Adult Basic Education Programs Research Articles

Digital learning solutions for improving adults’ basic skills

ABSTRACT One of the primary goals of adult basic education programs is to help individuals develop the reading, writing, and math skills necessary to access stable employment opportunities. In the US, this need has been largely overlooked by the burgeoning educational technology sector. To understand how learning technologies might support these learners and what challenges program providers might face as they implement technology platforms, we conducted a study of 5 learning technology products across 11 states in the US. The study involved the participation of 14 program sites, 105 instructors, and 1596 adult learners. We documented the intended use of each product, ensured that educators got the appropriate training on the products, and collected pre- and post-scores on literacy and numeracy assessments. Overall, the effects on learning estimated for math were slightly larger than for reading. Moderate to large statistically reliable positive impacts were found for one product within one program site, and a moderate to large statistically significant negative effect was found for another product also within a single site. We offer recommendations for future research on the use of technology to support teaching and learning in this important area of education.

Potentially Traumatic Events of Women of Color in an Urban Adult Basic Education Program

ABSTRACT Adult Basic Education (ABE) in the United States is an important tool for underrepresented and underserved communities to achieve the goal of high school graduation following noncompletion of K-12 education. Largely in urban settings, ABE centers serve millions of students annually, especially historically and contemporarily marginalized groups. ABE provides critical resources and skills to meet the educational needs of diverse peoples seeking to advance their station in life. ABE centers may serve students with potentially traumatic events (PTE), diagnosable trauma, and related poorer outcomes. Alarmingly, a paucity of research exists that examines the presence of PTEs for ABE students, particularly people and womgen of color. In the present research, the Patient Health Questionnaire 9-item and Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item measures were used to weigh depression and anxiety scores across the Life Events Checklist for the DSM-5 (LEC-5) trauma types in a sample (N = 170) of predominantly women of color. We examined three respondent groups based on proximity and frequency of PTEs: (1) denied; (2) witnessed/learned about; and (3) experienced. Results indicate that those experiencing higher levels of PTEs (namely, sexual assault, unwanted/uncomfortable sexual experience, and sudden accidental death) also experienced higher ratings of depression and anxiety. More research is indicated, as women of color within ABE settings could benefit from tailored resources for prevention, intervention, and treatment.

Digital Ethnic Enclaves: Mate Preferences and Platform Choices Among Chinese Immigrant Online Daters in Vancouver

In light of the growing racialized immigrant population in Canada and advances in dating technologies, this study examines Chinese immigrants' partner preferences and mate selection processes through the lens of online dating. We draw on in-depth interviews with 31 Chinese immigrants who have used online dating services in Metro Vancouver to search for different-sex partners. Chinese immigrant online daters show strong preferences for dating Chinese. They emphasize permanent residency status and similarity in age at arrival when evaluating potential partners. Given their preferences, Chinese immigrants strategically choose the dating platforms they primarily use. Men exhibit higher selectivity in their preferences and choices of platforms. Notably, platforms catering to Chinese users create "digital ethnic enclaves" where Chinese immigrant daters congregate. The findings illuminate the intersection of race, gender, immigrant status, and age at arrival in shaping divergent experiences of mate selection and immigrant assimilation in the digital era.

Factors associated with access to condoms and HIV services among women in high migration communities in six Southern African countries.

Despite the documented importance of sexual and reproductive health in women's life, access to sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services by migrant women remains low leading to negative sexual and reproductive health outcomes. This study investigated the factors associated with access to condoms and Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) testing services among 2070 women aged 15-49 years residing in high migration communities. Logistic regression models were fitted and migration status was found to be an important factor in women's access to HIV testing services. In addition to migration status, age, educational level, marital status, religion, comprehensive knowledge about SRH, comprehensive knowledge about HIV, partner's age, and partner's educational level were significantly associated with access to condoms and HIV testing services. Programmes aimed at increasing access to condoms and HIV services should collaborate with adult basic education programmes in order to increase women's education and involve all women regardless of migration status, age and marital status. In addition, the involvement of male partners and religious leaders in disseminating and imparting accurate information and knowledge regarding SRH and HIV services to ensure women's access to both condoms and HIV testing services is required.

