Inner-City Adults with Severe Reading Difficulties

Abstract

Relatively little is known about the characteristics of inner-city adults who seek assistance from literacy programs. Increased knowledge about this population will enhance the development of more effective programs, as well as policy options. This study describes the characteristics of 280 adults, ages 16 to 63, who came to an adult literacy program that focused on severe reading difficulties. The program, located within a hospital complex in a large, urban area, attracted these individuals through an extensive multimedia outreach effort. Results suggested that the adults who sought help were generally characterized by a vast array of cognitive, academic, and social difficulties. In addition, the extent of these difficulties increased dramatically as literacy level declined. These findings suggest that comprehensive educational, social, and vocational services may be needed to help adults with severe reading difficulties cope with the diverse and severe problems they face.

Do Adult Literacy Students Make the Same Word-Reading and Spelling Errors as Children Matched for Word-Reading Age?

“…Previous research has indicated that adult literacy students possess relative strength in the area of orthographic knowledge but serious deficits in the phonological domain (e.g., Bruck, 1993;Castro-Caldas, Petersson, Reis, Stone-Elander, & Ingvar, 1998;Fawcett & Nicholson, 1995;Gottesman, Bennett, Nathan, & Kelly, 1996;Lindamood, Bell, & Lindamood, 1992). The current study used error analysis to investigate further the phonological and orthographic processing differences that were observed by Greenberg et al (1997).…”

Cognitive and psycholinguistic skills of adults who are functionally illiterate: Current state of research and implications for adult education

“…Lastly, an American study by Gottesman et al (1996) measured the IQ of 280 students enrolled in an adult literacy program, using either the WAIS-R itself (Wechsler, 1981) or its Vocabulary, Information and Block Design subtests (scores converted according to the formula devised by Brooker & Cyr, 1986). The group's mean IQ was 81 (SD ¼ 12) which is way below the normal score.…”

“…As a result, we know that functional illiteracy is often associated with specific sociofamilial characteristics, or with inadequate instruction in learning to read (Bentolila, 1996;Gottesman, Bennett, Nathan, & Kelly, 1996;Purcell-Gates, Degener, Jacobson, & Soler, 2002). Many A-IL belong to ethnic minorities, or come from culturally and economically deprived backgrounds.…”

“…Learner assessments should, however, explore all the processes involved in reading, in order to find out which components are flawed and which abilities can be used as a scaffold in the training program (Perfetti, 1994;Yuill & Oakhill, 1991). Identifying students' individual modes of functioning is fundamental to the teaching of reading and writing, as we need to know exactly what can or should be taught to A-IL-and how (Gottesman et al, 1996;Torgerson, Porthouse, & Brooks, 2005).…”

Analyse cognitive et linguistique de l’illettrisme : bilan des études et implications pour la formation

“…Ainsi on sait que l'illettrisme est souvent associé à des caractéristiques sociofamiliales particulières ou à des méthodes d'apprentissage non adaptées (Bentolila, 1996;Gottesman, Bennett, Nathan & Kelly, 1996;Espérandieu & Vogler, 2000). Les personnes illettrées proviennent souvent des minorités ethniques, ou de milieux très défavorisés sur les plans économique et culturel.…”