A series of studies were conducted to determine how Army personnel in Mental Category IV and in o... more A series of studies were conducted to determine how Army personnel in Mental Category IV and in other mental categories compare in their job performance and in their overall suitability for military service. Information is provided concerning the demands for reading, arithmetic, and listening skills in four major military occupational specialties. The performance of approximately 1,800 men with Army experience ranging to 20 years was measured by intensive job sample tests, job knowledge tests, and supervisor ratings. Information about background, personal characteristics, and military experiences was obtained through biographical questionnaires, a battery of published and experimental tests, and Army records. The major findings and conclusions are given in this summary report, which will be followed by several detailed reports on various research phases.
It, has been suggested that the stable phase of contact in cutaneous stimulation does not stimula... more It, has been suggested that the stable phase of contact in cutaneous stimulation does not stimulate (Kenshalo and Hafes 1962)c In testing this notion^ in the present study5, touch reaction times (RTs) were obtained while the duration of the static contact phase was varied from 50s 60* 120 to 240 mseco In additions an onset followed by a static duration which persisted until subjects (Ss) reacted was used (called the unlimited onset)o To determine whether or not summation of the onset and offset effects occurs and perhaps conceals static duration con" tributions to RTs when brief durations are used, the usual sequence of stimulation was reversed» Thus the stimulator was placed on the skin and the phases were presented in the following orders offset9 then no stimulus on the sMh# and finally/ onset o It was reasoned that this arrangement would perhaps elucidate any summa tion effects since this sequence would have both dynamic phases9 the offset and onset9 but no static contact p...
This compendium of statistical data on adult literacy assessments spanning a 75-year period is de... more This compendium of statistical data on adult literacy assessments spanning a 75-year period is designed to serve as a concise and comprehensive reference source for policymakers, practitioners, and researchers. The introduction provides a theoretical framework for interpreting the assessments described. Summarized in Part I are major military and civilian assessments of adult intelligence, aptitude, and literacy, including the following: World War I Alpha and Beta tests for illiterate persons, World War II Army General Classification Test, Armed Forces Qualification Test, Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery, Harris surveys of adults' skills in completing various government forms, PALlt Performanct* Level study, Young Adult Literacy Survey, and National Adult Literacy Survey. Part 2 summarizes studies of the assessment of adults' listening and reading skills, intergenerational transfer of literacy from adults to their children, and relationships of literacy to occupations and job performance. Part 3 has three sections: a summary of data on changes in literacy skills in adult literacy programs in California, Illinois, and New York; reading gain score data from various programs around the nation; and data on longitudinal changes in adults literacy skills as a function of participation in adult literacy programs for up to 3 years. The compendium includes 106 tables/figures. (MN)
From colonial times to the modern era the United States has provided adult literacy and basic edu... more From colonial times to the modern era the United States has provided adult literacy and basic education (ALBE) for those adults seeking better work, a better home life for themselves and their families, greater educational achievement for their children, and engagement in civic duties for community development. In the Moonlight Schools of Kentucky, illiterate country folk learned to read and write to run their farms and towns better. In the cities, immigrants learned English and their civic duties as citizens in programs of “Americanization.” By the 1960s, civil and voting rights movements helped tens of thousands of African Americans learn to read and write so they could exercise their rights of self-government through democracy. In 1966, the United States established for the first time a national Adult Education and Literacy System (AELS) formed in a partnership of the federal and 50 state governments. From serving some 50 thousand or so adults in its early years the AELS enrollme...
In 1981, John Cole, Director of the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress in the United ... more In 1981, John Cole, Director of the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress in the United States and I edited a small volume entitled The Textbook in American Society. In a chapter in that volume I called attention to the need for better understanding the textteacher-student relationship in the publisher's design of textbooks, the teacher's use of textbooks for instruction, and the influence these have on the student's reading of textbooks for learning. The present report expands upon the earlier one and includes three case studies of learning strategies that adults in job training and community college classrooms reported that they used for learning by reading.
Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the understanding of readers and their uses of texts fro... more Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the understanding of readers and their uses of texts from the writer's. The ability of a text producer to read and evaluate her or his own material and to judge its appropriateness for users will be conditioned by the understanding that the producer has of the types of tasks that readers will perform with the document. For a great many people who are asked to produce texts in their work, their major experiences with functional literacy (that is, reading for applied, in contrast to recreational, purposes) are obtained first in their elementary and secondary schooling and only later in their experiences in the world of work. The chapter discusses the school-to-work transition and the reversal of the primary reading tasks from that of reading-to-learn in high school to reading-to-do a job task in the world of work. The student's experiences with textbooks and learning in school may lead to the development of school-like, topic-oriented manuals when, in fact, workers want job-related, performance-oriented guidance.
This document has been reproduced as received from the person or organization originating it. Min... more This document has been reproduced as received from the person or organization originating it. Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction quality. Points of view or opinions stated in this document do not necessarily represent official OERI position or policy.
Studies based on two random-digit-dial samples (N = 538 and N = 632) of adults in San Diego sugge... more Studies based on two random-digit-dial samples (N = 538 and N = 632) of adults in San Diego suggest that higher levels of declarative knowledge about “mainstream” culture and politics in the United States are associated with achieving and exercising power regardless of cultural background. Statistical relationships were examined among general mainstream societal knowledge, domain-specific political knowledge, the amount of reading reported, indicators of power (including occupational status, income, voting, communicating about politics), and requisites of power (including perceptions of powerlessness, political efficacy, and political interest). Extraneous cognitive-processing variance was controlled by using simple checklists of declarative knowledge. Although causality cannot be proven, the results suggest that a person's content knowledge is related to reading and power, even when age, education, gender, ethnicity, and measures of literacy practice are controlled. Thus, knowl...
... Descriptive Note : Technical rept.,. Corporate Author : HUMAN RESOURCES RESEARCH ORGANIZATION... more ... Descriptive Note : Technical rept.,. Corporate Author : HUMAN RESOURCES RESEARCH ORGANIZATION ALEXANDRIA VA. Personal Author(s) : Vineberg,Robert ; Taylor ,Elaine N. ;Sticht,Thomas G. Report Date : NOV 1970. Pagination or Media Count : 288. ...
Policymakers sometimes opt to fund early childhood education to "stop illiteracy at the sour... more Policymakers sometimes opt to fund early childhood education to "stop illiteracy at the source " at the expense of adult literacy education funding. In Canada in 2006 the new conservative government announced cuts of CAN$17.7 million in what was already a skimpy federal budget for adult literacy education. The Headline News web page of the National Adult Literacy Database (NALD) of October 4, 2006 carried the following statement from a government official
Not long ago the thinking in the Adult Education and Literacy System (AELS) of the United States ... more Not long ago the thinking in the Adult Education and Literacy System (AELS) of the United States was that adults with literacy skills below the high school level and who lacked a high school diploma could enter into ABE (adult basic education), learn enough to work up to ASE (adult secondary education), and then study hard to get a high school diploma or General Educational Development (GED) certificate. That was the end of the education provision in the AELS. In effect, this sequence of ABE to ASE to "graduation" was meant to replicate the K-12 system of the public schools for children. In ABE the adults got primary school and middle school education (completion of the 8th grade) then in ASE they got secondary (high) school education (9th to 12th grades) and then they graduated from high school or its "equivalent " in the case of the GED. In the last few years this view of the AELS has changed. In many programs it is no longer considered sufficient for the AELS ...
In the mid-1990s nations in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development [OECD] con... more In the mid-1990s nations in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development [OECD] conducted the first International Adult Literacy Survey (IALS). Soon a new version of the IALS will soon be released. This paper reviews evidence that challenged the validity of the earlier IALS standardized performance scales including (1) the construct validity of the measurement scales, that is, the question of just what it is that the IALS scales measure, (2) the standards validity, that is, the question of “how good is good enough ” to be considered competent at whatever the scales measure, and (3) the use validity, that is, the extent to which the findings are useful for various purposes and do not produce social harm. It will be important for those interested in the new IALS to see how it has met the challenges of validity raised here.
