Obviously, the present study has grown to be broader in scope than the question that initially sparked it. However, its purpose has remained the same--to provide a means for reflection on the political, economic and ideological implications of our efforts to preserve and extend adult literacy and basic education opportunities for adults in Canada--and I feel that this is where the principal significance of the study lies. In this regard, I wish to make it clear that when I criticize particular beliefs or approaches with regard to literacy, I am often engaging in self-criticism as well, because I myself have held many of the positions that I question. As I pointed out, it was contradictions in my own beliefs that served as my starting point.

One other significant aspect of the present study is that it demonstrates that the study of illiteracy presents an interesting approach to the analysis of larger social questions, particularly class inequality. Social historian and specialist on literacy Harvey J. Graff has written:

The study of literacy, I urge, is important not only in and for itself; it also illuminates the dynamics of society and provides penetrating insights into how its processes functioned--for example, in stratification, in mobility, or in family adjustment. Literacy study therefore constitutes a valuable mode of analysis for students of society 39

Terminology Used in the Study

Throughout the study, reference is made to adult literacy and basic education. Adult literacy education is instruction in elementary skills of reading and writing (and frequently computing), usually through a level equivalent to grade 4 in elementary school. Adult basic education (often abbreviated ABE) is a more inclusive term, covering academic upgrading in a range of subjects, including reading and writing, above the grade 5 level and often extending into high school. At times, I use the terms "adult basic education" and "adult basic educator" to refer to classes and instructors at both the literacy and basic education levels. The context should make it clear where this is intended.

When the terms illiterate and illiteracy are used, they usually stand for both the condition of conventional illiteracy (i.e. lack of even elementary literacy skills) as well as the condition. of functional illiteracy (i.e. possession of elementary skills, but inability to handle reading and writing tasks above the grade 8 level).

Sometimes reference is made to language classes for immigrants to Canada. While these do not constitute literacy education in a strict sense, many who attend them are illiterate in their native tongues as well as in English or French. In an important way, their language problems are also literacy problems, and so the language classes that accommodate their needs are included in the present study.