This page is located at: http://www.ncsall.net/?id=23
Research Projects
This page provides information on NCSALL research projects.
NCSALL Research projects by topic:
- Assessment of Outcomes
- Adult Development
- Adult Multiple Intelligences
- Adult Reading Components (ARCS)
- Adult Student Persistence
- Classroom Dynamics
- Equipped for the Future Study
- GED Impact
- Health and Adult Learning and Literacy
- Literacy Practices of Adult Students (LPALS)
- Longitudinal Study of Adult Learning (LSAL)
- Professional Development
Assessment of Outcomes
Mary Beth Bingman, Principal Investigator
The Assessment of Outcomes Study explored the impact of participation in adult education and literacy programs on students, their families, and their communities, as well as ways to assess this impact and measure instructional outcomes predicting this impact.
For more information, see:Adult Development Study
Robert Kegan, NCSALL Principal Investigator
This study followed 41 adult learners enrolled in community college, family literacy, and workplace literacy programs to better understand how they experienced learning in their programs; how this learning transferred to their roles as parents, workers, or learners; how the programs supported and challenged their learning; and how their learning helped them change.
For more information, see:- NCSALL Report #19 - Toward a New Pluralism in ABE/ESOL Classrooms: Teaching to Multiple "Cultures of Mind"
Introduction/Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Appendix A
Appendix B
Adult Multiple Intelligences Study
Silja Kallenbach, Co-Principal Investigator
Julie Viens, Co-Principal Investigator
This study, which incorporated teachers as research partners, examined how multiple intelligences (MI) theory supports instruction and assessment in adult literacy education. The first systematic effort related to MI theory in the field, it creates a foundation of MI practice that can serve others working in adult literacy education.
For more information, see:Adult Reading Components Study
John Strucker, Principal Investigator
The Adult Reading Components Study offers a portrait of adults enrolled in adult basic education and English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) classes by using clusters based on measures of reading components and a means to assess the literacy skills of the beginning-level learners.
For more information, see:
- NCSALL Report #29 - The Relationship of the Component Skills of Reading to IALS Performance: Tipping Points and Five Classes of Adult Literacy Learners
- Research Brief - The Relationship of the Component Skills of Reading to Performance on the International Adult Literacy Survey (IALS)
- Research Brief - Adult Reading Components Study
- Occasional Paper - How the ARCS Was Done
Adult Student Persistence
John Comings, Principal Investigator
The Adult Student Persistence Study aims to develop an understanding of the forces that support or discourage an adult's decision to stay in a basic education, ESOL, or secondary education program. This study has three phases:
- Literature review, interview data analysis, and investigation of factors predicting persistence
- Observation of five leading library literacy programs in California, North Carolina, and New York
- Test of recommendations developed in the first two phases
- MDRC Report - “One Day I Will Make It”: A Study of Adult Student Persistence in Library Literacy Programs
- NCSALL Report #12 - Persistence Among Adult Basic Education Students in Pre-GED Classes
Classroom Dynamics
Harold Beder, Principal Investigator
The first major study of its type in a quarter century, the Classroom Dynamics Study addresses instruction content and delivery, processes underlying teaching and learning, and external forces shaping behavior in adult basic education.
For more information, see:Equipped for the Future (EFF) Study
Mary Beth Bingman, Principal Investigator
Acting as technical advisor, NCSALL helped the National Institute for Literacy (NIFL) by developing a research and evaluation program focused on assessing EFF's 16 standards and the impact of implementing the EFF framework in local programs.
GED Impact
John Tyler, Principal Investigator
The GED Impact Study examines the economic impact of the GED for high school dropouts, and the implications of these outcomes for K-12 education.
For more information, see:- Research Brief - Evidence from Florida on the Labor Market Attachment of Male Dropouts Who Attempt the GED
- NCSALL Report #15 - Cognitive Skills Matter in the Labor Market, Even for School Dropouts
Health and Adult Learning and Literacy
Rima Rudd, Principal Investigator
The Health and Adult Learning and Literacy (HALL) Study addresses the impact of limited literacy skills on health activities and outcomes, building understanding of literacy among public health and medical professionals and helping devise health-related curricula for adult literacy educators.
For more information, see:- NCSALL Report #5 - Integrating Health and Literacy: Adult Educator's Experiences
- NCSALL Report #8 - Adult Educators' Perceptions of Health Issues and Topics in Adult Basic Education Programs
- NCSALL Report #9 - Findings From a National Survey of State Directors of Adult Education
Literacy Practices of Adult Learners (LPALS)
Victoria Purcell-Gates, Principal Investigator
The Literacy Practices of Adult Learners Study (LPALS) considers the kinds of literacy programs that best encourage adult students to read and write more frequent, more complex texts. It categorizes programs nationwide along two dimensions, determining how these dimensions influence the frequency and complexity of reading and writing.
For more information, see:- NCSALL Report #2 - Adult Literacy Program Practice: A Typology Across Dimensions of Life-Contextualized/ Decontextualized and Dialogic/Monologic
- NCSALL Report #17 - Affecting Change in Literacy Practices of Adult Learners: Impact of Two Dimensions of Instruction
Longitudinal Study of Adult Learning (LSAL)
Stephen Reder, Principal Investigator
The Longitudinal Study of Adult Learning (LSAL), conducted at Portland State University in Oregon and tracking the lives of 940 adults over seven years, breaks new ground by collecting and analyzing data needed to understand how adult literacy develops for those with limited formal education.
For more information, see the LSAL project Web site.
Professional Development
Cristine Smith, NCSALL Principal Investigator
The Professional Development Study examines how practitioners change after participating in one of three professional development models-multi-session workshops, mentor-teacher groups, or practitioner research groups-and the factors that support and hinder this change.
For more information, see:- NCSALL Report #25 - How Teachers Change: A Study of Professional Development in Adult Education
- NCSALL Report #26 - The Characteristics and Concerns of Adult Basic Education Teachers
If you're interested in NCSALL's research, you might also want to visit the following sites related to adult literacy and educational research: