Illiterate Adults Research Articles

Illiteracy and risk of mild cognitive impairment among Mexican older adults: Data from the Mexican Health and Aging Study (MHAS)

AbstractBackgroundMild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a diagnostic entity associated with increased risk of incident dementia. Prior epidemiological studies have associated illiteracy and low to no formal education with increased prevalence of MCI and dementia. A recent study using a robust neuropsychological approach with the harmonized cognitive assessment ancillary study (Mex‐Cog) of the Mexican Health and Aging Study (MHAS) found that low education as well as older age, depression, diabetes, and rurality were independently associated with MCI among older adults. Rates of illiteracy are relatively high among older adults in Mexico, due to limited access to formal education, but some people attained literacy despite not attending school. To assess the unique contribution of literacy to MCI independent of educational achievement in a Mexican population, we evaluated literate and illiterate older adults with no formal schooling.MethodAnalyses included a sample of literate and illiterate non‐demented adults over the age of 55 living in both urban and rural areas of Mexico who reported that they never attended school (N = 231). MCI diagnosis was assigned based on a comprehensive cognitive assessment for domains of memory, executive functioning, language, and visuospatial ability. Cognitive impairment was defined using a robust norms approach and a 1.5‐SD cut‐off per cognitive domain correcting for age, years of education, and sex. Multinomial logistic regressions evaluated the association of self‐reported literacy, age, and sex with risk of MCI. We then evaluated whether the relationship between literacy and MCI remained after controlling for sociodemographic and health factors.ResultIlliteracy was associated with increased risk of MCI (OR=6.05 [3.33, 11.34]) compared to literate participants. The relationship between literacy and risk of MCI persisted after taking into account depression, rurality, hypertension, and diabetes.ConclusionWe found that illiteracy was independently associated with higher risk of prevalent MCI. Our findings suggest that independent of formal education, attainment of literacy has a long‐lasting impact on brain health at older ages. Future studies in low socioeconomic populations should consider functional literacy as a powerful predictor of cognitive function in old age.

Can a combination of two neuropsychological tests screen for mild neurocognitive disorder better than each test alone? A cross-sectional study

BackgroundEarly symptoms of dementia may not be apparent and are sometimes even concealed during short office visits initiated for other complaints. The aim of the study is to find out if the combined use of VF/CDT, VF/BNT, or CDT/BNT could improve the accuracy of detecting mild NCD in an outpatient setting, compared with either test used alone.ParticipantsCommunity-dwelling older adults, attending the outpatient Geriatrics Clinic at Ain Shams University hospitals between June 1, 2017 and January 31, 2018. All participants received a comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) which included the mini-mental state examination test. Participants with a score of less than 24 and fulfil DSM5 criteria for mild neurocognitive disorder (NCD) are considered cognitively impaired otherwise are considered normal. Then participants were further examined by the Arabic versions of CDT, BNT, and VF animal category.ResultsWe recruited 143 male and female participants mean age 67.17 ± 5.41, females are 56.6%, and 48.9% of all participants have mild NCD according to DSM5 criteria. AUC for individual neurocognitive tests in illiterates is 0.893 for clock drawing test, 0.907 for verbal fluency animal category, and 0.904 for Boston naming test, while AUC for neurocognitive test combinations in illiterates is 0.932 for VF + CDT, 0.917 for VF + BNT, and 0.932 for BNT + CDT. On the other hand, AUC for individual neurocognitive tests in educated participants is 0.925 for clock drawing test, 0.921 for verbal fluency animal category, and 0.907 for Boston naming test, whereas AUC for neurocognitive test combinations in educated participants is 0.958 for VF + CDT, 0.963 for VF + BNT, and 0.953 for BNT + CDT.ConclusionFrom the current study, we can conclude that any of the studied combinations have better diagnostic accuracy (although small) than individual test in both literate and illiterate older adults.

Developing an Understanding of Science

Young children are adept at several types of scientific reasoning, yet older children and adults have difficulty mastering formal scientific ideas and practices. Why do “little scientists” often become scientifically illiterate adults? We address this question by examining the role of intuition in learning science, both as a body of knowledge and as a method of inquiry. Intuition supports children's understanding of everyday phenomena but conflicts with their ability to learn physical and biological concepts that defy firsthand observation, such as molecules, forces, genes, and germs. Likewise, intuition supports children's causal learning but provides little guidance on how to navigate higher-order constraints on scientific induction, such as the control of variables or the coordination of theory and data. We characterize the foundations of children's intuitive understanding of the natural world, as well as the conceptual scaffolds needed to bridge these intuitions with formal science.

“Eu, quando era pequeno, gostava da escola… de comer na cantina”: perspetiva(s) dos adultos sobre a organização escolar

A educação e formação de adultos não se restringe, hoje, a práticas educativas que se definem por relação a um qualquer sistema escolar (ou profissional). Ainda assim, e sendo a aprendizagem transversal às várias dimensões da vida humana e passível de acontecer em distintos contextos sociais, é legítimo que se questionem, por via de um inquérito, 32 adultos analfabetos ou com baixos índices de literacia sobre a perspectiva que perfilham quanto à organização escolar. Porque alguns deles experienciaram essa realidade e precocemente a abandonaram, porque outros têm familiares mais novos a frequentarem a escola, porque todos vivem num espaço/tempo onde tal instituição detém um papel de realce para cada um e para a comunidade. Além disso, com recurso à associação de palavras ou a respostas relativamente breves a partir de questões específicas, torna-se possível ler as representações construídas face ao assunto em discussão –o significado e importância da escola–, por indivíduos com idades compreendidas entre os 28 e os 69 anos, assumindo que as suas dificuldades de literacia serão mais um problema social do que uma deficiência individual.

Applicability of SPMSQ in illiterate outpatients in clinics: The validity and reliability of the Short Portable Mental Status Questionnaire

Objectives The Short Portable Mental Status Questionnaire is a brief cognitive tool designed to screen cognitive impairment in geriatric inpatients and outpatients. The validity and reliability of this tool have not been studied in Iran so far. Therefore, this study was conducted to assess the diagnostic properties of the SPMSQ for detection of cognitive disorders in elderly and determine an appropriate cutoff point based on respondents’ level of education. Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted through face to face interviews on a sample of 156 patients (≥60 years) referred to neurology and geriatric clinics of Ziaiyan hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences. Regarding the type of cognitive impairment, Participants were divided into two groups; those with cognitive disorders (n = 96) and healthy (n = 60). The level of literacy was also considered in each of the groups. Results The Cronbach's alpha coefficient for the SPMSQ was 0.88. In terms of the concurrent validity, a correlation coefficient between SPMSQ and GDS was higher in the literate group compared to the illiterate patients, while in the illiterate group, the SPMSQ had a higher correlation with AMT compared to the other tools. Based on DSM-5, the cutoff point of SPMSQ was 4 in the illiterate elderly patients and the sensitivity and specificity of the tool were at 86.4 and 88.2%, respectively. However, in the literate patients, the cutoff point was 3 and the sensitivity and specificity were 83 and 93.7%, respectively. Also, two components, namely orientation and long-term memory/concentration were determined for the SPMSQ using the factor analysis. Conclusion The Iranian version of SPMSQ has a favorable validity and reliability for diagnosing cognitive disorders and can be used for cognitive screening of illiterate older adults.

"O ETA em marcha”:

O texto analisa as relações entre os Estados Unidos da América e o governo brasileiro, firmadas a partir de Acordos de Cooperação Técnica, especialmente no tocante à educação rural. Sob essa ótica mais ampla, enfatiza-se o estudo da mais duradoura instituição brasileiro-americana estabelecida no país: o Escritório Técnico de Agricultura Brasileiro-Americano, criado no Rio de Janeiro em 1953. Por meio da análise de documentos produzidos por ambos os governos, procura-se demonstrar as estratégias de penetração da influência estadunidense na educação rural, em particular seu processo de ressignificação, de uma dimensão escolar voltada a crianças e jovens para outra destinada a qualificar, pelo e para o trabalho, o adulto rural analfabeto.

Effectiveness of the "Mente Sana [Healthy Mind]" Cognitive Training Program for Older Illiterate Adults with Mild Cognitive Impairment.

