sites were briefed on the aims of the project around health literacy, co-design and quality improvement. The sites were rural/metropolitan, small/large hospitals, community health centres or municipalities. Each site identified their own priorities for improvement; collected health literacy data using the Health Literacy Questionnaire (HLQ) within the identified priority groups; engaged staff in co-design workshops to generate ideas for improvement; developed program-logic models; and implemented their projects using Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycles. Evaluation included assessment of impacts on organisations, practitioners and service users, and whether the principles were applied. Sites undertook co-design workshops involving discussion of service user needs informed by HLQ (n = 813) and interview data. Sites generated between 21 and 78 intervention ideas and then planned their selected interventions through program-logic models. Sites successfully implemented interventions and refined them progressively with PDSA cycles. Interventions generally involved one of four pathways: development of clinician skills and resources for health literacy, engagement of community volunteers to disseminate health promotion messages, direct impact on consumers' health literacy, and redesign of existing services. Evidence of application of the principles was found in all sites. The Ophelia approach guided identification of health literacy issues at each participating site and the development and implementation of locally appropriate solutions. The eight principles provided a framework that allowed flexible application of the Ophelia approach and generation of a diverse set of interventions. Changes were observed at organisational, staff, and community member levels. The Ophelia approach can be used to generate health service improvements that enhance health outcomes and address inequity of access to healthcare.

Addressing cancer disparities through community engagement: improving breast health among Haitian women.

PubMed

Meade, Cathy D; Menard, Janelle; Thervil, Claudine; Rivera, Marlene

2009-11-01

To describe processes for fostering community engagement among Haitian women to facilitate breast health education and outreach that are consonant with Haitians' cultural values, literacy, and linguistic skills. Existing breast cancer education and outreach efforts for Haitian immigrant communities were reviewed. Local community partners were the primary source of information and guided efforts to create a series of health-promoting activities. The resultant partnership continues to be linked to a larger communitywide effort to reduce cancer disparities led by the Tampa Bay Community Cancer Network. A systematic framework known as the CLEAN (Culture, Literacy, Education, Assessment, and Networking) Look Checklist guided efforts for improved communications. Community engagement forms the foundation for the development and adaptation of sustainable breast education and outreach. Understanding and considering aspects of Haitian culture are important to the provision of competent and meaningful care. Nurses should expand their skills, knowledge, and competencies to better address the changing demographics of their communities. Nurses also can play a critical role in the development of outreach programs that are relevant to the culture and literacy of Haitian women by forming mutually beneficial partnerships that can decrease health disparities in communities.

Read with Me! Examining the Effects of a Community Volunteer Reading Program on Preschoolers' Literacy Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carson, Cynthia J.

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine if there was a difference between mean measures of preliteracy skills of preschool children who participated in Creating Young Readers, a volunteer based reading program, and a control group who had not. Unpaid community volunteers were trained in a modified dialogic reading technique, focusing on…

La CLAve to Increase Psychosis Literacy of Spanish-Speaking Community Residents and Family Caregivers

PubMed Central

López, Steven R.; Kopelowicz, Alex; Solano, Susana; del Carmen Lara, Ma.; Foncerrada, Hector; Aguilera, Adrian

2014-01-01

The authors developed and tested a 35-min psychoeducational program with the goal of increasing Spanish-speaking persons’ literacy of psychosis. The program uses popular cultural icons derived from music, art, and videos, as well as a mnemonic device—La CLAve (The Clue)—to increase (a) knowledge of psychosis, (b) efficacy beliefs that one can identify psychosis in others, (c) attributions to mental illness, and (d) professional help-seeking. Assessments were conducted before and after administering the program to both community residents (n = 57) and family caregivers of persons with schizophrenia (n = 38). For community residents, the authors observed increases across the 4 domains of symptom knowledge, efficacy beliefs, illness attributions, and recommended help-seeking. For caregivers, increases were observed in symptom knowledge and efficacy beliefs. La CLAve is a conceptually informed psychoeducational tool with a developing empirical base aimed at helping Spanish-speaking Latinos with serious mental illness obtain care in a timely manner. PMID:19634968

Sciences literacy on nutrition program for improving public wellness

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rochman, C.; Nasrudin, D.; Helsy, I.; Rokayah; Kusbudiah, Y.

2018-05-01

Increased wellness for a person becomes a necessity now and for the future. Various ways people do to get fit include following and understanding nutrition. This review will inventory the concepts of science involved to understand the nutritional program and its impact on fitness levels. The method used is a quantitative and qualitative descriptive mixed method based on treatment to a number of nutrition group participants in a nutrition group in Bandung. The concepts of science that are the subject of study are the concepts of physics, chemistry, and biology. The results showed that the ability of science literacy and respondent's wellness level varies and there is a relationship between science literacy with one's wellness level. The implications of this research are the need for science literacy and wellness studies for community based on educational level and more specific scientific concepts.

Mental health literacy as a mediator in use of mental health services among older korean adults.

PubMed

Kim, Young Sun; Rhee, T Greg; Lee, Hee Yun; Park, Byung Hyun; Sharratt, Monica L

2017-02-01

Existing literature suggests that mental health literacy is positively associated with mental health services utilization. Despite an aging population that faces significant mental health concerns in Korea, the role of mental health literacy on mental health services utilization is not known among older adults in Korea. This study aimed to (1) identify whether mental health literacy mediates the association between population characteristics and mental health services utilization and (2) identify an optimal path model for mental health services utilization among Korean older adults. Using a cross-sectional survey with a quota sampling strategy, we collected and analyzed responses from 596 community-dwelling individuals ages 65 years and older. We used structural equation modeling (SEM) to estimate the effect of mental health literacy as a mediator. When controlling for other relevant covariates in the optimal path model, mental health literacy mediated the relationships between three socio-demographic factors (education, general literacy, and health status) and mental health services utilization. The model fit index shows that the SEM fits very well (CFI = 0.92, NFI = 0.90, RMSEA = 0.07). Efforts to improve mental health literacy through community-based education programs may need to particularly target Korean older adults with the relevant socio-demographic characteristics to enhance their utilization of appropriate mental health services.

Community Resilience Education: Lessons Learned from an Emerging Community of Practice - NOAA's Environmental Literacy Grantees

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schoedinger, S. E.; McDougall, C.

2017-12-01

NOAA supports community resilience to extreme weather events, climate change and other environmental hazards by preparing communities through Weather Ready Nation and through programs addressing coastal community needs. These programs primarily target adult decisions makers in a professional capacity (emergency managers, city planners, et al.), leaving non-professional audiences without opportunities to understand and develop the skills to prepare for the threats and vulnerabilities that their communities face. As a result, resilience became the focus of NOAA's Environmental Literacy Grants in 2015. The goal of these investments is to strengthen the public's and/or K-12 students' environmental literacy to enable informed decision-making necessary for community resilience to extreme weather events and other environmental hazards. Funded projects build an understanding of Earth systems and the threats and vulnerabilities that are associated with a community's location, are aligned with existing adaptation/resilience plans, and connect audiences to relevant tools and resources to prepare for and respond to these hazards. These first few years of investment will create new models for how education can improve community resilience. Although these projects incorporate a variety of approaches, a few common themes stand out: empowering youth and adults to increase their understanding of locally relevant natural hazards and stresses; giving youth a voice in resilience planning; and student-led vulnerability assessments of their schools and communities. In this session we will report on the first convening of the principal investigators of our 13 funded projects, which represents the beginning of a new community of practice focused on resilience education. We will specifically share lessons learned about: engaging youth and adults about climate change and resiliency; working with local resilience/adaptation planners; and case studies on the use of NOAA's Digital Coast and the US Climate Resilience Toolkit.

Critical Pedagogy in HIV-AIDS Education for a Maya Immigrant Community

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schoorman, Dilys; Acosta, Maria Cristina; Sena, Rachel; Baxley, Traci

2012-01-01

In this article the authors discuss how the perspectives of Paulo Freire were instructive in addressing the challenges of HIV-AIDS education in Guatemalan Maya immigrant communities with minimal formal education and literacy. The forging of a community-based, collaborative, educational program offers several implications for effective teaching and…

ICLIS: A Model for Extending Knowledge to Residents in Rural Communities. A Planning Workbook.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Utah State Univ., Logan.

The Intermountain Community Learning and Information Services (ICLIS) project was begun in 1985 to provide rural communities in Colorado, Montana, Utah, and Wyoming with greater access to information and educational programming. Computer centers were housed in nine rural public libraries to provide services related to literacy, career guidance,…

The Power of Story: Using Personal Narrative, Computer Technology and Podcasting with Young Adult English Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pierson, Susan Jacques

2014-01-01

One way to ensure a high quality, personalized literacy program for English language learners is to use the learners' own lives and experiences as curriculum. Creating spaces for students to compose and share stories results in a strong sense of community facilitates the development of authentic literacy skills and increases student motivation and…

LitWorld's 7 Strengths Grow Stronger in Latin America: LitClub Builds Social-Emotional Success

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stern, Oriana

2018-01-01

Literacy is a pivotal aspect of education and critical for economic development as well as individual and community well-being. Innovative programming that taps into culturally relevant local resources can increase literacy and strengthen social-emotional skills. This article describes the work of LitWorld, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that…

Effective Literacy Instruction for Adults with Specific Learning Disabilities: Implications for Adult Educators

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hock, Michael F.

2012-01-01

Adults with learning disabilities (LD) attending adult basic education, GED programs, or community colleges are among the lowest performers on measures of literacy. For example, on multiple measures of reading comprehension, adults with LD had a mean reading score at the third grade level, whereas adults without LD read at the fifth grade level.…

Increasing Communities Capacity to Effectively Address Climate Change Through Education, Civic Engagement and Workforce Development

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Niepold, F., III; Ledley, T. S.; Stanton, C.; Fraser, J.; Scowcroft, G. A.

2017-12-01

Understanding the causes, effects, risks, and developing the social will and skills for responses to global change is a major challenge of the 21st century that requires coordinated contributions from the sciences, social sciences, humanities, arts, and beyond. There have been many effective efforts to implement climate change education, civic engagement and related workforce development programs focused on a multitude of audiences, topics and in multiple regions. This talk will focus on how comprehensive educational efforts across our communities are needed to support cities and their primary industries as they prepare for, and embrace, a low-carbon economy and develop the related workforce.While challenges still exist in identifying and coordinating all stakeholders, managing and leveraging resources, and resourcing and scaling effective programs to increase impact and reach, climate and energy literacy leaders have developed initiatives with broad input to identify the understandings and structures for climate literacy collective impact and to develop regional/metropolitan strategy that focuses its collective impact efforts on local climate issues, impacts and opportunities. This Climate Literacy initiative envisions education as a central strategy for community's civic actions in the coming decades by key leaders who have the potential to foster the effective and innovative strategies that will enable their communities to seize opportunity and prosperity in a post-carbon and resilient future. This talk discusses the advances and collaborations in the Climate Change Education community over the last decade by U.S. federal and non-profit organization that have been made possible through the partnerships of the Climate Literacy & Energy Awareness Network (CLEAN), U.S. National Science Foundation funded Climate Change Education Partnership (CCEP) Alliance, and the Tri-Agency Climate Change Education Collaborative.

After-School Toolkit: Tips, Techniques and Templates for Improving Program Quality

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gutierrez, Nora; Bradshaw, Molly; Furano, Kathryn

2008-01-01

This toolkit offers program managers a hands-on guide for implementing quality programming in the after-school hours. The kit includes tools and techniques that increased the quality of literacy programming and helped improve student reading gains in the Communities Organizing Resources to Advance Learning (CORAL) initiative of The James Irvine…

The Climate Literacy Network: Leveraging a Diverse Community to Broaden the Reach of Your Climate Literacy Efforts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ledley, T. S.; Carley, S.; Niepold, F.; Duggan-Haas, D. A.; Hollweg, K.; McCaffrey, M. S.

2012-12-01

There are a wide range of programs, activities, and projects focused on improving the understanding of climate science by citizens in a multitude of contexts. While most of these are necessarily customized for the particular audiences, communities, or regions they address, they can learn a lot from each other by sharing their experiences, expertise, and materials. The Climate Literacy Network (CLN, http://cleanet.org/cln), established in 2008 to facilitate the implementation of the Climate Literacy Essential Principles of Climate Science, is a diverse group of over 370 stakeholders with a wide range of expertise in, for example, science, policy, media, arts, economics, psychology, education, and social sciences. The CLN meets virtually weekly to share information about ongoing activities and new resources, discuss controversial public issues and ways to address them, get input from this diverse community on directions individual efforts might take, organize climate literacy sessions at professional meetings, provide input on documents relevant to climate literacy, and address common needs of the individual members. The weekly CLN teleconferences are also a venue for presentations from climate change education efforts to extend their reach and potential impact. The teleconferences are supported by an active listserv that is archived on the CLN website along with recordings of past teleconference and the schedule of upcoming teleconferences (http://cleanet.org/clean/community/cln/telecon_schedule.html). In this presentation we will describe the details of these various activities, give examples of how discussions within the CLN has led to funded efforts and expanded partnerships, and identify ways you can participate in and leverage this very active community.

GLOBE Observer and the Association of Science & Technology Centers: Leveraging Citizen Science and Partnerships for an International Science Experiment to Build Climate Literacy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Riebeek Kohl, H.; Chambers, L. H.; Murphy, T.

2016-12-01

For more that 20 years, the Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) Program has sought to increase environment literacy in students by involving them in the process of data collection and scientific research. In 2016, the program expanded to accept observations from citizen scientists of all ages through a relatively simple app. Called GLOBE Observer, the new program aims to help participants feel connected to a global community focused on advancing the scientific understanding of Earth system science while building climate literacy among participants and increasing valuable environmental data points to expand both student and scientific research. In October 2016, GLOBE Observer partnered with the Association of Science & Technology Centers (ASTC) in an international science experiment in which museums and patrons around the world collected cloud observations through GLOBE Observer to create a global cloud map in support of NASA satellite science. The experiment was an element of the International Science Center and Science Museum Day, an event planned in partnership with UNESCO and ASTC. Museums and science centers provided the climate context for the observations, while GLOBE Observer offered a uniform experience and a digital platform to build a connected global community. This talk will introduce GLOBE Observer and will present the results of the experiment, including evaluation feedback on gains in climate literacy through the event.

The Public Library Trustee and Changing Community Needs.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

The Bookmark, 1987

1987-01-01

This issue of "The Bookmark" contains 23 essays examining the challenges facing public library trustees and changing community needs. Topics considered include: the role of the trustee, fund raising, lobbying and the legislative process, library building programs, library automation, literacy, intellectual freedom, information access, preschool…

Integration of CAI into a Freshmen Liberal Arts Math Course in the Community College.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McCall, Michael B.; Holton, Jean L.

1982-01-01

Discusses four computer-assisted-instruction programs used in a college-level mathematics course to introduce computer literacy and improve mathematical skills. The BASIC programs include polynomial functions, trigonometric functions, matrix algebra, and differential calculus. Each program discusses mathematics theory and introduces programming…

Books and babies: clinical-based literacy programs.

PubMed

Fortman, Kristine K; Fisch, Robert O; Phinney, Margaret Y; Defor, Terese A

2003-01-01

The purpose of this study was to assess parental response to a clinic-based literacy program at a health maintenance organization. It was hypothesized that participation would be associated with increased literacy orientation by children. This randomized community trial took place at a Midwestern health maintenance organization. Six clinics were paired and randomly assigned to participate or not participate in Project Read. The main outcome variable was literacy orientation (book use). The target population was parents of children younger than 12 months (N = 165). After 6 months of participation, parents were surveyed by telephone. Seventy-five percent and 77% of the treatment and control groups, respectively, had positive literacy orientation; this difference was not significant. Persons receiving a videotape were more likely to have a positive literacy orientation (82.9% vs 69.2%; P <.05). The multivariate regression analyses also showed that receiving the free videotape was a significant intervention exposure. The members of the population in this study are reading to their children. Parents who receive a videotape on the importance of reading are likely to read more to their children.

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

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ontario Training and Adjustment Board, Toronto.

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

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…

Financial Literacy and Education as an Asset Development Strategy: The Potential of IDA Saving Clubs at Community Action Agencies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Parker, Jonas

2010-01-01

In the past two decades, the financial education movement has rapidly grown into a set of policies and programs that aims to empower individuals and families with financial literacy--the attitudes, knowledge, and skills necessary to make and act on informed financial decisions. For low- and moderate-income families in the U.S., this development…

Barriers and Facilitators of Health Literacy among D/deaf Individuals: A Review Article

PubMed Central

NASERIBOORIABADI, Tahereh; SADOUGHI, Farahnaz; SHEIKHTAHERI, Abbas

2017-01-01

Background: The implication of health literacy is the ability of individuals to find, understand, and use their required health information from reliable sources. It is an indicator of the individuals’ participation in their own medical decision-making. Deaf individuals have limited health literacy and poor health status due to low literacy. Hence, this review was conducted to understand barriers and facilitators influencing health literacy among deaf community. Methods: We searched the ISI Web of Sciences, Scopus, and Medline from 1987 to 2016. Seventy-three papers were analyzed thematically. Results: We found three primary themes, including inadequate health literacy, barriers, and facilitators to accessing health information and health care services among deaf individuals. Facilitators were composed of four sub-theme including legal activities protecting the right of deaf patients to accessing health services, training health professionals about effective communication with deaf patients, providing sign language interpreter services, and developing deaf-tailored educational health programs and materials. Conclusion: Closing the deaf cultural gap and their limited access to health information are achievable through the removal of the communication barriers, allowing deaf individuals with more access to health learning opportunities, and informing the hearing community about the communicative skills of deaf individuals. PMID:29167764

A mental health training program for community health workers in India: impact on knowledge and attitudes

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Unmet needs for mental health treatment in low income countries are pervasive. If mental health is to be effectively integrated into primary health care in low income countries like India then grass-roots workers need to acquire relevant knowledge and skills to be able to recognise, refer and support people experiencing mental disorders in their own communities. This study aims to provide a mental health training intervention to community health workers in Bangalore Rural District, Karnataka, India, and to evaluate the impact of this training on mental health literacy. Methods A pre-test post-test study design was undertaken with assessment of mental health literacy at three time points; baseline, completion of the training, and three month follow-up. Mental health literacy was assessed using the interviewer-administered Mental Health Literacy Survey. The training intervention was a four day course based on a facilitator's manual developed specifically for community health workers in India. Results 70 community health workers from Doddaballapur, Bangalore Rural District were recuited for the study. The training course improved participants' ability to recognize a mental disorder in a vignette, and reduced participants' faith in unhelpful and potentially harmful pharmacological interventions. There was evidence of a minor reduction in stigmatizing attitudes, and it was unclear if the training resulted in a change in participants' faith in recovery following treatment. Conclusion The findings from this study indicate that the training course demonstrated potential to be an effective way to improve some aspects of mental health literacy, and highlights strategies for strengthening the training course. PMID:21819562

Association between Municipal Health Promotion Volunteers' Health Literacy and Their Level of Outreach Activities in Japan.

PubMed

Taguchi, Atsuko; Murayama, Hiroshi; Murashima, Sachiyo

2016-01-01

To explore the association between health literacy and levels of three types of core activities among health promotion volunteers (developing a healthy lifestyle, outreach to family, and outreach to community members). A cross-sectional, anonymous, self-administered postal survey of registered health promotion volunteers in the Konan area in Shiga Prefecture in Japan, conducted in January 2010. The study sample was 575 registered health promotion volunteers. The survey collected data on health literacy, gender, age, education, self-rated health, perceptions about the volunteer organization, and perceptions of recognition in the community. The level of engagement in health promotion activities was measured by the extent to which the participants engaged in seven healthy behaviors and promoted them to family members and the community. The authors compared the health literacy level and other characteristics of the participants by core health promotion activities, using a chi-squared test, to examine the associations between demographic and other variables and the three core activities (healthy lifestyle, outreach to family, and outreach to community).Logistic regression analysis was conducted to examine the association between the degree to which the volunteers engaged in core activities ("healthy lifestyle," "outreach to family," "outreach to community") and the levels of health literacy (low, medium, high) among health promotion volunteers, controlling for the effects of age, gender, health condition, education which may also have an impact on volunteers' outreach activities. Four hundred and fifty-four questionnaires were returned, a 79.0% response rate. Excluding 16 cases with missing values on health literacy or the degree of health promotion activities, 438 research subjects were included in the analysis (valid response rate: 76.2%). Health literacy and a few demographic and other characteristics of the volunteers were associated with the three core health promotion activities. In bivariate analyses, active participation in the core activities was more prevalent among older volunteers (p<0.001 for all three activities). Self-rated health condition was associated with both outreach to family (p = 0.018) and community (p = 0.046). Years of experience as volunteer and perception of being recognized in the community also had statistically significant association with outreach to the community (p<0.001). In multiple logistic regression, those with higher level of health literacy were more likely than others to actively engage in outreach to family (OR = 1.70, 95% CI 1.03 to 2.80; OR = 1.76, 95%CI 1.04 to 3.00 for medium and high, respectively) and outreach to community (OR = 2.26, 95%CI 1.34 to 3.83; OR = 2.61 95%CI 1.49 to 4.58 for medium and high, respectively). Perception of being recognized in the community also had a statistically significant and positive impact on outreach to the community (OR = 1.52, 95%CI 1.17 to 1.99). Volunteers with higher health literacy were more likely to actively engage in outreach to family and outreach to community. Providing educational programs to improve volunteers' health literacy may facilitate their work.

34 CFR 491.3 - What activities may the Secretary fund?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... existing resources such as community-based organizations, VISTA recipients, the adult basic education... VOCATIONAL AND ADULT EDUCATION, DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION ADULT EDUCATION FOR THE HOMELESS PROGRAM General... for projects that implement a program of literacy training and basic skills remediation for adult...

34 CFR 491.3 - What activities may the Secretary fund?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... existing resources such as community-based organizations, VISTA recipients, the adult basic education... VOCATIONAL AND ADULT EDUCATION, DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION ADULT EDUCATION FOR THE HOMELESS PROGRAM General... for projects that implement a program of literacy training and basic skills remediation for adult...

34 CFR 491.3 - What activities may the Secretary fund?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... existing resources such as community-based organizations, VISTA recipients, the adult basic education... VOCATIONAL AND ADULT EDUCATION, DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION ADULT EDUCATION FOR THE HOMELESS PROGRAM General... for projects that implement a program of literacy training and basic skills remediation for adult...

34 CFR 491.3 - What activities may the Secretary fund?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... existing resources such as community-based organizations, VISTA recipients, the adult basic education... VOCATIONAL AND ADULT EDUCATION, DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION ADULT EDUCATION FOR THE HOMELESS PROGRAM General... for projects that implement a program of literacy training and basic skills remediation for adult...

A Peer-Based Financial Planning & Education Service Program: An Innovative Pedagogic Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goetz, Joseph W.; Durband, Dorothy B.; Halley, Ryan E.; Davis, Kimberlee

2011-01-01

This paper presents a peer-based financial planning and education program as a strategy to address the lack of financial literacy among college students and provide an experiential learning opportunity for students majoring in financial planning or other financial services-related disciplines. Benefits of such programs to campus communities are…

Storymakers: Hopa Mountain's Early Literacy Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Templin, Patricia A.

2013-01-01

Hopa Mountain's StoryMakers program is an innovative, research-based program for donating high quality young children's books to parents. Hopa Mountain is a nonprofit organization based in Bozeman, Montana. Hopa Mountain works with groups of rural and tribal citizen leaders who form StoryMakers Community Teams to talk one-on-one with local parents…

[Special Report: Adult Education and Primary Health Care.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vijayendra, T.; And Others

1982-01-01

A series of five case studies examines (1) literacy, health, and conscientization in the Mandar region of India; (2) the training of community health workers in Indonesia; (3) the Chinese strategy combining health, political will, and participation; (4) British community-based health education programs, and (5) participatory methodology for…

Narrative Medicine: Community Poetry Heals Young and Old

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Walker, Allison S.

2016-01-01

This is a snapshot of a service learning course founded on narrative medicine, a clinical practice designed to replace impersonal care with empathic listening. By utilizing poetry therapy techniques among nursing home populations, a program called "HPU LifeLines" promotes a community literacy of illness and provides psychological and…

The Coach's Learning Community: Standards-Based Program Develops School Wide Capacity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reitz, Diane; Hall, Gene E.

2017-01-01

Challenges inherent to increasing student literacy are well-documented particularly in under performing schools. Those challenges increase in schools experiencing high staff turnover, high populations of English language learners, and greater poverty. In order to improve student learning in these communities there needs to be a comprehensive…

First Language First: Community-Based Literacy Programmes for Minority Language Contexts in Asia (Kunming, China, May 17-22, 2004)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Online Submission, 2005

2005-01-01

There are at least 6,000--7,000 languages spoken in the world today, with over half of them endangered. And 61 percent of the endangered languages are within the Asia and Pacific Region. The publication is a report derived from the Regional (Asia and Pacific Region) Workshop on Mother Tongue/Bilingual Literacy Programs for Ethnic Minorities, held…

Improvement of Working Memory in Preschoolers and Its Impact on Early Literacy Skills: A Study in Deprived Communities of Rural and Urban Areas

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rojas-Barahona, Cristian A.; Förster, Carla E.; Moreno-Ríos, Sergio; McClelland, Megan M.

2015-01-01

Research Findings: The present study evaluated the impact of a working memory (WM) stimulation program on the development of WM and early literacy skills (ELS) in preschoolers from socioeconomically deprived rural and urban schools in Chile. The sample consisted of 268 children, 144 in the intervention group and 124 in the comparison group. The…

OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH EDUCATION AND TRAINING FOR UNDERSERVED POPULATIONS

PubMed Central

O’CONNOR, TOM; FLYNN, MICHAEL; WEINSTOCK, DEBORAH; ZANONI, JOSEPH

2015-01-01

This article presents an analysis of the essential elements of effective occupational safety and health education and training programs targeting under-served communities. While not an exhaustive review of the literature on occupational safety and health training, the paper provides a guide for practitioners and researchers to the key factors they should consider in the design and implementation of training programs for underserved communities. It also addresses issues of evaluation of such programs, with specific emphasis on considerations for programs involving low-literacy and limited-English-speaking workers. PMID:25053607

Occupational safety and health education and training for underserved populations.