Adult Learners' Community Cultural Wealth: Seeing ABE Learners through a CRT Lens

As a field, adult basic education (ABE) has been slow to address racial injustice or to consider how racism informs commonly-held, deficit-based beliefs about adult literacy students. This ethnographically-grounded research article utilizes Critical Race Theory (CRT) and Yosso's (2005) framework of community cultural wealth to highlight the culturally-grounded assets two ABE learners brought to their reading class. I argue that increased acknowledgement of community cultural wealth could improve services to the many racially marginalized adults who participate in publicly-funded ABE programs.

Substance Use and Trauma Among Adult Education Students in the United States

Adult basic education (ABE) programs in the United States serve millions of students annually to help them achieve high school equivalency, English proficiency, and other skills. These skills are necessary for upward mobility and competitiveness in the labor market, which is important for ABE students who are disproportionately affected by racial/ethnic disparities and poverty. Among learners who are not in ABE programs, substance use and trauma affect student outcomes. Similar research is limited among ABE students. Understanding the influence of these factors among ABE students can better inform interventions. The current study, grounded in Stress and Coping Theory, examined rates, risk factors, and gender differences for substance use and trauma among 286 ABE students. Results indicated that trauma is prevalent and associated with substance use, substance use suggests a need for brief counseling, and there were gender differences in substance use behaviors. Recommendations for interventions among ABE programs are discussed.

Return on Investment for Adult Basic Education: Existing Evidence and Future Directions

Amidst diminishing federal investment in Adult Basic Education (ABE), there is growing interest in return on investment (ROI) as an economic rationale to support ABE funding. Against this backdrop, we provide an overview of the ROI concept and methods and the empirical evidence on ABE program impacts to broaden the discourse among practitioners and advocates. We point out that the most crucial building blocks necessary for ROI estimations are missing in the literature. We contextualize the current status of the literature by discussing challenges in ABE program evaluations and limitations in ROI methods. We then further our discussions by offering a recommendation for ROI estimation and alternative approaches to ROI. We conclude by calling for an expanded public discourse, beyond ROI, on the social benefits of funding ABE.

Accountability in Adult Basic Education: The Marginalization of Adults with Difficulty Reading

Federal accountability policies requiring rapid, measurable outcomes have increasingly shaped the nature and type of public literacy services available to adults. However, little empirical research has explored the impact of accountability policies on program practice in adult basic education, and almost no research has focused on the effect on services for adults who have difficulty reading. This ethnographically grounded research article explores one publicly funded adult basic education program’s efforts to comply with federal accountability policy and the impact these efforts had on services for adults with difficulty reading. Findings suggest that efforts to comply with accountability policies resulted in instructional practices that limited students’ opportunities for substantive engagement with reading and in program policies that excluded students who did not produce outcomes from participation. The findings also suggest that in the context of accountability pressures, student marginalization became normalized as an ordinary part of practice.

Integrating Creativity in the Facilitation of Adult Learning through Analytic and Synthetic Methods: Study of Adult Basic Literacy Education Program in Enugu State, Nigeria

Adult basic literacy education program requires the integration of creativity into learning activities to increase the rate of adult learning in adult basic literacy education program. The study assessed the extent of integrating creativity in facilitating adult learners in adult basic literacy education program. The study adopted a descriptive survey design. The instrument titled, Integrating Creativity in the Facilitation of Adult Learning through Analytic and Synthetic Methods Questionnaire was administered to 880 adult education administrators, adult literacy facilitators and adult learners. Data were presented through the use of mean, standard deviation and ANOVA. The results of the study revealed that integrating analytic and synthetic methods to a moderate extent facilitated the learning of adults in an adult basic literacy education program. The study recommended that state agency for mass literacy, adult and non-formal education should encourage adult literacy facilitators to create personalized programs of instruction and lesson plans that are based on the adult learners’ skill level and learning styles.

