We document and disseminate various results, trainings, and resources from our research, programs, and projects.
The goal of the National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy (NCSALL) is to conduct high quality, relevant research that contributes to the improvement of the quality of education provided by adult basic educators. NCSALL is also committed to ensuring that research is shared with practitioners in formats that are accessible and…
This study investigated how adult education teachers changed after participating in one of three different models of professional development (multisession workshop, mentor teacher group, or practitioner research group), all on the same topic of learner persistence. The study also investigated the most important individual, professional development, program, and system factors that influenced the type and…
The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (“welfare reform”) and the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) have influenced greatly the provision of services in adult basic education (ABE). WIA and welfare reform provide two excellent cases for the study of questions related to how federal legislation affects ABE practice at the program and classroom level….
Teachers need research that is relevant to their practice, with strategies and techniques they can use in their work. NCSALL’s Practitioner Dissemination and Research Network (PDRN) set out to create and support systematic partnerships between practitioners and university researchers to better connect research and practice, with the ultimate outcome of improved practice, policy, and services…
Multiple Intelligences (MI) theory presents a concept of intelligence, not specific educational approaches or activities. Yet it offers promising opportunities for adult literacy instruction and assessment, as this study involving teachers as research partners demonstrates.
Various national efforts, particularly the National Reporting System, measure outcomes of adult education programs but many questions remain about how local programs might document outcomes in ways that are immediately useful to students, teachers, and programs. This study is a response to those questions.
In much research, learners’ perspectives tend to be considered in light of a program’s expectations or U.S. society’s definitions of learner needs, rather than considering how learners would define and make sense of their own experiences, hopes, and needs. In contrast, this study considers learners’ meanings as the fundamental starting point for exploration.
This, the first major study in a quarter century to investigate classroom behavior in adult literacy education, considers questions critical to adult literacy education: How is instruction delivered? What is its content? What processes underlie teaching and learning? And what external forces shape classroom behavior? The findings National Center for the Study of Adult Learning…
Until this study, no one had systematically explored the relationships between literacy instruction type and change in literacy practices among adult learners. Yet there are good reasons to use change in literacy practices as an outcome of adult literacy instruction, given what is known about the benefits of practicing new skills and of having many…
As part of standards-based educational reform efforts, more than 40 states will soon require students to achieve passing scores on standardized exams in order to obtain a high school diploma. Currently, many states struggle with the design of their examination systems, debating such questions as the number of subjects to be tested and the rules…
World Education strives to build lasting relationships with partners across diverse geographic regions and technical sectors to produce better education outcomes for all.