PubMed

O'Connor, Tom; Flynn, Michael; Weinstock, Deborah; Zanoni, Joseph

2014-01-01

This article presents an analysis of the essential elements of effective occupational safety and health education and training programs targeting underserved communities. While not an exhaustive review of the literature on occupational safety and health training, the paper provides a guide for practitioners and researchers to the key factors they should consider in the design and implementation of training programs for underserved communities. It also addresses issues of evaluation of such programs, with specific emphasis on considerations for programs involving low-literacy and limited-English-speaking workers.

Association between Municipal Health Promotion Volunteers’ Health Literacy and Their Level of Outreach Activities in Japan

PubMed Central

Taguchi, Atsuko; Murayama, Hiroshi; Murashima, Sachiyo

2016-01-01

Objectives To explore the association between health literacy and levels of three types of core activities among health promotion volunteers (developing a healthy lifestyle, outreach to family, and outreach to community members). Study Design A cross-sectional, anonymous, self-administered postal survey of registered health promotion volunteers in the Konan area in Shiga Prefecture in Japan, conducted in January 2010. The study sample was 575 registered health promotion volunteers. Methods The survey collected data on health literacy, gender, age, education, self-rated health, perceptions about the volunteer organization, and perceptions of recognition in the community. The level of engagement in health promotion activities was measured by the extent to which the participants engaged in seven healthy behaviors and promoted them to family members and the community. The authors compared the health literacy level and other characteristics of the participants by core health promotion activities, using a chi-squared test, to examine the associations between demographic and other variables and the three core activities (healthy lifestyle, outreach to family, and outreach to community).Logistic regression analysis was conducted to examine the association between the degree to which the volunteers engaged in core activities (“healthy lifestyle,” “outreach to family,” “outreach to community”) and the levels of health literacy (low, medium, high) among health promotion volunteers, controlling for the effects of age, gender, health condition, education which may also have an impact on volunteers’ outreach activities. Results Four hundred and fifty-four questionnaires were returned, a 79.0% response rate. Excluding 16 cases with missing values on health literacy or the degree of health promotion activities, 438 research subjects were included in the analysis (valid response rate: 76.2%). Health literacy and a few demographic and other characteristics of the volunteers were associated with the three core health promotion activities. In bivariate analyses, active participation in the core activities was more prevalent among older volunteers (p<0.001 for all three activities). Self-rated health condition was associated with both outreach to family (p = 0.018) and community (p = 0.046). Years of experience as volunteer and perception of being recognized in the community also had statistically significant association with outreach to the community (p<0.001). In multiple logistic regression, those with higher level of health literacy were more likely than others to actively engage in outreach to family (OR = 1.70, 95% CI 1.03 to 2.80; OR = 1.76, 95%CI 1.04 to 3.00 for medium and high, respectively) and outreach to community (OR = 2.26, 95%CI 1.34 to 3.83; OR = 2.61 95%CI 1.49 to 4.58 for medium and high, respectively). Perception of being recognized in the community also had a statistically significant and positive impact on outreach to the community (OR = 1.52, 95%CI 1.17 to 1.99). Conclusions Volunteers with higher health literacy were more likely to actively engage in outreach to family and outreach to community. Providing educational programs to improve volunteers’ health literacy may facilitate their work. PMID:27736942

Universal Instructional Design as a Model for Educational Programs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Higbee, Jeanne L.

2007-01-01

This article describes Universal Instructional Design as an inclusive pedagogical model for use in educational programs, whether provided by traditional educational institutions, community-based initiatives, or workplace literacy projects. For the benefit of public relations specialists and classroom educators alike, the article begins with a…

Considering Community Literacies in the Secondary Classroom: A Collaborative Teacher and Researcher Study Group

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carbone, Paula M.; Reynolds, Rema E.

2013-01-01

A year long study group brought teachers and researchers working in urban contexts in US public schools together to examine literacy practices incorporating students' community literacies into schooled tasks. The goal was to provide teacher development in making connections across their students' community literacies and the academic literacy they…

A National Road Map to a Climate Literate Society: Advancing Climate Literacy by Coordinating Federal Climate Change Educational Programs (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Niepold, F.; Karsten, J. L.

2009-12-01

Over the 21st century, climate scientists expect Earth's temperature to continue increasing, very likely more than it did during the 20th century. Two anticipated results are rising global sea level and increasing frequency and intensity of heat waves, droughts, and floods. [IPCC 2007, USGCRP 2009] These changes will affect almost every aspect of human society, including economic prosperity, human and environmental health, and national security. 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. Society needs citizens who understand the climate system and know how to apply that knowledge in their careers and in their engagement as active members of their communities. Climate change will continue to be a significant element of public discourse. Understanding the essential principles of climate science will enable all people to assess news stories and contribute to their everyday conversations as informed citizens. Key to our nations response to climate change will be a Climate Literate society that understands their influence on climate and climate’s influence on them and society. In order to ensure the nation increases its literacy, the Climate Literacy: Essential Principles of Climate Science document has been endorsed by the 13 Federal agencies that make up the US Global Change Research Program (http://globalchange.gov/resources/educators/climate-literacy) and twenty-four other science and educational institutions. This session will explore the coordinated efforts by the federal agencies and partner organizations to ensure a climate literate society. "Climate Literacy: The Essential Principles of Climate Sciences: A Guide for Individuals and Communities" produced by the U.S. Global Change Research Program in March 2009

Toward energy literacy: the uncommon accomplishments of an uncommon team

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Schneiter, P.H.

In an effort to meet the energy challenge, Energy and Man's Environment (EME) involves business and educational communities in teaching the nation about energy. Reaching almost 18,000 educators with its programs last year, EME followed conferences with implementation programs, providing materials and hands-on experiences. Some EME programs are for college credit. 1 table.

Descriptive Study of AmeriCorps Literacy Programs: State and National. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moss, Marc; Hiller, Jordan; Moore, Douglas

AmeriCorps is composed of three programs, State and National; National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC); and Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA). The focus of this report is on the AmeriCorps State/National program. Education-related activities have been a priority for AmeriCorps' parent organization, the National Corporation for Public…

Youth Culture and Digital Media: New Literacies for New Times

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hull, Glynda A.

2003-01-01

In this article, the author discusses the "Digital Underground Storytelling for Youth" (DUSTY), a collection of after-school, evening, and summer programs that is a university-community collaborative aimed at closing the "digital divide." At DUSTY the goal is to position participants to tell stories about self and community, and to use those…

Integrated Basic Education and Skills Training (I-BEST). Washington's Community and Technical Colleges

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges, 2014

2014-01-01

Washington's Integrated Basic Education and Skills Training Program (I-BEST) quickly teaches students literacy, work, and college-readiness skills so they can move through school and into living wage jobs faster. Pioneered by Washington's community and technical colleges, I-BEST uses a team-teaching approach to combine college-readiness classes…

Emic-Etic Conflicts as Explanation of Nonparticipation in Adult Education among the Maya of Western Guatemala.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cutz, German; Chandler, Paul

2000-01-01

Causes for lack of participation of Mayan adults in literacy programs were investigated in ethnographic interviews. Emic deterrents at the individual, family, community, and national levels included personal needs, self-perception, rigid moral values, machismo, ethnic and cultural identity, community loyalty, and teaching formats. Successful…

Success for All®. What Works Clearinghouse Intervention Report. Updated

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

What Works Clearinghouse, 2017

2017-01-01

"Success for All" ("SFA"®) is a whole-school reform model (that is, a model that integrates curriculum, school culture, family, and community supports) for students in prekindergarten through grade 8. "SFA"® includes a literacy program, quarterly assessments of student learning, a social-emotional development program,…

Transforming Literacy Assessment Practices through an Action Research Professional Learning Community

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grierson, Arlene L.; Woloshyn, Vera E.

2005-01-01

Researchers and educators acknowledge that early reading instruction is of critical importance, with interventions and remedial programming most effective in the primary grades. Integral to this programming are educators' abilities to assess students' reading strengths and needs, with inconsistent and/or inaccurate practices ultimately threatening…

Assessing Study Abroad Programs: Application of the "SLEPT" Framework through Learning Communities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tajes, Maria; Ortiz, Jamie

2010-01-01

This case study proposes a comprehensive conceptual framework for exploring student learning outcomes of short-term study abroad programs. It uses the Social, Legal, Economic, Political, and Technological framework to assess understanding of the host country before departing and after returning. Participation fostered global literacy and critical…

Barriers and facilitators to childhood obesity prevention among culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities in Victoria, Australia.

PubMed

Cyril, Sheila; Nicholson, Jan M; Agho, Kingsley; Polonsky, Michael; Renzaho, Andre M

2017-06-01

Childhood obesity is rising among culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) groups who show poor engagement in obesity prevention initiatives. We examined the barriers and facilitators to the engagement of CALD communities in obesity prevention initiatives. We used the nominal group technique to collect data from 39 participants from Vietnamese, Burmese, African, Afghani and Indian origins living in disadvantaged areas of Victoria, Australia. Data analysis revealed ranked priorities for barriers and facilitators for CALD community engagement in obesity prevention initiatives. CALD parents identified key barriers as being: competing priorities in the post-migration settlement phase; language, cultural and program accessibility barriers; low levels of food and health literacy; junk food advertisement targeting children; and lack of mandatory weight checks for schoolchildren. Key facilitators emerged as: bicultural playgroup leaders; ethnic community groups; and school-based healthy lunch box initiatives. This study has identified several policy recommendations including: the implementation of robust food taxation policies; consistent control of food advertising targeting children; improving CALD health literacy using bicultural workers; and matching health promotional materials with CALD community literacy levels. Implications for Public Health: These recommendations can directly influence public health policy to improve the engagement of CALD communities in obesity prevention services and ultimately reduce the widening obesity disparities in Australia. © 2017 The Authors.

Building Climate Literacy Through Strategic Partnerships

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Turrin, M.; Creyts, T. T.; Bell, R. E.; Meadows, C. A.

2012-12-01

One of the challenges of developing climate science literacy is establishing the relevance of both climate science and climate change at a local community level. By developing partnerships with community-based informal science education providers, we are able to build our climate science and climate change content into existing programs. Employing a systems science approach facilitates these partnerships as our systems science program links with a range of topics, demonstrating the multiple connections between climate, our communities and our daily lives. Merging hands on activities, collaborative projects, and new technology, we encourage learning through doing by engaging participants in active exploration of climate science concepts. Many informal education venues operating locally, from large science museums to small grass-roots community groups, provide ongoing opportunities to connect with students. Through our collaborations we have worked with various types and sizes of non-classroom science providers including: the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum "Greater Opportunities Advancing Leadership and Science" camps for high school girls, Hudson River Park Trust 'Science on the River' events, the annual New York City World Science Festival, and the AAUW's annual STEM Super Scholars Workshops among others. This range of venues has enabled us to reach various ages, backgrounds and interests advancing climate literacy in a number of forums. Major outcomes of these efforts are: (1) Building capacity with community groups: Many local organizations running community programs do not have in-house science expertise. Both science educators and local organization benefit from these collaborations. Science educators and scientists provide up to date climate science information to the community groups while these programs establish strong working relationships between our research and the local community. (2) Developing climate science literacy and lifelong learning: We have delivered climate science in a variety of ways, each designed to connect the participants with a fundamental science concept while building excitement for the topic and facilitating learning in a non-traditional setting. Our approaches range from launching teams of young people into experiments exploring glacial physics through free-choice inquiry opportunities, to enlisting undergraduate science students in working with the participants demonstrating glacial motion and measurement through engaging technology such as Kinect Xbox 360 sensors, to short single concept hands-on activities designed to deliver a specific climate 'take home' message. (3) Generating a local connection to climate science and impacts: Working with local informal education groups we connect climate topics to community-based issues and 'hot topics' such as sustainable planning, waterfront erosion, storm surge impacts, and local sea level rise projections. Partnering with community based informal education providers allows us to expand our offerings to reach a wider audience of young people, and to connect more directly with our local community. We are excited by the potential in these partnerships to connect students with climate science and develop not only a climate literate group of young people, but also lifelong science learners.

Tackling health literacy: adaptation of public hypertension educational materials for an Indo-Asian population in Canada

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Indo-Asians in Canada are at increased risk for cardiovascular diseases. There is a need for cultural and language specific educational materials relating to this risk. During this project we developed and field tested the acceptability of a hypertension public education pamphlet tailored to fit the needs of an at risk local Indo-Asian population, in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Methods A community health board representing Calgary's Indo-Asian communities identified the culturally specific educational needs and language preferences of the local population. An adaptation of an existing English language Canadian Public Hypertension Recommendations pamphlet was created considering the literacy and translation challenges. The adapted pamphlet was translated into four Indo-Asian languages. The adapted pamphlets were disseminated as part of the initial educational component of a community-based culturally and language-sensitive cardiovascular risk factor screening and management program. Field testing of the materials was undertaken when participants returned for program follow-up seven to 12 months later. Results Fifty-nine English-speaking participants evaluated and confirmed the concept validity of the English adapted version. 28 non-English speaking participants evaluated the Gujarati (N = 13) and Punjabi (N = 15) translated versions of the adapted pamphlets. All participants found the pamphlets acceptable and felt they had improved their understanding of hypertension. Conclusions Involving the target community to identify health issues as well as help to create culturally, language and literacy sensitive health education materials ensures resources are highly acceptable to that community. Minor changes to the materials will be needed prior to formal testing of hypertension knowledge and health decision-making on a larger scale within this at risk community. PMID:21223580

Tackling health literacy: adaptation of public hypertension educational materials for an Indo-Asian population in Canada.

PubMed

Jones, Charlotte A; Mawani, Shefina; King, Kathryn M; Allu, Selina Omar; Smith, Megan; Mohan, Sailesh; Campbell, Norman R C

2011-01-11

Indo-Asians in Canada are at increased risk for cardiovascular diseases. There is a need for cultural and language specific educational materials relating to this risk. During this project we developed and field tested the acceptability of a hypertension public education pamphlet tailored to fit the needs of an at risk local Indo-Asian population, in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. A community health board representing Calgary's Indo-Asian communities identified the culturally specific educational needs and language preferences of the local population. An adaptation of an existing English language Canadian Public Hypertension Recommendations pamphlet was created considering the literacy and translation challenges. The adapted pamphlet was translated into four Indo-Asian languages. The adapted pamphlets were disseminated as part of the initial educational component of a community-based culturally and language-sensitive cardiovascular risk factor screening and management program. Field testing of the materials was undertaken when participants returned for program follow-up seven to 12 months later. Fifty-nine English-speaking participants evaluated and confirmed the concept validity of the English adapted version. 28 non-English speaking participants evaluated the Gujarati (N = 13) and Punjabi (N = 15) translated versions of the adapted pamphlets. All participants found the pamphlets acceptable and felt they had improved their understanding of hypertension. Involving the target community to identify health issues as well as help to create culturally, language and literacy sensitive health education materials ensures resources are highly acceptable to that community. Minor changes to the materials will be needed prior to formal testing of hypertension knowledge and health decision-making on a larger scale within this at risk community.

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…

The Electronic Health Literacy and Utilization of Technology for Health in a Remote Hawaiian Community: Lana‘i

PubMed Central

Humphry, Joseph

2018-01-01

The Lana‘i Community Health Center (LCHC) like other health care organizations, is striving to implement technology-enabled care (TEC) in the clinical setting. TEC includes such technological innovations as patient portals, mobile phone applications, wearable health sensors, and telehealth. This study examines the utilization of communication technology by members of the Lana‘i community and LCHC staff and board members in the home and in their daily lives and evaluates the community's electronic health literacy. Quantitative surveys and qualitative focus groups were utilized. These revealed that members of the Lana‘i community and LCHC staff and board members regularly utilize technology, in the form of smart cell phones, WiFi, and internet texting. This community has integrated technology into their daily lives, even though they live on an isolated island with 3,102 people; however, despite this integration, the electronic health literacy of this population appears insufficient for proper understanding and utilization of TEC, limiting the potential of patient portals or remote monitoring of patient generated data for chronic disease prevention and management without additional education and mentoring. It is therefore in the best interest of the LCHC and other health organizations wishing to implement TEC in a rural community such as Lana‘i to include a strong educational component with use of TEC, and perhaps establish a mentor/partnership program for the highly-challenged patient. PMID:29541550

The Electronic Health Literacy and Utilization of Technology for Health in a Remote Hawaiian Community: Lana'i.

PubMed

Witten, Nash Ak; Humphry, Joseph

2018-03-01

The Lana'i Community Health Center (LCHC) like other health care organizations, is striving to implement technology-enabled care (TEC) in the clinical setting. TEC includes such technological innovations as patient portals, mobile phone applications, wearable health sensors, and telehealth. This study examines the utilization of communication technology by members of the Lana'i community and LCHC staff and board members in the home and in their daily lives and evaluates the community's electronic health literacy. Quantitative surveys and qualitative focus groups were utilized. These revealed that members of the Lana'i community and LCHC staff and board members regularly utilize technology, in the form of smart cell phones, WiFi, and internet texting. This community has integrated technology into their daily lives, even though they live on an isolated island with 3,102 people; however, despite this integration, the electronic health literacy of this population appears insufficient for proper understanding and utilization of TEC, limiting the potential of patient portals or remote monitoring of patient generated data for chronic disease prevention and management without additional education and mentoring. It is therefore in the best interest of the LCHC and other health organizations wishing to implement TEC in a rural community such as Lana'i to include a strong educational component with use of TEC, and perhaps establish a mentor/partnership program for the highly-challenged patient.

Student as Citizen: Teaching Critical Civic Literacy Skills in the Library

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Levin, Sarah Jane

2016-01-01

As a school librarian, one of the author's goals is to teach students to become responsible citizens who recognize a sense of purpose and place in the larger community. Many schools have core values that reflect a desire for students to develop a broad community mission and purpose, often through programs with thoughtful curricula, including…

Alternative Spaces of Learning in East London: Opportunities and Challenges

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sneddon, Raymonde; Martin, Peter

2012-01-01

This article emerges from an ongoing exploration into how British minority ethnic communities in the London area create spaces in community-based programs to maintain or develop their languages and literacies. In London, more than one-third of the 850,000 school children speak a language other than English at home (Baker & Eversley, 2000).…

The Cutting Edge: Workplace English. Instructional Guide.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

El Paso Community Coll., TX. Literacy Center.

The instructional guide for the Cutting Edge workplace literacy program, a cooperative project of El Paso Community College (Texas) and Levi Strauss and Company, is an expanded version of one appendix the project handbook. It describes and provides an instructional model for the three-part, job-specific, video-based program of English as a Second…

Analyzing Workforce Education. Monograph.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Texas Community & Technical Coll. Workforce Education Consortium.

This monograph examines the issue of task analysis as used in workplace literacy programs, debating the need for it and how to perform it in a rapidly changing environment. Based on experiences of community colleges in Texas, the report analyzes ways that task analysis can be done and how to implement work force education programs more quickly.…

The Cutting Edge: Workplace English. Project Handbook and Instructional Guide.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clymer-Spradling, Carol

A workplace literacy program for garment workers is described and evaluated. The program, a partnership between El Paso Community College (Texas) and Levi Strauss & Company, consisted of a three-level, job-specific, video-based curriculum for limited-English-speaking employees implemented at seven plants in El Paso. The 18-month model…

Language and Ethnicity: Multiple Literacies in Context, Language Education in Guatemala

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Helmberger, Janet L.

2006-01-01

This study focuses on the research literature available in the United States on the evolution of language policy and planning issues involved in bilingual education programs in Mayan communities in Guatemala. I begin with general comments regarding language policy and planning for bilingual programs for ethnic groups within the borders of…

Course Outline Workshop III: Paraprofessional Training.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burron, Arni, Comp.; Santopietro, Kathy, Comp.

The materials in this teaching guide represent the third quarter of a community college program designed to teach paraprofessionals how to tutor in an adult literacy program. Techniques for teaching reading and English as a second language are included. Lesson plans for five classes cover the informal reading inventory, review and practice in the…

Adult Education and Literacy Program: Fiscal Year 2014 Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Iowa Department of Education, 2014

2014-01-01

The Division of Community Colleges of the Iowa Department of Education has a variety of diverse programs that enhance Iowa's educational system. Adult Education has a rich history in Iowa of providing services that assist adults in improving their skills, achieving their educational goals, and transitioning to further education or employment.…

Ocean Filmmaking Camp @ Duke Marine Lab: Building Community with Ocean Science for a Better World

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

De Oca, M.; Noll, S.

2016-02-01

A democratic society requires that its citizens are informed of everyday's global issues. Out of all issues those related to ocean conservation can be hard to grasp for the general public and especially so for disadvantaged racial and ethnic groups. Opportunity-scarce communities generally have more limited access to the ocean and to science literacy programs. The Ocean Filmmaking Camp @ Duke Marine Lab (OFC@DUML) is an effort to address this gap at the level of high school students in a small coastal town. We designed a six-week summer program to nurture the talents of high school students from under-represented communities in North Carolina with training in filmmaking, marine science and conservation. Our science curriculum is especially designed to present the science in a locally and globally-relevant context. Class discussions, field trips and site visits develop the students' cognitive abilities while they learn the value of the natural environment they live in. Through filmmaking students develop their voice and their media literacy, while connecting with their local community, crossing class and racial barriers. By the end of the summer this program succeeds in encouraging students to engage in the democratic process on ocean conservation, climate change and other everyday affairs affecting their local communities. This presentation will cover the guiding principles followed in the design of the program, and how this high impact-low cost program is implemented. In its first year the program was co-directed by a graduate student and a local high school teacher, who managed more than 20 volunteers with a total budget of $1,500. The program's success was featured in the local newspaper and Duke University's Environment Magazine. This program is an example of how ocean science can play a part in building a better world, knitting diverse communities into the fabric of the larger society with engaged and science-literate citizens living rewarding lives.

Member Perceptions of Informal Science Institution Graduate Certificate Program: Case Study of a Community of Practice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ball, Lois A.

This research attempted to understand the experiences of a cohort of informal and formal science educators and informal science institution (ISI) community representatives during and after completion of a pilot graduate certificate program. Informal science educators (ISEs) find limited opportunities for professional development and support which influence their contributions to America's science literacy and school science education. This emergent design nested case study described how an innovative program provided professional development and enabled growth in participants' abilities to contribute to science literacy. Data were collected through interviews, participant observations, and class artifacts. The program by design and constituency was the overarching entity that accounted for members' experiences. Three principal aspects of the ISI certificate program and cohort which influenced perceptions and reported positive outcomes were (1) the cohort's composition and their collaborative activities which established a vigorous community of practice and fostered community building, mentoring, and networking, (2) long term program design and implementation which promoted experiential learning in a generative classroom, and (3) ability of some members who were able to be independent or autonomous learners to embrace science education reform strategies for greater self-efficacy and career advancement. This research extends the limited literature base for professional development of informal science educators and may benefit informal science institutions, informal and formal science educators, science education reform efforts, and public education and science-technology-society understanding. The study may raise awareness of the need to establish more professional development opportunities for ISEs and to fund professional development. Further, recognizing and appreciating informal science educators as a diverse committed community of professionals who positively influence science education for everyone is essential.

Health literacy in the "oral exchange": an important element of patient-provider communication.

PubMed

Nouri, Sarah S; Rudd, Rima E

2015-05-01

Oral communication between health care providers and patients--the "oral exchange"--greatly impacts patient health outcomes; however, only recently have health literacy inquiries been incorporated into this field. This review examines the intersection between oral and aural literacy and the oral exchange. A systematic literature search was carried out. Papers published in English since 2003 that specifically examine oral/aural literacy and oral patient-provider communication were included. The search yielded 999 articles, 12 of which were included in this review. Three tools have been developed to measure either patient or provider oral/aural literacy. There is a discrepancy between patient and provider oral/aural literacy levels, and high literacy demand is associated with reduced patient learning. Low patient oral/aural literacy is associated with poor health outcomes. Two interventions have been developed to reduce literacy demand. This review demonstrates the critical role of oral and aural literacy in the oral exchange, the importance of reducing literacy demand, and the need for future research in this field. Recommendations include the use of plain language and teach-back by providers, as well as incorporation of awareness of oral and aural literacy into community programs and health care provider education and training. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

PVO / NGO initiatives, Asia. Karmajibi Kallyan (KKS), Bangladesh and Save the Children Fund Australia (SCFA).