A lesson in teaching English while White

AbstractThis article offers a close analysis of a 90‐minute teaching sequence in an English as a foreign language classroom of an adult basic education program for refugee‐background learners in a Finnish community college. The White European‐heritage teacher, the author of the article, researcher on‐site, and substitute teacher at that point, taught a lesson with a focus on ownership of English to a group of about 15 adult learners of color from mostly Middle Eastern and African backgrounds. She used peer‐supported discourse analysis of the lesson transcript to better understand the processes of Whiteness that interfered with students’ learning and engagement during the lesson. This revealed that the researcher‐teacher’s discourses and practices erased racial differences between her and the learners, perpetuated Eurocentric ideologies of argumentation, and positioned her as “white listening subject” (Flores & Rosa, 2015a) vis‐à‐vis the students. A theoretical lens of critical Whiteness pedagogy (e.g., Matias & Mackey, 2016) helps understand these findings within larger racist and Eurocentric structures of educational systems and socialization. Each finding feeds into recommendations for teachers and teacher educators, particularly those who received their education in predominantly White institutions but work in racially and culturally diverse contexts.

Escolaridad básica en personas adultas en México

El propósito de esta investigación es analizar la situación de escolaridad básica de las personas adultas en México en los últimos años y los programas para su atención, para determinar si hay avances en la reducción del rezago educativo. El enfoque utilizado parte de las obligaciones del Estado mexicano en derechos humanos, especialmente sobre el derecho a la educación; asimismo, se examina la evidencia empírica relacionada con las carencias en educación básica proveniente de distintas fuentes, entre otras, de la Encuesta Nacional de los Hogares (ENH) del Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Geografía (INEGI, 2018), así como el presupuesto destinado a los programas de educación para adultos entre los años 2010 y 2018. Se evidencian avances sustanciales solamente en la alfabetización, pero no en la reducción del rezago educativo en la escolaridad básica en su conjunto, lo que podría estar asociado a la ineficaz distribución de los recursos económicos.

Student Engagement for Enhancing Mentoring and Leadership Development in Adult Basic Education and Literacy Programs

AbstractThis article describes three programs which provide formal student engagement training and leadership opportunity with adult basic education learners.

Adult Basic Education: Community Health Partnerships and Health Disparities.

Background:Adult Basic Education (ABE) is the national system that offers adults with low literacy and/or limited English with educational services in reading, writing, math, technology, and communications from basic levels to high school equivalency, with specialty programs in transition to community colleges and family literacy.Brief Description of Activity:To show the role of ABE in increasing health literacy in low literate and/or limited English populations through partnership with community health organizations (CHOs).Implementation:This article was developed through a collaborative thought process over a period of 8 months with experts from the field of ABE in development of health literacy within low literate and/or limited English populations. It describes the research that links low literacy and/or limited English with poor health, and introduces how ABE and CHOs have addressed these issues together. It also introduces research on the impact on learners of integrating health into ABE.Results:ABE learners have consistently shown a strong interest in learning about health for themselves and their families, and health content energizes ABE instruction. Learners report improvements of basic health knowledge, their confidence communicating with health care professionals, enhanced self-efficacy, and intention to make changes in such health behaviors as diet and tracking blood pressure. Partnerships between ABE programs and their local CHOs strengthen the teaching/learning process and can be mutually beneficial. ABE provides access to hard-to-reach populations, a safe learning environment, and teaching expertise. CHOs provide health expertise, preventive health screenings, and access to treatments.Lessons Learned:The link between low literacy and poor health is no longer disputed. ABE programs and many CHOs share a common mission and commitment to serving vulnerable populations. Stronger partnerships between these organizations should be viewed as a viable strategy for addressing health disparities. A coordinated effort of community health centers across the nation is required to meaningfully respond to health disparities as a national social issue. [HLRP: Health Literacy Research and Practice. 2019;3(Suppl.):S1–S7.]Plain Language Summary:This article introduces ABE and the role this system plays in improving health literacy within populations with low health literacy and/or limited English populations. It details the educational services the system provides, how health content has been integrated into instruction, the impact on learners, and how partnerships between ABE programs and community health services strengthen the work.

