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Improving Adult Literacy Instruction: Options for Practice and Research (2012)

Chapter: Appendix C: Interventions to Develop the Component Literacy Skills of Low-Literate Adults

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Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Interventions to Develop the Component Literacy Skills of Low-Literate Adults." National Research Council. 2012. Improving Adult Literacy Instruction: Options for Practice and Research. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13242.
×
Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Interventions to Develop the Component Literacy Skills of Low-Literate Adults." National Research Council. 2012. Improving Adult Literacy Instruction: Options for Practice and Research. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13242.
×

A. Study Populations and Sample Characteristics

Investigator:

Greenberg

Levy

MacArthur


Project Title

Research on Reading
Instruction for Low-
Literate Adults

Testing Impact of
Health Literacy in
Adult Literacy and
Integrated Family
Approach Programs

Building a
Knowledge Base
for Teaching Adult
Decoding

Study Population

Adult literacy
program with 3rd-
to-5th-grade reading
ability

ABE

ASE

Adult English literacy

ABE

Sample Characteristics

Size

Descriptive n = 425

Intervention n = 198

Intervention

n = 1,907

Assessment n = 98

Descriptive n = 486

Intervention n = 349

Age

Intervention M = 37

(range 16-78 yrs)

 

Descriptive M = 35
(SD = 14)

Intervention M = 37
(SD = 14)

(range 16-76 years)

Gender

Intervention =
67% female

Intervention =
75% female

Descriptive =
67% female

Intervention =
66% female

Reading Level

Intervention screened to be 3rd-to-5th- grade level

By NRS reading levels
• ABE beginner
   n = 63
• ABE intermediate
   n = 284
• ABE advanced
   n = 75
• ASE
   n = 80
• ELL beginner
   n = 494
• ELL intermediate
   n = 431
• ELL advanced
   n = 141

NRS low-
intermediate level

Nelson Reading
Comprehension
(standard score for
6th grade spring)

M = 36.2 (SD =
16.4), 4.6 GLE

Native English speakers

Intervention = 56%

 

Descriptive = 69%

Intervention = 65%


Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Interventions to Develop the Component Literacy Skills of Low-Literate Adults." National Research Council. 2012. Improving Adult Literacy Instruction: Options for Practice and Research. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13242.
×

Mellard

Sabatini

Wood


Improving Literacy Instruction for Adults

Relative Effectiveness of Reading Programs for Adults

Young Adult Literacy Problems: Prevalence and Treatment

ABE

ASE

ABE with below 7th grade reading ability and sufficient English language ability

Descriptive 10th grade public high school with English as first language

Intervention: Adults with developmental dyslexia

Descriptive n = 319

Descriptive n = 579

Descriptive n = 188

Intervention n = 205

Intervention n = 148

Intervention n = 19

Descriptive M = 32 yrs
(SD = 15.2); Mdn = 24 yrs

Descriptive M = 36
(range 17-76 yrs)

Descriptive M = 15 yrs

Intervention M = 44 yrs

Intervention M = 28 years
(SD = 13.7); Mdn = 22 yrs

Descriptive = 60% female

Descriptive = 67% female

Descriptive = 44% female

Intervention = 63% female

Intervention = 26% female

Descriptive: WRMT-R Passage
comprehension standard score
M = 72.3 (SD 22.8)

Screened for below
7th grade level

Descriptive: = 50% “poor readers”; 50% “typical readers”

Intervention: WRMT-R Passage
comprehension (standard scores)

Bridging M = 60.3 (SD = 22.3),
n = 15

Fluency M = 89.0 (SD = 14.3),
n = 12

Prediction M = 79.4 (SD = 16.2),
n = 31

Summarization M = 77.1 (SD =
18.7), n = 42

Descriptive = 82%

Intervention Standard scores

WRAT read words

M = 85.6

WAIS full IQ

M = 101.9


Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Interventions to Develop the Component Literacy Skills of Low-Literate Adults." National Research Council. 2012. Improving Adult Literacy Instruction: Options for Practice and Research. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13242.
×

B. Intervention Practices, Intensity, Duration, and Attrition Rates

Intervention Descriptors

Greenberg

Levy

MacArthur


Practices

4 instructional interventions

1. Decoding and fluency

2. Decoding, comprehension, and fluency

3. Extensive reading

4. Decoding, comprehension, extensive reading, and fluency

Directed health literacy curriculum

Enriched decoding and spelling curriculum

Intensity and Duration

Planned: 2 hrs/day × 4 days/wk for up to 100 hrs over

Minimum for analyses: 60 hrs, with at least 20 hrs after course midpoint

42 hrs of classroom instruction over 12-16 wks

Duration approximately 8 mos

Hrs of reading instruction M = 57

Attrition

50%

38%


Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Interventions to Develop the Component Literacy Skills of Low-Literate Adults." National Research Council. 2012. Improving Adult Literacy Instruction: Options for Practice and Research. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13242.
×

