Recruiting Low-literate Adults
From LiteracyTentWiki
The following is a discussion that took place on the AAACE-NLA discussion list [ aaace-nla@lists.literacytent.org ] in November, 2006. Its focus was how to attract or recruit low-literate adults to enroll in adult literacy programs. Also see Recruiting and Serving Hard to Reach Adults, a presentation made by David J. Rosen in April, 2007 to a National Adult Literacy Agency (NALA) conference in Kilkenny Ireland.
From: DJRosen@theworld.com
Date: November 4, 2006 10:18:47 AM EST
AAACE Colleagues,
Someone recently e-mailed me: what do we know from research and professional wisdom about successful ways to attract and enroll low-literate adults in adult literacy programs? I am posting the question here because there is no e-list that I am aware of which is particularly suited to it and, because although I am looking for research and professional wisdom, what I learn may have implications for policy. Do we have experts in this area, people who have studied how to attract and enroll low-literate adults in a variety of contexts, who know what strategies work? If so, who are they?
Here's what I have so far. Any additions? Any research you would recommend?
- Assure complete privacy so that no one will know that a learner is enrolled.
- Use "literacy ambassadors," adult learners enrolled in programs, who can meet privately with groups of job seekers, welfare recipients or other groups where there may be a high incidence of adults with low literacy skills, and who can tell them about their own experiences as adults with reading difficulties/disabilities, how enrolling in a program was helpful to them, and how their lives have been changed as a result.
- Provide one-on-one basic literacy tutoring by well-trained tutors with a background in specific reading disabilities.
Thanks for your advice.
David J. Rosen
DJRosen@theworld.com
From: Janet_Isserlis@brown.edu
Date: November 4, 2006 10:17:38 PM EST
David and all
A timely question. Just back from the two-day LESLLA conference - an international conference examining approaches to language and literacy education for basic level learners, including learnings from practice and research and implications for policy.
The recommendations you mention seem geared towards people wanting access to literacy learning in their own first language. I think another piece to consider has to do with making literacy and language learning available through other venues -- formally and informally, e.g. through faith based organizations, health centers, women's groups and the like. We need to be working across disciplines to make ourselves available to help people doing other work (folks in community centers, for example) become more aware of the embedded literacy and numeracy practices in everyday life and help them either learn to help others on an ongoing basis as well as make information about learning centers and literacy programs more widely available.
Basic information about LESLLA is on line at http://www.leslla.org
Wonder if others at the LESLLA conference could add to this discussion?
Janet Isserlis
From: DJRosen@theworld.com
Date: November 5, 2006 5:14:42 AM EST
Janet and others,
The person who asked me this question was only interested in the problem of attracting native speakers of English, in a country where the first language is English. This is difficult for many reasons, some of which are listed below. I hope others will add to this list of reasons from their experience or research.
=============================================
Reasons why it is difficult to attract low-literate adults to adult literacy programs
- Previous experiences in school -- and sometimes also in adult education programs -- which are painful and/or futile
- Not wanting to take the chance that anyone -- employer, co-workers, friends, neighbors, or family members -- will know they have great difficulty reading and writing
- Not knowing what programs are available in their community, what they offer, and if they are effective
- Not wanting to go to a program in a school building or other place which is identified as school-related (the privacy issue, the reminder of past shame or frustration in school)
- Not believing that it is possible for them to learn to read and write
- Not having family support needed to take the risk of enrolling, then to persist (indeed, in some cases having a powerful family member who discourages them from participating in any education)
===============================================
Some of your suggestions, Janet, reminded me that some of the solutions to attracting low-literate adults might include:
1. Literacy programs located in or designed to serve people in women's shelters, substance abuse halfway houses, or community re-entry programs for ex-offenders.
2. The importance, sometimes, of matching a learner and (one-on-one) tutor by gender, cultural, color, religious faith and/or class background. Sometimes these are important in helping learners to have trust in their tutor. Of course, having a teacher who is well-trained in teaching adults to read and write, and in addressing specific reading disabilities as well, is also essential.
I know there are people on this list who have wrestled with how to attract and enroll low-literate adults in adult literacy programs. You teach in or manage programs whose primary purpose is serving low-literate adults. Maybe you have some answers, not all of them. Maybe you know what does not work and should be avoided. And since this is the public policy list, maybe you also have some thoughts about how changes is local, state or national policy might make this task easier.
Some of the teachers on this list might be willing to take this question to their students, or to graduates of their programs -- as a simple kind of action research project.
Some of the adult learner leaders on this list might have some good ideas.
I would prefer that you post your thoughts to the list so we can all learn more about this, but if you prefer to email them privately to me I would still be grateful.
Finally, Is anyone aware of any research on this question? If so, could you provide a citation? Thanks.
