Bridging the skills gap: the search for powerful skills, tools and techniques

Brandsma, Jittie; Nijhof, W.J.

doi:10.1007/978-94-015-9249-9_1

Cited by 9 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…The literature (e.g., Brandsma & Nijhof, 1999;Pearson, Sawyer, Park, et al, 2010) and our previous studies (Mellard et al, 2013a, b) provide a framework for extending our understanding of learners' challenges as they acquire the knowledge and skills of CTE. That research more specifically identified various subgroups of learners and the reading components that best predicted their reading comprehension.…”

Section: Research Questionsmentioning

confidence: 90%

“…Approximately 6.4 million U.S. adults annually participate in CTE programmes, with half the students under 25 years of age and another 28% are between 25 and 35 years of age (National Center for Education Statistics, ). Basic literacy skills are necessary preconditions for these programmes, and some even require college level reading skills to access and comprehend the curricula (Mellard & Dunekack, ; Brandsma & Nijhof, ; Pearson, Sawyer, Park, et al, ). However, studies of CTE students who are economically disadvantaged and educationally at‐risk report that, on average, these students have below high school level literacy and numeracy skills (Mellard, Woods, & Md Desa, ; Castellano, Sundell, & Overman, ).…”

Section: Adult Literacy Learner Profiles Based On Assessed Skillsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Literacy profiles of at‐risk young adults enrolled in career and technical education

Mellard

Woods

Lee

2014

Journal Research in Reading

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A latent profile analysis of 323 economically and academically at‐risk adolescent and young adult learners yielded two classes: an average literacy class (92%) and a low literacy class (8%). The class profiles significantly differed in their word reading and math skills, and in their processing speeds and self‐reported learning disabilities. The class profiles did not significantly differ in their language comprehension and cognitive processing/working memory abilities. These findings suggest targeted instructional interventions to overcome deficits, leading to overall improvements in literacy and numeracy among this important population.

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Section: Research Questionsmentioning

confidence: 90%

Section: Adult Literacy Learner Profiles Based On Assessed Skillsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Literacy profiles of at‐risk young adults enrolled in career and technical education

Mellard

Woods

Lee

2014

Journal Research in Reading

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“…Although the purpose of CTE is to teach occupational skills geared to technology and industry standards, basic literacy skills are necessary preconditions that these programs often must be prepared to address with incoming students (Brandsma & Nijhof, 1999; Pearson et al, 2010). For example, at Job Corps, the nation's largest CTE program serving disadvantaged young adults, students are twice as likely to have low literacy as their age peers (Glazerman, Schochet, & Burghardt, 2000).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

An Oral Reading Fluency Assessment for Young Adult Career and Technical Education Students

Mellard

Woods

Desa

2012

Learn Disabil Res Pract

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Educators confront a difficult challenge of quickly and efficiently identifying students with literacy skill deficits in academically diverse career and technical education classes. A statistical examination of oral reading fluency (ORF) of 296 at‐risk students participating in Job Corps tests the hypothesis that a 2‐minute, two‐dimensional ORF task is a useful tool for differentiating the basic literacy skills of these students. This study formed four student groups on this basis and statistically demonstrated the groups were distinct in terms of standardized assessments of reading and cognitive processing: phonological processing, processing speed, memory, and integrated and fluent reading with comprehension. We discuss the implications of these findings for further diagnostic reading assessments and instructional planning.

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“…Although Job Corps primarily provides occupational skills instruction, basic literacy skills are necessary preconditions that often must be instructionally addressed with incoming students (Brandsma & Nijhof, 1999;Pearson et al, 2010).…”

Section: Literacy Skills Among At-risk Young Adultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Underlying Reading-Related Skills and Abilities Among Adult Learners

et al. 2013

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This exploratory study identified underlying skill and ability differences among subgroups of adolescent and young adult struggling readers (N = 290) overall and in relation to a fluency-based instructional grouping method. We used principal axis factoring of participants' scores on 18 measures of reading-related skills and abilities identified in the research literature to identify a smaller set of generally uncorrelated constructs. The four underlying factors of the 18 measures explained 62.7% of the variance. We labeled these factors Encode/Decode (44.5%), Vocabulary (9.5%), Processing Speed (5.2%), and Working Memory (3.5%). Regression analysis demonstrated Working Memory, Encode/Decode, and Vocabulary collectively predicted 45.9% functional reading as measured by the Comprehensive Adult Student Assessment System. Alternatively, when measured by the Test of Adult Basic Education, Vocabulary and Encode/Decode predicted 47.1% of variance in reading. Differences in predictive utility of the factors by fluency group suggest approaches to tailoring instruction for each group. Future research might examine the optimal mix of instructional approaches that support the identified factors.

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Bridging the skills gap: the search for powerful skills, tools and techniques

Cited by 9 publications

References 12 publications

Literacy profiles of at‐risk young adults enrolled in career and technical education

Literacy profiles of at‐risk young adults enrolled in career and technical education

An Oral Reading Fluency Assessment for Young Adult Career and Technical Education Students

Underlying Reading-Related Skills and Abilities Among Adult Learners

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