PubMed

1996-01-01

Karmajibi Kallyan (KKS) and Save the Children Fund Australia (SCFA) are implementing a program that integrates HIV/AIDS prevention and income generation activities aimed at the pre-adolescent girl servants of commercial sex workers in the Rajbari district of Bangladesh. The initial objectives of the program were to identify and establish alternative income generating activities for 150 girl servants; provide literacy education to these girls based on such topics as primary health care (HIV/AIDS prevention), credit, and small business management; and promote HIV/AIDS awareness in the wider community. Since implementation, the program has adjusted its objectives in order to meet the needs of the community. Many of the girls are much younger than the project originally planned for--most are only 7 or 8 years old--therefore, KKS and SCFA have begun identifying income generation possibilities for their mothers and encouraging the girls to focus on their education. They are also hoping to expand their literacy programs to other children in the community. For more information, please contact HIDNA (HIV/AIDS and International Development Network of Australia), ACFOA, Private Bag 3, Deakin ACT 2600, Australia; tel: +61 6 285 1816; fax: +61 6 285 1720; e-mail: acfoa@peg.apc.org. (ECHIDNA, Bulletin No. 5, September 1995) full text

Hip Hop Stroke: Study Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial to Address Stroke Literacy

PubMed Central

Williams, Olajide; Leighton-Herrmann, Ellyn; DeSorbo, Alexandra; Hecht, Mindy; Hedmann, Monique; Huq, Saima; Gerin, William; Chinchilli, Vernon; Ogedegbe, Gbenga; Noble, James

2015-01-01

Objective Stroke is the fifth leading cause of death and the leading cause of serious long-term adult disability in the US. Acute stroke treatments with intravenous thrombolysis and endovascular therapy are proven to reduce disability, however a critical limitation on their effectiveness is the narrow time window for administration, which is 4.5 hours and 6 hours respectively from the onset of symptoms. Our overarching goal is to reduce pre-hospital delays to acute stroke treatments in economically disadvantaged minority communities where the greatest delays exist, using Hip Hop Stroke. Methods Hip Hop Stroke (HHS) is a school-based, child-mediated, culturally-tailored stroke communication multimedia intervention developed using validated models of behavior change and designed to improve stroke literacy (knowledge of stroke symptoms, the urgent need to call 911, and prevention measures) of 4th, 5th and 6th grade students and their parents residing in poor urban communities. Children in the intervention arm will receive the HHS intervention, while those in the attentional control arm will receive standardized nutrition education based on the USDA's MyPyramid program. Children will be trained and motivated to share stroke information with their parents or other adult caregiver. Both children and parents will complete a stroke knowledge assessment at baseline, immediately following the program, and at 3-months post-program. The primary outcome is the effect of the child mediation on parental stroke literacy. Conclusion Stroke literate children, a captive audience in school systems, may represent a viable channel for spreading stroke information into households of poor urban communities where mass media stroke campaigns have shown the lowest penetration. These children may also call 911 when witnessing a stroke in their homes or communities. The HHS program may highlight the potential role of children in the chain of stroke recovery as a strategy for reducing prehospital delays to acute stroke treatment. PMID:26779395

Hip Hop Stroke: Study Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial to Address Stroke Literacy.

PubMed

Williams, Olajide; Leighton-Herrmann, Ellyn; DeSorbo, Alexandra; Hecht, Mindy; Hedmann, Monique; Huq, Saima; Gerin, William; Chinchilli, Vernon; Ogedegbe, Gbenga; Noble, James

2015-10-01

Stroke is the fifth leading cause of death and the leading cause of serious long-term adult disability in the US. Acute stroke treatments with intravenous thrombolysis and endovascular therapy are proven to reduce disability, however a critical limitation on their effectiveness is the narrow time window for administration, which is 4.5 hours and 6 hours respectively from the onset of symptoms. Our overarching goal is to reduce pre-hospital delays to acute stroke treatments in economically disadvantaged minority communities where the greatest delays exist, using Hip Hop Stroke. Hip Hop Stroke (HHS) is a school-based, child-mediated, culturally-tailored stroke communication multimedia intervention developed using validated models of behavior change and designed to improve stroke literacy (knowledge of stroke symptoms, the urgent need to call 911, and prevention measures) of 4 th , 5 th and 6 th grade students and their parents residing in poor urban communities. Children in the intervention arm will receive the HHS intervention, while those in the attentional control arm will receive standardized nutrition education based on the USDA's MyPyramid program. Children will be trained and motivated to share stroke information with their parents or other adult caregiver. Both children and parents will complete a stroke knowledge assessment at baseline, immediately following the program, and at 3-months post-program. The primary outcome is the effect of the child mediation on parental stroke literacy. Stroke literate children, a captive audience in school systems, may represent a viable channel for spreading stroke information into households of poor urban communities where mass media stroke campaigns have shown the lowest penetration. These children may also call 911 when witnessing a stroke in their homes or communities. The HHS program may highlight the potential role of children in the chain of stroke recovery as a strategy for reducing prehospital delays to acute stroke treatment.

Health-related behaviors moderate the association between age and self-reported health literacy among Taiwanese women.

PubMed

Duong, Tuyen-Van; Sørensen, Kristine; Pelikan, Jürgen M; Van den Broucke, Stephan; Lin, I-Feng; Lin, Ying-Chin; Huang, Hsiao-Ling; Chang, Peter Wushou

2017-05-24

The role of health-related behaviors in the association between age and health literacy has not been well-elucidated. The present cross-sectional study evaluated the interactions between age and health-related behaviors in 942 women in Taiwan between February and October 2013. Women aged 18-78 years were randomly sampled and recruited from the national administrative system. Self-reported health literacy was measured by the European Health Literacy Survey Questionnaire (HLS-EU-Q47) in Mandarin, asking about sociodemographics and essential health-related behaviors (watching health-related television, community involvement). The interviews were conducted confidentially by well-trained interviewers after having participants' consent. In multiple linear regression models adjusted for education attainment, self-perceived social status, ability to pay for medication, and health-related behaviors, health literacy was significantly negatively related to age (unstandardized regression coefficient, B = -0.04; 95% confidence interval [CI] = (-0.07; 0.00); p = .03). The lower health literacy among older women was significantly modified by watching health-related television programs (from "rarely/not-at-all", B = -0.08 (-0.12, -0.04), p < .001 to "often"; B = 0.10 (0.07, 0.12); p < .001) and community involvement (from "rarely/not-at-all", B = -0.06 (-0.10, -0.03); p = .001 to "often", B = 0.06 (0.03, 0.08); p < .001). Specific health behaviors were protective of older women's health literacy and likely their health.

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:…

Harnessing health information to foster disadvantaged teens' community engagement, leadership skills, and career plans: a qualitative evaluation of the Teen Health Leadership Program.

PubMed

Keselman, Alla; Ahmed, Einas A; Williamson, Deborah C; Kelly, Janice E; Dutcher, Gale A

2015-04-01

This paper describes a qualitative evaluation of a small-scale program aiming to improve health information literacy, leadership skills, and interest in health careers among high school students in a low-income, primarily minority community. Graduates participated in semi-structured interviews, transcripts of which were coded with a combination of objectives-driven and data-driven categories. The program had a positive impact on the participants' health information competency, leadership skills, academic orientation, and interest in health careers. Program enablers included a supportive network of adults, novel experiences, and strong mentorship. The study suggests that health information can provide a powerful context for enabling disadvantaged students' community engagement and academic success.

Defining science literacy: A pedagogical approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brilakis, Kathryn

A functional knowledge of science is required to capably evaluate the validity of conflicting positions on topics such as fracking, climate change, and the safety of genetically modified food. Scientifically illiterate individuals are at risk of favoring the persuasive arguments of those championing partisan, anti-science agendas. In an effort to enhance the scientific literacy of community college students and equip them with the skill set necessary to make informed decisions, this study generated a pedagogical definition of science literacy using survey methodology and then utilized the definition to construct an accessible, comprehensive, and pragmatic web-based science literacy program. In response to an email solicitation, college and university science educators submitted lists of topics within their specialty they considered essential when assessing science literacy. Their responses were tabulated and those topics cited most frequently by the participating physicists, biologists, chemists and geoscientists were assembled into a definition of science literacy. This definition was translated into a modular, web-based course suitable for both online and classroom learning published as: www.scienceliteracyforum.com.

Communities of Practice: Literacy and Deaf Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kristoffersen, Ann-Elise; Simonsen, Eva

2016-01-01

This article aims to discuss young deaf children's access to literacy within a sociocultural perspective. We introduce the concept of communities of practice as an aspect in early literacy development for young deaf children. Preschools are learning communities and thus constitute communities of practice. Our discussion on the use of communities…

Community Engagement in a Graduate-Level Community Literacy Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marshall Bowen, Lauren; Arko, Kirsti; Beatty, Joel; Delaney, Cindy; Dorpenyo, Isidore; Moeller, Laura; Roberts, Elsa; Velat, John

2014-01-01

A case study of a graduate-level community literacy seminar that involved a tutoring project with adult digital literacy learners, this essay illustrates the value of community outreach and service-learning for graduate students in writing studies. Presenting multiple perspectives through critical reflection, student authors describe how their…

Talking Circles for Adolescent Girls in an Urban High School: A Restorative Practices Program for Building Friendships and Developing Emotional Literacy Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schumacher, Martha Ann

2012-01-01

Restorative Practices and Restorative Justice programs in schools are a new and emerging field. Meeting in Circles to build community, resolve conflict, and learn interactively are core components of these programs. This ethnographic study, which took place February 2010 to December 2011, evaluates 12 small, out-of-classroom Talking Circles for 60…

34 CFR 1100.1 - What is the Literacy Leader Fellowship Program?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 34 Education 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false What is the Literacy Leader Fellowship Program? 1100.1... INSTITUTE FOR LITERACY NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR LITERACY: LITERACY LEADER FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM § 1100.1 What is the Literacy Leader Fellowship Program? (a) Under the Literacy Leader Fellowship Program, the Director...

A CLEAN Network Initiative - Accelerating Transition to Post Carbon and Resilient Communities through Education and Engagement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ledley, T. S.; Niepold, F., III; Bozuwa, J.; Davis, A.; Fraser, J.; Kretser, J.; Poppleton, K. L. I.; Qusba, L.; Ruggiero, K.; Spitzer, W.; Stylinski, C.

2016-12-01

The Climate Literacy and Energy Awareness Network (CLEAN) was formed in 2008 to help climate and energy literacy stakeholders implement the Climate and Energy Literacy Essential Principles to enable effective and responsible decisions with regard to actions that may affect climate. The ongoing conversations of the CLEAN Network have cultivated a culture of shared resources and expertise and allowed for the development of collective impact strategies. However, it has become clear that to accelerate and scale change, effective mitigation, adaptation, and resilience strategies must be developed by a diverse network of stakeholders at the community level to deal with the local impacts of climate change and move toward decarbonized and resilient economies. A group of CLEAN Network members, experienced in establishing effective networks and representing mature climate change education programs, came together to discuss at the community level 1) how we can collectively enable larger scale efforts to 2) develop effective strategies, 3) identify gaps in the system that limit action, and 4) coordinate possible vectors for interceding to advance community level decisions related to climate. We will describe our Theory of Change, based on both the power of communities and increasing climate literacy as a key requirement for sustained progress on the crisis climate change presents. From our Theory of Change, we have begun to outline a national monitoring strategy that can provide communities a measured way to understand their local readiness to respond to the impacts of climate change and understand the magnitude of those impacts in relation to their political and ecological economies. The scale would help describe the robustness of their programs and partnerships to address those impacts, the political climate for working in advance of pending change, and the degree of citizen engagement in resilience planning and action. The goal is to provide a common tool equivalent to GDP that communities could use to see their strengths and leverage points, and where they have the local resources to build solutions or co-develop solutions with others. Though this new tool, communities may be better able to focus on mitigation, adaptation, and the building of resilience that will put into practice the identified Theory of Change.

Mercer County Community College Workplace Skills Project. Grant Period March 1, 1991-August 31, 1992. Final Evaluation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mercer County Community Coll., Trenton, NJ.

This final report of an 18-month workplace literacy project (a partnership of Mercer County Community College, a large automobile components parts manufacturer, a hospital, a physics laboratory, and a chemical plant) contains the following: (1) and introduction; (2) a performance report on nine goals of the program; (3) a schedule of…

Illinois Community College Board. Adult Education and Family Literacy. Provider Manual. Fiscal Year 2007

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Illinois Community College Board, 2007

2007-01-01

The Illinois Community College Board has developed this Provider Manual as an easy reference to: (1) existing laws and regulations, both State and Federal; (2) best practices in the field of Adult Education; and to (3) act as a desk reference for both new and existing program administrators. The Manual describes: (1) the purpose of the Federal…

Empowered Youth: The Co-Creation of Youth as Technological Citizens and Consumers within Community-Based Technology Programs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pabst, Johanna K.

2014-01-01

The purpose of this study is to investigate the new media ecologies of urban, low-income youth and youth of color, and how they develop literacies and competencies around technology in the particular spaces of Community Technology Centers (CTCs), while placing them within their broader technological experiences and raced, classed, and gendered…

How can communities and organisations improve their health literacy?

PubMed

Lloyd, Jane; Thomas, Louise; Powell-Davies, Gawaine; Osten, Regina; Harris, Mark

2018-06-14

Definitions of health literacy have tended to focus on the abilities of patients and communities, rather than on the ability of the health system and its services to respond to patients' different levels of health literacy. However, health literacy is increasingly being recognised as part of a dynamic, two-way relationship, affected by both organisational factors (e.g. tailoring of communication and care to patients' needs) and community factors (e.g. individuals' ability to perceive and seek care). Developing a more comprehensive understanding of health literacy is an important step towards improving health literacy. Most health literacy interventions described in the literature tend to be small and focused on either organisational or community aspects of health literacy rather than addressing both sides. However, some good examples can be found in Local Health Districts and Primary Health Networks in New South Wales (NSW), Australia, of health literacy interventions that are multidimensional and address both organisational and community health literacy. Although progress is being made, gaps in knowledge remain. A deeper understanding of the intersection between health literacy, culture and language is needed, as well as identification of effective communication strategies after patient comprehension has been assessed using strategies such as 'teach-back'. The teach-back method can be used to check patient understanding, but it is not a communication strategy in itself. If teach-back shows that the patient has not understood, clinicians can employ communication strategies such as limiting discussion to two or three points, or using visual aids. If these are not effective, extended family networks and the use of patient navigators may be required. These health literacy interventions address both organisational and community aspects. More work is needed to evaluate such interventions, in particular their impact on health literacy and appropriate and timely access to healthcare.

Literacy in Its Place. An Investigation of Literacy Practices in Urban and Rural Communities. Overview & Interpretations.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Edith Cowan Univ., Perth (Australia).

This document consists of an overview and five papers examining the findings of a comparative analysis of literacy practices in urban and rural Australian communities. The study included case studies of 23 families in 6 communities and documentation of the literacy practices within the 9 schools attended by the children of those families.…

Fostering Environmental Literacy For A Changing Earth: Interactive and Participatory Outreach Programs at Biosphere 2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pavao-Zuckerman, M.; Huxman, T.; Morehouse, B.

2008-12-01

Earth system and ecological sustainability problems are complex outcomes of biological, physical, social, and economic interactions. A common goal of outreach and education programs is to foster a scientifically literate community that possesses the knowledge to contribute to environmental policies and decision making. Uncertainty and variability that is both inherent in Earth system and ecological sciences can confound such goals of improved ecological literacy. Public programs provide an opportunity to engage lay-persons in the scientific method, allowing them to experience science in action and confront these uncertainties face-on. We begin with a definition of scientific literacy that expands its conceptualization of science beyond just a collection of facts and concepts to one that views science as a process to aid understanding of natural phenomena. A process-based scientific literacy allows the public, teachers, and students to assimilate new information, evaluate climate research, and to ultimately make decisions that are informed by science. The Biosphere 2 facility (B2) is uniquely suited for such outreach programs because it allows linking Earth system and ecological science research activities in a large scale controlled environment setting with outreach and education opportunities. A primary outreach goal is to demonstrate science in action to an audience that ranges from K-12 groups to retired citizens. Here we discuss approaches to outreach programs that focus on soil-water-atmosphere-plant interactions and their roles in the impacts and causes of global environmental change. We describe a suite of programs designed to vary the amount of participation a visitor has with the science process (from passive learning to data collection to helping design experiments) to test the hypothesis that active learning fosters increased scientific literacy and the creation of science advocates. We argue that a revised framing of the scientific method with a more open role for citizens in science will have greater success in fostering science literacy and produce a citizenry that is equipped to tackle complex environmental decision making.

Which ecological determinants influence Australian children's fruit and vegetable consumption?

PubMed

Godrich, Stephanie L; Davies, Christina R; Darby, Jill; Devine, Amanda

2018-04-01

This study investigated determinants of fruit and vegetable (F&V) consumption among regional and remote Western Australian (WA) children, using an Ecological Model of Health Behaviour. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 key informants (Health Workers, Food Supply Workers, and School/Youth Workers) purposively sampled from across regional and remote WA. Interviews were transcribed, analysed thematically using QSR-NVivo 10 software, and embedded within an Ecological Model of Health Behaviour to demonstrate the multiple levels of influence on health. Key determinants of F&V consumption at the intrapersonal level included attitude and food literacy among children. Key interpersonal level determinants included role modelling and parental food literacy. Institutional determinants included health service provision, school nutrition education and food skill programs. F&V availability, community networks and health-promoting spaces were key themes affecting families at the community level. The public policy level influencer included implementation of a store policy within local food outlets. Study findings suggested participatory programs with an emphasis on parental involvement and role modelling could increase F&V intake among children living in regional and remote areas; while school curriculum linkages were essential for school-based programs. Policy makers should consider further investment in school food literacy programs and family programs that are delivered collaboratively. Further, support of local food supply options and support for healthy food policies in food outlets are critical next steps. This study contributes new knowledge to build the evidence base and facilitate the development of targeted strategies to increase consumption of F&V among children living in regional and remote areas.

Learning with East Aurora Families. Project Evaluation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bercovitz, Laura

The Learning with East Aurora Families (LEAF) Project was a 1-year family literacy program developed and implemented by Waubonsee Community College in Sugar Grove, Illinois. It recruited 51 parents and other significant adults of 4- and 5-year-olds enrolled in at-risk programs. Each of the 4-week sessions were divided into 5 components: adult…

The Cutting Edge: Workplace English. Section I: Project Handbook.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

El Paso Community Coll., TX. Literacy Center.

A model workplace literacy program of El Paso Community College (Texas), in cooperation with Levi Strauss and Company, is described. The partnership designed a three-part, job-specific, video-based curriculum in English as a Second Language (ESL) for garment industry workers, implemented in seven local plants. The 18-month program had these goals:…

Project GOLD: Growth Opportunities through Learning & Doing, Performance Reporting Period, November 1, 1996-February 28, 1998. National Workplace Literacy Program.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Seminole Community Coll., Sanford, FL.

Project "Growth Opportunities through Learning and Doing" (GOLD), Seminole Community College's basic skills update program, enrolled 107 students at 2 manufacturing facilities from April 1995-February 1998. Employees from Siemens Telecom Network (formerly known as Siemens Stromberg-Carlson) studied offsite in a classroom equipped with 10 computers…

Practitioner Toolkit: Working with Adult English Language Learners.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lieshoff, Sylvia Cobos; Aguilar, Noemi; McShane, Susan; Burt, Miriam; Peyton, Joy Kreeft; Terrill, Lynda; Van Duzer, Carol

2004-01-01

This document is designed to give support to adult education and family literacy instructors who are new to serving adult English language learners and their families in rural, urban, and faith- and community-based programs. The Toolkit is designed to have a positive impact on the teaching and learning in these programs. The results of two…

Mobilizing Volunteer Tutors to Improve Student Literacy: Implementation, Impacts, and Costs of the Reading Partners Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tepper Jacob, Robin; Armstrong, Catherine; Willard, Jacklyn Altuna

2015-01-01

This study reports on an evaluation of the "Reading Partners" program, which uses community volunteers to provide one-on-one tutoring to struggling readers in underresourced elementary schools. Established in 1999 in East Menlo Park, California, the mission of "Reading Partners" is to help children become lifelong readers by…

Locating Community Action Outreach Projects in the Scholarship of Media Literacy Pedagogy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crandall, Heather

2016-01-01

This paper compares frameworks in recent critical media literacy scholarship with trends found in eight semesters of media literacy community action outreach assignments to explore how these frameworks can function as curricular tools for media literacy practitioners. Besides potential tools for media literacy pedagogy, this examination of recent…

Transforming schools into communities of thinking and learning about serious matters.

PubMed

Brown, A L

1997-04-01

In this article, a program of research known as Fostering Communities of Learners is described. This program is in place in several schools and classrooms serving inner-city students from 6 to 12 years of age. Based on theoretical advances in cognitive and developmental psychology, the program is successful at improving both literacy skills and domain-area subject matter knowledge (e.g., environmental science and biology). Building on young children's emergent strategic and metacognitive knowledge, together with their skeletal biological theories, the program leads children to discover the deep principles of the domain and to develop flexible learning and inquiry strategies of wide applicability.

Toward the Early Recognition of Psychosis Among Spanish-Speaking Adults on both Sides of the US-Mexico Border

PubMed Central

Casas, Rachel Nichole; Gonzales, Edlin; Aldana-Aragón, Eréndira; Lara-Muñoz, María del Carmen; Kopelowicz, Alex; Andrews, Laura; López, Steven Regeser

2015-01-01

Lack of knowledge about psychosis, a condition oftentimes associated with serious mental illness, may contribute to disparities in mental health service use. Psychoeducational interventions aimed at improving psychosis literacy have attracted significant attention recently, but few have focused on the growing numbers of ethnic and linguistic minorities in countries with large immigrant populations, such as the United States. This paper reports on two studies designed to evaluate the effectiveness of a DVD version of La CLAve, a psychoeducational program that aims to increase psychosis literacy among Spanish-speaking Latinos. Study 1 is a randomized control study to test directly the efficacy of a DVD version of La CLAve for Spanish-speakers across a range of educational backgrounds. Fifty-seven medical students and 68 community residents from Mexico were randomly assigned to view either La CLAve or a psychoeducational program of similar length regarding caregiving. Study 2 employed a single-subjects design to evaluate the effectiveness of the DVD presentation when administered by a community mental health educator. Ninety-three Spanish-speakers from San Diego, California completed assessments both before and after receiving the DVD training. Results from these two studies indicate that the DVD version of La CLAve is capable of producing a range of psychosis literacy gains for Spanish-speakers in both the United States and Mexico, even when administered by a community worker. Thus, it has potential for widespread dissemination and use among underserved communities of Spanish-speaking Latinos and for minimizing disparities in mental health service use, particularly as it relates to insufficient knowledge of psychosis. PMID:25383998

No Tunnel Vision Here.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roueche, Suanne D.; Hudgens, A. Gayle

1980-01-01

Discusses the current status of and future projections for the National Institute of Education sponsored Program in Community College Education at the University of Texas at Austin, which was designed to produce a theory and method of literacy training for the culturally different student. (CAM)

Educational Radio: The Brazilian Experience.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Speyer, Anne Marie

1983-01-01

Explains the value of radio for literacy education, gives a synopsis of the development of educational broadcasting in Brazil, and describes the Movement of Basic Education, a program designed to meet the needs of members of rural communities in their daily working lives. (EAO)

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

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bull, Geoff; Anstey, Michele

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

Adult-Rated Oceanography Part 1: A Project Integrating Ocean Sciences into Adult Basic Education Programs.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cowles, S.; Collier, R.; Torres, M. K.

2004-12-01

Busy scientists seek opportunities to implement education and outreach efforts, but often don't know where to start. One easy and tested method is to form collaborations with federally-funded adult education and adult literacy programs. These programs exist in every U.S. state and territory and serve underrepresented populations through such major initiatives as adult basic education, adult secondary education (and GED preparation), and English language acquisition. These students are workers, consumers, voters, parents, grandparents, and members of every community. They have specific needs that are often overlooked in outreach activities. This presentation will describe the steps by which the Oregon Ocean Science and Math Collaborative program was developed. It is based on a partnership between the Oregon Department of Community Colleges and Workforce Development, Oregon State University College of Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences, Oregon Sea Grant, and the OSU Hatfield Marine Science Center. It includes professional development through instructor institutes; teachers at sea and informal education opportunities; curriculum and web site development. Through the partnership described here, instructors in adult basic education programs participate in a yearlong experience in which they develop, test, and adapt innovative instructional strategies to meet the specific needs of adult learners. This, in turn, leads to new prospects for study in the areas of ocean science and math and introduces non-academic careers in marine science to a new community. Working directly with instructors, we have identified expertise level, instructional environment, instructor background and current teaching strategies used to address science literacy and numeracy goals of the adult learners in the State of Oregon. Preliminary evaluation of our ongoing project in meeting these goals will be discussed. These efforts contribute to national goals of science literacy for all, by providing learning activities that link ocean sciences with real-life issues relevant to employment, environment and economic concerns.

Communities of Caring: Developing Curriculum That Engages Latino/a Students' Diverse Literacy Practices

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ordoñez-Jasis, Rosario; Dunsmore, KaiLonnie; Herrera, George; Ochoa, Carlos; Diaz, Laura; Zuniga-Rios, Elizabeth

2016-01-01

This study investigates the learning and work of a community of practice that engaged in a specific inquiry around family/community literacy and the development of a culture of caring that would connect family/community/school literacies in ways that allowed their mostly Latino/a students to develop positive student identities, enhanced personal…

What Are the Issues That Confront High-Risk Families: How Can Organizations Such as ERIC and the National Parent Information Network Help?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Robertson, Anne S.

Using a story told by a home visitor in a family literacy program for at-risk families, this paper illustrates issues related to building trust within among parents and the community, deciding on eligibility for services, accessing community resources, and building and maintaining strong relationships with clients. Maintaining that such stories…

Television & Literacy Development in the Czech Republic. Chapter 14.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hubik, Stanislav

This chapter begins by explaining that cultural literacy is the ability of a community to create relationships, processes, and institutions aimed at multifaceted community development using indigenous resources (natural, human, social, and cultural). Literacy development in a rural community involves three equally important dimensions--social,…

Associations between Self-medication, Health Literacy, and Self-perceived Health Status: A Community-Based Study.

PubMed

Kamran, Aziz; Sharifirad, Gholamreza; Shafaeei, Yousef; Mohebi, Siamak

2015-01-01

Although the frequency of self-medication has been well-documented in the public health literature, but no study has examined the relationship between health literacy and self-medication yet. This study was aimed to investigating the relationship between health literacy and self-medication in a community-based study. This cross-sectional study was conducted on 924 adults to survey association between health literacy and self-medication among peoples in Ardabil city in 2014 who were selected using a multi-stage random sampling method. Health literacy was measured by the test of functional health literacy in adults and general health status was measured by the 12-item General Health Questionnaire, and self-reported self-medication (overall, sedative, antibiotic and herbal) in last 3 months was assessed. All statistical analysis was performed using the SPSS version 18 and a P < 0.05 was considered significant. The mean age and weight of respondents were 37 years and 74.7 kg, respectively. The prevalence of self-medication was 61.6%, and the percentage of self-administering antibiotics, sedative, and herbal medicines were 40%, 54.4%, and 59.1% in the last 3 months, respectively. Significant relationship was found between of total health literacy and general health status with self-medication. The prevalence of self-medication among participants with poor and very poor self-rated physical and mental health was significantly higher than other participants (P < 0.001). Self-medication had a significant relationship with health literacy and health status. Therefore, the design and implementation of training programs are necessary to increase the perception on the risk of self-medication.

