Do "Learners" Always Learn? The Impact of Workplace Adult Literacy Courses on Participants' Literacy Skills

Autor/inn/en	Wolf, Alison; Jenkins, Andrew
Titel	Do "Learners" Always Learn? The Impact of Workplace Adult Literacy Courses on Participants' Literacy Skills
Quelle	In: British Educational Research Journal, 40 (2014) 4, S.585-609 (25 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0141-1926
DOI	10.1002/berj.3110
Schlagwörter	Adult Literacy; Workplace Literacy; Reading Comprehension; Reading Improvement; Adult Education; Longitudinal Studies; Native Speakers; English; English (Second Language); Hierarchical Linear Modeling; Reading Instruction; Instructional Effectiveness; Foreign Countries; Adult Students; United Kingdom (Great Britain) + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Leseverstehen; Adult; Adults; Education; Adult basic education; Adult training; Erwachsenenbildung; Longitudinal study; Longitudinal method; Longitudinal methods; Längsschnittuntersuchung; Muttersprachler; English language; Englisch; English as second language; English; Second Language; Englisch als Zweitsprache; Leseunterricht; Unterrichtserfolg; Ausland; Student; Students; Erwachsenenalter; Studentin; Schüler; Schülerin
Abstract	This paper examines the degree to which British adults participating in workplace literacy courses improved their reading comprehension skills, using longitudinal data which cover the period from enrolment until between two and three years later. Learners were tested using an instrument designed explicitly for adults, with two parallel forms. For those who were native English speakers, there is no evidence of improvement. Learners for whom English was a second language showed modest but statistically significant improvements, but it is impossible to tell whether these were the result of instruction, or of subjects' longer exposure to an English-speaking environment. The data were re-analysed using imputed data, in order to address the problem of missing data, which is common in longitudinal studies, and using multilevel models. The results of these further analyses were the same in all key respects. These findings are important because improvement of adult literacy and numeracy skills has been central to successive governments' policies for improving both economic productivity and social mobility. Policy-makers have confounded the acquisition and award of certificates with substantive skill improvement. This study shows that one cannot, in fact, assume that the award of a new qualification indicates that substantive learning has taken place. It also underlines the complexity of reading skills, and the need for long periods of learning and instruction if serious progress is to be made. (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	Wiley-Blackwell. 350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148. Tel: 800-835-6770; Tel: 781-388-8598; Fax: 781-388-8232; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: http://www.wiley.com/WileyCDA
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10