Chapter 5

Overview of Methodologies Used in Adult Literacy Research for Determining What is Relevant to Youth and Adult Learners

Individual Interviews

A basic tenet of Functional Context Education (FCE) is that adult literacy education ought to be based on what is relevant to the contexts of adults’ lives. To evaluate this idea, we took a two-pronged approach. First, using individual interviews we looked at the reasons that adult students gave for why they were attending English as a second language (ESL) education and the types of programs they were attending. We wanted to see, for instance, whether adults who were attending ESL programs having a particular focus, such as being vocationally-oriented, are more likely to give job-related reasons for attending ESL instruction than are adults enrolled in other types of courses, such as family-literacy oriented, or general academic or life oriented.

Interviews were conducted with students in an adult continuing education center who were enrolled in either Vocational ESL, Family ESL, or Conventional (academic; life skills) ESL As a part of the interview students were asked to complete a survey that included the question, “Why are you taking this course? (circle one or more).” Then seven alternatives were presented: (1) to get a job, (2) to keep a job, (3) to get into vocational training, (4) to go to college, (5) for self-improvement, (6) to help my children, and (7) for citizenship.

Data analysis indicated that the programs in which the students were enrolled reflected their main reasons for studying ESL. The main reason adults in Vocational ESL enrolled in the program gave for wanting to study ESL was to get, or keep a job or to get into vocational training. Similarly, those enrolled in Family ESL said their main reason for studying ESL was to help their children. Those enrolled in general ESL were interested in self-improvement or going for further education. Thus, the more relevant the course to the student’s main reason for wanting to study ESL, the more likely the person was to enroll in the course.

In a second study we looked at relation of relevance of programs to student’s major interest and their persistence in the program. In this case we looked at the course completion rates of vocationally oriented adult students in three on-going vocational ESL (VESL) programs that differed with regard to the specificity of the vocational training component of the ESL instruction. Here we were interested in whether the extent to which a VESL course focused on actual job training and job placement, which was the major goal for adults taking the VESL courses, increased the likelihood that adults would persist in and complete the program.

Data on persistence showed that , in general, the closer the match between the reasons of the adult students for taking the VESL course, in this case to get a job, and the focus of the program, in this case focusing directly on vocational training and finding jobs for students, the more likely the students were to complete the course.

In general, interviews with adult students can provide useful information abut their goals, and this in turn can help teachers and curriculum developers provide instruction that is relevant to these goals. Though limited, the research described here suggests this is an important activity that influences both the choice of programs in which adults will enroll and their persistence in such programs.

Reference: Sticht, T. G.; McDonald, B. A.; Erickson, P. R. (1998, January). Passports to Paradise: The Struggle To Teach and To Learn on the Margins of Adult Education. (http://SearchERIC.org/scripts/texis.exe/scripts/asearch1?db=ericft&expan=no&disp=snote&proximity=
rank&lmt=nul&nsz=20&arg=passports+to+passports)

Focus Groups

The CONSABE Project: Content Standards for Adult Basic Education

What is the CONSABE Project? A joint project of the San Diego Community College District, Division of Continuing Education and the National Institute for Literacy in Washington, DC to develop content standards for Adult Basic Education.

Why Are We Doing The CONSABE Project? National Surveys by the General Accounting Office found that Adult Basic Education programs lack a clear statement of the knowledge and skills that adults need to possess. Local reviews of ABE revealed that there is no uniform guide for what adults should know and be able to do after completing an ABE program.