Aging can lead to functional and cognitive alterations, sometimes limiting older adults in their social development, especially illiterate groups of older adults who receive poor attention from healthcare systems. In this context, the present investigation proposes the cognitive training program “MENTE SANA [HEALTHY MIND]” to improve the cognitive functions of illiterate older adults in Arequipa (Peru). It is a type of quasi-experimental research with a pre-test/post-test design with a homogenous control group. The sample was made up of adults 60 years old and above and of female gender. The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) test was used to detect the level of cognitive decline in illiterate older adults. The 50-sessions program was applied to all the older adults with mild cognitive impairment that were selected for the study, on a daily basis. It was found that the tested group improved their cognitive functions compared to the control group. These results help to propose adapted cognitive training programs for illiterate people.

Validation of the RUDAS for the Identification of Dementia in Illiterate and Low-Educated Older Adults in Lima, Peru.

Objectives: To evaluate the performance of the Peruvian version of the Rowland Universal Dementia Assessment Scale (RUDAS-PE) in discriminating between controls and patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia in an illiterate population with low-levels of education.Methods: We compared the cognitive performance of 187 elderly subjects who were illiterate (controls n = 60; MCI n = 64; dementia n = 63). Neuropsychological measures included the RUDAS-PE, Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), INECO Frontal Screening (IFS), and Pfeffer Functional Activities Questionnaire (PFAQ). The results were compared to a neuropsychological evaluation (gold standard), including use of Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) scores.Results: We found a Cronbach's alpha was 0.65; Spearman's correlation coefficient was 0.79 (p < 0.01). The area under the receiver operating characteristics curve for the RUDAS to discriminate dementia from MCI was 98.0% with an optimal cut-off <19 (sensitivity 95%, specificity 97%); whereas, to differentiate MCI and controls was 98.0% with an optimal cut-off <23 (sensitivity 89%, specificity 93%).Conclusions: Based on its excellent psychometric properties, we find the RUDAS-PE suitable to aid in the opportune detection of dementia in a geriatric illiterate population with low-levels of education.

Cartillas de alfabetización en tiempos de guerra, España (1937) y México (1944)

Resumen&#x0D; En la mayoría de los países de Iberoamérica en la primera mitad del siglo XX, el analfabetismo seguía siendo un problema social y educativo que involucraba a millones de hombres y mujeres adultos en la región. Ante esta situación, se implementaron amplias campañas de alfabetización, con la elaboración de materiales didácticos pensados en los adultos analfabetos. En el artículo se examinan dos cartillas diseñadas en contextos bélicos: la Cartilla Nacional Antifascista de la Republica Española y la Cartilla Nacional de 1944 de México.&#x0D;

Studies in the mentality of literates: 2. Conceptual structure, cognitive inhibition and verbal regulation of behavior

We studied cognitive inhibitory processes and verbal regulation of behavior of individuals with different levels of education (including adult illiterates) in Brazil (N = 136) and in Estonia (N = 560) with person-oriented methods of data analysis. Our aim was to discover whether dominant type of word meaning structure (WMS) can define the "Great Divide", the single breaking point that universally defines certain direction of subsequent to it cultural evolution. We found that both cognitive inhibition of irrelevant for the task at hand information or actions as well as correct activation of relevant information or actions is significantly more common in individuals who rely predominantly on logical concepts in their thinking. The higher level of education was also associated with more efficient cognitive inhibition and activation. The patterns of test performance also suggest that there can be a qualitative difference in the efficiency of cognitive inhibition-activation processes between everyday conceptual and logical conceptual thinkers. The former group of individuals may achieve much higher performance levels than any individual in the former group. We also discuss cognitive similarities and differences between adults with low or no formal education on the one hand and children and educated adults with brain damage on the other. The results are in agreement with the theory of unilineal hierarchic cultural evolution. Individual psychic development and cultural evolution can be both understood in terms of the WMS development.