Our History Clips: Collaborating for the Common Good

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bailey, Beatrice N.

2017-01-01

This case study reveals how middle school social studies teachers within a professional development program are encouraging their students to use multiple disciplinary literacies to create Our History Clips as they also work toward developing a classroom community of engaged student citizens.

Computing and Office Automation: Changing Variables.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Staman, E. Michael

1981-01-01

Trends in computing and office automation and their applications, including planning, institutional research, and general administrative support in higher education, are discussed. Changing aspects of information processing and an increasingly larger user community are considered. The computing literacy cycle may involve programming, analysis, use…

Improving the mental health of rural New South Wales communities facing drought and other adversities.

PubMed

Hart, Craig Richard; Berry, Helen Louise; Tonna, Anne Maree

2011-10-01

NSW has just experienced its worst drought in a century. As years passed with insufficient rain, drought-related mental health problems became evident on farms. Our objective is to describe how, in response, the Rural Adversity Mental Health Program was introduced in 2007 to raise awareness of drought-related mental health needs and help address these needs in rural and remote NSW. The program has since expanded to include other forms of rural adversity, including recent floods. Rural NSW. DESIGN, PARTICIPANTS, INTERVENTIONS: Designed around community development principles, health, local service networks and partner agencies collaborated to promote mental health, education and early intervention. Strategies included raising mental health literacy, organising community social events and disseminating drought-related information. Priority areas were Aboriginal communities, older farmers, young people, women, primary health care and substance use. Over 3000 people received mental health literacy training in the four years of operation from 2007 to 2010. Stakeholders collaborated to conduct hundreds of mental health-related events attended by thousands of people. A free rural mental health support telephone line provided crisis help and referral to rural mental health-related services. Drought affected mental health in rural NSW. A community development model was accepted and considered effective in helping communities build capacity and resilience in the face of chronic drought-related hardship. Given the scale, complexity and significance of drought impacts and rural adjustment, and the threats posed by climate change, a long-term approach to funding such programs would be appropriate. © 2011 The Authors. Australian Journal of Rural Health © National Rural Health Alliance Inc.

Creating a Community of Women Educated in Literacy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miller, Mev

2013-01-01

This chapter explores the creative ways in which WE LEARN (Women Expanding Literacy Education Action Resource Network) empowers women's full participation in community across all literacy levels.

Skills Today for Advancement Tomorrow (STAT). A National Workplace Literacy Partnership. Final Performance Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Saint Louis Community Coll., MO.

The 18-month Skills Today for Advancement Tomorrow (STAT) program, a partnership among St. Louis Community College, the St. Louis Public Schools' Adult Basic Education Program, and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Missouri, had the following objectives: (1) provide counseling and training for 370 current Blue Cross and Blue Shield workers; (2)…

Exploring Factors Affecting Learner's Perception of Learning Information and Communication Technology: A HLM Analysis of a National Farmers' Training Program in Taiwan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yueh, Hsiu-Ping; Chen, Tzy-Ling; Chiu, Li-An; Lin, Wei-Chien

2013-01-01

The present study, pertaining to a national information literacy training program for both farmers and rural communities in Taiwan, explores factors that affect learners' perception of learning information and communication technology (ICT). It further analyzes effects of individual characteristics and varied training designs on learners'…

Learn about Health Literacy

MedlinePlus

... health literate [433 KB, 27 pages] How Can Organizations, Communities, and People Improve Health Literacy? The resources ... learn about health literacy and what you, your organization or community can do to improve it. The ...

Impact of a parenting program in a high-risk, multi-ethnic community: the PALS trial.

PubMed

Scott, Stephen; O'Connor, Thomas G; Futh, Annabel; Matias, Carla; Price, Jenny; Doolan, Moira

2010-12-01

Parenting programs have been shown to work when delivered to motivated ethnic majority parents in demonstration projects, but comparatively little is known about their impact when delivered to high-risk, multi-ethnic populations by routine local services. The Primary Age Learning Skills (PALS) trial was a randomized controlled trial of an evidence-based parenting-group program that targeted the parent-child relationship and child literacy. Parents of 174 children were selected from a population of 672 5- and 6-year-olds attending four primary schools in a high-risk, ethnically diverse, inner-city area. Eighty-eight children were allocated to the Incredible Years preventive program plus a shortened six-week version of the SPOKES literacy program, delivered by local services; 86 to usual community services; 152/174 (87%) of families were successfully followed up. Parent-child relationship quality and child behavior were measured using direct observation and parent interview; child reading was assessed psychometrically. Two-thirds (58/89) of those offered the parenting program attended at least one session, with similar enrollment rates across the Black African, African-Caribbean, White-British and Other ethnic groups. Mean attendance was four relationship-building sessions and one literacy-development session. Satisfaction questionnaires were completed by 43/58 starters; 93% said they were well or extremely satisfied, with equally high rates across ethnic groups. At follow-up after one year, those allocated to the intervention showed significant improvements in the parent-child relationship on observation and at interview compared to controls; effects were similar across all ethnic groups. However, child behavior problems and reading did not improve. The cost was £1,343 ($2,100) per child. Programs can be organized to be engaging and effective in improving parenting among high-risk, multi-ethnic communities, which is of considerable value. To also be cost-effective in achieving child changes may require a set-up that enables parents to attend more sessions and/or an exclusive focus on children with clinically significant behavior problems. © 2010 The Authors. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. © 2010 Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health.

The Effect of Literacy Training on Modernization Variables.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Herzog, William Adam, Jr.

The present research was a field experiment exploring the relationship of literacy to certain modernization variables. Data were collected in five rural communities in Minas Gerais, Brazil, in July 1966. The communities were matched as closely as possible on population, literacy rate, distance to an urban center, community institutional…

Tapping Workforce Potential: A Workplace Literacy Model for Innovative Partnerships between Industry and Community Colleges.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vanis, Mary I.

A partnership between Glendale Community College, Rio Salado Community College, and Digital Equipment Corporation provides literacy instruction to employees at Digital's Phoenix plant; from their experience are derived recommendations for those considering similar arrangements. The partnership's definition of literacy included critical thinking,…

Feed Your Mind: Cultivating Ecological Community Literacies with Permaculture

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wade, Stephanie

2015-01-01

This article proposes permaculture, an ecological alternative to industrial agriculture, as a way to design first-year composition and community literacy classes. First, the paper connects permaculture with post-humanism to describe ecological community literacies--the type of knowledge that ecological theorists say we need to navigate the end of…

Conference on Functional Literacy in the Community College Setting (Los Alamitos, California, July 1978).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Knoell, Dorothy M.; And Others

The conference papers included in this collection address issues of concern to literacy development in the community college. "Functional Literacy and Persistence in the Community College," by Dorothy M. Knoell, raises questions about student persistence in the absence of requisite skills. "Training Perspective on Functional…

Changing Technologies, Changing Literacy Communities?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Murray, Denise E.

2000-01-01

Technological revolutions entail rapid and far-reaching social change that is the result of the introduction of a major new technology. Changes in the technologies of literacy affect literacy practices and communities. Scholars suggest computers will result in a different social consciousness of what literacy is and how it functions in individuals…

Application of the Health Literacy INDEX on the development of a manual for prevention of falls for older adults.

PubMed

Andrade, Isabel; Silva, Catarina; Martins, Anabela Correia

2017-01-01

The Health Literacy INDEX tool has been developed for creating accessible and readable health information materials for people of all literacy levels. To increase knowledge of falls risk factors and actively engage older adults, we developed an improved manual for prevention of falls for low-health literacy older people entitled "Preventing falls-I can do it",with the aid of INDEX. First time application of the INDEX tool for assessing the health literacy demands of available manuals for prevention of falls for older adults and subsequent development of an improved manual using the INDEX tool as a checklist, supported by a pretest phase involving sixteen adults ≥65, living in the community, with literacy ≤4th grade and limited functional health literacy. The engagement of older adults from the target audience and their feedback obtained during the validation process contributed to the development of an improved health literacy- and age-friendly manual for prevention of falls. By offering effective health information materials, older adults can play a more active role in their health care. The manual developed to be health literacy- and age-friendly is available to be included in any multifactorial program for the prevention of falls in older adults. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Teacher Transformation: An Exploration of Science Teachers' Changing Professional Identities, Knowledge, and Classroom Practices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Whitacre, Michelle Phillips

This qualitative, multiple case study examines five teachers' experiences with a National Science Foundation-funded professional development (PD) program focused on science literacy. Using a three dimensional conceptual framework combining transformative learning theory, communities of practice, and sociocultural conceptions of identity it explores: the ways the "Science Literacy through Science Journalism" (SciJourn) project built professional community and influenced teacher learning; the influence of the project on participating science teachers' professional identities, knowledge, and classroom practices; and the ways teachers were or were not transformed by participation in the project. To this end, data from surveys and phenomenological interviews were analyzed through qualitative textual analysis and narrative analysis. Four of the teachers experienced a change in their stories to live by, aka, an identity shift. Three predominant themes emerged across these cases. These included a changed conceptualization of science literacy, the importance of student engagement and authenticity, and the value of SciJourn's professional development and community. The changed conceptualization of science literacy was particularly salient as it challenged these teachers' assumptions, led them to rethink how they teach science literacy, and also influenced them to re-evaluate their teaching priorities beyond the PD. Consequently, this study concludes that PD efforts should focus as much, or more, on influencing teachers' ideas regarding what and how they teach and less on teaching strategies. A close comparison between two teachers' diverging experiences with the program showed that student engagement played a significant role in teachers' perceptions of the value of project, suggesting that whether or not teachers sustain a new practice is closely tied to their students' feedback. Additionally, this analysis showed that a teacher's individualized needs and sense of efficacy in implementing a specific reform effort are of consequence. Thus, in order to be influential, PD must somehow speak to a teacher's individualized needs, whether or not these needs are specifically stated at the program's onset. Aside from wanting to implement a project, a teacher also needs to believe that he or she is capable of successfully doing so. In considering transformative learning theory as a conceptual framework, the research presented here gives evidence that certain phases of transformation may be more significant than others, and phase two (self-examination with feelings of fear, anger, guilt, or shame) should be expanded to include a wider range of emotions.

28 CFR 544.71 - Exceptions to required literacy program participation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 28 Judicial Administration 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Exceptions to required literacy program... INSTITUTIONAL MANAGEMENT EDUCATION Literacy Program § 544.71 Exceptions to required literacy program participation. (a) The following inmates are not required to attend the literacy program: (1) Pretrial inmates...

34 CFR 472.1 - What is the National Workplace Literacy Program?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 34 Education 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false What is the National Workplace Literacy Program? 472.1... VOCATIONAL AND ADULT EDUCATION, DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION NATIONAL WORKPLACE LITERACY PROGRAM General § 472.1 What is the National Workplace Literacy Program? The National Workplace Literacy Program provides...

Project TIME. Final Evaluation Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schroyer, Connie J.; Payne, David L.

Project TIME (Training Initiative for Manufacturing Employees) was an 18-month National Workplace Literacy Program conducted by Lord Fairfax Community College in conjunction with an automotive parts plant and Triplett Technical and Business Institute in Virginia. Project TIME had three primary objectives: to help employees obtain the basic…

The Information Age and Information Development.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hughes, Graeme C.; And Others

1991-01-01

This theme issue includes eight articles that discuss the information age, the impact of information technology, and the role of libraries. Highlights include libraries in Brazil, Indonesia, and Nigeria; the Universal Availability of Publications (UAP) program; community literacy; database development in Malawi; and the Regional Energy Resources…

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

PubMed

Hock, Michael F

2012-01-01

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

Family Literacy Programs: The Whole Is More Than the Sum of Its Parts.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fagan, William T.

Family literacy programs, of which there is no shortage, need to be examined to know "if" and "why" a program is successful. Family literacy programs, like any literacy programs, must be viewed from a critical reflective stance. This paper aims to describe one way of evaluating the effectiveness of family literacy programs. The…

A Place for Ecopedagogy in Community Literacy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Davis, Rhonda

2013-01-01

Educators focused on community literacy and public engagement have access to a unique critical platform from which larger social issues that impact us both as a whole and on very personal levels are open to exploration. Being particularly situated to have significant impact on community, literacy work in this area may require uncommon pedagogical…

Using Community Radio in a Rural Women's Post-Literacy Programme in Nepal

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nagaoka, Chizuko; Karki, Manohar

2014-01-01

This paper examines the literacy and post-literacy needs of rural women in Nepal, describes a pilot study in using community radio to supplement a classroom-based post-literacy programme for these women, analyses the findings of this intervention and considers the implications for similar programmes in other settings.

Promoting Family Literacy through the Five Pillars of Family and Community Engagement (FACE)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kuo, Nai-Cheng

2016-01-01

Family literacy involves factors beyond what is done at home between parents and children. To help preservice teachers develop their understanding of the multiple dimensions of family literacy, this study uses the five pillars of family and community engagement (FACE)--early literacy, family involvement, access to books, expanded learning, and…

Re-Mediating Literacy: Culture, Difference, and Learning for Students from Nondominant Communities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gutierrez, Kris D.; Morales, P. Zitlali; Martinez, Danny C.

2009-01-01

Deficit notions about the cognitive potential of individuals from nondominant communities have persisted in social science inquiry, particularly where literacy is concerned. The intellectual trails of current conflicting ideas about literacy can be traced in part to theories about the role of literacy in society. For example, the great divide…

Landscapes of Literacy: An Ethnographic Study of Functional Literacy in Marginal Philippine Communities.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Canieso-Doronila, Maria Luisa

Thirteen marginal Philippine communities were examined in an ethnographic study of the meaning of functional literacy and whether literacy invariably promotes development. The 13 sites were purposely selected to provide a broad sampling from three standpoints: (1) major livelihood and form of economic activity (farming, fishing, urban poor,…

Conewago Stream Teams - including youth in watershed restoration creates local watershed connections, prompts community service, and increases water literacy in youth

Treesearch

Jennifer Fetter; Sanford Smith; Matt Royer

2016-01-01

Youth in Pennsylvania’s Dauphin, Lebanon, and Lancaster Counties were invited to be part of a unique opportunity: a chance to learn, hands-on, about the water in their own community and how their daily lives impact that water. This is the mission of the 4-H Stream Teams program, which was piloted within the Conewago Creek Watershed and surrounding communities in 2010-...

Literacy Mediation as a Form of Powerful Literacies in Community-Based Organisations Working with Young People in a Situation of Precarity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thériault, Virginie

2016-01-01

This paper aims at understanding the complex relations between bureaucratic literacies, the lives of young people in a situation of precarity and the work of employees of two community-based organisations in Québec (Canada). Drawing on the perspective of the New Literacy Studies, the focus of this article is around the role of literacy mediators…

Promoting Healthy Lifestyles to Children at School: Using a Multidisciplinary Train-the-Trainer Approach.

PubMed

Sanders, Martha J; Reynolds, Jesse; Bagatell, Nancy; Treu, Judith A; OʼConnor, Edward; Katz, David L

2015-01-01

The purpose of the study was to examine the efficacy of a multidisciplinary train-the-trainer model for improving fitness and food label literacy in third-grade students. University student trainers taught ABC for Fitness and Nutrition Detectives, established programs to promote physical activity and nutrition knowledge, to 239 third-grade students in 2 communities over a 6-month period. A total of 110 children were in the intervention group and 129 children in the control group (2 schools each). Outcomes included the Food Label Literacy and Nutrition Knowledge test and the fitness measures of curl-ups, push-ups, 0.5-mile run, and sit and reach. Focus groups were conducted as process feedback. Four public schools in 2 different communities. A total of 200 third-grade students. ABC for Fitness and Nutrition Detectives. Food Label Literacy and Nutrition Knowledge test and the fitness measures of curl-ups, push-ups, 0.5-mile run, and sit and reach. Nutrition knowledge increased in the intervention group by 25.2% (P < .01). Fitness measures in the intervention schools showed greater improvement than those in the controls for curl-ups (P < .01), push-ups (P < .01), sit and reach left (P = .07), and 0.5-mile run (P = .06). Process feedback from 3 teachers and 60 students indicated satisfaction with the program. Adaptation of the train-the-trainer approach for Nutrition Detectives and ABC for Fitness was effective for delivering these health-related programs.

Coping with the Demands of Academic Literacy: Generation 1.5 ESL Community College Students and the Challenge of Reading to Learn While Still Learning to Read

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Flowers, George A., Jr.

2013-01-01

This quantitative study conducted in the ESL program at a large community college investigated the symbiotic relationship between reading and second-language learning from the perspective of the class of post-secondary functional bilinguals sometimes referred to as Generation 1.5. These students are long-term, resident second-language (L2) English…

Identifying Problems Affecting Adult Literacy Training Programs in the Cento Region; Report of the CENTO Seminar on Illiteracy Held in the National Museum, Tehran, Nov. 16-21, 1963.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Luebke, Paul T., Ed.

This volume is the report of the proceedings of a seminar on adult education held in Tehran, Iran. The twelve papers included discuss such topics as adult literacy programs in Iran, literacy in Turkey, adult literacy problems and programs of Pakistan, the purpose of literacy training, defining literacy, planning literacy training programs,…

Emerging Musical Literacy: Investigating Young Children's Music Cognition and Musical Problem-Solving through Invented Notations.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McCusker, Joan

A qualitative study was conducted in the winter of 2000 with children enrolled in a Clef Club, the fourth level of an early childhood music program sponsored by the Eastman School's Community Education Division (Rochester, NY). Eleven participants, ages 4.7 to 6.6, enrolled in 3 sections of the 10-week program taught by the researcher. Classroom…

Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Core? The Common Core Standards and Out-of-School Time Programs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marten, Suzanne; Hill, Sara; Lawrence, Anne

2014-01-01

The Robert Bowne Foundation for out-of-school time (OST) supports the development of quality programs that offer literacy education in the out-of-school hours to children and youth of New York City, especially young people from disadvantaged communities. The foundation's networking meetings, now in their 10th year, offer quarterly forums in which…

Environmental health literacy in support of social action: an environmental justice perspective.

PubMed

White, Brandi M; Hall, Eric S; Johnson, Cheryl

2014-01-01

Different demographic groups in the U.S. experience unequal exposures to environmental hazards, i.e., 56% of the population in neighborhoods containing commercial waste facilities are people of color, with the associated poverty rates in those communities being 50% higher than in neighborhoods without commercial waste facilities. Developing programs to educate communities about environmental hazards affecting their health and quality of life is an essential component for a community to understand their true risk. The study described in this article examined the risk of environmental hazards as perceived by public housing residents and assessed the residents' preference for educational programs on environmental hazards. Residents perceived their risk factors in a broad context and they included environmental health risks caused by pollutants along with physical safety concerns from crime and law enforcement interactions. The most trusted sources of information on environmental health include community organizations, trusted individuals in the community, and television programs. Recommendations for developing community-specific environmental health education programs include using sources of environmental health information that community members trust.

Reasoning the Need: Graduate Education and Basic Writing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gleason, Barbara

2006-01-01

While college composition theory/pedagogy courses are standard offerings in composition and rhetoric graduate programs, specialized basic writing graduate courses lag behind. At the same time, there is a pressing need for highly qualified teachers of nontraditional adult students, especially in community college and adult literacy education…

Social and Emotional Learning with Families

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dinallo, Anna Marie

2016-01-01

A Community Based Participatory Research (CBPR) framework was used in this study to gather and analyze the perceptions of mothers involved in a critical family literacy program designed to foster social and emotional development. Through narrative inquiry, participants discussed perceptions of their children's social-emotional development and the…

Rules of the Role: Library as Host/Community as Guest.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Piworwarczyk, Linda

2002-01-01

Discusses how libraries can prepare for today's users in light of increasing technology demands on collections and on users' expectations. Topics include reading habits and literacy; collection diversity; financial support; technology versus more traditional services; marketing strategies, including outreach programs; and considering users as…

SCSEEC Successful School Attendance Strategies Evidence-Based Project: Final Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2014

2014-01-01

Governments, schools and communities throughout Australia are working to improve school attendance among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students using strategies such as incentive programs, improvement to literacy and numeracy skills, school-family partnerships, transport to school, attendance monitoring, ensuring that school is a welcoming…

SCSEEC Successful School Attendance Strategies Evidence-Based Project: Summary Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2014

2014-01-01

Governments, schools and communities throughout Australia are working to improve school attendance among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students using strategies such as incentive programs, improvement to literacy and numeracy skills, school-family partnerships, transport to school, attendance monitoring, ensuring that school is a welcoming…

Principals as Literacy Leaders with Indigenous Communities (PALLIC) Building Relationships: One School's Quest to Raise Indigenous Learners' Literacy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Riley, Tasha; Webster, Amanda

2016-01-01

In 2011 to 2012, 48 schools in the Northern Territory, South Australia and Queensland participated in the Principals as Literacy Leaders with Indigenous Communities (PALLIC) project. Central to this project was the establishment of positive working relationships between school principals and Indigenous community leaders in order to improve…

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…

Context Matters: The Interrelatedness of Early Literacy Skills, Developmental Health, and Community Demographics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lesaux, Nonie K.; Vukovic, Rose K.; Hertzman, Clyde; Siegel, Linda S.

2007-01-01

Whereas the great majority of literacy research has been focused at the child level, this study examined the relationship between early literacy rates, developmental health of the population, and demographics in 23 school communities. The results showed that school-level literacy scores were related to the physical, social, and emotional maturity…

Effectiveness of Musculoskeletal Education Interventions in People With Low Literacy Levels: A Systematic Review

PubMed Central

Lowe, Wendy; Ballinger, Claire; Protheroe, Jo; Lueddeke, Jill; Nutbeam, Don; Armstrong, Ray; Falzon, Louise; Edwards, Chris; Russell, Cynthia; McCaffery, Kirsten; Adams, Jo

2013-01-01

Objective To conduct a systematic review to assess the effectiveness of patient education interventions delivered or directed by health professionals for people with musculoskeletal conditions who also have lower levels of literacy. Methods Electronic databases were searched from 1946 to May 2012. Randomized controlled trials with primary interventions designed specifically for individuals with musculoskeletal conditions and lower levels of literacy were eligible for inclusion. The quality of the study was determined by assessing method of randomization, allocation concealment, creation and maintenance of comparable groups, blinding of patients and providers, control of confounding, and the validity and reliability of outcome measures. Results Of the 2,440 studies located using the search strategy, 6 studies met the inclusion criteria. Three public health community studies and 3 rheumatology clinic-based studies delivered educational programs to people with musculoskeletal conditions who also had lower levels of literacy. Three moderate quality studies suggest that musculoskeletal educational interventions had a small short-term effect on knowledge and 2 moderate quality studies suggest musculoskeletal interventions had a small effect on self-efficacy (although results on self-efficacy were conflicting in 1 of these studies). Only 1 moderate quality study showed a small effect on anxiety and 1 on self-perceived health and well-being in people with lower literacy. Conclusion High quality evidence is lacking on the effectiveness of musculoskeletal education interventions for people with lower literacy levels. Research programs that test the effectiveness of patient education interventions for arthritis must recruit and engage people with lower levels of literacy. PMID:23925869

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…

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

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.

GMRI.org | Science. Education. Community.

Science.gov Websites

Coastal Communities Science Education Fisheries Convening Events Calendar Event Series Sustainable Seafood Literacy Supporting Sustainable Seafood Strengthening Coastal Communities Our Work Science Education | Cultivating Science Literacy | Supporting Sustainable Seafood | Strengthening Coastal Communities GMRI's

Casting a Wider Net: Engaging Community Health Worker Clients and Their Families in Cancer Prevention

PubMed Central

Roman, Lee Anne; Zambrana, Ruth Enid; Ford, Sabrina; Meghea, Cristian

2016-01-01

Engaging family members in an intervention to prevent breast and cervical cancer can be a way to reach underserved women; however, little is known about whether family member recruitment reaches at-risk women. This study reports the kin relationship and risk characteristics of family members who chose to participate in the Kin KeeperSM cancer prevention intervention, delivered by community health workers (CHWs) via existing community programs. African American, Latina, and Arab family members reported risk factors for inadequate screening, including comorbid health conditions and inadequate breast or cervical cancer literacy. CHW programs can be leveraged to reach underserved families with cancer preventive interventions. PMID:27634780

Charting a Course to Earth System Science Literacy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karsten, J. L.; Koch, L.; Ridky, R.; Wei, M.; Ladue, N.

2008-12-01

Public literacy of fundamental ideas in Earth System Science (ESS) is immensely important, both because of its relevance to the daily lives of individual citizens and the role played by informed policy decisions related to water, energy, climate change, and hazards in securing our Nation's well-being and prosperity. The National Science Education Standards (NRC, 1996) argued that topics which comprise ESS also have tremendous value in providing context and meaning for the teaching of Biology, Chemistry, and Physics concepts and their applications, thereby serving the goals of the America COMPETES Act. Yet, as documented in the 2006 Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) results, the U.S. continues to lag significantly behind other developed nations in science literacy. A major obstacle to improving public ESS literacy, specifically, and strengthening science literacy, in general, is the fact that fewer than 30% of students in U.S. high schools take any courses related to ESS. Often, these courses are taught by teachers with limited preparation in this content area. A new grass-roots movement within the geoscience research and education communities, fueled by interagency collaboration, is seeking to overcome these obstacles and steer a new course for ESS education in the Nation. The Earth System Science Literacy Initiative (ESSLI) builds on recent efforts within portions of the geosciences community to reach consensus on what defines scientific literacy within their fields. Individual literacy frameworks now exist for the ocean, atmospheric science, Earth science, and climate topic areas, and others are under development. The essential principles and fundamental concepts articulated in these frameworks provide consistent core messages that can be delivered and reinforced not only through formal education channels, but also through informal education activities and the media, thereby avoiding the inherent obstacles of the formal education setting. Efforts underway to (1) integrate the individual literacy documents into a coherent, scientifically accurate ESS literacy framework that reflects the interactive complexity of Earth systems and (2) establish a new strategic plan for reforming ESS education in the U.S., in order to achieve such ESS literacy, will be described.