Mellard

Sabatini

Wood


4 learning strategies interventions

1. Bridging (word reading)

2. Fluency (repeated readings)

3. Prediction (comprehension)

4. Summarization (comprehension)

3 instructional interventions adapted for adults

1. Corrective reading

2. RAVE O

3. Guided repeated readings

Structured multisensory phonological instruction from Lindamood-Bell Learning Corporation

Whole-group classroom instruction

• Bridging–19 hrs

• Fluency–13 hrs

• Prediction–30 hrs

• Summarization–18 hrs

• Bridging–48%

• Fluency–3%

• Prediction–60%

• Summarization–42%

Supplemental one-to-one tutoring

1-hr session × 3 days per wk for 15 wks

45 contact hrs

Completers’ 12–15 hrs of instruction over 3–5 wks

50%

Tutored 112 hrs over 8 wks


Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Interventions to Develop the Component Literacy Skills of Low-Literate Adults." National Research Council. 2012. Improving Adult Literacy Instruction: Options for Practice and Research. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13242.
×

 

C. Study Instruments by Measurement Construct by Study (Measures marked with * showed significant pre-post gain compared with a control group. Measures marked with ** showed differences from “business as usual control.”)

Measurement Construct

Greenberg

Levy

MacArthur


Phonological Processing

CTOPP Elision

CTOPP blending

CTOPP rapid letter naming

Decoding and Word Recognition

TOWRE phonemic decoding efficiency

TOWRE sight word efficiency

WJ-III letter-word identification

WJ-III word attack**

TOWRE phonemic decoding efficiency

TOWRE sight word efficiency

Adams & Huggins irregular word reading task

TOWRE phonemic decoding efficiency*

WJ-R word attack

WJ-R letter-word identification

WJ-R letter-sound survey

WRAT3 word reading

Vocabulary

Boston Naming Test*
PPVT

Boston Naming Test

Nelson word meaning

Fluency

WJ-III reading fluency*
GORT-4 fluency

WJ-III fluency

Researcher-designed oral passage reading
TOWRE sight word efficiency

Comprehension

WJ-III passage comprehension
GORT-4 comprehension

TABE-R**
BEST literacy**
CELSA**

Nelson reading comprehension

Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Interventions to Develop the Component Literacy Skills of Low-Literate Adults." National Research Council. 2012. Improving Adult Literacy Instruction: Options for Practice and Research. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13242.
×

Mellard

Sabatini

Wood


CTOPP Elision

CTOPP blending

CTOPP rapid color naming

CTOPP rapid letter naming

CTOPP rapid digit naming

CTOPP Elision

CTOPP blending

CTOPP rapid letter naming

CTOPP rapid digit naming

CTOPP memory for digits

CTOPP nonword repetition

WJ-III spelling of sounds

Lindamood Auditory
Conceptualization Test

Test of Auditory Analysis Skill**

TOWRE phonemic
decoding efficiency

TOWRE phonemic
decoding efficiency*

DST nonwords

DST real words

TOWRE sight word
efficiency

TOWRE sight word
efficiency*

DST Phonemic Transfer
Index**

WRMT-R word attack

WJ-III letter-word
identification*

WJ-R word attack**

WRMT-R word identification

WJ-III word attack*

WJ-R letter-word identification

NAAL BRS oral word reading, pseudo-word reading

Visual Symbol Imagery**

WAIS-III vocabulary

Boston Naming Test

Boston Naming Test

PPVT

WJ-III picture vocabulary

TOSWRF

WJ-III reading fluency*

RAN digits, letters

Reading fluency passages from QRI

NAAL BRS oral passage reading

GORT-4 fluency

CASAS reading

WJ-III passage comprehension

WJ-R passage comprehension

WRMT-R passage
comprehension

WJ-III oral comprehension

Gates-MacGinite reading

GORT-4 comprehension

WRAT3 reading achievement
GORT-3

Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Interventions to Develop the Component Literacy Skills of Low-Literate Adults." National Research Council. 2012. Improving Adult Literacy Instruction: Options for Practice and Research. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13242.
×