A series of studies were conducted to determine how Army personnel in Mental Category IV and in o... more A series of studies were conducted to determine how Army personnel in Mental Category IV and in other mental categories compare in their job performance and in their overall suitability for military service. Information is provided concerning the demands for reading, arithmetic, and listening skills in four major military occupational specialties. The performance of approximately 1,800 men with Army experience ranging to 20 years was measured by intensive job sample tests, job knowledge tests, and supervisor ratings. Information about background, personal characteristics, and military experiences was obtained through biographical questionnaires, a battery of published and experimental tests, and Army records. The major findings and conclusions are given in this summary report, which will be followed by several detailed reports on various research phases.
It, has been suggested that the stable phase of contact in cutaneous stimulation does not stimula... more It, has been suggested that the stable phase of contact in cutaneous stimulation does not stimulate (Kenshalo and Hafes 1962)c In testing this notion^ in the present study5, touch reaction times (RTs) were obtained while the duration of the static contact phase was varied from 50s 60* 120 to 240 mseco In additions an onset followed by a static duration which persisted until subjects (Ss) reacted was used (called the unlimited onset)o To determine whether or not summation of the onset and offset effects occurs and perhaps conceals static duration con" tributions to RTs when brief durations are used, the usual sequence of stimulation was reversed» Thus the stimulator was placed on the skin and the phases were presented in the following orders offset9 then no stimulus on the sMh# and finally/ onset o It was reasoned that this arrangement would perhaps elucidate any summa tion effects since this sequence would have both dynamic phases9 the offset and onset9 but no static contact p...
This compendium of statistical data on adult literacy assessments spanning a 75-year period is de... more This compendium of statistical data on adult literacy assessments spanning a 75-year period is designed to serve as a concise and comprehensive reference source for policymakers, practitioners, and researchers. The introduction provides a theoretical framework for interpreting the assessments described. Summarized in Part I are major military and civilian assessments of adult intelligence, aptitude, and literacy, including the following: World War I Alpha and Beta tests for illiterate persons, World War II Army General Classification Test, Armed Forces Qualification Test, Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery, Harris surveys of adults' skills in completing various government forms, PALlt Performanct* Level study, Young Adult Literacy Survey, and National Adult Literacy Survey. Part 2 summarizes studies of the assessment of adults' listening and reading skills, intergenerational transfer of literacy from adults to their children, and relationships of literacy to occupations and job performance. Part 3 has three sections: a summary of data on changes in literacy skills in adult literacy programs in California, Illinois, and New York; reading gain score data from various programs around the nation; and data on longitudinal changes in adults literacy skills as a function of participation in adult literacy programs for up to 3 years. The compendium includes 106 tables/figures. (MN)
From colonial times to the modern era the United States has provided adult literacy and basic edu... more From colonial times to the modern era the United States has provided adult literacy and basic education (ALBE) for those adults seeking better work, a better home life for themselves and their families, greater educational achievement for their children, and engagement in civic duties for community development. In the Moonlight Schools of Kentucky, illiterate country folk learned to read and write to run their farms and towns better. In the cities, immigrants learned English and their civic duties as citizens in programs of “Americanization.” By the 1960s, civil and voting rights movements helped tens of thousands of African Americans learn to read and write so they could exercise their rights of self-government through democracy. In 1966, the United States established for the first time a national Adult Education and Literacy System (AELS) formed in a partnership of the federal and 50 state governments. From serving some 50 thousand or so adults in its early years the AELS enrollme...
In 1981, John Cole, Director of the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress in the United ... more In 1981, John Cole, Director of the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress in the United States and I edited a small volume entitled The Textbook in American Society. In a chapter in that volume I called attention to the need for better understanding the textteacher-student relationship in the publisher's design of textbooks, the teacher's use of textbooks for instruction, and the influence these have on the student's reading of textbooks for learning. The present report expands upon the earlier one and includes three case studies of learning strategies that adults in job training and community college classrooms reported that they used for learning by reading.
Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the understanding of readers and their uses of texts fro... more Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the understanding of readers and their uses of texts from the writer's. The ability of a text producer to read and evaluate her or his own material and to judge its appropriateness for users will be conditioned by the understanding that the producer has of the types of tasks that readers will perform with the document. For a great many people who are asked to produce texts in their work, their major experiences with functional literacy (that is, reading for applied, in contrast to recreational, purposes) are obtained first in their elementary and secondary schooling and only later in their experiences in the world of work. The chapter discusses the school-to-work transition and the reversal of the primary reading tasks from that of reading-to-learn in high school to reading-to-do a job task in the world of work. The student's experiences with textbooks and learning in school may lead to the development of school-like, topic-oriented manuals when, in fact, workers want job-related, performance-oriented guidance.
This document has been reproduced as received from the person or organization originating it. Min... more This document has been reproduced as received from the person or organization originating it. Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction quality. Points of view or opinions stated in this document do not necessarily represent official OERI position or policy.
Studies based on two random-digit-dial samples (N = 538 and N = 632) of adults in San Diego sugge... more Studies based on two random-digit-dial samples (N = 538 and N = 632) of adults in San Diego suggest that higher levels of declarative knowledge about “mainstream” culture and politics in the United States are associated with achieving and exercising power regardless of cultural background. Statistical relationships were examined among general mainstream societal knowledge, domain-specific political knowledge, the amount of reading reported, indicators of power (including occupational status, income, voting, communicating about politics), and requisites of power (including perceptions of powerlessness, political efficacy, and political interest). Extraneous cognitive-processing variance was controlled by using simple checklists of declarative knowledge. Although causality cannot be proven, the results suggest that a person's content knowledge is related to reading and power, even when age, education, gender, ethnicity, and measures of literacy practice are controlled. Thus, knowl...
... Descriptive Note : Technical rept.,. Corporate Author : HUMAN RESOURCES RESEARCH ORGANIZATION... more ... Descriptive Note : Technical rept.,. Corporate Author : HUMAN RESOURCES RESEARCH ORGANIZATION ALEXANDRIA VA. Personal Author(s) : Vineberg,Robert ; Taylor ,Elaine N. ;Sticht,Thomas G. Report Date : NOV 1970. Pagination or Media Count : 288. ...
Policymakers sometimes opt to fund early childhood education to "stop illiteracy at the sour... more Policymakers sometimes opt to fund early childhood education to "stop illiteracy at the source " at the expense of adult literacy education funding. In Canada in 2006 the new conservative government announced cuts of CAN$17.7 million in what was already a skimpy federal budget for adult literacy education. The Headline News web page of the National Adult Literacy Database (NALD) of October 4, 2006 carried the following statement from a government official
Not long ago the thinking in the Adult Education and Literacy System (AELS) of the United States ... more Not long ago the thinking in the Adult Education and Literacy System (AELS) of the United States was that adults with literacy skills below the high school level and who lacked a high school diploma could enter into ABE (adult basic education), learn enough to work up to ASE (adult secondary education), and then study hard to get a high school diploma or General Educational Development (GED) certificate. That was the end of the education provision in the AELS. In effect, this sequence of ABE to ASE to "graduation" was meant to replicate the K-12 system of the public schools for children. In ABE the adults got primary school and middle school education (completion of the 8th grade) then in ASE they got secondary (high) school education (9th to 12th grades) and then they graduated from high school or its "equivalent " in the case of the GED. In the last few years this view of the AELS has changed. In many programs it is no longer considered sufficient for the AELS ...
In the mid-1990s nations in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development [OECD] con... more In the mid-1990s nations in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development [OECD] conducted the first International Adult Literacy Survey (IALS). Soon a new version of the IALS will soon be released. This paper reviews evidence that challenged the validity of the earlier IALS standardized performance scales including (1) the construct validity of the measurement scales, that is, the question of just what it is that the IALS scales measure, (2) the standards validity, that is, the question of “how good is good enough ” to be considered competent at whatever the scales measure, and (3) the use validity, that is, the extent to which the findings are useful for various purposes and do not produce social harm. It will be important for those interested in the new IALS to see how it has met the challenges of validity raised here.
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