Cabled observatories: Connecting coastal communities to local ocean data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pelz, M.; Hoeberechts, M.; Brown, J. C. K.; McLean, M. A.; Ewing, N.; Moran, K.

2015-12-01

Coastal communities are facing a wide range of rapid changes due to anthropogenic and natural environmental influences. Communities are under pressure to adapt to effects of climate change, including altered shorelines, changes in availability of seafood, and in northern regions, changes to the extent, formation and break-up of land-fast and sea-ice. Access to up-to-date scientific data and basic climate literacy are essential tools to enable community members to make informed decisions about their own coast. Ocean Networks Canada (ONC) operates the world-leading NEPTUNE and VENUS cabled ocean observatories off the west coast of British Columbia (BC). ONC also operates smaller, coastal community observatories which provide data for both scientific and educational initiatives.The first Arctic community observatory, deployed in 2012, is located in Cambridge Bay, Nunavut. Real-time data flowing from the platform are collected by a range of instruments, including a conductivity-temperature-depth sensor (CTD), hydrophone, video camera, and an ice profiler. There is also a meteorological station and time lapse camera on the dock. Five additional community observatories are being installed over the next year along the coast of BC. Indigenous communities, including the Inuit population in Cambridge Bay and First Nations on BC's north and central coast, are key partners and collaborators of this initiative.Benefits to communities from cabled observatory ocean monitoring can only be achieved if the data collected are relevant to community members and contribute to research priorities identified within the community. The data must be easily accessible and complement existing environmental monitoring initiatives. Community members must possess knowledge and tools to analyze and interpret the data for their purposes. For these reasons, community involvement is critical to the project, including the design of user interfaces for data access, development of educational programs, and long-term planning.Here we describe Ocean Networks Canada's community initiatives including collaboration with Indigenous knowledge holders and local experts, programs in community schools to foster K-12 climate literacy and post-secondary programs targeted to community members.

From the USDA: Educating the Next Generation: Funding Opportunities in Food, Agricultural, Natural Resources, and Social Sciences Education

PubMed Central

Parker, Joyce E.; Wagner, David J.

2016-01-01

The National Institute of Food and Agriculture within the U.S. Department of Agriculture provides leadership, capacity, and funds to support the continuing development of a safe and competitive agricultural system. Many of the agency’s educational programs are led by the Division of Community and Education (DOCE). These programs span agricultural education, enhancing agricultural literacy through both formal and nonformal education. Here, we have highlighted funding opportunities within DOCE that enhance agricultural education and literacy by supporting the improvement of students’ critical communication, leadership skills, and experiential learning opportunities. Some of these programs include opportunities for which students can apply, while others focus on faculty applications. Opportunities faculty can apply for may support student-recruitment and student-retention techniques, curriculum development, innovative teaching methods, and institutional capacity-building programs. Overall, these programs foster a diverse workforce in agricultural science that matches the increasing diversity of the country. PMID:27587851

Empowering Workplace Students: A Practitioner's Challenge.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lessard, Richard

For the past 4 years, Alpena Community College, in Michigan, has participated in the Workplace Partnership Project (WPP), a federally funded grant program designed to provide literacy skills to individuals currently employed but lacking the background to keep pace with the changes of the modern workplace. The process for establishing classes at a…

The Center of the Web: Workforce Development Partnerships

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fowler, Donna; Chernus, Kathy

2005-01-01

The dilemma is familiar: too few resources to meet too many demands. Common to many public institutions, this problem poses special challenges to those working in community colleges, adult education and literacy programs, and workforce development organizations. These organizations all serve people who are at an economic and educational…

Measuring the Impacts of Financial Literacy: Challenges for Community-Based Financial Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Collins, J. Michael; Holden, Karen C.

2014-01-01

This chapter addresses financial education across the lifespan, which has the potential to enhance adult financial capability, yet methodological barriers and a lack of robust measures have hampered the ability to identify and measure the effects of educational programs on financial decisions and behavior.

Recent Trends and Innovations in the Early Childhood Education Curriculum.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Saracho, Olivia N.; Spodek, Bernard

2003-01-01

Examines recent trends in early childhood education practice: the education of all children in inclusive classes, the management of vertical and horizontal transitions, the emergence of early childhood education and care programs, the development of school-family-community partnerships, the emphasis on language learning and emergent literacy, the…

Educationally and Cost Effective: Computers in the Classroom.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Agee, Roy

1986-01-01

The author states that the educational community must provide programs that assure students they will be able to learn how to use and control computers. He discusses micro labs, prerequisites to computer literacy, curriculum development, teaching methods, simulation projects, a systems analysis project, new job titles, and primary basic skills…

Adult ESL: Politics, Pedagogy, and Participation in Classroom and Community Programs.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smoke, Trudy, Ed.

The collection of essays on the politics of adult English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) instruction includes: "The Politics of Adult ESL literacy: Becoming Politically Visible" (Pamela Ferguson); "Learning To Be Legal: Unintended Meanings for Adult Schools" (Pia Moriarty); "The Relationship Between Knowing Our Students' Real…

Assessing Adult Student Reactions to Assistive Technology in Writing Instruction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mueller, Julie; Wood, Eileen; Hunt, Jen; Specht, Jacqueline

2009-01-01

The authors examined the implementation of assistive technology in a community literacy centre's writing program for adult learners. Quantitative and qualitative analyses indicated that (a) software and instructional methods for writing must be selected according to the needs of and in conjunction with adult learners, (b) learners needed…

Gaining Ground: Supporting English Learners through After-School Literacy Programming

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goldsmith, Julie; Jucovy, Linda; Arbreton, Amy

2008-01-01

This brief presents findings that demonstrate a relationship between key approaches in Communities Organizing to Advance learning (CORAL), an eight-year, $58 million after-school initiative of The James Irvine Foundation, and the academic progress of English learners. Reported findings include: (1) Children who participated in CORAL fit the…

Maintaining Quality Programming in Rural Newfoundland and Labrador: A Case Study in Policy and Structural Change.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Press, Harold; Galway, Gerald; Collins, Alice

2003-01-01

Newfoundland and Labrador has many rural communities, low literacy rates, high unemployment, declining enrollment and population, and teacher shortages. Policy responses have been to consolidate schools, increase rural teacher pay, increase teacher recruitment, implement distance learning and distance professional development, intensify…

JurisLIT Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sacramento County Probation Dept., Sacramento, CA.

JurisLIT was a literacy training effort operated jointly by the Sacramento County Probation Department, the Sacramento County Office of Education, the Los Rios Community College District, and the Superior and Municipal Courts of Sacramento County from March 1990 to March 1994. The program required selected probationers aged 18-30 to participate in…

After School in a Colonia.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Castillo, Yolanda; Winchester, Martin

2001-01-01

In 1999, two schools in an impoverished border town in Texas received 3-year federal grants from the 21st Century Community Learning Centers program to support varied after-hours activities: academic tutoring, computer literacy, "ballet folklorico," arts and crafts, guitar instruction, and service learning. Students and parents now have a safe…

Feasibility, Acceptability, and Initial Efficacy of a Knowledge-Contact Program to Reduce Mental Illness Stigma and Improve Mental Health Literacy in Adolescents

PubMed Central

Pinto-Foltz, Melissa D.; Logsdon, M. Cynthia; Myers, John A.

2011-01-01

The purpose of this school-based cluster-randomized trial was to determine the initial acceptability, feasibility, and efficacy of an existing community-based intervention, In Our Own Voice, in a sample of US adolescent girls aged 13–17 years (n=156). In Our Own Voice is a knowledge-contact intervention that provides knowledge about mental illness to improve mental health literacy and facilitates intergroup contact with persons with mental illness as a means to reduce mental illness stigma. This longitudinal study was set in two public high schools located in a southern urban community of the U.S. Outcomes included measures of mental illness stigma and mental health literacy. Findings support the acceptability and feasibility of the intervention for adolescents who enrolled in the study. Findings to support the efficacy of In Our Own Voice to reduce stigma and improve mental health literacy are mixed. The intervention did not reduce mental illness stigma or improve mental health literacy at one week follow up. The intervention did not reduce mental illness stigma at 4 and 8 weeks follow up. The intervention did improve mental health literacy at 4 and 8 weeks follow up. Previous studies have assessed the preliminary efficacy In Our Own Voice among young adults; rarely has In Our Own Voice been investigated longitudinally and with adolescents in the United States. This study provides initial data on the effects of In Our Own Voice for this population and can be used to further adapt the intervention for adolescents. PMID:21624729

Cross-Cultural Validation of the High Blood Pressure Health Literacy Scale in a Chinese Community.

PubMed

Zhang, Qinghua; Huang, Feifei; Liu, Zaoling; Zhang, Na; Mahapatra, Tanmay; Tang, Weiming; Lei, Yang; Dai, Yali; Tang, Songyuan; Zhang, Jingping

2016-01-01

Considering the importance of health literacy (HL) for the maximum yield from the hypertension control programs, development of a reliable and valid instrument of hypertension-related HL is critical. This study aimed to translate and validate the High Blood Pressure-Health Literacy Scale (HBP-HLS) into Chinese (C-HBP-HLS) and evaluate its psychometric properties in Chinese context. Between June 2013 and January 2014, a cross-sectional study was conducted among recruited hypertensive patients belonging to the Han and Kazakh-Chinese communities in Urumqi, Xinjiang, China. A pilot sample (n = 242) was selected for the exploratory factor analysis of the translated and modified instrument. Another sample (n = 308) was recruited for the confirmatory factor analysis. C-HBP-HLS consisted of five dimensions (Print Health Literacy, Medication Label, Understanding Ability, Newest Vital Sign Test, and Avoiding Food Allergy) containing 15 items, accounting for 77.7% of the total variance. The 5-factor model demonstrated a good overall fit. The scale-level content validity index was 0.85. Cronbach's alpha of the overall scale was 0.78 and test-retest reliability was 0.96. Education level had a strong positive correlation with the scores for items Q1, Q2, and Q3(r = 0.481, 0.492, 0.475, respectively). Health Literacy scores among Kazakh patients were significantly lower than Han (7.13±7.90 vs. 30.10±13.42, Z = -14.573, P<0.001). C-HBP-HLS demonstrated suitable factor structure and robust psychometric properties for measuring health literacy level among hypertensive patients in China.

Introduction to computers: Reference guide

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ligon, F.V.

1995-04-01

The ``Introduction to Computers`` program establishes formal partnerships with local school districts and community-based organizations, introduces computer literacy to precollege students and their parents, and encourages students to pursue Scientific, Mathematical, Engineering, and Technical careers (SET). Hands-on assignments are given in each class, reinforcing the lesson taught. In addition, the program is designed to broaden the knowledge base of teachers in scientific/technical concepts, and Brookhaven National Laboratory continues to act as a liaison, offering educational outreach to diverse community organizations and groups. This manual contains the teacher`s lesson plans and the student documentation to this introduction to computer course.

Mathematical literacy skills of students' in term of gender differences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lailiyah, Siti

2017-08-01

Good mathematical literacy skills will hopefully help maximize the tasks and role of the prospective teacher in activities. Mathematical literacy focus on students' ability to analyze, justify, and communicate ideas effectively, formulate, solve and interpret mathematical problems in a variety of forms and situations. The purpose of this study is to describe the mathematical literacy skills of the prospective teacher in term of gender differences. This research used a qualitative approach with a case study. Subjects of this study were taken from two male students and two female students of the mathematics education prospective teacher who have followed Community Service Program (CSP) in literacy. Data were collected through methods think a loud and interviews. Four prospective teachers were asked to fill mathematical literacy test and video taken during solving this test. Students are required to convey loud what he was thinking when solving problems. After students get the solution, researchers grouped the students' answers and results think aloud. Furthermore, the data are grouped and analyzed according to indicators of mathematical literacy skills. Male students have good of each indicator in mathematical literacy skills (the first indicator to the sixth indicator). Female students have good of mathematical literacy skills (the first indicator, the second indicator, the third indicator, the fourth indicator and the sixth indicator), except for the fifth indicators that are enough.

Rethinking women's learning and empowerment in Kenya: Maasai village women take initiative

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takayanagi, Taeko

2016-12-01

This study investigates the activities of a village-based literacy centre in Kenya and explores the benefits of community development activities on women's well-being in Africa. Through the analysis of the stories of two Maasai women who had experienced adult literacy learning, the author discovered that: (1) the literacy instructor had inadequate in-service teacher training support from the government; (2) these women were using a space generated by collaborative informal learning through the literacy centre to improve their families' and community's well-being; and (3) these women gained empowerment through community development activities organised by the literacy centre. The author concludes that grassroots literacy and informal learning have been effective in improving the quality of life for the village women, and should be encouraged and supported by external agencies.

Effects of a peer-led media literacy curriculum on adolescents' knowledge and attitudes toward sexual behavior and media portrayals of sex.

PubMed

Pinkleton, Bruce E; Austin, Erica Weintraub; Cohen, Marilyn; Chen, Yi-Chun Yvonnes; Fitzgerald, Erin

2008-09-01

The United States has the highest rates of teenage pregnancy and birth in the Western industrialized world, and research indicates that television and other mass media are important sources of sexual information for young people. The purpose of this study was to determine if a teen-led, media literacy curriculum focused on sexual portrayals in the media would increase adolescents' awareness of media myths concerning sex, decrease the allure of sexualized portrayals, and decrease positive expectancies for sexual activity. A posttest-only quasi-experiment with control groups was conducted at 22 school and community sites in Washington state (N = 532). The intervention, a 5-lesson media literacy curriculum targeted primarily to middle school students, encouraged sexual abstinence because of federal government funding requirements. Adolescents evaluated the program positively, with 85% rating it as better than other sex education programs. Compared to control-group participants, students were less likely to overestimate sexual activity among teens, more likely to think they could delay sexual activity, less likely to expect social benefits from sexual activity, more aware of myths about sex, and less likely to consider sexual media imagery desirable. The results showed that media literacy has promise as part of a sex education program by providing adolescents with a cognitive framework necessary to understand and resist the influence of media on their decision making concerning sex.

Building Effective Scientist-Educator Communities of Practice: NASA's Science Education and Public Outreach Forums

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schwerin, T. G.; Peticolas, L. M.; Shipp, S. S.; Smith, D. A.

2014-12-01

Since 1993, NASA has embedded education and public outreach (EPO) in its Earth and space science missions and research programs on the principle that science education is most effective when educators and scientists work hand-in-hand. Four Science EPO Forums organize the respective NASA Science Mission Directorate (SMD) Astrophysics, Earth Science, Heliophysics, and Planetary Science EPO programs into a coordinated, efficient, and effective nationwide effort. The result is significant, evaluated EPO impacts that support NASA's policy of providing a direct return-on-investment for the American public, advance STEM education and literacy, and enable students and educators to participate in the practices of science and engineering as embodied in the 2013 Next Generation Science Standards. This presentation by the leads of the four NASA SMD Science EPO Forums provides big-picture perspectives on NASA's effort to incorporate authentic science into the nation's STEM education and scientific literacy, highlighting tools that were developed to foster a collaborative community and examples of program effectiveness and impact. The Forums are led by: Astrophysics - Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI); Earth Science - Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES); Heliophysics - University of California, Berkeley; and Planetary Science - Lunar and Planetary Institute (LPI).

Science Cafés: Transforming citizens to scientific citizens-What influences participants' perceived change in health and scientific literacy?

PubMed

Ahmed, Syed M; DeFino, Mia; Connors, Emily; Visotcky, Alexis; Kissack, Anne; Franco, Zeno

2017-04-01

Science Cafés facilitated by the Clinical and Translational Science Institute of Southeast Wisconsin seek to increase health and scientific literacy through informal conversation between researchers and community members. The goal was to understand what factors have the greatest influence on attendees' perceived changes in health and science literacy levels (PCHSL) to increase impact. Previous research established the evaluation used in the Science Cafés to measure PCHSL. In this study, comparisons were made between (1) 2 different approaches to Science Cafés (Genomics Science Cafés or Health Science Cafés) and (2) regression models to show which factors best predicted PCHSL. The approach of the Genomics Science Cafés series to Science Cafés showed a larger impact on PCHSL. Regression models suggest SES and education significantly contributes to PCHSL. Insights for program development to have greater impact on PCHSL were identified. Continuing to optimize dissemination of research findings to the public is essential for improving community health and well-being.

Defining Workplace Literacy Education in Massachusetts. A Survey of Workplace Literacy Education Programs in Massachusetts, Conducted in September and October 1989.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rosen, David J.; Kale, Cerci

A survey of 42 Massachusetts workplace literacy programs was conducted in fall 1989 to determine whether the programs generally fit a standard definition of workplace literacy derived from "A Guide to Developing Instruction for Workforce Literacy Programs" by Jorie W. Philippi. The study's seven-item questionnaire included the definition…

MedlinePlus and the challenge of low health literacy: findings from the Colonias project*

PubMed Central

Olney, Cynthia A.; Warner, Debra G.; Reyna, Greysi; Wood, Fred B.; Siegel, Elliot R.

2007-01-01

Objective: To explore the potential of a community-based health information outreach project to overcome problems associated with health literacy in low-income Hispanic communities along the Texas-Mexico border. Methods: Using a train-the-trainer approach, community outreach workers known as promotoras were trained by a health information outreach team to search English and Spanish versions of MedlinePlus. These 15 promotoras submitted written examples on a weekly basis of the topics they helped residents explore on MedlinePlus and the ways in which the residents used the information. These weekly reports, along with verbal interviews with promotoras and others in the communities, allowed development of a database of 161 incidents (“stories”) demonstrating how community residents used MedlinePlus. These stories were thematically analyzed to explore how the program benefited participants. Results: The database of stories included examples of community residents becoming better informed about their illnesses, resolving to visit doctors, making decisions about recommended treatments, reducing their anxiety about health conditions, committing to healthy or preventive behavior, and assisting family members. Conclusion: With the help of paraprofessionals like promotoras, community-based health information outreach projects may improve the ability of community residents to understand their health conditions and to participate actively in their health care. PMID:17252064

A model for improving the health and quality of life of single mothers in the developing world.

PubMed

Mainthia, Rajshri; Reppart, Laura; Reppart, Jim; Pearce, Elizabeth C; Cohen, Jordan J; Netterville, James L

2013-12-01

Among the impoverished population of coastal Kenya, there is a rapidly growing group of young single mothers who suffer from adverse health outcomes, incomplete schooling, social ostracism by their communities, and economic hardship. To address this problem, in 2008 the Single Mothers Program (SMP) selected a group of vulnerable single mothers, provided them with basic relief and education, equipped them with training and start-up capital to run their own businesses, and assessed the impact of the program via a pre- and post-implementation survey. After two years in the program, a majority of the single mothers increased their contraceptive use, increased their degree of literacy, increased their individual incomes, and were more positively perceived by their communities. This study demonstrates a program model that can be used to improve the health and quality of life of single mothers and their children in similar communities throughout the world.

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 efforts are limited and unsustainable. Success of prevention efforts depends on equity of access, community-based ownership, and multilevel support structures to enable usage and sustainability. For existing HIV prevention efforts to be effective in "real-world" settings, with limited resources, reflection on historical lessons and contextual realities (i.e. policies, financial constraints, and biomedical patents) indicated the need to extend principles developed for treatment access and treatment literacy, to support prevention literacy and prevention access as an integral part of the global response to HIV.

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.

Ocean Literacy After-School

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hlinka, Lisa

2016-04-01

Ocean Literacy is a topic that is often underrepresented in secondary school science curriculum. To combat this deficit, our School has partnered up with Hudson River Community Sailing (HRCS), a local organization in New York City that offers an after-school program to high-need high school students in the surrounding community. This organization has developed a 9th grade Sail Academy which allows students from participating public high schools to increase their proficiency in math and science by learning basic sailing, navigation, and boat building. Upon successfully completing the 9th grade Sail Academy curriculum, students enter the "First Mates Program" which offers a scaffolded set of youth development experiences that prepare students for college, career, leadership, and stewardship. This program is built in the context of a new Ocean Literacy Curriculum focused around 3 major topics within Ocean Literacy: Marine Debris, Meteorology, and Ecology (specifically water quality). The learning experiences include weekly data collection of marine debris, weather conditions, and water quality testing in the Hudson River adjacent to the HRCS Boathouse. Additionally there are weekly lessons engaging students in the fundamentals of each of the 3 topics and how they are also important in the lens of sailing. During the marine debris portion of the curriculum students identify sources of marine debris, impacts on the local environment, and study how debris can travel along the ocean currents leading in to larger garbage gyres. To supplement the curriculum, students embarked on a day trip to the Newtown Creek Wastewater Treatment Facility in Brooklyn, NY to learn how and where NYC receives its drinking water, how wastewater is treated, and how water quality in the local area can be easily influenced. While on the trip, students did their data collection of marine debris, weather conditions, and water quality testing at Newtown Creek, and then they compared their results that same day to data collected at the HRCS Boathouse along the Hudson River.

The Use of a Structured Literacy Program To Facilitate the Inclusion of Marginal and Special Education Students into Regular Classes.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Center, Yola; Freeman, Louella

This research review examined the use of a whole class early literacy program in classes which included disadvantaged and at-risk children in Australia. The program, Schoolwide Early Language and Literacy (SWELL), is based on an interactive compensatory theory of literacy acquisition adapted from Success for All, a U.S. early literacy program. The…

Innovations in Literacy Learning: Reaching the Remote Northwestern Communities of Ontario

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Eady, Michelle

2006-01-01

The Sioux Hudson Literacy Council in partnership with AlphaPlus Centre in Toronto, Ontario and Confederation College, Sioux Lookout Campus, is making groundbreaking strides to reach adult learners who reside in remote, isolated communities of Northwestern Ontario. Generous funding from the National Literacy Secretariat in collaboration with…

"Socializing Democracy": The Community Literacy Pedagogy of Jane Addams

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wendler, Rachael

2014-01-01

This article reclaims Jane Addams as a community literacy pedagogue and explicates her pedagogical theory through an analysis of her social thought. Addams' goal of "socializing democracy" through education led her to both encourage immigrant students to associate across difference and to assimilate into dominant literacies--tensions…

Health Literacy and Happiness: A Community-Based Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Angner, Erik; Miller, Michael J.; Ray, Midge N.; Saag, Kenneth G.; Allison, Jeroan J.

2010-01-01

The relationship between health literacy and happiness was explored using a cross-sectional survey of community-dwelling older primary-care patients. Health literacy status was estimated with the following previously validated question: "How confident are you in filling out medical forms by yourself?" Happiness was measured using an adapted…

Digital Literacy: A Palestinian Refugee Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Traxler, John

2018-01-01

This paper is the first attempt to explore digital literacy in the specific context of the Palestinian refugee community in the Middle East by looking at the cultural specificity of digital literacy theorising and practice, by analysing current digital education policy in the countries hosting the Palestinian refugee community and by documenting…

Emerging Information Literacy and Research-Method Competencies in Urban Community College Psychology Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wolfe, Kate S.

2015-01-01

This article details an assignment developed to teach students at urban community colleges information-literacy skills. This annotated bibliography assignment introduces students to library research skills, helps increase information literacy in beginning college students, and helps psychology students learn research methodology crucial in…

Literacy in Indigenous Communities. Research Series.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

van Broekhuizen, L. David

In this research synthesis, notions of literacy from a variety of inclusive rather than exclusive perspectives are presented. Notions of national literacies, mother-tongue literacies, multiple literacies, and bi-literacies are explored. Information and research pertaining to threatened languages, language shift, and language loss is presented,…

Web-Based Media Literacy to Prevent Tobacco Use among High School Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Phelps-Tschang, Jane S.; Miller, Elizabeth; Rice, Kristen; Primack, Brian A.

2015-01-01

Facilitator-led smoking media literacy (SML) programs have improved media literacy and reduced intention to smoke. However, these programs face limitations including high costs and barriers to standardization. We examined the efficacy of a Web-based media literacy program in improving smoking media literacy skills among adolescents. Sixty-six 9th…

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…

Learning about Our Community: From the Underground Railroad to School Lunch.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hicks, Bonnie; Montequin, Leah; Hicks, Jason

2000-01-01

Forms part of a themed issue describing "Parent-Kid-Teacher Investigators," a program in which parents, children, and teachers gather regularly to use language and literacy for action research projects. Offers a portrait of the weekly meetings. Summarizes what three particular groups learned about their topics: the underground railroad;…

Radical Conversations: Part One Social-Constructivist Methods in the ABE Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Muth, Bill

2008-01-01

For the past 40 years adult learning theory has stressed the need for adults to share in the planning of their own learning and socially construct new knowledge by building on their background knowledge and life experiences. Despite growing acceptance of social-constructivist pedagogies in community-based literacy programs and even corporate…

Workforce Gadsden. "Bridging the Gap." Section 353 Project Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gasden Adult and Community Education Program, Quincy, FL.