Measurement Construct

Greenberg

Levy

MacArthur


Other Cognitive Ability or Skills

PIAT-R spelling subtest

TOLD I

Word ordering subtest

Orally administered,
research-designed/
validated evaluation
instrument—health
literacy knowledge,
self-efficacy, and
intention*

WRAT3 spelling test

Researcher-designed spelling test

Self-efficacy scales


NOTES:

ABE/ASE = Adult basic education and adult secondary education

BEST Literacy = Basic English Skills Test (Center for Applied Linguistics, 1987 for Levy)

BEST Plus = Basic English Skills Test (Center for Applied Linguistics)

BNT = Boston Naming Test (Kaplan, Goodglass, and Weintraub, 1983, 2001)

CASAS = Comprehensive Adult Student Assessment System (CASAS, 2001)

CELF = Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals (Semel, Wiig, and Secord, 1987)

CELSA = Combined English Language Skills Assessment (Thompson, 1994)

CTOPP = Comprehensive Test of Phonemic Processing (Wagner, Torgesen, and Rashotte, 1999)

DST = Decoding Skills Test (Richardson and DiBenedetto, 1985)

fMRI = Functional MRI (magnetic resonance imaging)

GORT = Gray Oral Reading Tests-3 and 4 (Wiederholt and Bryant, 1994, 2001)

K-SADS-E = Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizoprenia for School-age Children—Epidemiologic Version, 5th ed. (Orvaschel and Puig-Antich, 1994)

LAC = Lindamood Auditory Conceptualization Test (Lindamood and Lindamood, 1971)

LSS = Letter Sound Survey (Venezky, 2003)

NAAL = National Assessment of Adult Literacy (Basic Reading Skills and Passage Reading) (Baer, Kutner, and Sabatini, 2009)

Nelson Reading Test (Hanna, Schell, and Schreiner, 1977)

NRS = National Reporting System for Adult Education

PIAT-R = Peabody Individual Achievement Test-Revised, spelling subtest (Frederick and Markwardt, 1997)

Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Interventions to Develop the Component Literacy Skills of Low-Literate Adults." National Research Council. 2012. Improving Adult Literacy Instruction: Options for Practice and Research. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13242.
×

Mellard

Sabatini

Wood


WAIS-III block design

WAIS-III information

CELF

WJ-III story recall

WJ-III auditory working memory

WJ-III story recall

WJ-III understanding directions

BEST Plus

K-SADS-E (psychiatric disorders and suicidal behaviors)

Dropout–first time left school for any reason

WASI**

fMRI


PPVT = Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test–III (Dunn and Dunn, 1997, 1998)

QRI = Qualitative Reading Inventory-3 (Leslie and Caldwell, 2000)

RAN = Rapid Automatized Naming (Denckla and Rudel, 1976)

RAVE O = Retrieval Rate, Automaticity, Vocabulary Elaboration, Engagement with Language, and Orthography (Wolf, Miller, and Donnelly, 2000)

TAAS = Test of Auditory Analysis Skill (Rosner and Simon, 1971; Rosner, 1979)

TABE-R = Test of Adult Basic Education-Revised (CTB/McGraw-Hill, 1996)

TOLD I:3 = Test of Language Development, Intermediate, 3rd Edition (Hammil and Newcomer, 1997)

TOSWRF = Test of Silent Word Reading Fluency (Mather et al., 2004)

TOWRE = Test of Word Reading Efficiency (Torgesen, Wagner, and Rashotte, 1999)

VSI = Visual Symbol Imagery (Bell, 1997)

WAIS-III = Wechsler Adult Intelligences Scale III (Wechsler, 1997)

WASI = Wechsler Abbreviated Scales of Intelligence (Wechsler, 1999)

WJ-III = Woodcock-Johnson III, Tests of Achievement (Woodcock, McGrew, and Mather, 2001)

WJ-R = Woodcock-Johnson Psycho-educational Battery, Tests of Achievement, Revised (Woodcock and Johnson, 1989, 1990)

WRAT3 = Wide Range Achievement Test-Revision 3 (Wilkinson, 1993)

WRMT-R = Woodcock Reading Mastery Tests-Revised (Woodcock, 1998)

Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Interventions to Develop the Component Literacy Skills of Low-Literate Adults." National Research Council. 2012. Improving Adult Literacy Instruction: Options for Practice and Research. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13242.
×

REFERENCES

Alamprese, J., MacArthur, C., Price, C., and Knight, D. (2011). Effects of a structured decoding curriculum on adult literacy learners’ reading development. Journal of Research on Education Effectiveness, 4(2), 154-172.