The Impact and Outcomes of Integrating Health Literacy Education Into Adult Basic Education Programs in Boston.

Background:Adult basic education (ABE) is the national system that offers educational services in English language development, reading, writing, math, technology, and communications to adults with low literacy, limited English, or both. These services range from basic levels to high school equivalency, with specialty programs in transition to community colleges and family literacy.Objective:This study sought to analyze the role of ABE in increasing health literacy among low literate and limited English populations and to identify effective models for teaching and learning about health in this setting.Methods:During a 2-year period, 90 students from three ABE programs in Boston participated in health literacy classes focused on healthy eating and received prevention screening services through local public health organizations. The majority of students classified themselves as Black, African American, or Latino. Participants ranged in age from 18 to 35 years; 64% of the participants were women. The three research sites were located in the Roxbury neighborhood of Boston, where health disparities and poverty rates are disproportionately high. During the study period, researchers conducted semi-structured interviews with teachers (N = 12) from each of the participating classrooms to gather information about the students in their health classes. Researchers also conducted semi-structured interviews and focus groups (N = 9) with students at each site during the study period to examine how they described changes in their knowledge, attitudes, and actions regarding health. Researchers also conducted ethnographic field research by observing health classes at each site, which was supplemented by collecting teachers' lesson plans as well as materials produced by learners.Key Results:ABE programs are a good setting for adults with limited literacy or limited English to increase their health literacy. The programs, which provide steady learning environments over time with staff skilled in adult learning, allow students to engage with health information in the context of their everyday lives, thereby increasing the likelihood of healthier practices.Conclusions:ABE programs play a vital role in developing health literacy among low literacy populations and are part of the solution for addressing health disparities. [HLRP: Health Literacy Research and Practice. 2019;3(Suppl.):S25–S32.]Plain Language Summary:This article describes the role that adult basic education plays in improving health literacy among low-literate and limited English populations. The impact and outcomes of learning about health were investigated for 90 adults in three programs in Boston where health disparity is high. The impact of different teaching/learning models also was compared.

Fighting adult illiteracy with the help of the environmental print material.

Adult illiteracy is a major problem worldwide especially in developing countries. Adult Basic Education (ABE) programs working in this context are not very effective due to lack of motivation for the people who are not literate. The reason is inadequate learning content and content delivery methods. This situation calls for developing novel learning content and a learner-directed content delivery approach. This paper presents an exploratory study investigating the use of the Environmental Print Material (EPM) as learning content for the non-literate population of Pakistan. The EPM content is presented to the adult non-literate population in two ethnographic studies. The most frequently recognized content is selected and utilized as learning content in a Computer Assisted Learning (CAL) application. An empirical study is conducted upon two groups with 107 participants to compare the EPM-based learning content with Traditional Learning Content (TLC). As many as 54 participants participated in the experimental group (presented with EPM-based learning content), whereas 53 participants took part in the control group (presented with TLC content). The results reveal that the experimental group performed significantly better compared to the control group in recognition, pronunciation, and recall of the presented content. The meta-analysis of the results shows a large effect size of (1.05) with confidence interval in the range (0.798–1.315). The results claim that the EPM has potential to be considered as learning content in the ABE programs.

We Are What We Do: Adult Basic Education Should Be About More Than Employability

AbstractIn this commentary, the authors review one area of federal policy, adult basic education policy, since its inception in the 1960s as an example of how educational policy can drift from its broad purpose as it responds to political, social, and economic forces. The authors argue that its current narrow focus on workforce development underestimates the challenges of improving employment and earnings outcomes. More important, it undercuts the value and benefits of skill gains that can accrue before participants are able to attain jobs that can improve their economic outlook. Analysis of adult skill assessments indicate that even small skill increases can have a significant impact on other important social outcomes. Thus, the authors call for broadening the goal of federal adult basic education programs from primarily workforce development to helping participants more effectively fulfill a range of adult roles and responsibilities.

Developing Verbal Health Literacy with Adult Learners Through Training in Shared Decision-Making.

