Recent Study Finds Almost 50% of Adults Struggle with Literacy Skills
Adult Literacy Performance
Today I read an article about this year's Educational Testing Service’s symposium titled “Advancing Learning for Our Diverse Adult Population.” The article discussed the current literacy problems in American adults by explaining that a recent study of American adult literacy from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development found that “about half of adults performed below the level needed to navigate today’s complex society.” The article discussed the problems this condition presents to the economy and how to improve adult education.
Evaluating the current college model for adult learners
A lot of the article focused on adult’s going back to college or why they choose not to do so. The article discussed the benefits of developing a different model for obtaining college degrees for adult learners. Dr. Thomas Bailey of Columbia University discussed the problems adults face when they go back to college by saying: “The traditional associate’s degree doesn’t fit very well for adult students because many enter with weak academic skills, have less time and incentive to invest in general education courses, have difficulties adjusting to traditional schedules, and state funding policies can work against them since it’s often influenced by the traditional college student model.”
Bailey offered this solution for adult education: “Educational programs must be tailored to the specific needs of working adults but have not been in the past… At community colleges, adults can acquire the skills and credentials they need for the workforce and new jobs, so we need to change how adults get their credentials outside the traditional model… Adult education programs need to be flexible and training-focused and include certificates as well as non-credit instruction.”
I think this is a good idea. If I was trying to go back to school as an adult with children and was trying to provide for that family as well I would be frustrated taking General Education classes that didn’t directly apply to what I was trying to accomplish by attending college. Adults usually have a better idea of what they want to do with their life and career then young adults, thus the necessity to explore many fields of knowledge may be extraneous. It would be beneficial to create a program for adult’s that is more specific and training based.
But there are also needs to make improvements in adult literacy for the 50% of adults that struggle with literacy in order for them to succeed in obtaining college degree’s regardless of the requirements.
Watch this video to see how one adult learned to improve his reading skills:
3 Comments
dental insurance said
I wonder how these adults to navigate through life if their reading skills aren't up to par? Reading is a vital part of life. I would assume most of them work hard to cover it up and therefore don't receive the help they need.
Philippine BPO said
i think since you are talking about adult education, it is really best for them to learn fields that are related to whatever they mostly need especially when they look for a job. outsourcing companies are good way if you are looking for a good-paying job. BPO here in the Philippines have the best employees when it comes to providing excellent service to their clients/customers.
Mark Garner said
It is true that majority of adult will struggling from this kind of problems.