Adult Literacy Teachers' Perspective on Reading Difficulties and the Origins of These Perspectives

Abstract

Literacy skills have long been recognized as an important correlate of social and economic outcomes, both for individuals and for overall communities (e.g., European Union High Level Group of Experts on Literacy, 2012; National Research Council, 2012). Despite this, a considerable body of research evidence suggests that large numbers of adults worldwide continue to have difficulties in the area of basic literacy. Foremost among this research is a series of international surveys of adult skills, the most recent of which is the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) (OECD Skills Outlook, 2013). PIAAC has prompted a series of national reports examining local contexts. For example, one recent Australian report (Australian Industry Group, 2016) indicated that 44% of Australian adults have literacy skills below the minimum level required to function fully in a modern society. Similar results have been reported in studies from other developed countries. For example, in 2012, the European Union's High Level Group of Experts on Literacy reported that 20% of adults in Europe exhibited some difficulties in the area of literacy, while in 2014, Gyarmati et al. reported that nearly half of the working-age

What Strategies Do Less-Skilled Adult Readers Use to Read Words, and How Aware Are They of These Strategies?

“…Myriad factors have been suggested which can lead to less-skilled reading in these populations. These can include individual factors such as hearing impairments, as well as factors such as poverty and the reading instruction methods experienced by individuals (McHardy & Chapman, 2019a, 2019b; Snow & Strucker, 1999). Addressing adults’ reading needs effectively has implications for economic and social outcomes for learners, their families and their communities (National Research Council, 2012) and it is important that research into ways to improve reading instruction for adults with reading difficulties continues to expand and develop.…”

Application of Augmented Reality Technology in the Teaching of Literacy at Low Learning Stage

“…McHardy and Chapman aimed to determine the strategies used by adult readers with lower skills that can best predict the word reading performance in standardized reading tests and determine the word reading strategies used by adult readers with lower skills [4]. Lynn and Deb put forward negative media comments about the lack of primary teacher education, especially in the teaching of reading and writing, which is increasing the overall assumption that literacy teachers fail [5].…”