Background:Health literacy skills are often assessed in relation to written health materials; however, many important communications are in other formats, especially verbal communication with health care providers.Objective:This qualitative study sought to examine adult learners' experiences of developing verbal health literacy skills within an Australian adult basic education program, and to explore verbal communication and shared decision-making as a constituent domain of health literacy.Methods:We conducted a semi-structured qualitative interview study between September and November 2014 with adult learners who had participated in a single-semester health literacy program that included an integrated shared decision-making component. We analyzed interviews using the Framework method; a matrix-based approach to thematic analysis. A hybrid process of inductive and deductive coding was used to interpret raw data.Key Results:Interviewees were 22 students from six health literacy classes and ranged in age from 18 to 74 years (mean, 48.3). The majority were women (n = 15) and born outside Australia (n = 13). Health literacy was generally limited according to the Newest Vital Sign screening tool (n = 17). The health literacy program appeared to serve two key functions. First, it stimulated awareness that patients have the right to participate in decision-making concerning their treatment and care. Second, it facilitated verbal skill development across the domains of functional (e.g., communicating symptoms), communicative (e.g., asking questions to extract information about treatment options), and critical (e.g., integrating new knowledge with preferences) health literacy.Conclusions:Our findings support the conceptualization of health literacy as a modifiable health asset that is subject to change and improvement as a result of deliberate intervention. Results reinforce verbal health literacy as an important component of health literacy, and draw attention to the hierarchy of verbal skills needed for consumers to become more actively involved in decisions about their health. We present a revised model of health literacy based on our findings. [Health Literacy Research and Practice. 2017;1(4):e257–e268.]Plain Language Summary:We developed a health literacy program for adults with lower literacy to help learners develop skills to talk to health care providers and share health decisions. The program was taught in Australian adult education settings. The article explores the range of health literacy skills needed for communication and decision-making in this study, and presents a model in which verbal skills are an important part of health literacy.

Passed to Fail? Predicting the College Enrollment of GED® Passers

Utilizing a data set of over 900,000 enrollees in adult basic education programs in New York State between 2005 and 2013, we examine the college enrollment of GED® passers. Upon enrollment in an adult basic education program, participants were asked whether they wanted to attend college after completion; almost 13,000 students both indicated a desire to attend college and subsequently passed the GED exam. Roughly half of these students reported attending college within 12 months. We use logistic regression to predict which students attended college based on a number of demographic variables and proximity to a community college. Counter to prior research, we find that none of these variables are practically significant predictors of college attendance. Students of different races who are and are not employed, receiving public assistance, single parents, and living close to a community college (among other factors) are virtually equally likely to attend college. We discuss other possible explanations and recommend that future research examine noncognitive and other factors.

An investigation of perceptions of programme quality support of adult basic education programmes

This study was designed to identify the degree to which the directors of adult basic education programs perceive they have program quality support, as evidenced by a well-defined mission and role in the community, a management system, human resources management, and a suitable learning environment. NSCALL’s Evidence-based program self-assessment (2006) was modified and administered electronically to administrators of adult education programs in a mid-southern state. Findings indicated that most directors perceive they are implementing the indicators of program quality support in all of the areas surveyed. A research-based annual self-study that considers the quality indicators is recommended, leaving a need for an update to the NCSALL assessment for use as a program assessment instrument.

Challenges and Solutions to Assisting Older Adults in Completing the GED

The purpose of this study was to investigate the challenges and solutions encountered by Adult Basic Education (ABE) programs currently serving older adults seeking a GED credential in states where this is the only high school equivalency option available. The following questions guided this research: (1) what are the perceived characteristics and needs of older students seeking a high school equivalency diploma?; (2) how do GED programs promote the success of their older students?; and (3) what are the future service and planning needs of these GED programs with regard to this population? To address these questions, a series of 55 one-on-one, semi-structured interviews with experts across 32 GED-only states was carried out. Findings revealed a consistent, shared experience in terms of overall attitudes and challenges among these experts, as well as a variety of innovative practices and recommendations for assisting older learners.