A cooperative effort was made by the Chamber of Commerce and the Adult and Community Education Program to encourage and facilitate work force literacy in small and medium-sized businesses, industries, and government agencies in Gadsden County, Florida. Businesses that could benefit were identified through a business/industry questionnaire. Six…

Improving Reading Achievement through the Implementation of a Balanced Literacy Approach.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Arkebauer, Cynthia; MacDonald, Christine; Palmer, Crystal

This report describes a program for increasing students' reading fluency and comprehension by giving them a variety of skills and strategies. The targeted population consisted of two elementary schools in a growing, lower to middle class community, located in central Illinois. The problems of lack of reading strategies were documented through data…

Launching Literacy in After-School Programs: Early Lessons from the CORAL Initiative

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Arbreton, Amy J. A.; Goldsmith, Julie; Sheldon, Jessica

2005-01-01

The James Irvine Foundation launched the Communities Organizing Resources to Advance Learning (CORAL) initiative in 1999 with the goal of improving the academic achievement of children in the lowest-performing schools in five California cities. In 2004, CORAL adopted a more targeted approach toward reaching this goal by integrating a regular…

Sister R. Leadership: Doing the Seemingly Impossible

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sena, Rachel; Schoorman, Dilys; Bogotch, Ira

2013-01-01

Sister R., the first author, is a Dominican Sister of Peace. Until recently, Sister R. had been the director of the Maya Ministry Family Literacy Program, working with the Maya Community in Lake Worth, Palm Beach County, Florida. She described her work with these indigenous, preliterate, hardworking peoples as "a university of the poor"…

Examining Interpersonal Dynamics among Adult Learners through the Lens of Place

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Prins, Esther

2009-01-01

The purpose of this article is to analyze interpersonal problems among adult learners in three family literacy programs and to identify how these tensions were connected to place or distinctive community contexts. Drawing on the critical geography literature, the article argues that interpersonal problems must be understood in light of…

Learning while Earning: Worksite Literacy Programs. Foresight: Model Programs for Economic Development.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rosenfeld, Stuart A.; And Others

This paper describes four successful and innovative workplace-based literacy programs in the South. The first is a joint program for city municipal workers between the U.S. Naval Air Station in Memphis, Tennessee and the Memphis Literacy Coalition (Project Literacy-Memphis, Inc.). The second is a program at North Carolina State University in…

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…

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…

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…

Integrating Literacy and Workplace Skills for Worker Advancement. Worker Education Program Final Report, May 1, 1992 - March 31, 1994.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boyter-Escalona, Margaret

Final evaluation of the Workplace Education Program, funded by the National Workplace Literacy Program to provide workplace literacy education programs to 425 members of Chicago (Illinois) area clothing and textile workers union members, is presented. The program's goal was to enhance workers' basic literacy skills for present job stabilization…

Sponsors of Agricultural Literacies: Intersections of Institutional and Local Knowledge in a Farming Community

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Galbreath, Marcy L.

2015-01-01

Many of the agricultural literacies engendering twentieth-century farming practices and shaping contemporary concepts of food and nutrition in the United States arose through scientific research at land-grant colleges. This article examines how those literacies reached and interacted with local communities through institutional entities such as…

Literacy Changes Lives 2014: A New Perspective on Health, Employment and Crime

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Morrisroe, Joe

2014-01-01

Since 2008, the financial crisis has had a profound social and economic impact on the UK's most vulnerable communities. Literacy influences individual capability in all spheres of life. In times of economic instability, low literacy makes individuals and communities more vulnerable to inequality, increasing the risk of social exclusion and…

Factors contributing to intervention fidelity in a multi-site chronic disease self-management program.

PubMed

Perrin, Karen M; Burke, Somer Goad; O'Connor, Danielle; Walby, Gary; Shippey, Claire; Pitt, Seraphine; McDermott, Robert J; Forthofer, Melinda S

2006-10-26

Disease self-management programs have been a popular approach to reducing morbidity and mortality from chronic disease. Replicating an evidence-based disease management program successfully requires practitioners to ensure fidelity to the original program design. The Florida Health Literacy Study (FHLS) was conducted to investigate the implementation impact of the Pfizer, Inc. Diabetes Mellitus and Hypertension Disease Self-Management Program based on health literacy principles in 14 community health centers in Florida. The intervention components discussed include health educator recruitment and training, patient recruitment, class sessions, utilization of program materials, translation of program manuals, patient retention and follow-up, and technical assistance. This report describes challenges associated with achieving a balance between adaptation for cultural relevance and fidelity when implementing the health education program across clinic sites. This balance was necessary to achieve effectiveness of the disease self-management program. The FHLS program was implemented with a high degree of fidelity to the original design and used original program materials. Adaptations identified as advantageous to program participation are discussed, such as implementing alternate methods for recruiting patients and developing staff incentives for participation. Effective program implementation depends on the talent, skill and willing participation of clinic staff. Program adaptations that conserve staff time and resources and recognize their contribution can increase program effectiveness without jeopardizing its fidelity.

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…

Digital and Media Literacy: A Plan of Action. A White Paper on the Digital and Media Literacy Recommendations of the Knight Commission on the Information Needs of Communities in a Democracy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hobbs, Renee

2010-01-01

This report proposes a detailed plan that positions digital and media literacy as an essential life skill and outlines steps that policymakers, educators, and community advocates can take to help Americans thrive in the digital age. It offers a plan of action for how to bring digital and media literacy education into formal and informal settings…

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. However, linkages to community advocacy and mobilization efforts are limited and unsustainable. Success of prevention efforts depends on equity of access, community-based ownership, and multilevel support structures to enable usage and sustainability. Conclusions For existing HIV prevention efforts to be effective in “real-world” settings, with limited resources, reflection on historical lessons and contextual realities (i.e. policies, financial constraints, and biomedical patents) indicated the need to extend principles developed for treatment access and treatment literacy, to support prevention literacy and prevention access as an integral part of the global response to HIV. PMID:27702430

76 FR 72623 - Literacy Program

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-11-25

... INFORMATION: This document finalizes the Bureau's Literacy Program regulations, published as an interim rule... DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE Bureau of Prisons 28 CFR Part 544 [BOP-1036-F] RIN 1120-AA33 Literacy... Bureau's Literacy Program regulations, published as an interim rule on September 26, 1997 (62 FR 50791...

Exploring the Literacy Practices of Refugee Families Enrolled in a Book Distribution Program and an Intergenerational Family Literacy Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Singh, Sunita; Sylvia, Monica R.; Ridzi, Frank

2015-01-01

This ethnographic study presents findings of the literacy practices of Burmese refugee families and their interaction with a book distribution program paired with an intergenerational family literacy program. The project was organized at the level of Bronfenbrenner's exosystem (in "Ecology of human development". Cambridge, Harvard…

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 Envirothon program in the cognitive component of environmental literacy but does not in the affective and behavioral components of environmental literacy. Results also indicated there was not a statistically significant difference between the environmental literacy of those high school students who have participated in one or more Envirothon competitions and the environmental literacy of those high school students who have participated in less than one Envirothon competition in regard to the cognitive, affective, or behavior components of environmental literacy. The implication is participating in the Envirothon program does make a difference in the environmental literacy of those high school students participating in the Envirothon program in the cognitive component of environmental literacy but participating in the Envirothon program does not increase the environmental literacy of those high school students participating in the Envirothon program in the affective or behavioral components of environmental literacy. This information is important to teachers, advisors, state and national Envirothon committee members, and sponsors relating to the international goals, objectives and key points, study materials, and training methodology as each is used to expand and strengthen Envirothon programs. Furthermore, many fenders are interested in the program and how it is affecting the students. Recommendations for further research include conducting a meta-analysis using this research and the research conducted by Meredith (1996), longitudinal studies, and case studies utilizing past Envirothon students. Documentation through news articles and interviews could assist in assessing the Envirothon program's impact on students. This would not evaluate the student's environmental literacy, but would provide information on how the Envirothon program influences students' life choices.

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…

Variability in Community Characteristics and Spanish-Speaking Children's Home Language and Literacy Opportunities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reese, Leslie; Thompson, Sylvia Linan; Goldenberg, Claude

2008-01-01

Drawing on data from 14 communities in California and Texas, this paper examines the variability in language and literacy resources across communities with large numbers of Latino families. Spanish-speaking children live in communities that vary considerably with respect to language use, ethnic composition and education levels. Children's…

Challenges in Engaging Communities in Bottom-Up Literacies for Democratic Citizenship

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Torres, Myriam N.

2010-01-01

The purpose of this article is to examine the authors' experiences while trying to enter and engage local communities in bottom-up literacies through participatory action research (PAR) toward the community's own collective self-development. In trying to enter five different communities, I have found several challenges and roadblocks such as…

Library Literacy Programs for English Language Learners. ERIC Digest.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McMurrer, Eileen; Terrill, Lynda

This digest summarizes the history of public libraries and library literacy programs; describes current delivery models; and discusses initiatives in library literacy, profiling one successful public library program that serves adult English language learners and their families. (Adjunct ERIC Clearinghouse for ESL Literacy Education) (Author/VWL)

Identity and Literacy Practices in a Bilingual Classroom: An Exploration of Leveraging Community Cultural Wealth

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lynch, Anissa Wicktor

2018-01-01

This case study focused on transitional bilingual class and explored connections between the literacy practices co-constructed in this figured world and one student's developing identity. Yanet, a newcomer student from Cuba, was encouraged to draw on community cultural wealth to support her own and her classmates' language, literacy and identity…

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…

Modernity, Prestige, and Self-Promotion: Literacy in a Papua New Guinean Community

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McKeown, Eamonn

2006-01-01

In this article, I examine patterns of literacy use in the daily life a rural community in the Papua New Guinea highlands. It is demonstrated that many of these practices do not correspond to the ways in which agencies responsible for imparting literacy, particularly the local school, intend. Instead, village concepts of prestige, chance, and…

"To Learn about Science": Real Life Scientific Literacy across Multicultural Communities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Briseño-Garzón, Adriana; Perry, Kristen H.; Purcell-Gates, Victoria

2014-01-01

Much of the current research on scientific literacy focuses on particular text genres read by students within the classroom context. We offer a cross-case analysis of literacy as social practice in multicultural communities around the world, through which we reveal that individuals with no formal education, as well as people with varied levels of…

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…

Health Literacy in Selected Populations: Individuals, Families, and Communities from the International and Cultural Perspective.

PubMed

Levin-Zamir, Diane; Leung, Angela Yee Man; Dodson, Sarity; Rowlands, Gillian

2017-01-01

International and cultural perspectives of health literacy help deepen the understanding of the global context within which health literacy plays an important role. Throughout this chapter, we explore the significance of health literacy initiatives, interventions, practices, and research for addressing health challenges on a variety of levels in the international and global context. More specifically, in this chapter, the notion of health literacy as a dynamic construct is introduced, after which we examine health literacy throughout the life course, emphasizing the impact of health literacy among children and the elderly in their families and in the community. Cultural norms and family interpersonal relations, and values influence health literacy and need to be considered when closing the health literacy disparities. Global trends of migration and immigration bring to the forefront the need for unravelling the complexity of health systems, for which health literacy plays a central role; health literacy initiatives address cultural differences between providers and patients to help narrow the communication gap. The importance of cultural competency among health care providers exemplifies how capacity building in health literacy is critical for maximizing the benefits to the public of the health care system. Health literacy provides a conceptual foundation for community participatory research, involving members of the public to take part in the planning, execution and evaluation of health education interventions. Throughout the chapter, selected case studies and picture boxes from around the globe, exemplify aforementioned topics of interest, showcased in the chapter. Practical recommendations for policy makers, practitioners and research are offered based on the studies conducted in the international context.

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…

The Role of the Private Sector in The Right to Read Effort.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jones, Opal C.

This booklet describes the many ways in which the private sector can become involved in the national Right to Read effort by giving assistance: seminars sponsored by business and industries, on-the-job literacy classes, encouragement from recognized athletes, and the Book Ownership Program (aids the community by making books readily available at…

The Appropriation of the Coaching with CARE Model with Preservice Teachers: The Role of Community

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maloch, Beth; Wetzel, Melissa Mosley; Hoffman, James V.; Taylor, Laura A.; Pruitt, Alina; Vlach, Saba Khan; Greeter, Erin

2015-01-01

This study is part of a longitudinal, multiphase study on development of literacy mentoring practices particularly with regard to the cooperating teacher. This paper reports on the findings from the first year of the study during which cooperating teachers (CT) participated in a master's program focused on coaching and mentoring while mentoring…

On the Road to Reading: A Guide for Community Partners.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Koralek, Derry; Collins, Ray

The goal of the U.S. Department of Education's America Reads Challenge is that all children read well and independently by the end of third grade. This guide details the knowledge and skills needed to support the America Reads Challenge or to implement a literacy development program for children from preschool through grade 3. The guide was…

The Development of the Financial Literacy Program at the Community College of Baltimore County

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reams-Johnson, Ansa; Delker, Susan

2016-01-01

Student debt has increasingly become an important topic in higher education. Many students, particularly low-income and first-generation college students, do not have a solid understanding of managing personal finances. This becomes further compounded upon entering college, as these students lack the financial acumen to understand the long-term…

From Literacy Activities to Entrepreneurship in Siete Pilas. Chapter 6.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chacon, Antonio; Polo, Angel

This chapter describes a community development project in Siete Pilas (Spain), a village whose economy is based primarily on small family farms and unskilled labor. The project grew out of the Sierra Education Program, which in 1980 sent adult-education teachers to five villages in the Sierra de Ronda region. The goal was to stimulate a socially…

Siblings as Mediators of Literacy in Linguistic Minority Communities.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gregory, Eve

This paper argues for the need to move beyond the paradigm of parental involvement in reading, which presently informs home/school reading programs for linguistic minority children in the United Kingdom (UK). The first part of the paper examines the literature informing the current model showing the marked absence of studies on the role played by…

Religious Genres, Entextualization, and Literacy in Gitano Children.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Palomares-Valera, Manuel; Cano, Ana; Poveda, David

This paper analyzes the connections between the oral genres displayed by Gitano (also known as Gypsies or Romani) children and adults during religious instruction classes of an Evangelist Church and the writings produced by Gitano children in a computer after-school program of the same community. Subjects were Gitano children (n=30), ages 5-13…

Working with Latino Families: Challenges Faced by Educators and Civic Leaders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lieshoff, Sylvia Cobos

2007-01-01

This article analyzes a subset of data gathered during a survey of 155 school systems and communities across the nation. The data were obtained from a capability survey as part of the application for a Toyota Family Literacy Program (TFLP) grant. Educators and civic leaders in 38 states responded to questions about their five greatest challenges…

Effective Methodology for Teaching Beginning Reading in English to Bilingual Adults.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sainz, Jo-Ann; Biggins, Maria Goretti

A systematic model for accelerating the process of developing the word decoding skills and building the vocabularies of bilingual adults was used among prison populations in Rockland County, Dutchess County, Suffolk County, and Essex County, New York, as well as in work-study programs in community centers in New York City. Literacy levels of the…

Spelling Mastery and Spelling through Morphographs: Direct Instruction Programs for Beginning and Low-Progress Spellers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hempenstall, Kerry

2015-01-01

There has been concern about student literacy expressed in the community in recent years, following the results of national and international assessment. In spelling, there are insufficient hard data, but the perception is that our students are not receiving the exemplary spelling education they require. A number of possible reasons have been…

Positive Youth Development through Physical Activity: Opportunities for Physical Educators

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hemphill, Michael A.

2014-01-01

As physical educators continue to advocate for school-based PE, they should also consider ways to extend their work into community settings in an effort to ensure that all kids have an opportunity to develop physical literacy. This article describes how positive youth development programs can provide an opportunity for physical educators to engage…

"My Little English": A Case Study of Decolonial Perspectives on Discourse in an After-School Program for Refugee Youth

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

MacDonald, Michael T.

2017-01-01

Literacy "sponsorship" in refugee communities is not without its risks and limitations. For potential sponsors, risks include the commodification of refugee voices, while limits include inaccurate generalizations of those being sponsored. This essay draws from a case study of refugee student discourse to discuss how a more explicit…

To Be or Not to Be Dramatic! The Effects of Drama on Reading Ability.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Krueger, Amy; Ranalli, Katherine

This report describes a program for improving literacy skills, such as expression, fluency, and comprehension through the use of drama in the reading curriculum. The targeted population consisted of kindergarten and first grade students, both in middle class communities, located in two northern suburbs of Chicago. The problems of reading ability…

Overview of NASA's Universe of Learning: An Integrated Astrophysics STEM Learning and Literacy Program

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith, Denise; Lestition, Kathleen; Squires, Gordon; Biferno, Anya A.; Cominsky, Lynn; Manning, Colleen; NASA's Universe of Learning Team

2018-01-01

NASA's Universe of Learning creates and delivers science-driven, audience-driven resources and experiences designed to engage and immerse learners of all ages and backgrounds in exploring the universe for themselves. The project is the result of a unique partnership between the Space Telescope Science Institute, Caltech/IPAC, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, and Sonoma State University, and is one of 27 competitively-selected cooperative agreements within the NASA Science Mission Directorate STEM Activation program. The NASA's Universe of Learning team draws upon cutting-edge science and works closely with Subject Matter Experts (scientists and engineers) from across the NASA Astrophysics Physics of the Cosmos, Cosmic Origins, and Exoplanet Exploration themes. Together we develop and disseminate data tools and participatory experiences, multimedia and immersive experiences, exhibits and community programs, and professional learning experiences that meet the needs of our audiences, with attention to underserved and underrepresented populations. In doing so, scientists and educators from the partner institutions work together as a collaborative, integrated Astrophysics team to support NASA objectives to enable STEM education, increase scientific literacy, advance national education goals, and leverage efforts through partnerships. Robust program evaluation is central to our efforts, and utilizes portfolio analysis, process studies, and studies of reach and impact. This presentation will provide an overview of NASA's Universe of Learning, our direct connection to NASA Astrophysics, and our collaborative work with the NASA Astrophysics science community.

What's the VALUE of Information Literacy? Comparing Learning Community and Non-Learning Community Student Learning Outcomes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rapchak, Marcia E.; Brungard, Allison B.; Bergfelt, Theodore W.

2016-01-01

Using the Information Literacy VALUE Rubric provided by the AAC&U, this study compares thirty final capstone assignments in a research course in a learning community with thirty final assignments in from students not in learning communities. Results indicated higher performance of the non-learning community students; however, transfer skills…

Models of Excellence: A Review of Ohio's Award-Winning Workplace Literacy Programs. 1996 Supplement.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baechlin, Dan; Proper, Len

This document profiles Ohio's seven award-winning workplace literacy programs. The workplace literacy programs described are offered by a mix of urban and rural firms which employ between 85 and 2,323 individuals in a variety of sectors. The workplace literacy programs offered by the following firms are described: Cleveland Track Material; L.J.…

Teaming up for Literacy: Examining Participants' Contributions to a Collaborative Family-Based Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kumar, Tracey

2016-01-01

This study of participants' contributions to a university-based family literacy program was informed by both "funds of knowledge" (Moll, 1992) and "multiple literacies" (Auerbach, 1995). The study examined participants' contributions to the design, implementation, and evaluation of a university-based family literacy program. In…

Literacy, Community, and Youth Acts of Place-Making

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kinloch, Valerie

2009-01-01

Valerie Kinloch describes how the literacy narratives around place-making by Phillip, an African American teenager who resides in this historic community, demonstrate complexities of confronting power, struggle, and identity within an out-of-school community that is rapidly becoming gentrified. (Contains 3 notes.)

Mobile-based patient-provider communication in cancer survivors: The roles of health literacy and patient activation.

PubMed

Jiang, Shaohai; Hong, Y Alicia

2018-03-01

Thanks to rapid penetration of mobile tools, more and more cancer survivors have adopted mobile-based patient-provider communication (MBPPC). The relationship between MBPPC and patients' health outcomes, however, remains unclear; how health literacy and patient activation interact with such relationship is unexplored. Data were drawn from National Cancer Institute's Health Information National Trends Survey 4 Cycle 3. A sample of 459 cancer survivors were included in the analysis. Based on the 3-stage model of health promotion using interactive media, this study empirically tested a moderated mediation model. MBPPC (eg, patient use of email, text message, mobile app, and social media to communicate with providers) had no direct effect on cancer survivors' emotional health. Instead, health literacy completely mediated this path. Patient activation positively moderated the effect of health literacy on emotional health and further increased the indirect effect of MBPPC on emotional health. MBPPC alone does not directly result in better emotional health outcomes; health literacy is the key to realize its health benefits; patient activation significantly strengthens the effects of MBPPC. As we embrace the mHealth movement, innovative programs are needed to promote MBPPC, and improve health literacy and activation of cancer survivors, particularly in underserved communities, to reduce health disparities. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Integrating Scientific Content with Context to Connect Educators with the Complexities and Consequences of Climate Change

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Low, R.; Gosselin, D. C.; Oglesby, R. J.; Larson-Miller, C.; Thomas, J.; Mawalagedara, R.

2011-12-01

Over the past three years the Nebraska Earth Systems Education Network has designed professional development opportunities for K-12 and extension educators that integrates scientific content into the context of helping educators connect society with the complexities and consequences of climate change. Our professional development approach uses learner-, knowledge-, assessment-, and community-centered strategies to achieve our long-term goal: collaboration of scientists, educators and learners to foster civic literacy about climate change. Two NASA-funded projects, Global Climate Change Literacy for Educators (GCCE, 2009-2012), and the Educators Climatologists Learning Community (ECLC, 2011-2013), have provided the mechanism to provide teachers with scientifically sound and pedagogically relevant educational materials to improve climate and Earth systems literacy among educators. The primary product of the GCCE program is a 16-week, online, distance-delivered, asynchronous course entitled, Laboratory Earth: Human Dimensions of Climate Change. This course consists of four, four-week modules that integrate climate literacy, Earth Systems concepts, and pedagogy focused on active learning processes, building community, action research, and students' sense of place to promote action at the local level to address the challenges of climate change. Overall, the Community of Inquiry Survey (COI) indicated the course was effective in teaching content, developing a community of learners, and engaging students in experiences designed to develop content knowledge. A pre- and post- course Wilcoxan Signed Ranks Test indicated there was a statistically significant increase in participant's beliefs about their personal science teaching efficacy. Qualitative data from concept maps and content mastery assignments support a positive impact on teachers' content knowledge and classroom practice. Service Learning units seemed tohelp teachers connect course learning to their classroom teaching. In addition, qualitative data indicate that teachers' students found service learning to be highly motivational components to learning. The ECLC project, to be initiated in the fall 2011, will build on our GCCE experiences to create a sustainable virtual learning community of educators and scientists. Climate-change issues will serve as a context in which collaborative scientist-educator-teams will develop discrete, locally oriented research projects to facilitate development of confident, knowledgeable citizen-scientists within their classrooms.

28 CFR 544.73 - Program participation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... EDUCATION Literacy Program § 544.73 Program participation. (a) The Warden or designee shall assign to an education staff member the responsibility to coordinate the institution's literacy program. Initially, staff shall meet with the inmate for the purpose of enrolling the inmate in the literacy program. Subsequently...

Library outreach: overcoming health literacy challenges*

PubMed Central

Parker, Ruth; Kreps, Gary L.

2005-01-01

Objective: This paper examines the powerful influences of consumer health literacy on access to and use of relevant health information. Method: The paper describes how widespread problems with health literacy significantly limit effective dissemination of relevant health information in society, especially to many vulnerable populations where health literacy challenges are especially pervasive. Results: The paper examines strengths and weaknesses of different programs for addressing health literacy problems, including educational programs, message design programs, and strategic communication training and intervention programs. Implications: The paper evaluates strategies that can be implemented throughout the modern health care system to address problems of health literacy by improving health information access, processing, and understanding. It concludes by examining several strategies that libraries can adopt to overcome many health literacy challenges. PMID:16239962

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…

The Continuum of Literacy in American Indian Communities.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zepeda, Ofelia

1995-01-01

Describes the O'odham language and oral tradition of the Tohono O'odham Indians of southern Arizona, relating it to the development of O'odham children's English literacy. Oral tradition and school literacy constitute opposite ends of a literacy continuum, in which English literacy is often isolated from and in conflict with O'odham literacy. (10…

Literacy in the 21st century: Towards a dynamic nexus of social relations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Benavot, Aaron

2015-06-01

Literacy is an essential means of communication. It enables individuals, communities and institutions to interact, over time and across space, as they develop a web of social relations via language. Effective literacy policies, programmes and practices expand the scale of social communication and interaction. Thus, literacy thrives when a state of connectedness - or social nexus of relations - is forged and sustained among individuals, households, communities and social institutions. This paper provides an overview of recent literacy trends and challenges as well as core aspects of the policy strategies which seek to address them. It reviews the main barriers or complicating factors which limit the effective implementation of literacy policies. The paper describes how the notion of non-formal education, which frames many scholarly and policy accounts of adult literacy work today, is under-conceptualised. One result of this is a relatively undifferentiated view of literacy programmes and their specific non-formal components. The author argues that the concept of the social nexus of literacy is implicit in many analyses of literacy policies and strategies. Thus, well-defined, context-specific and sharply conceived literacy policies, which enhance the social nexus of literacy, are crucial for improving the effectiveness of literacy work.

Community Learning Approach (CLA) for Literacy Promotion of Women in the Fishing Villages of Region I (Philippines).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Manlongat, Sylvia

After an analysis of 1990 Philippines National Statistics Office data showed a high incidence of illiteracy among women in the fishing villages, a project, Community Learning Approach (CLA), was developed to raise the literacy level. It was designed as an alternative delivery system of educating women in 24 villages for functional literacy and…

Through Increasing "Information Literacy" Capital and Habitus (Agency): The Complementary Impact on Composition Skills When Appropriately Sequenced

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Karas, Timothy

2017-01-01

Through a case study approach of a cohort of community college students at a single community college, the impact on success rates in composition courses was analyzed based on the sequence of completing an information literacy course. Two student cohorts were sampled based on completing an information literacy course prior to, or concurrently with…

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…

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…

34 CFR 464.1 - What is the State Literacy Resource Centers Program?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... purpose of sharing information, data, research, and expertise and literacy resources. (Authority: 20 U.S.C... 34 Education 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false What is the State Literacy Resource Centers Program...) OFFICE OF VOCATIONAL AND ADULT EDUCATION, DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION STATE LITERACY RESOURCE CENTERS PROGRAM...