Eden, G.F., Jones, K.M., Cappell, K., Gareau, L., Wood, F.B., Zeffrio, T.A., Dietz, N.A.E., Agnew, J.A., and Flowers, D.L. (2004). Neural changes following remediation of adult developmental dyslexia. Neuron, 44, 411-422.

Greenberg, D., Wise, J., Morris, R., Fredrick, L., Rodrigo, V., Nanda, A., and Pae, H. (2011). A randomized-control study of instructional approaches for struggling adult readers. Journal of Research on Education Effectiveness, 42(2), 101-117.

Hock, M., and Mellard, D. (2011). Efficacy of learning strategies instruction in adult education. Journal of Research on Education Effectiveness, 4(2), 134-153.

Levy, S., Rasher, S., Carter, S., Harris, L., Berbaum, M., Mandernach, J., Bercovitz, L., and Martin, L. (2008). Health literacy curriculum works for adult basic education students. Focus on Basics, 9(B), 33-39.

Sabatini, J., Shore, J., Holtzman, and Scarborough, H. (2011). Relative effectiveness of reading intervention programs for adults with low literacy. Journal of Research on Education Effectiveness, 4(2), 118-133.

Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Interventions to Develop the Component Literacy Skills of Low-Literate Adults." National Research Council. 2012. Improving Adult Literacy Instruction: Options for Practice and Research. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13242.
×
Page 407
Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Interventions to Develop the Component Literacy Skills of Low-Literate Adults." National Research Council. 2012. Improving Adult Literacy Instruction: Options for Practice and Research. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13242.
×
Page 408
Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Interventions to Develop the Component Literacy Skills of Low-Literate Adults." National Research Council. 2012. Improving Adult Literacy Instruction: Options for Practice and Research. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13242.
×
Page 409
Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Interventions to Develop the Component Literacy Skills of Low-Literate Adults." National Research Council. 2012. Improving Adult Literacy Instruction: Options for Practice and Research. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13242.
×
Page 410
Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Interventions to Develop the Component Literacy Skills of Low-Literate Adults." National Research Council. 2012. Improving Adult Literacy Instruction: Options for Practice and Research. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13242.
×
Page 411
Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Interventions to Develop the Component Literacy Skills of Low-Literate Adults." National Research Council. 2012. Improving Adult Literacy Instruction: Options for Practice and Research. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13242.
×
Page 412
Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Interventions to Develop the Component Literacy Skills of Low-Literate Adults." National Research Council. 2012. Improving Adult Literacy Instruction: Options for Practice and Research. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13242.
×
Page 413
Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Interventions to Develop the Component Literacy Skills of Low-Literate Adults." National Research Council. 2012. Improving Adult Literacy Instruction: Options for Practice and Research. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13242.
×
Page 414
Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Interventions to Develop the Component Literacy Skills of Low-Literate Adults." National Research Council. 2012. Improving Adult Literacy Instruction: Options for Practice and Research. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13242.
×
Page 415
Suggested Citation:"Appendix C: Interventions to Develop the Component Literacy Skills of Low-Literate Adults." National Research Council. 2012. Improving Adult Literacy Instruction: Options for Practice and Research. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13242.
×
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A high level of literacy in both print and digital media is required for negotiating most aspects of 21st-century life, including supporting a family, education, health, civic participation, and competitiveness in the global economy. Yet, more than 90 million U.S. adults lack adequate literacy. Furthermore, only 38 percent of U.S. 12th graders are at or above proficient in reading.

Improving Adult Literacy Instruction synthesizes the research on literacy and learning to improve literacy instruction in the United States and to recommend a more systemic approach to research, practice, and policy. The book focuses on individuals ages 16 and older who are not in K-12 education. It identifies factors that affect literacy development in adolescence and adulthood in general, and examines their implications for strengthening literacy instruction for this population. It also discusses technologies for learning that can assist with multiple aspects of teaching, assessment,and accommodations for learning.

There is inadequate knowledge about effective instructional practices and a need for better assessment and ongoing monitoring of adult students' proficiencies, weaknesses, instructional environments, and progress, which might guide instructional planning. Improving Adult Literacy Instruction recommends a program of research and innovation to validate, identify the boundaries of, and extend current knowledge to improve instruction for adults and adolescents outside school. The book is a valuable resource for curriculum developers, federal agencies such as the Department of Education, administrators, educators, and funding agencies.

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