Hidden in plain sight: low-literacy adults in a developed country overcoming social and educational challenges through mobile learning support tools

Abstract

Illiteracy is often associated with people in developing countries. However, an estimated 50% of adults in a developed country such as Canada lack the literacy skills required to cope with the challenges of today's society; for them, tasks such as reading, understanding, basic arithmetic, and using everyday items are a challenge. Many community-based organizations offer resources and support for these adults, yet overall functional literacy rates are not improving. This is due to a wide range of factors, such as poor retention of adult learners in literacy programs, obstacles in transferring the acquired skills from the classroom to the real life, personal attitudes towards learning, and the stigma of functional illiteracy. In our research we examined the opportunities afforded by personal mobile devices in providing learning and functional support to low-literacy adults. We present the findings of an exploratory study aimed at investigating the reception and adoption of a technological solution for adult learners. ALEX © is a mobile application designed for use both in the classroom and in daily life in order to help low-literacy adults become increasingly literate and independent. Such a solution complements literacy programs by increasing users' motivation and interest in learning, and raising their confidence levels both in their education pursuits and in facing the challenges of their daily lives. We also reflect on the challenges we faced in designing and conducting our research with two user groups (adults enrolled in literacy classes and in an essential skills program), and contrast the educational impact and attitudes toward such technology between these. Our conclusions present the lessons learnt from our evaluations and the impact of the studies' 1 [PUC EIST Special Issue Template] specific challenges on the outcome and uptake of such mobile assistive technologies in providing practical support to low-literacy adults in conjunction with literacy and essential skills training.

Migrants and Mobile Technology Use: Gaps in the Support Provided by Current Tools

“…Among the areas that need additional support are tools that enable and encourage the self-regulation activities and noticing of learners; tools that help them to overcome language barriers that are the result of people using a variety of forms of English; and tools that allow migrants to rehearse their communication while providing them with feedback that enables their planning of future learning. Like previous explorations of mobile learning tools (Liu 2009;Palalas 2011;2015;Pearson 2011b;Munteanu et al 2013;Demouy et al 2016), these learners readily accepted the use of MALL tools and in many cases were already using a variety of mobile or other technological supports to meet their formal and informal learning needs (see Table 2, Figure 3, and Figure 5). Consistent with prior findings (Demmans Epp 2010;Demouy and KukulskaHulme 2010), many of the participating migrants would only use the audio functions of mobile tools when in private locations even though, like other language learners (Demouy et al 2016), they highly valued the listening practice that these devices afforded.…”

“…Some specific tools further aim to provide targeted support for text comprehension or other language skills. Among them is a tool that allows learners to substitute synonyms within texts that they are having difficulty understanding (Veras et al 2014) or practice the pronunciation of words (Munteanu et al 2013) and fill any gaps they have noticed.…”

Entering the dream world of computers

“…al. [1] is on special mobile tool for low literacy people of developed countries. The mobile learning tool is named ALEX and provides class room and individual learning facilities.…”

Low-Income Parents’ Values Involving the Use of Technology for Accessing Health Information

“…Researchers have investigated these differences in needs and preferences through various health-related projects such as research on the communication between providers and low-SES patients with children [18,27], low-SES adults at risk for cardiovascular disease [30], and low-SES AfricanAmerican communities at risk for diabetes [15]. There has also been similar valuerelated work involving other topics concerning marginalized user groups such as the homeless [21] and low-literacy adults [26]. However, there is no previous work investigating values in these low-SES communities involving the use of technology for accessing health information on children's development.…”