Illiterate Adults May Have Three Times the Risk of Developing Dementia

Illiterate Adults May Have Three Times the Risk of Developing Dementia

Abstract TP168: Efficacy of a Pictogram to Promote Stroke Knowledge Among Illiterate Korean Elderly

Background and Purpose: Extensive research supports the importance of knowledge in stroke prevention and reducing prehospital delay time. However, the level of stroke knowledge among Korean older adults remains low. In particular, older adults who are illiterate lack of stroke information despite being at high risk. The purpose of this study was to develop and examine the efficacy of a pictogram to enhance stroke knowledge in the high-risk and illiterate older adults. Methods: We conducted a pretest-posttest nonequivalent control group design study and compared differences in stroke knowledge before and after the intervention. A total of 117 older adults (82 in the intervention group and 35 in the control group) who were 60 years and older residing in community participated in the study. Participants in the intervention group received a pictogram-based education, while participants in the control group received a powerpoint-based education. Stroke knowledge was measured by structured survey questionnaires. Descriptive statistics for sample characteristics, repeated measure ANOVA for the efficacy, and independent t-test for satisfaction comparison between groups were used. Results: The intervention group showed a higher increase in stroke knowledge (F=16.45), awareness of risk factors (F=15.71), stroke warning signs and symptoms (F=17.29), and action at stroke (F=19.36) compared to the control group at p &lt;.001. Also, the intervention group reported that they would recommend the education program to others (t=2.64, p&lt;.05) and the program was applicable to real situation (t=4.47, p &lt;.001), which were scored higher than the control group. Conclusions: The data revealed that a pictogram-based education is more effective than a powerpoint-based education among illiterate older adults. Replicated studies with this pictogram in a larger randomized controlled trial is warranted, which may give greater validity to our findings. Future longitudinal research is recommended to examine retention of stroke knowledge over the long term.

Advocacy for Multiculturalism and Immigrants' Rights: The Effect of U. S. Immigration Legislation on American Public Libraries: 1876-2020

The American Library Association (ALA), founded in 1876, demonstrated its advocacy for immigrants' rights and multiculturalism in adult library services, from 1918 to 1948 in the Committee on Work with the Foreign Born (CWFB), which served as a clearinghouse for Americanization (assimilation) services within a philosophical framework of cultural pluralism, now known as multiculturalism. The ALA CWFB throughout its existence depended on grants from the Carnegie Corporation from 1911 to 1961 through the American Association for Adult Education (1915-41), and the Ford Foundation, through its Fund for Adult Education (1951-61). Beginning in 1956 with the Library Services Act, the federal government began to fund libraries, including programs for immigrants, African Americans, Native Americans, and adult illiterates. Since 1972, the Reference &amp; User Services Association (RUSA) has provided literacy training for foreign- and native-born adult illiterates; and the Public Library Association (PLA) has supported programs to prepare New Americans for citizenship. Since 1983, the ALA Ethnic and Multicultural Information Exchange Round Table (EMIERT) has encouraged access to multicultural publications and collaborates with ALA affiliates for various ethnic and minority groups. The ALA advocates for the rights of DACA recipients and supports the need for a DREAMER (Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors) Act.

Studies in the Mentality of Literates: 1. Conceptual Structure and Aspects of Visual Perception.

We studied visual-perceptual abilities of individuals with different levels of education (including adult illiterates) in Brazil (N = 136) and in Estonia (N = 560) with person-oriented methods of data analysis. Our aim was to discover whether dominant type of word meaning structure (WMS) can define the "Great Divide", the single breaking point that universally defines certain direction of subsequent to it cultural evolution. We particularly focused on the everyday concept-logical concept shift that takes place in the formal education system. We found that logical concepts were rarely available for illiterates; availability of logical conceptual thought increases together with the level of education. Most illiterates were able to find figures of concrete objects from complex overlapping and embedded contour figures but none of them could find all abstract figures from the same complex figures. Also none of the illiterates could perform beyond chance level in both mental rotation tasks together. Ability to perform correctly on all visual-spatial tasks increased with the increase in logical concepts and with the increasing level of education. The distribution of respondents according to the WMS level, level of education, and performance on the visual-spatial tasks indicated that individuals are developmentally heterogeneous: achievement of the tertiary level of education and logical conceptual thinking mechanisms does not guarantee high level performance on the visual-spatial tasks. The results are in agreement with the theory of unilineal hierarchic cultural evolution. Individual psychic development and cultural evolution can be both understood in terms of the WMS development.