David J. Rosen
Adult Literacy Advocate
DJRosen@theworld.com
From: gprice@famlit.org
Date: November 6, 2006 9:40:13 AM EST
David,
How about the logistics issues of time, transportation and child care? These have to be overcome before an adult learner can even contemplate an adult education/literacy class.
Low-literacy often translates to low employment opportunities and results in jobs that require long hours, little flexibility, and low pay. So time to attend a literacy program is often at a premium.
Transportation is often a problem. Public transportation is often the only mode available, or if a family does have a car, it is used to get the wage earner back and forth to work.
Literacy programs may not be an option because families can not afford child care for any children who are not in school.
Gail J. Price
Multimedia Specialist
National Center for Family Literacy
325 West Main Street, Suite 300
Louisville, KY 40205
Phone: 502 584-1133, ext. 112
Fax: 502 584-0172
From: barguedas@sfccnm.edu
Date: November 6, 2006 11:33:05 AM EST
I agree with all of the reasons listed. Our volunteer literacy program,
Literacy Volunteers of Santa Fe (LVSF), is affiliated with our ABE
program. Though we refer low literate students to LVSF, there are still
very few total students. We know they are out there and your
suggestions are excellent.
Recently, we engaged in a project with the civic housing authority in which two surveyors went door-to-door to ask about the issues that kept adults from finding work that pays a living wage. Integrated into the survey were questions about their level of education and the goal was to determine the need for literacy level instruction. We also held one basic literacy class in the neighborhood as a result of the project. The door-to-door method is critical to learning more about these hidden populations. The surveys were conducted in low-income, mostly public housing, neighborhoods. The results of these surveys are still being tallied, so I don't have the specific outcomes as yet. We are holding a forum to share the results of this project with city officials, business leaders, and other community members so that more funding can be secured to hold literacy level instruction right in the neighborhoods.
Thank you for raising this issue. It is definitely one that we are challenged by.
Barbara Arguedas
Director of Adult Basic Education
Santa Fe Community College
Santa Fe, New Mexico
From: CColletti@ILSOS.NET
Date: November 6, 2006 2:16:34 PM EST
The local reputation of the adult literacy agency is very important. Since adult learners don't rely on print to find places to learn, word of mouth is the most important method of recruitment. Prospective adult learners need to hear about literacy agencies from current and former students and from current and former staff and volunteers. They need to hear not only that the project can help them with their literacy, but that it will treat them respectfully and take their needs and goals seriously. They need to know that the agency has been giving this service to their neighborhood for some time and that other people like themselves expect that the doors will stay open for a while longer.
While David's "literacy ambassador" idea is a great one, all of the members of the agency, learners, staff, and volunteers, need to realize that they are the best outreach to new learners. Many adult learners (and staff members) will not be comfortable officially talking to outside agencies, but many will talk to their brother-in-laws, neighbors and the guy down the street about what they are learning and where.
Cyndy Colletti
Illinois State Library Literacy Office
From: tsticht@znet.com
Date: November 6, 2006 4:22:46 PM EST
Aaace-nla Colleagues: The following note is relevant to the discussion on
recruiting low-literate adults for adult literacy programs. Tom Sticht
November 6, 2006
Recruiting Adults Into Literacy Programs
Tom Sticht
International Consultant in Adult Education
Writing some 25 years ago, in Reading for Working: A Functional Literacy Anthology (1975, pp. 163,165) I stated that, "A critical problem for job-related (and all other ) ABE is the recruiting and retention of students (the "outreach" problem). (p.163). ...In this regard, it will probably be important to depend heavily on the unemployed themselves as indigenous recruiters and program operators...(p.165)."
Since the foregoing was written, a number of studies have looked into the question of why more adults do not participate in adult literacy education. Following-up specifically on the idea of using indigenous persons as recruiters, almost a quarter century later, in "Passports to Paradise: the Sturggle to Teach and to Learn on the Margins of Adult Education" (1998), colleagues and I reported on recruitment research by adult learners to interview people in their indigenous communities to find out why they do not participate in adult education. One goal was to determine if adult students could serve as researchers into the educational challenges facing members of their community. A second goal was to obtain information that might be useful in helping adult education providers reach a greater number of those in need.
Here is a sample of three responses obtained by adult learner researchers :
Quote:"The reason I do not go to school because I am 18 years old and I have a son that's 7 months old. I can't pay someone to keep him. My mother is too sick to help me. I don't have money for transporation. If I had someone who could babysit my son at my house, and if I could get help with money for transporation. Then I can go to school without a care. (Q., GAIN/ABE)"
"My friend thinks that because he is old he doesn't have the capacity to learn. Since he didn't learn much as a child, there would be less probability for him to learn when he was older. Also, he doesn't have time to study."(N. , Beginning ESL)
"Alex told me he cannot go to school. He said, ‘Working is most important than school.’ He tried to go to school two years ago but felt disappointed. His class was crowded, and the teacher did not ask him any questions or allow him to participate. He felt he was wasting his time. (R. G., English)" End Quote
The foregoing samples illustrate the barriers that marginalized adults reported that they must overcome to bring themselves to participate in adult literacy education. As their words reveal, deciding to go to school to learn English as a second language (ESL), or basic reading and writing, or to get a high school diploma or GED as an adult is not an easy decision to make.
