Functional Literacy Program Research Articles

Functional Adult Literacy and Empowerment of Women: Impact of a Functional Literacy Program in Turkey

This study addresses the impact of functional adult literacy on the empowerment of women in the absence of formal schooling. It examines whether the effects of functional literacy are exclusively content specific or whether there are gains going beyond the obvious benefits and extending to other spheres of everyday functioning, such as self‐concept, family relations, and social participation. The participants of a development intervention program implemented in Turkey, the Functional Adult Literacy Program, were studied for changes beyond specific gains in literacy. Study 1 took the form of a pretest/posttest design that examined women's self‐concept, family dynamics, social participation, and self‐efficacy before and after the intervention program. It involved a survey measuring the effects of a literacy program on women's self‐concept, social participation, and family dynamics and an experimental module assessing the impact of literacy on comprehension of television news. Study 2, conducted a year after participants had concluded the program, examined the stability of the gains and possible employment outcomes. Results indicate that the program contributed to women's social integration, positive self‐concept, and family cohesion. There were also cognitive gains. Sustained benefits were observed over time, though no change was found in possible employment outcomes.

Through a gender lens: explaining North‐Eastern Thai women’s participation in adult literacy education

This ethnographic study employs a gender perspective to understand the motivations of eight women literacy learners participating in a village‐based functional literacy programme in rural North‐eastern Thailand. Field research took place over six months of periodic residence in a North‐eastern Thai village, and involved participant observation, individual interviews and informal focus groups. An analysis of the women’s reproductive, productive and community roles, and their practical and strategic gender needs (Moser 1993) is used to frame findings on the women’s participation in the literacy programme. In brief, although the women valued educational programmes that reduced the burden of their reproductive labour, offered income‐generating opportunities in their productive roles and supported their leadership roles in the community, the village literacy programme had limited effect in addressing these practical gender needs. However, because a patriarchal ideology and Buddhist institutions had denied the women access to schooling as children, they now saw the literacy programme as both a symbolic return to school and a collective women’s space to advocate for more desirable adult educational programmes. In these ways, the programme addressed their strategic gender needs. The study argues that a gender lens is critical in explaining women’s participation in literacy programmes and in designing literacy education for development.

Development and evaluation of an adult literacy program in Turkey

In this paper, we discuss the Functional Adult Literacy Program (FALP) that we have developed in Turkey. FALP, which is taught by volunteer instructors, focuses on individuals who have had very little or no schooling. The two evaluation studies of the first three cohorts of the program indicate that FALP is significantly more effective than the existing programs in developing word recognition and reading comprehension. However, the longevity of the gains depended on the initial levels of the participants and the extent of literacy use after the course was over. On the basis of the evaluation data and our observations, we discuss the implications for adult literacy programs in general.

A Review of Non‐formal Environmental Education in Uganda

Summary Non‐formal environmental education and training in Uganda is reviewed and a new approach proposed. Contemporary environmental education has been characterised by a top‐to‐bottom approach, which has resulted in a dependence syndrome. It has not allowed for better perception and conceptualization of the ideas learned by the people. It has less emphasis on the roles of social change, economics and politics in environmental crisis. The new approach emphasises the adoption of multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary, people‐centred and participatory programmes in environmental concerns. It should embrace the diversity of the biophysical, social and economic environments and be closely associated with permanent, developmental and functional literacy programmes. Special emphasis should be given to youth, women and policy makers. The five basic functions for participation, which are identification, out‐reach, dialogue, assimilation and feed‐back, are discussed.

Literacy Programming for Jail Inmates: Reflections and Recommendations from One Program

This article presents discussions of the successes and encountered obstacles of one inmate functional literacy program for jail inmates operating in Jefferson County, Kentucky, in which the city of Louisville is located. Discussion focuses on identifying important structural, organizational, and personnel issues involved in planning, developing, and initiating such a program. Based on the author's experiences in both planning and evaluating the 1st year of operation of such a program in private local correctional facilities, suggestions and recommendations are offered to assist others in all early stages of such efforts.

The case for non‐formal vocational education for out‐of‐school youths in rural Malawi

Malawi's literacy rate for people aged 15 years and above is estimated at 48,3 percent. The high level of illiteracy impedes the exchange of information and so also socio‐economic development. The government of Malawi launched the functional literacy programme so that those without formal education could achieve numeracy and literacy and also education for socio‐economic development. The programme has failed to attract the youth, whose major concern is getting a job or self‐employment that would enable them to earn a cash income. It is argued here that literacy education should feed into apprenticeship training and that this would help to alleviate poverty in the country.

A Comparative Survey of Seven Adult Functional Literacy Programs in Sub-Saharan Africa

Describes the adult literacy campaigns of seven Sub-Saharan African nations. Using a comparative approach, the author analyzes the development implementation of programs, methods and materials, and discusses the strengths and weaknesses of each program.

Planning functional literacy programmes in the Caribbean

Planning functional literacy programmes in the Caribbean

Evaluation of the Functional Literacy Programme of ICDS Scheme

Evaluation of the Functional Literacy Programme of ICDS Scheme

The philosophy and services of non-formal education in Thailand

This paper begins as an historical outline of non-formal education in Thailand, from its inception as the Adult Education Division in 1940 to the present day. The philosophy and curricula of adult and non-formal education are examined, particularly in terms of the overall concept of ‘khit-pen’. The paper gives an overview of activities currently on offer by the Non-Formal Education Department and other involved agencies. There are programs designed to provide basic knowledge and skills, in particular General Adult Education and Functional Literacy Programs; there are programs designed to provide training in vocational and occupational skills; and there are programs designed to provide relevant knowledge and up-to-date information. An attempt is made to view these developments in terms of their relationship with the formal school system, and the paper concludes with some thoughts on future plans and initiatives.

Non‐Formal Education in India: dilemmas and initiatives

In 1974 the Government of India Ministry of Education and Social Welfare issued a booklet, Main Schemes of Non-Formal Education in the Fifth Five- Year Plan, the aim of which was to define the direction and thrust of a new policy agreed upon by the Central Advisory Board of Education in November 1974 [1]. This policy aimed at modifying and supplementing the school system by developing functional literacy programmes and by providing educational facilities for young persons in two age-groups, 6-14 and 15-25 years, who had dropped out of the school system. India's high rate of school pupil wastage needs no chronicling: official figures for 1973-74 show that an 84-4% enrolment of total population in standards 1 to 5 drops to 36% for standards 6 to 8 [2], and recent authorities suggest that official school population figures are optimistic sometimes by as much as 20% [3]. The government's proposals clearly aim at producing a back-up system to help the majority of pupils who have failed to work their way through the early stages of the school system. The problems of primary school inefficiency and wastage, together with the related issue of

Adult Education for Increased Agricultural Productivity in Post‐War Nigeria

Historically a poor, unindustrialized country, Nigeria since the civil war faces many problems of reconstruction and development, including the necessity of attaining a more stable economy, a high contribution of agriculture to the Gross Domestic Product, and the encouragement of literacy and more innovative approaches among the farmers. It is hoped that a work‐oriented functional literacy programme, based upon scientific farming and farm management principles, will effect attitude changes and thus enhance the likelihood of innovation, skill and the contribution of increased agricultural productivity to the national economy.