Sample Activity
The Literacy Practices of Adult Learners (LPAL) Study
Findings from Research
The Literacy Practices of Adult Learners (LPAL) Study |
A team of researchers led by Victoria Purcell-Gates hypothesized that adult education classes would be more likely to affect adults’ literacy practices outside of the classroom if the classes used literacy materials and activities that adults actually encounter in their daily lives, and if the classes involved the adult students in the planning of the class. The researchers defined changes in literacy practices as increases in the frequency of reading and writing in daily life and/or increases in the types of texts read and written. Researchers collected data from 83 adult literacy classes in 22 states on two instructional dimensions:
They also collected data on change in 173 adult literacy students’ literacy practices, using a detailed questionnaire administered to students individually in their homes every three months for up to a year, as long as they attended their literacy class. They asked students if they engaged in specific individual literacy practices, and if so, whether these practices were new or engaged in more frequently since beginning the class. Researchers then analyzed student responses, and looked at the relationship between change in literacy practices and the degree of authenticity and collaboration in the classes the students attended. |
Adult students in classes using real-life (authentic) literacy activities and texts read and wrote more often, and used a greater variety of texts, in their lives outside class than students from classes that relied on textbooks and workbooks. Students from the classes that used real-life texts for real-life purposes were more likely to report
that they spent more time reading and writing outside of school.
The degree of teacher-student collaboration showed no influence on change in literacy practices. This study did
not find a relationship between changes in at-home literacy and the degree of collaboration in the classes.
Specific Implications of LPAL Study
Implication: Make improvements in students’ literacy practices a goal of your program and ensure that instruction helps students reach that goal.
What the research says: Participating in classes that used real-life activities and texts was related to increases in literacy practices in students’ daily lives.
Therefore, you should …
… ensure that increasing adult students’ literacy practices is a part of your program’s mission and that instruction is organized to maximize use of texts from students’ lives.
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