The characteristics of face configural effect in illiterates and literates

Literacy acquisition can modulate the way we process visual words and language. However, little is known about its function in reshaping how we process non-linguistic materials, like faces. In this study, we explored this question by comparing the facial recognition skills of illiterate and literate adults in China. Our results showed that illiterates were less sensitive to changes in spatial configuration among key features in upright faces when stimuli were presented simultaneously. The differences in sensitivity of spatial configuration between the literates and illiterates were also observed in house processing. These results thus provide evidence that literacy acquisition during childhood could reshape configural processing.

The Influence of Orthography on Phonemic Knowledge: An Experimental Investigation on German and Persian

This study investigated whether the phonological representation of a word is modulated by its orthographic representation in case of a mismatch between the two representations. Such a mismatch is found in Persian, where short vowels are represented phonemically but not orthographically. Persian adult literates, Persian adult illiterates, and German adult literates were presented with two auditory tasks, an AX-discrimination task and a reversal task. We assumed that if orthographic representations influence phonological representations, Persian literates should perform worse than Persian illiterates or German literates on items with short vowels in these tasks. The results of the discrimination tasks showed that Persian literates and illiterates as well as German literates were approximately equally competent in discriminating short vowels in Persian words and pseudowords. Persian literates did not well discriminate German words containing phonemes that differed only in vowel length. German literates performed relatively poorly in discriminating German homographic words that differed only in vowel length. Persian illiterates were unable to perform the reversal task in Persian. The results of the other two participant groups in the reversal task showed the predicted poorer performance of Persian literates on Persian items containing short vowels compared to items containing long vowels only. German literates did not show this effect in German. Our results suggest two distinct effects of orthography on phonemic representations: whereas the lack of orthographic representations seems to affect phonemic awareness, homography seems to affect the discriminability of phonemic representations.

МЕТОДИ НАВЧАННЯ ФУНКЦІОНАЛЬНОЇ ГРАМОТНОСТІ ДОРОСЛИХ У БЕЛЬГІЇ

The article considers some concepts of adult education in modern Belgium being one of European economically developed countries and, therefore, representing problems typical to most of them. The problem of functional illiteracy is more complex and harmful than illiteracy itself, since it can be less evident and less identifiable in modern world. Functionally illiterate adults are able to read, write and count, but they cannot apply their knowledge to solving the problems of their everyday life. This phenomenon is the feature of modern democratic societies where attending schools and acquiring secondary education is no more rigorous and spreads widely due to globalization opening boundaries between countries and continents.Teaching functional literacy to adults requires techniques different from those used in the school environment. Firstly, adult learn more slowly and only when they are motivated and ensured that their knowledge could be of great practical value. Secondly, they remember their negative school experience, so teaching adults should be based on different principles than in school. It should use integrated syllabi which unite various skills and approaches in one lesson. Moreover, they can be changed according to the needs of adult learners after discussing them with teachers. Adults should be taught in small groups in the atmosphere of tolerance since the groups can be multinational.The research has revealed that there are three methods of teaching functional literacy to adults in Belgium. They are analytical approach, global structural approach and reading approach which can be combined if necessary. All of them are directed towards developing skills particularly related to everyday life needs of participants. Since functional illiteracy tends to spread all over the world, it is necessary to eliminate the threat of its appearance in Ukraine, but if it occurs, the Belgian experience will help to lessen its influence on Ukrainian society.

La Junta Nacional contra el analfabetismo (1950-1970): un análisis documental

El 10 de marzo de 1950 se creaba por decreto la Junta Nacional contra el Analfabetismo cuyo objetivo era reducir la tasa de analfabetos entre la población adulta española a través de una red de juntas provinciales, municipales y locales. El objetivo de este estudio es reconstruir la trayectoria acometida por esta institución durante la década de los cincuenta y sesenta a partir de los documentos publicados en el Boletín Oficial del Estado que hacen mención a la misma.Encontramos dos momentos claves durante la vigencia de la Junta Nacional. El primero de creación y desarrollo de 1950 a 1963 y un segundo momento definido por la Campaña Nacional contra el Analfabetismo iniciada en 1963 para cuatro cursos escolares. Los esfuerzos de este organismo junto a los realizados por otras instituciones redujeron la tasa de analfabetos adultos de un 17% en 1950 a un 9% existente al inicio de 1970. On the tenth of March in 1950 The National Committee Against Illiteracy was created by decree with a view to reducing the illiteracy rate among the Spanish adult population. The aim of this study is to reconstruct, from the documents published in the National State Journal, the process followed by this institution during the 1950s and 1960s. We found two keys moments during the enforcement of the National Committee: a period of creation and development from 1950 to 1963 and the activation in 1963 of the National Campaign Against Illiteracy which lasted for four school years. The efforts of this organization along with those by other institutions reduced the rate of illiterate adults from 17% in 1950 to 9% at the beginning of 1970.