Family Literacy Packs: Preservice Teachers' Experiences with Family-School Connections

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilson, D. Reece

2017-01-01

Programs that promote family literacy, as defined by Hannon (2003), are "programs to teach literacy that acknowledge and make use of learners' family relationships and engagement in family literacy practices." Why are such programs important for young learners? According to Livingston and Wirt (2003), children who have homes with books,…

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

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mackert, Michael; Poag, Meg

2011-01-01

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

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…

34 CFR 464.1 - What is the State Literacy Resource Centers Program?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... purpose of sharing information, data, research, and expertise and literacy resources. (Authority: 20 U.S.C... 34 Education 3 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false What is the State Literacy Resource Centers Program...) OFFICE OF VOCATIONAL AND ADULT EDUCATION, DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION STATE LITERACY RESOURCE CENTERS PROGRAM...

34 CFR 464.1 - What is the State Literacy Resource Centers Program?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... purpose of sharing information, data, research, and expertise and literacy resources. (Authority: 20 U.S.C... 34 Education 3 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false What is the State Literacy Resource Centers Program...) OFFICE OF VOCATIONAL AND ADULT EDUCATION, DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION STATE LITERACY RESOURCE CENTERS PROGRAM...

34 CFR 464.1 - What is the State Literacy Resource Centers Program?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... purpose of sharing information, data, research, and expertise and literacy resources. (Authority: 20 U.S.C... 34 Education 3 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false What is the State Literacy Resource Centers Program...) OFFICE OF VOCATIONAL AND ADULT EDUCATION, DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION STATE LITERACY RESOURCE CENTERS PROGRAM...

34 CFR 464.1 - What is the State Literacy Resource Centers Program?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... purpose of sharing information, data, research, and expertise and literacy resources. (Authority: 20 U.S.C... 34 Education 3 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false What is the State Literacy Resource Centers Program...) OFFICE OF VOCATIONAL AND ADULT EDUCATION, DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION STATE LITERACY RESOURCE CENTERS PROGRAM...

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.…

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

PubMed

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

2017-02-01

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

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…

Reframing Information Literacy as a Metaliteracy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mackey, Thomas P.; Jacobson, Trudi E.

2011-01-01

Social media environments and online communities are innovative collaborative technologies that challenge traditional definitions of information literacy. Metaliteracy is an overarching and self-referential framework that integrates emerging technologies and unifies multiple literacy types. This redefinition of information literacy expands the…

Conversation Currents: Learning from Families and Communities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Compton-Lilly, Catherine; Gregory, Eve

2013-01-01

This column features two prominent literacy scholars, Catherine Compton-Lilly and Eve Gregory. They discuss their recent research studies in various contexts and describe the reciprocal relationships between school, home, and community literacy practices.

Learning Strategies for Post-Literacy and Continuing Education in China, India, Indonesia, Nepal, Thailand and Vietnam. Outcomes of an International Research Project. UIE Studies on Post-Literacy and Continuing Education 4.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dave, R. H., Ed.; And Others

Many countries have recently launched massive programs to promote nation-wide adult literacy, but while these efforts have been commendable, it has been observed that neo-literates who acquire literacy through such programs have great difficulty in retaining it; hence an urgent need to develop suitable programs of post-literacy and continuing…

NASA's Coordinated Efforts to Enhance STEM Education: Bringing NASA Science into the Library

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meinke, B. K.; Thomas, C.; Eyermann, S.; Mitchell, S.; LaConte, K.; Hauck, K.

2015-11-01

Libraries are community-centered, free-access venues serving learners of all ages and backgrounds. Libraries also recognize the importance of science literacy and strive to include science in their programming portfolio. Scientists and educators can partner with local libraries to advance mutual goals of connecting the public to Earth and Space Science. In this interactive Special Interest Group (SIG) discussion, representatives from the NASA Science Mission Directorate (SMD) Education and Public Outreach (EPO) community's library collaborations discussed the opportunities for partnership with public and school libraries; explored the resources, events, and programs available through libraries; explored NASA science programming and professional development opportunities available for librarians; and strategized about the types of support that librarians require to plan and implement programs that use NASA data and resources. We also shared successes, lessons learned, and future opportunities for incorporating NASA science programming into library settings.

Creating a Literate Society: College-Business-Community Partnerships.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zeiss, Tony, Ed.

Brief descriptions are provided of 16 model literacy initiatives undertaken by community colleges in conjunction with local businesses or community groups. Following introductory comments by Barbara Bush, Tony Zeiss, H. James Owen, and Roy Romer, "Literacy: America's Great Deficit," by Earnestine Thomas-Wilson-Robertson and Tony Zeiss, reviews…

Imagining Literacy Equity: Theorizing Flows of Community Practices

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

González, Norma

2016-01-01

Theorizing flows of community practices implicates three interrelated themes: (1) theorizing practices rather than practicing theories, (2) theorizing our stories, and (3) research as responsibility to the communities in which we work. One way to claim literacy research as a principled epistemological stance is to confront the real-life effects of…

Rural Workplace Literacy: Community College Partnerships.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barnett, Lynn, Ed.

In 1990, the American Association of Community and Junior Colleges developed a national workplace literacy demonstration project to raise awareness of the link between local economic development and basic workplace skill performance, and to stimulate a local leadership initiative around a community-wide effort to raise worker performance levels.…

Workplace Literacy: From Survival to Empowerment and Human Development.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rhoder, Carol A.; French, Joyce N.

1994-01-01

Describes an effective literacy program in two hospitals, which benefited both the employer and employee by empowering participants to solve problems, think critically and creatively, and make decisions. Discusses criteria for effective workplace literacy programs, the program's framework, and program evaluation. (RS)

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.

Preparing Science Teachers for Culturally Diverse Students: Developing Cultural Literacy Through Cultural Immersion, Cultural Translators and Communities of Practice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chinn, Pauline W. U.

2006-09-01

This three year study of P-12 professional development is grounded in sociocultural theories that hold that building knowledge and relationships among individuals from different cultural backgrounds entails joint activity toward common goals and cultural dialogues mediated by cultural translators. Sixty P-12 pre and in-service teachers in a year long interdisciplinary science curriculum course shared the goal of developing culturally relevant, standards-based science curricula for Native Hawai'ian students. Teachers and Native Hawai'ian instructors lived and worked together during a five day culture-science immersion in rural school and community sites and met several times at school, university, and community sites to build knowledge and share programs. Teachers were deeply moved by immersion experiences, learned to connect cultural understandings, e.g., a Hawai'ian sense of place and curriculum development, and highly valued collaborating with peers on curriculum development and implementation. The study finds that long term professional development providing situated learning through cultural immersion, cultural translators, and interdisciplinary instruction supports the establishment of communities of practice in which participants develop the cross-cultural knowledge and literacy needed for the development of locally relevant, place and standards-based curricula and pedagogy.

SciJourn is magic: construction of a science journalism community of practice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nicholas, Celeste R.

2017-06-01

This article is the first to describe the discoursal construction of an adolescent community of practice (CoP) in a non-school setting. CoPs can provide optimal learning environments. The adolescent community centered around science journalism and positioned itself dichotomously in relationship to school literacy practices. The analysis focuses on recordings from a panel-style research interview from an early implementation of the Science Literacy Through Science Journalism (SciJourn) project. Researchers trained high school students participating in a youth development program to write science news articles. Students engaged in the authentic practices of professional science journalists, received feedback from a professional editor, and submitted articles for publication. I used a fine-grained critical discourse analysis of genre, discourse, and style to analyze student responses about differences between writing in SciJourn and in school. Students described themselves as agentic in SciJourn and passive in school, using an academic writing discourse of deficit to describe schooling experiences. They affiliated with and defined a SciJourn CoP, constructing positive journalistic identities therein. Educators are encouraged to develop similar CoPs. The discursive features presented may be used to monitor the development of communities of practice in a variety of settings.

The influence of newborn early literacy intervention programs in three canadian provinces.

PubMed

Letourneau, Nicole; Whitty, Pam; Watson, Barry; Phillips, Jennifer; Joschko, Justin; Gillis, Doris

2015-01-01

Low levels of literacy in early childhood can have lasting effects on children's educational and intellectual development. Many countries have implemented newborn literacy programs designed to teach parents pre-literacy promoting activities to share with their children. We conducted 2 quasi-experimental studies using 1) a pre-test/post-test design and 2) a non-equivalent control group design to examine the effect of newborn literacy programs on parents' self-reported literacy intentions/behaviors, values toward literacy, and parent-child interactions. Parents were recruited from 3 provinces, 2 with newborn literacy programs (intervention) and 1 without (control). Parents in the intervention group completed prenatal and postnatal (after participation in program) questionnaires. Parents in the control group completed 1 questionnaire. Questionnaires were designed to capture parents' literacy intentions (prenatal), behaviors (postnatal), values, and parent-child interactions (postnatal). A total of 98 parents were included in study one and 174 were included in study two. Parents' self-reported prenatal intentions and values were higher than their postnatal behaviors and values. Parents in the intervention group exhibited higher literacy behaviors and values and greater enjoyment reading to their children than parents in the control group, though they also reported reading to their children less frequently. Parents in the intervention group had significantly higher Positive Interactive scores than controls. Overall, we found participation in newborn literacy programs positively impacted parenting behaviors and attitudes. Lower postnatal within-group scores (intentions and values versus behaviors and values) may have been the result of participants' high expectations. Given our findings, we recommend that these programs continue.

The Effect of a Literature-Based Program Integrated into Literacy and Science Instruction on Achievement, Use, and Attitudes toward Literacy and Science. Reading Research Report No. 37.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Morrow, Lesley Mandel; And Others

A study determined the impact of integrating literacy and science programs on literacy achievement, use of literature, and attitude toward reading and science. Six third-grade classes (128 students) of ethnically diverse children were assigned to one control and two experimental groups (literature/science program and literature only program).…

Building an Adult Workplace Literacy Program for Spanish-Speaking Carpenters

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

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

2004-01-01

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

The influence of maternal health literacy and child's age on participation in social welfare programs.

PubMed

Pati, Susmita; Siewert, Elizabeth; Wong, Angie T; Bhatt, Suraj K; Calixte, Rose E; Cnaan, Avital

2014-07-01

The objective of this study is to determine the influence of maternal health literacy and child's age on participation in social welfare programs benefiting children. In a longitudinal prospective cohort study of 560 Medicaid-eligible mother-infant dyads recruited in Philadelphia, maternal health literacy was assessed using the test of functional health literacy in adults (short version). Participation in social welfare programs [Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF), Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), child care subsidy, and public housing] was self-reported at child's birth, and at the 6, 12, 18, 24 month follow-up interviews. Generalized estimating equations quantified the strength of maternal health literacy as an estimator of program participation. The mothers were primarily African-Americans (83%), single (87%), with multiple children (62%). Nearly 24% of the mothers had inadequate or marginal health literacy. Children whose mothers had inadequate health literacy were less likely to receive child care subsidy (adjusted OR = 0.54, 95% CI 0.34-0.85) than children whose mothers had adequate health literacy. Health literacy was not a significant predictor for TANF, SNAP, WIC or housing assistance. The predicted probability for participation in all programs decreased from birth to 24 months. Most notably, predicted WIC participation declined rapidly after age one. During the first 24 months, mothers with inadequate health literacy could benefit from simplified or facilitated child care subsidy application processes. Targeted outreach and enrollment efforts conducted by social welfare programs need to take into account the changing needs of families as children age.

Real-World Literacy Activity in Pre-School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Anderson, Jim; Purcell-Gates, Victoria; Lenters, Kimberly; McTavish, Marianne

2012-01-01

In this article, we share real-world literacy activities that we designed and implemented in two early literacy classes for preschoolers from two inner-city neighbourhoods that were part of an intergenerational family literacy program, Literacy for Life (LFL). The program was informed by research that shows that young children in high literate…

Welcoming Their Worlds: Rethinking Literacy Instruction through Community Mapping

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dunsmore, KaiLonnie; Ordoñez-Jasis, Rosario; Herrera, George

2013-01-01

In this article we look at how a community of practice in one midsize urban K-12 school district engaged in a community mapping process to discover, gather, and analyze a rich array of community and home resources in order to create classroom practices and curriculum that integrated the literacies of home and school and led to transformed student…

"We Were Slow; It Was Challenging" and "It Was Hard Not to Make Knots": Crocheting as a Literacy Event in a Second Grade Classroom Community

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kneller, Sarah A.; Boyd, Maureen P.

2008-01-01

This paper describes a "crazy about crocheting class" and shows how crocheting became a literacy event that promoted student empowerment and classroom community while engaging second grade students in authentic literacy practices. We document how crocheting evolved from a classroom management activity that also encouraged fine motor skills to a…

Canadian Adult Basic Education and Literacy Activities: A Digest.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thomas, Audrey M.

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

The association between health literacy and preventable hospitalizations in Missouri: implications in an era of reform.

PubMed

Cimasi, Robert J; Sharamitaro, Anne R; Seiler, Rachel L

2013-01-01

To evaluate the association between health literacy and preventable hospitalizations on a population level in Missouri, and the extent to which differing levels of health literacy are associated with county preventable hospitalization rates and associated charges. Secondary data from the 2008 Missouri Information for Community Assessment and Missouri Health Literacy Mapping Tool was used to determine health literacy and preventable hospitalization rates for the 114 counties and city of St. Louis comprising Missouri. Using correlation analysis, simple hierarchical regression models and nonparametric analysis, we investigated whether lower health literacy rates were associated with increased levels of preventable hospitalizations and charges, by county. Health literacy was found to be inversely associated with preventable hospitalization rates on a population level, accounting for 21 percent of the variation in preventable hospitalization rates. Preventable hospitalization rates significantly differed for counties with the highest and lowest health literacy levels. Lower levels of health literacy are significantly associated with increased rates of preventable hospitalizations and charges in a population-level analysis of Missouri counties. Additional research is needed to quantify the effects of successful community health literacy interventions.

Beyond Decoding: Literacy and Libraries.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bookmark, 1992

1992-01-01

This issue contains 21 articles discussing library-sponsored literacy programs, tutoring and programming techniques, and state and national efforts. The articles include: (1) "Beyond Decoding: Literacy and Libraries--Introduction" (Amy Spaulding); (2) "Libraries: Natural Centers for Literacy" (Jacqueline Cook); (3) "Kids…

Citizenship for All in the Literate Community: An Ethnography of Young Children with Significant Disabilities in Inclusive Early Childhood Settings

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kliewer, Christopher; Fitzgerald, Linda May; Meyer-Mork, Jodi; Hartman, Patresa; English-Sand, Pat; Raschke, Donna

2004-01-01

In this study, Christopher Kliewer, Linda Fitzgerald, Jodi Meyer-Mork, Patresa Hartman, Pat English-Sand, and Donna Raschke use ethnographic methods to explore literacy development in young children considered to have significant disabilities. The study settings included nine preschool and kindergarten classrooms across five programs, all of which…

As a Path to a Degree, the GED Is Rerouted with Students' Needs in Mind

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sieben, Lauren

2011-01-01

Many community colleges, along with some public-school districts and family-literacy programs, are overhauling their GED curricula and support services. Nearly 40 million American adults do not have high-school or GED diplomas, according to 2009 data from the American Council on Education, which developed the GED test. Another of the council's…

Geographies of Hope: A Study of Urban Landscapes, Digital Media, and Children's Representations of Place

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

James, Michael Angelo; Hull, Glynda A.

2007-01-01

(Purpose) The purpose of this study was to examine the short-term effects of a two-way bilingual education program on the literacy development of students from kindergarten to 12th grade. (Methodology) The community and groups of children were compared in terms of their academic achievement in English language arts. The Urban Landscapes included…

Reading in the Crawl Space: A Study of an Urban School's Literacy-Focused Community of Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Francois, Chantal

2013-01-01

Background/Context: The pressure to understand "what works" to advance adolescents' reading development has increased as the Common Core State Standards' call for youth to grapple with a range of complex texts. While we have learned more about promising reading programs and interventions for adolescent students in schools, few…

A Critical Discourse Analysis of Teacher-Student Relationships in a Third-Grade Literacy Lesson: Dynamics of Microaggression

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beaulieu, Rodney

2016-01-01

This study focuses on a recording from a week of third-grade classroom sessions. The recording was used to train new teachers in a certification program and provided data for a learning community that was studying classroom discourse. The third-grade teacher was described as being "outstanding" and "culturally responsive" by…

Neoliberal Discourses and the Local Policy Implementation of an English Literacy and Civics Education Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

López, Dina

2015-01-01

The issue of language, specifically access to English, has emerged as a key concern for both U.S. policy-makers and immigrant communities alike. Many of these debates are framed by neoliberal and human capital perspectives, which view English as a set of skills and linguistic capital that are inextricably tied to employment opportunities and…

Sabemos y Podemos: Learning for Social Action. Adult Education Curriculum. English Edition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martin, Rachel

This adult education curriculum, part of the Aprender Es Poder (To Learn Is Power) program, explores the themes of school success for Latino children, expands the work options and improves the working conditions of Latino adults, and identifies community issues. It is meant to be a resource for English as a Second Language Literacy and adult basic…

The Road to Participation: The Construction of a Literacy Practice in a Learning Community of Linguistically Diverse Learners.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kong, Ailing; Pearson, P. David

2003-01-01

Describes a year-long process in which a group of fourth- and fifth-grade students with diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds learned to participate in reading, writing, and talking about books in a literature-based instructional program. Reveals a gradual release of responsibility from the teacher to students as they developed the knowledge…

Caring for Somali Women: Implications for Clinician-Patient Communication

PubMed Central

Carroll, Jennifer; Epstein, Ronald; Fiscella, Kevin; Gipson, Teresa; Volpe, Ellen; Jean-Pierre, Pascal

2010-01-01

Objective We sought to identify characteristics associated with favorable treatment in receipt of preventive healthcare services, from the perspective of resettled African refugee women. Methods Individual, in-depth interviews with 34 Somali women in Rochester, NY, USA. Questions explored positive and negative experiences with primary health care services, beliefs about respectful vs. disrespectful treatment, experiences of racism, prejudice or bias, and ideas about removing access barriers and improving health care services. Analysis was guided by grounded theory. Results Qualities associated with a favorable healthcare experience included effective verbal and nonverbal communication, feeling valued and understood, availability of female interpreters and clinicians and sensitivity to privacy for gynecologic concerns. Participants stated that adequate transportation, access to healthcare services and investment in community-based programs to improve health literacy about women’s preventive health services were prerequisite to any respectful health care system. Conclusion Effective communication, access to healthcare services with female interpreters and clinicians, and community programs to promote health literacy are themes associated with respectful and effective healthcare experiences among Somali women. Practice Implications Adequate interpreter services are essential. Patient-provider gender concordance is important to many Somali women, especially for gynecological concerns. PMID:17337152

Adult Literacy: Industry-Based Training Programs. Research and Development Series No. 265C.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fields, Ernest L.; And Others

Nine industry-based adult literacy programs across the country were studied to identify exemplary training programs and practices that business and industry trainers, planners, and policymakers and individuals in the public education sector alike could replicate in designing adult literacy programs. Training programs offered by the following…

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

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lytle, Susan L.; Wolfe, Marcie

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

Factors contributing to intervention fidelity in a multi-site chronic disease self-management program

PubMed Central

Perrin, Karen M; Burke, Somer Goad; O'Connor, Danielle; Walby, Gary; Shippey, Claire; Pitt, Seraphine; McDermott, Robert J; Forthofer, Melinda S

2006-01-01

Background and objectives Disease self-management programs have been a popular approach to reducing morbidity and mortality from chronic disease. Replicating an evidence-based disease management program successfully requires practitioners to ensure fidelity to the original program design. Methods The Florida Health Literacy Study (FHLS) was conducted to investigate the implementation impact of the Pfizer, Inc. Diabetes Mellitus and Hypertension Disease Self-Management Program based on health literacy principles in 14 community health centers in Florida. The intervention components discussed include health educator recruitment and training, patient recruitment, class sessions, utilization of program materials, translation of program manuals, patient retention and follow-up, and technical assistance. Results This report describes challenges associated with achieving a balance between adaptation for cultural relevance and fidelity when implementing the health education program across clinic sites. This balance was necessary to achieve effectiveness of the disease self-management program. The FHLS program was implemented with a high degree of fidelity to the original design and used original program materials. Adaptations identified as advantageous to program participation are discussed, such as implementing alternate methods for recruiting patients and developing staff incentives for participation. Conclusion Effective program implementation depends on the talent, skill and willing participation of clinic staff. Program adaptations that conserve staff time and resources and recognize their contribution can increase program effectiveness without jeopardizing its fidelity. PMID:17067388

Influence of maternal health literacy on child participation in social welfare programs: the Philadelphia experience.

PubMed

Pati, Susmita; Mohamad, Zeinab; Cnaan, Avital; Kavanagh, Jane; Shea, Judy A

2010-09-01

We examined the influence of maternal health literacy on child participation in social welfare programs. In this cohort, 20% of the mothers had inadequate or marginal health literacy. Initially, more than 50% of the families participated in Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), the Food Stamp Program, and Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, whereas fewer than 15% received child care subsidies or public housing. In multivariate regression, TANF participation was more than twice as common among children whose mothers had adequate health literacy compared with children whose mothers had inadequate health literacy.

The Power of Large Scale Partnerships to Increase Climate Awareness and Literacy Around the World

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Murphy, T.; Andersen, T. J.; Wegner, K.

2016-12-01

The Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) Program is an international science and education program that connects a network of communities around the world and gives them the opportunity to participate in data collection and the scientific process, and contribute meaningfully to our understanding of the Earth system and global environment. In the last few years, there has been an infusion of energy in the program as a result of a change to a more community focus. GLOBE was one of the first attempts at a citizen science program at the K-12 level proposed on a global scale. An initial ramp-up of the program was followed by the establishment of a network of partners in countries and within the U.S. One hundred and seventeen countries have participated in the program since its establishment in 1994. These countries are divided into six regions: Africa (23 countries); Asia and Pacific (18); Europe and Eurasia (41); Latin America and Caribbean (20); Near East and North Africa (13); and North America (2). The community within these regions has reached a maturity level that allows it to organize its own science campaigns ranging from aerosols to phenology…all of which increase awareness of climate issues. In addition, some countries within the regions have established science fairs, GLOBE proved to be the impetus for these fairs. The program's partnership network provides students and teachers with a platform for learning about climate issues in their local and global environment, as well as providing scientists with a network to organize data collection and analysis campaigns. Within the U.S., over 130 educational organizations (universities, science museums, nature centers) are members of a partner network divided into six geographical areas: Northwest; Midwest; Northeast and Mid-Atlantic; Southeast; Southwest; and Pacific. For the first time ever, the U.S. held GLOBE science fairs with considerable input and support from the community, the U.S. Partner Forum members, and U.S. Country Coordinator. GLOBE students exhibited their research and learned about climate issues at these fairs. GLOBE has evolved in 20 years and its strength is the community of partners that has helped moved climate literacy forward on a global scale.

The Impact of Structural Barriers and Facilitators on Early Childhood Literacy Programs in Elementary Charter Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ross, Denise; Pinder, Glen; Coles-White, D'Jaris

2015-01-01

Elementary charter schools increasingly serve students who are at-risk for reading challenges, giving them a critical role in establishing literacy for young children. This article examines the complexities of starting early childhood literacy programs in charter schools. Specifically, the first year of K-3 literacy programs in a new and a…

Family Literacy Funding Reductions and Work-First Welfare Policies: Adaptations and Consequences in Family Literacy Programs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Prins, Esther; Gungor, Ramazan

2011-01-01

This article examines the consequences of two concurrent policy changes for family literacy programs in Pennsylvania: (1) the transition from federal (Even Start) to state funding and (2) the elimination of adult education as a work activity for welfare recipients over 22 years of age. Using qualitative data from 10 family literacy programs, the…

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…

Information Literacy Instruction and Assessment in a Community College: A Collaborative Design

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Argüelles, Carlos

2015-01-01

This article describes practical steps taken in the planning of an integrated information literacy instruction linked to a course assignment for community health majors at Kingsborough Community College of the City University of New York. The library sessions integrated the Association of College and Research Libraries Framework for Information…

Kenyan women adult literacy learners: why their motivation is difficult to sustain.

PubMed

Mwiria, K

1993-05-01

Kenya, like other Third World countries, has illiteracy rates for women which are twice those of men (in 1978, 35% of males and 70% of females aged 15 and above were illiterate). Since the beginning of the country's literacy campaign in 1979, women have comprised more than 70% of attendees. While this situation remains the case, the overall enrolment figures for the program have shown a gradual decline from 1979 to 1990 due to a lack of emphasis on individual motivation. Women dominate the literacy programs for several reasons: 1) women historically had less access to formal education than men; 2) the changing economy has forced women to assume extra responsibilities outside the home which make the women want to acquire formal skills; 3) women's schedules are often flexible enough to allow them to attend classes; 4) literacy classes provide women with needed socialization opportunities; and 5) in some communities cultural norms prevent men from attending classes with women. Women also have many obstacles which make their desire to become adult learners difficult to sustain. They have responsibilities which range from child-bearing to management of their family farms which leave them little time for study or class attendance. There is also little encouragement offered the women either at home or in their classes. At home they are confronted with a myriad of demands on their time. Their classes take place in conditions which are not very conducive to learning (classrooms designed for children or open air centers). The literacy teachers are, for the most part, unqualified. They must meet only minimal requirements and receive no training. The women also have less opportunities to practice their new skills outside of the classroom. Women have less time then men to read, and they are less fluent then men in English and Kiswahili, the 2 official languages of Kenya. Because Kenyan society is male-dominated, there is little encouragement given to women who attempt to acquire literacy. Also, men tend to dominate the position of authority in the literary programs and also make up 66% of the cadre of full-time teachers, giving the women few role models and fewer opportunities to work with an instructor who would be particularly sensitive to their needs. Since there is a demonstrated positive correlation between formal education and better health practices and agricultural productivity, there is a real need to attract more women to the literacy program and to motivate them to remain in the program. The best way to accomplish this would be to improve the status of women in Kenyan society. Until this occurs, however, measures can be taken to increase the number of women in administrative and teaching positions and to improve the quality of teachers through training and proper remuneration. The literacy program itself can be used to improve the status of women in society.