W oczekiwaniu na niepodległość. Stanowisko lubelskiej „Szkoły Polskiej” (1916-1918) wobec edukacji narodowej

This work reconstructs opinions concerning national education in independent Poland presented in 1916-1918 in the magazine titled Szkoła Polska (Polish School) – a body of a local division of Stowarzyszenie Nauczycielstwa Polskiego (Polish Teachers’ Association) in Lublin. The main goal of education was understood as instilling patriotism in the young generation of Poles based on their own most valuable achievements rather than on remembrance of injuries and persecution suffered at the hands of the enemy. It was believed that the memory of the past should be cherished, yet it could not dominate the present and the future. It was demanded that 7-year obligatory elementary schools should be established as well as 4-year secondary schools and 3-4-year occupational schools. What was deemed important was the need to involve illiterate adults in mandatory schooling and to provide additional education to graduates. It was maintained that the reborn Polish education system should be open to the latest pedagogical trends and, most of all, it should replace verbalism and teaching from books with teaching through experience. It was the teachers that were supposed to guarantee good education of children and teenagers, as they were active, creative, independent, had requisite professional qualifications, and were willing to self-educate.

Assessment of neurocognitive function in illiterate patients of high-grade glioma treated with chemoradiation.

e13543 Background: Although the role of chemo-radiation (CRT) in gliomas has been studied extensively, its effects on neurocognitive function (NCF) remain elusive. Assessment of NCF in illiterate patients is a challenge. Methods: Illiterate adults with histopathologically proven high grade gliomas planned for CRT following maximal safe resection were included. Temozolomide based CRT using standard protocols was planned. Neurocognitive function was assessed using the Addenbrooke’s Cognitive Examination (ACE-III) questionnaire prior to the start of CRT and at 3 and 6 months post RT. The subventricular zones (SVZ) and hippocampus were contoured using standard guidelines. The NCF scores were compared using the paired t test. Results: 32 patients were recruited. The median age was 40 years. M:F ratio was 1:1.16. IMRT to a dose 60 Gy with concurrent and adjuvant temozolomide was planned. Overall there was no significant difference in scores at 3 months and a significant decline in visuospatial scores at 6 months (p &lt; 0.001). Mean doses to the ipsilateral and contralateral SVZ were 49.5 Gy and 35 Gy respectively. Based on mean ipsilateral SVZ dose, patients were divided into: Group I &lt; 50 Gy (n = 18), group II ≥ 50 Gy (n = 14). At 3 months there was significant improvement in scores in Group I whereas a decline in scores in Group II. At 3 months, memory (18.73 vs 21.93; p = 0.021) and fluency (10.20 vs 11.67; p = 0.042) showed improvement in group I patients. In group II there was decline in visuospatial scores (14.41 vs 13.71; p = 0.016) at 3 months. At six months, there was improvement in memory (17.94 vs 22.94; p = 0.002), attention (14.78 vs 16.39; p = 0.031), fluency (10.11 vs 11.67; p = 0.018) and total ACE scores (80.83 vs 89.94; p = 0.008) in group 1 patients and a significant decline in visuospatial function, attention, memory and language scores in group II patients. Higher contralateral SVZ doses (&gt; 35 Gy) correlated with a significant decline in visuospatial scores at 3 and 6 months. Lower mean dose to ipsilateral hippocampus (&lt; 40 Gy) correlated significantly with improved memory scores. Doses to contralateral hippocampus did not correlate with scores. Conclusions: The Addenbrooke’s Cognitive Examination (ACE-III) questionnaire can be used to assess NCF in patients with gliomas including illiterate patients. Lower mean doses to the ipsilateral and contralateral SVZ and hippocampus resulted in improvement/preservation of memory, attention and fluency whereas higher doses were associated with a decline in scores.