Decline in Literacy and Incident AD Dementia Among Community-Dwelling Older Persons.

PubMed

Yu, Lei; Wilson, Robert S; Han, S Duke; Leurgans, Sue; Bennett, David A; Boyle, Patricia A

2017-06-01

To quantify longitudinal change in financial and health literacy and examine the associations of declining literacy with incident Alzheimer's disease (AD) dementia and mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Data came from 799 participants of an ongoing cohort study. Literacy was measured using a battery of 32 questions. Clinical diagnoses were made annually following uniform structured procedures. The associations of declining literacy with incident AD dementia and MCI were tested using a joint model for longitudinal and time-to-event data. We observed an overall decline in total literacy score over up to 6 years of follow-up ( p < .001). Faster decline in literacy was associated with higher risks for incident AD dementia (hazard ratio = 4.526, 95% confidence interval = [2.993, 6.843], p < .001) and incident MCI (hazard ratio = 2.971, 95% confidence interval = [1.509, 5.849], p = .002). Declining literacy among community-dwelling older persons predicts adverse cognitive outcomes and serves as an early indicator of impending dementia.

"I Don't Know What Literacy Is": Uncovering Hidden Literacies in a Community Library Using Ecological and Participatory Research Methodologies with Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pahl, Kate; Allan, Chloe

2011-01-01

This article describes an ecological study in Eastside, a particular area of Rotherham, a town in the north of England, UK. The purpose of the study was to collect information about literacy practices in a community setting, focusing on a library. The researchers used an ecological approach to data collection. The methodology included approaches…

Building Literacy Communities. The Thirty-Second Yearbook: A Doubled Peer Reviewed Publication of the Association of Literacy Educators and Researchers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Szabo, Susan, Ed.; Morrison, Timothy, Ed.; Martin, Linda, Ed.; Boggs, Merry, Ed.; Raine, I. LaVerne, Ed.

2010-01-01

For its 53rd annual meeting, the Association of Educators and Researchers met in Charlotte, North Carolina at the Marriott Charlotte City Center. This year's conference theme was "Building Literacy Communities", which was also used as the title for this year's Yearbook, Volume 32. This organization has long been the home of some of the nation's…

Lessons Learned about Workplace Literacy from Military Job-Specific Reading Programs.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Philippi, Jorie W.

For almost half a century the United States military services have incorporated formal literacy programs into job training for those enlistees who are less than fully qualified. Over the years, several successful job-specific reading programs have evolved. In 1975, the Army began the Functional Literacy (FLIT) Program, a program based on a…

The influence of maternal health literacy and child’s age on participation in social welfare programs

PubMed Central

Pati, Susmita; Siewert, Elizabeth; Wong, Angie T.; Bhatt, Suraj K.; Calixte, Rose E.; Cnaan, Avital

2013-01-01

Objective To determine the influence of maternal health literacy and child’s age on participation in social welfare programs benefiting children. Methods In a longitudinal prospective cohort study of 560 Medicaid-eligible mother-infant dyads recruited in Philadelphia, maternal health literacy was assessed using the Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults (short version). Participation in social welfare programs (Temporary Assistance to Needy Families [TANF], Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program [SNAP], Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children [WIC], child care subsidy, and public housing) was self-reported at child’s birth, and at the 6, 12, 18, 24 month follow-up interviews. Generalized estimating equations quantified the strength of maternal health literacy as an estimator of program participation. Results The mothers were primarily African-Americans (83%), single (87%), with multiple children (62%). Nearly 24% of the mothers had inadequate or marginal health literacy. Children whose mothers had inadequate health literacy were less likely to receive child care subsidy (adjusted OR= 0.54, 95% CI: 0.34–0.85) than children whose mothers had adequate health literacy. Health literacy was not a significant predictor for TANF, SNAP, WIC or housing assistance. The predicted probability for participation in all programs decreased from birth to 24 months. Most notably, predicted WIC participation declined rapidly after age one. Conclusions During the first 24 months, mothers with inadequate health literacy could benefit from simplified or facilitated child care subsidy application processes. Targeted outreach and enrollment efforts conducted by social welfare programs need to take into account the changing needs of families as children age. PMID:23990157

Analyzing Patterns of Community Interest at a Legacy Mining Waste Site to Assess and Inform Environmental Health Literacy Efforts

PubMed Central

Ramirez-Andreotta, Monica D.; Lothrop, Nathan; Wilkinson, Sarah T.; Root, Robert A.; Artiola, Janick F.; Klimecki, Walter; Loh, Miranda

2015-01-01

Understanding a community’s concerns and informational needs is crucial to conducting and improving environmental health research and literacy initiatives. We hypothesized that analysis of community inquiries over time at a legacy mining site would be an effective method for assessing environmental health literacy efforts and determining whether community concerns were thoroughly addressed. Through a qualitative analysis, we determined community concerns at the time of being listed as a Superfund site. We analyzed how community concerns changed from this starting point over the subsequent years, and whether: 1) communication materials produced by the USEPA and other media were aligned with community concerns; and 2) these changes demonstrated a progression of the community’s understanding resulting from community involvement and engaged research efforts. We observed that when the Superfund site was first listed, community members were most concerned with USEPA management, remediation, site-specific issues, health effects, and environmental monitoring efforts related to air/dust and water. Over the next five years, community inquiries shifted significantly to include exposure assessment and reduction methods and issues unrelated to the site, particularly the local public water supply and home water treatment systems. Such documentation of community inquiries over time at contaminated sites is a novel method to assess environmental health literacy efforts and determine whether community concerns were thoroughly addressed. PMID:27595054

The Elusive Goal of World Literacy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bhola, H. S.; And Others

1980-01-01

This issue is devoted to discussions of world literacy and national programs which comparative studies indicate may be used as models for future UNESCO international campaigns. Individual articles explore economic incentives for literacy motivation, radio learning projects, media programs in Jamaica, literacy improvement in Somalia, and a…

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)

Educational and Mothering Discourses and Learner Goals: Mexican Immigrant Women Enacting Agency in a Family Literacy Program. Research Brief #8

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Toso, Blaire Willson

2012-01-01

Family literacy programs promote certain ideas about literacy and parenting. This study examined how Mexican immigrant women in a family literacy program used mainstream ideas, or discourses, of mothering and parent involvement in education to pursue their own personal and academic goals. The findings revealed that women were at times faced with…

What Does Empowerment in Literacy Education Look Like? An Analysis of a Family Literacy Program for Guatemalan Maya Families

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schoorman, Dilys; Zainuddin, Hanizah

2008-01-01

Educators in the field of "family literacy" have identified multiple approaches to family literacy programs (FLPs), and have underscored the need to identify and make explicit the philosophical orientations of their own programs. This was the task undertaken in this article, which focused on a FLP in south Florida that served the needs…

Catalyzing Effective Science Education: Contributions from the NASA Science Education and Public Outreach Forums

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith, Denise A.; Bartolone, L.; Eisenhamer, B.; Lawton, B. L.; Schultz, G. R.; Peticolas, L.; Schwerin, T.; Shipp, S.; Astrophysics E/PO Community, NASA; NASA Astrophysics Forum Team

2013-06-01

Advancing scientific literacy and strengthening the Nation’s future workforce through stimulating, informative, and effective learning experiences are core principles of the NASA Science Mission Directorate (SMD) education and public outreach (E/PO) program. To support and coordinate its E/PO community in offering a coherent suite of activities and experiences that effectively meet the needs of the education community, NASA SMD has created four Science Education and Public Outreach Forums (Astrophysics, Planetary Science, Heliophysics, Earth Science). Forum activities include: professional development to raise awareness of the existing body of best practices and educational research; analysis and cataloging of SMD-funded education materials with respect to AAAS Benchmarks for Science Literacy; Working Groups that assemble needs assessment and best practices data relevant to Higher Education, K-12 Formal Education, and Informal Science Education audiences; and community collaborations that enable SMD E/PO community members to develop new partnerships and to learn and share successful strategies and techniques. This presentation will highlight examples of Forum and community-based activities related to astronomy education and teacher professional development, within the context of the principles articulated within the NRC Framework for K-12 Science Education and the Next Generation Science Standards. Among these are an emerging community of practice for K-12 educators and online teacher professional development and resources that incorporate misconception research and authentic experiences with NASA Astrophysics data.

Influence of Maternal Health Literacy on Child Participation in Social Welfare Programs: The Philadelphia Experience

PubMed Central

Mohamad, Zeinab; Cnaan, Avital; Kavanagh, Jane; Shea, Judy A.

2010-01-01

We examined the influence of maternal health literacy on child participation in social welfare programs. In this cohort, 20% of the mothers had inadequate or marginal health literacy. Initially, more than 50% of the families participated in Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), the Food Stamp Program, and Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, whereas fewer than 15% received child care subsidies or public housing. In multivariate regression, TANF participation was more than twice as common among children whose mothers had adequate health literacy compared with children whose mothers had inadequate health literacy. PMID:20634468

Supplemental Literacy Instruction for Students with Down Syndrome: A Program Evaluation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Regan, Lisa Michelle

2013-01-01

The study utilizes an inductive, qualitative approach to program evaluation to understand the nature of an afterschool literacy tutoring program for students with Down syndrome. Two research questions guide this study: (a) What are the curricular and instructional elements of the Let's Read Now (LRN) literacy tutoring program for students…

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

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Barbara E.

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

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…

Beyond the One-Hour Outreach Talk: Introducing a Reading and Writing Program into a High School Science Class

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ratay, Douglas L.; Schairer, Ashley; Garland, Catherine A.; Gomez-Martin, Cynthia

We present a discussion of a newly implemented one-year program that brings high-level science reading and writing into a remedial high school science class. In the program, articles from publications such as Scientific American and Astronomy magazines are used to teach current science topics and to reinforce reading and writing skills. These skills are critical for general knowledge, literacy, and for passing state standardized tests. Members of the astronomy community act as "writing coaches" to help guide the students through the reading and writing process. This program illustrates one way that astronomers can become involved with underserved populations.

Hybrid Literacies: The Case of a Quechua Community in the Andes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

de la Piedra, Maria Teresa

2009-01-01

Drawing on data from an ethnographic study in a Quechua rural community in the Peruvian Andes, this article examines hybrid literacy practices among bilingual rural speakers in the context of the household and the community. I examine the coexistence of two types of textual practices that operate side by side, at times integrated in the same…

Myth #10: Business Can Define Workplace Literacy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Literacy Beat, 1989

1989-01-01

Representatives of the business community define workplace literacy according to how well informed are the spokespersons for business, how expansive is their view of the role of literacy, and the extent to which literacy bears on their firms' productivity. These elements affect business people's understanding of what constitutes workplace…

Endangered Languages and Literacy. Proceedings of the Fourth FEL Conference (Charlotte, North Carolina, September 21-24, 2000).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ostler, Nicholas, Ed.; Rudes, Blair, Ed.

Papers for the fourth Foundation for Endangered Languages (FEL) Conference include the following: "Endangered languages and Literacy" (Nicholas Ostler, Blair Rudes); "Keynote Address: On Native Language Literacy: a Personal Perspective" (Ofelia Zepeda); "A Community's Solution to Some Literacy Problems: The Mayangna of…

The Life of a Literacy Coach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hanson, Liz

2011-01-01

A literacy coach describes the various components of her work and how they combine to help teachers provide more effective literacy instruction. Walk-throughs, literacy team meetings, formal coaching, professional learning communities, and regular meetings with the principal enable her to understand what teachers need and then assist teachers in…

The REFLECT Approach to Literacy: Some Issues of Method.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dyer, Caroline; Choksi, Archana

1998-01-01

Describes REFLECT (Regenerated Freirean Literacy through Empowering Community Techniques) that is an approach to literacy teaching and learning developed by ActionAid. Focuses on the interplay between this "neutral" literacy method and its impact on the social context of one group of pastoralists, the semisedentary Katchi Rabaris of…

Literacy and Community Pariticpation. Prepublication Draft.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Peschke, Edith

Literacy experts in composition have examined the exclusionary forces of academic discourse, and have identified various forms of classroom power that result from the system of academic literacy. Little is understood about the power relations that function to relate and regulate the classroom. Largely a humanistic notion, literacy has been defined…

Urban Literacies: Critical Perspectives on Language, Learning, and Community. Language & Literacy Series

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kinloch, Valerie, Ed.

2011-01-01

Urban Literacies showcases cutting-edge perspectives on urban education and language and literacy by respected junior and senior scholars, researchers, and teacher educators. The authors explore--through various theoretical orientations and diverse methodologies--meanings of urban education in the lives of students and their families across three…

The New Literacies: Multiple Perspectives on Research and Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baker, Elizabeth A., Ed.

2010-01-01

With contributions from leading scholars, this compelling volume offers fresh insights into literacy teaching and learning--and the changing nature of literacy itself--in today's K-12 classrooms. The focus is on varied technologies and literacies such as social networking sites, text messaging, and online communities. Cutting-edge approaches to…

Effectiveness of Parent Training on Shared Reading Practices in Families with Children Who Are Deaf and Hard of Hearing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bergeron, Jessica Page

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of parent training on shared reading practices in families of children with hearing loss. This intervention augmented a multifaceted school program in emergent literacy. In a community based format, parents were explicitly taught three shared reading strategies that have evidence to support the…

Family Literacy Programs: Who Benefits? Occasional Paper #2.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Padak, Nancy; Rasinski, Tim

Family literacy programs have been demonstrated to have significant and widespread benefits for children, parents, families, and society. Documented benefits of family literacy programs to children appear in the following areas: children's achievement in school, school attendance, oral language development, reading comprehension and vocabulary,…

Implementing Innovative Elementary Literacy Programs. Program Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schwab, R. G. Jerry; And Others

This four-document collection describes the implementation processes of dramatically improved literacy programs in elementary schools which are leading the move to restructure literacy education in the Northwest (Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington). The first document in the collection, "Strategies for Improving School-Wide…

Promoting School and Life Success through Early Childhood Family Literacy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Swick, Kevin J.

2009-01-01

Early childhood family literacy programs have great potential to positively influence children and families. This article presents the core values and key components of high quality early childhood family literacy programs. The benefits and cost effectiveness of these programs are also discussed.

Upgrading Basic Skills for the Workplace.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Askov, Eunice N.; And Others

Intended for trainers of literacy providers and practitioners in the field, this manual explains how to develop a workplace literacy program and market it to employers. Chapter 1 provides an overview and history of workplace literacy and recommends improvements in literacy services. Chapter 2 examines approaches to developing workplace programs,…

Leadership for Literacy: Research-Based Practice, PreK-3.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Murphy, Joseph

Arguing that students' success almost always depends upon their mastery of literacy during the fundamental prekindergarten through Grade 3 years, this text draws upon 20 years of research to prove the link between effective literacy programs and instructional leadership. This book examines the foundation of highly effective literacy programs in…

Stress on the Job: How Family Literacy Program Directors Perceive Occupational Stress

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sandlin, Jennifer A.; Chen, Chia-Yin

2007-01-01

Little research has examined stress among family literacy administrators, although studies in other contexts reveal occupational stress can lead to illness, distress, and organizational problems. This article presents findings from a recent study of stress among family literacy program directors in Texas. Findings reveal family literacy program…

Constructing Adult Literacies at a Local Literacy Tutor-Training Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roderick, Ryan

2013-01-01

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

Comprehension Literacy Improvement Program Implementation and Balanced Literacy Impact on Elementary Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gough, Timothy Jerome

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study was to determine how teachers in an urban school district implemented Comprehensive Literacy Improvement Program (CLIP) and balanced literacy framework in second through fifth grade classrooms by exploring the evidence of implementation of guided reading strategies. Instructional delivery, training methodology, phonemic…

Literacy Course Priorities and Signature Aspects of Nine Elementary Initial Licensure Programs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lenski, Susan; Ganske, Kathy; Chambers, Sandy; Wold, Linda; Dobler, Elizabeth; Grisham, Dana L.; Scales, Roya; Smetana, Linda; Wolsey, Thomas Devere; Yoder, Karen K.; Young, Janet

2013-01-01

The purpose of this article is to describe the first part of a three-phase study to learn what makes an effective elementary literacy initial licensure program. The first step was to identify how nine programs prioritized research-based literacy practices and to identify each program's unique features, which we called "signature aspects." Findings…

Adult Literacy and Parenting Outcomes of a Rural, Home-Based Program.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Meehan, Merrill L.; Walsh, Sandra; Spring, Janet; Swisher, Angie; Lewis, Harry

The Even Start Family Literacy Program is a national program designed to break the cycle of poverty and illiteracy by working with low-income families to improve adult literacy, parenting skills, and developmental and preschool readiness of young children in the family. The Monongalia County (West Virginia) Even Start Program is unusual in that…

Kodak Skills Enhancement Program. U.S. Department of Education National Workplace Literacy Project. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beaudin, Bart P.

The Kodak Skills Enhancement program was a workplace literacy project funded through the U.S. Department of Education's National Workplace Literacy Program. The project goals were as follows: (1) establish a positive climate within the Kodak corporate environment to ensure program effectiveness by garnering support at all levels; (2) determine the…

The Health Literacy and ESL study: a community-based intervention for Spanish-speaking adults.

PubMed

Soto Mas, Francisco; Ji, Ming; Fuentes, Brenda O; Tinajero, Josefina

2015-04-01

Although Hispanics have a documented high risk of limited health literacy, there is a scarcity of research with this population group, and particularly with Hispanic immigrants who generally confront language barriers that have been related to low health literacy. The National Action Plan to Improve Health Literacy identified community-based English-language instruction as a strategy that can facilitate a health literate society. However, the literature lacks discussion on this type of intervention. This randomized control trial aimed to test the feasibility of using conventional English-as-a-second-language (ESL) instruction for improving health literacy among Spanish-speaking adults. Objectives included the development, implementation, and evaluation of a health literacy/ESL curriculum. The Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults (TOFHLA) in English was used to assess health literacy levels. Analyses included independent sample t test, chi-square, and multiple linear regression. A total of 155 people participated. Results showed a significantly higher increase in the TOFHLA posttest score in the intervention group (p = .01), and noticeable differences in health literacy levels between groups. Results indicate that ESL constitutes a promising venue for improving health literacy among Spanish-speaking adults. Incorporating health literacy-related content may provide additional benefits.

The Health Literacy and ESL Study: A Community-Based Intervention for Spanish-Speaking Adults

PubMed Central

MAS, FRANCISCO SOTO; JI, MING; FUENTES, BRENDA O.; TINAJERO, JOSEFINA

2015-01-01

Although Hispanics have a documented high risk of limited health literacy, there is a scarcity of research with this population group, and particularly with Hispanic immigrants who generally confront language barriers that have been related to low health literacy. The National Action Plan to Improve Health Literacy identified community-based English-language instruction as a strategy that can facilitate a health literate society. However, the literature lacks discussion on this type of intervention. This randomized control trial aimed to test the feasibility of using conventional English-as-a-second-language (ESL) instruction for improving health literacy among Spanish-speaking adults. Objectives included the development, implementation, and evaluation of a health literacy/ESL curriculum. The Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults (TOFHLA) in English was used to assess health literacy levels. Analyses included independent sample t test, chi-square, and multiple linear regression. A total of 155 people participated. Results showed a significantly higher increase in the TOFHLA posttest score in the intervention group (p = .01), and noticeable differences in health literacy levels between groups. Results indicate that ESL constitutes a promising venue for improving health literacy among Spanish-speaking adults. Incorporating health literacy-related content may provide additional benefits. PMID:25602615

Academic-Community Partnership to Develop a Patient-Centered Breast Cancer Risk Reduction Program for Latina Primary Care Patients.

PubMed

Castañeda, Sheila F; Giacinto, Rebeca E; Medeiros, Elizabeth A; Brongiel, Ilana; Cardona, Olga; Perez, Patricia; Talavera, Gregory A

2016-06-01

This collaborative study sought to address Latina breast cancer (BC) disparities by increasing health literacy (HL) in a community health center situated on the US-Mexico border region of San Diego County. An academic-community partnership conducted formative research to develop a culturally tailored promotora-based intervention with 109 individuals. The Spanish language program, entitled Nuestra Cocina: Mesa Buena, Vida Sana (Our Kitchen: Good Table, Healthy Life), included six sessions targeting HL, women's health, BC risk reduction, and patient-provider communication; sessions include cooking demonstrations of recipes with cancer-risk-reducing ingredients. A pilot study with 47 community health center Latina patients was conducted to examine the program's acceptability, feasibility, and ability to impact knowledge and skills. Pre- and post-analyses demonstrated that participants improved their self-reported cancer screening, BC knowledge, daily fruit and vegetable intake, and ability to read a nutrition label (p < 0.05). Results of the pilot study demonstrate the importance of utilizing patient-centered culturally appropriate noninvasive means to educate and empower Latina patients.

ASP Programs and IYA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Manning, James G.

2009-01-01

At the forefront of sharing the excitement of the exploration of the universe for 120 years, the Astronomical Society of the Pacific is poised to use its networks and services to implement education and outreach programs for the 2009 International Year of Astronomy (IYA2009). The ASP is partnering with NASA, the AAS and other astronomy and education organizations on IYA2009 projects, and is developing signature programs for implementation-with the overarching goal of bringing together scientists, educators and amateur astronomers in efforts to improve science education and science literacy through astronomy. The presentation will outline five major thrusts designed to serve the amateur astronomy community, formal educators, informal educators, the online community, and these communities in combination through IYA-related professional development, resources, and the facilitation of connections. The use of the proceedings of the IYA2009 Symposium in St. Louis in June, 2008 as an IYA2009 resource will be mentioned, and the ASP will encourage partners to work with the Society to help reach mutual goals and objectives for IYA2009 and beyond.

Toward Creation of a National Table for Aboriginal Literacy and Essential Skills (NTALES). Report on Meeting of May 27, 2014

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Canadian Literacy and Learning Network, 2014

2014-01-01

The Canadian Literacy and Learning Network (CLLN), in partnership with Aboriginal community leaders and literacy experts, is leading an initiative to create a National Table for Aboriginal Literacy and Essential Skills (NTALES). A potential role of the National Table will be to represent First Nation, Metis and Inuit literacy and essential skills…

"I Used to Copy What the Teachers at School Would Do". Cross-Cultural Fusion: The Role of Older Children in Community Literacy Practices

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rosowsky, Andrey

2006-01-01

This paper is derived from a wider study of literacy practice that examines and explores the role played by Qur'anic literacy in the lives of men, women and children in a UK Muslim community. It also draws on the significant body of theoretical work being developed by Gregory and others on the role of siblings and older children in literacy…

The Literacy Line! A Handbook for Creating and Implementing a Work Site Job Specific Literacy Program [and] Some People Work in the Vineyard [Curriculum].

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Napa Valley Unified School District, Napa, CA.

The materials include a handbook for development of worksite, job-specific literacy programs and a sample curriculum for vineyard workers in California. The handbook describes the Literacy Line! project, a mobile unit to carry English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) and job-specific literacy instruction to employees at wineries and vineyards in the…

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…

Theme: Delivering Agricultural Literacy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reed, Warren D.; And Others

1990-01-01

Eight articles in this theme issue deal with the nationwide implementation of agricultural literacy programs--discovering how to do it. Discussed are experiences in planning and conducting agricultural literacy programs at state and local levels. (JOW)

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

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

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

2016-01-01

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

The Changing Perspectives of Librarians in the "Better Beginnings" Family Literacy Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barratt-Pugh, Caroline; Anderson, Karen; North, Sue

2013-01-01

Libraries across Australia are becoming increasingly involved in the development and implementation of family literacy programs, placing librarians at the centre of this initiative. "Better Beginnings" is a family literacy program developed by the State Library of Western Australian and delivered throughout the state. The program…

Literacy Program. National Issues Forums Special Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Issues Forums, Dayton, OH.

In the spring of 1988, 33 representatives from 20 institutions or organizations sponsoring National Issues Forum (NIF) literacy programs attended a national conference in Washington, D.C. Throughout the conference, representatives from the organizations sponsoring NIF literacy programs made statements on the importance of NIF as a tool for…

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

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hurley, Mary E.

1991-01-01

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

Literacy Programs with Parent Involvement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Montgomery, Joel R.

2008-01-01

The purpose of this working paper is to review current literature on literacy programs for parents of English language learners (ELLs). The paper includes a summary of five literacy programs for ELL parents throughout the United States of America. Four of these were system-wide interventions affecting more than one school or classroom. Each…

Women, Work, and Literacy. ERIC Digest No. 92.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kerka, Sandra

The numbers of women with low literacy levels, the increased labor force participation of women, and increasing literacy requirements on the job make the case for the inclusion of a literacy component in employment programs for women. Such programs should strive to be comprehensive, learner-centered, flexible, standards-based, and linked to…

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…

Prison Literacy Programs. ERIC Digest No. 159.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kerka, Sandra

Mastery of literacy skills may be a preventive and proactive way to address the problem of the high cost of imprisonment and the huge increase in the prison population. However, correctional educators contend with multiple problems in delivering literacy programs to inmates. Findings of the National Adult Literacy Survey indicate that, of the 5…

Workplace Literacy Programs: A Review of the Literature.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dunn-Rankin, Patricia; Beil, Drake

This literature review observes that (1) there is an increasing need for enhancing job literacy skills among workers; (2) workplace literacy programs cover both basic literacy and job-related technical training; (3) successful curricula use job-related tasks and materials; and (4) management needs to be heavily involved and committed if a program…

A Culturally Responsive Literacy Program for Hispanic Fathers and Their Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Saracho, Olivia N.

2010-01-01

This study examined a language and cultural literacy program for Hispanic fathers to promote their children's literacy development. This study had two phases: (a) training the teachers and (b) educating the fathers. The results indicated that the fathers learned how to promote their Hispanic children's literacy development using their family's…