Many barriers were found that make it difficult for adults to pursue education. These barriers were categorized according to a scheme proposed by Cross (1981) in her studies of participation in adult education. She identified three major categories of barriers. Situational barriers include baby-sitting problems, work schedules, transportation problems and so on. Dispositional barriers stem from the psychological, personality, and attitudinal make-up of the student, and their beliefs about their abilities to learn. Institutional barriers involve the instruction, policies, practices and requirements of programs.
The findings of the adult learner researchers are similar to those in research studies by university-based researchers (Cross, 1981; Beder, 1991, pp. 67-98). This is important because, as mentioned earlier, one of the goals of Passports research was to determine whether adult literacy students, as indigenous members of the community, could serve as valuable resources for the improvement of the adult literacy education delivery system. The results of the participation study indicate that adult students can, indeed, serve as active participants in the conduct of research needed to learn more about their community, its members, and their perceived needs for educational programs and situational support. One of the dispositional barriers that many adults, including low-literate adults, may experience is their belief that they do not have a problem of low literacy. In the 1993 National Adult Literacy Survey (NALS) the government reported that almost half (47%) the adults had literacy skills low enough to place them "at risk" for meeting the daily needs of work and life. However, when asked how well they read, some 95 percent of adults reported that they read well or very well. Even in the lowest literacy group over three-quarters of the respondents thought they read well or very well.
It seems likely that if adults do not think they have low literacy skills it will be difficult to recruit them to programs. The national literacy data do not reveal who the adults with low literacy are so it is not possible to focus recruitment efforts on the least able adults. Perhaps there is a more useful way to spend the 15 million dollars that national adult literacy assessments cost and which have not presented any evidence to suggest that they have encouraged adults to engage in learning. If these funds were used to enlist larger numbers of adult learners indigenous to their communities to pursue research into recruitment needs and techniques it might be possible to develop effective recruitment methods to attract the least able into programs.
Adult learners are the greatest resources of the Adult Education and Literacy System (AELS) and research indicates that many of them can perform well as researchers. This is especially helpful when non-English speakers perform research in their native languages with members of their community. Such contributions by adult learners may also help to foster a greater sense of appreciation for the AELS on the part of learners and lead to a large alumni association that can be called upon to lobby for support for the AELS from year to year.
Adult Learners of America -- UNITE!
Thomas G. Sticht
International Consultant in Adult Education
2062 Valley View Blvd.
El Cajon, CA 92019-2059
Tel/fax: (619) 444-9133
Email: tsticht@aznet.net
Note: The Passports report is online and can be downloaded. GOOGLE it to get the address for downloading.
From: DJRosen@theworld.com
Date: November 7, 2006 7:31:39 AM EST
Hello Barbara, Tom and others,
Barbara, when they are available, the results of this survey would be very interesting to me, and no doubt to others on this list. I wonder if you could tell me who conducted the surveys, and how they were conducted. For example, were the surveyors themselves adult learners? Were the surveys explicitly and only about the need for adult literacy/ESOL, or was this one of several education, training and or other issues?
Within the population of low-literate adults, some are unemployed, some are working poor, and some are working and making a good living. I wonder if the recruitment (and service) strategies need to be different for the three groups, if some of the Situational, Dispositional and Institutional barriers -- thanks to Tom Sticht for reminding us of the Cross (1981) research -- may be different for each group.
I wonder if anyone has examples of those differences among unemployed, working poor and self-sufficient groups of low-literate adults -- from your experience recruiting low-literate adults or from research. And since we are discussing this on the AAACE-NLA list, does anyone have suggestions about program or government policies which need to be changed to make it easier for low-literate adults to enroll in programs?
David J. Rosen
Adult Literacy Advocate
DJRosen@theworld.org
From: barguedas@sfccnm.edu
Date: November 8, 2006 10:08:42 AM EST
David,
The surveys were conducted by two male adults who speak English and Spanish. We did try to get adult learners to conduct the surveys but that fell through, probably for the very reasons adult learners often do not follow through. The surveyors were paid. The surveys were explicitly about work and the barriers to employment or improved employment, but with a deeper agenda of learning about literacy. I have requested the survey results, including the methodology, and will send them to the list when these are completed.
Barbara Arguedas
Director of ABE
Santa Fe Community College
Santa Fe, NM
Date: November 9, 2006 6:49:49 AM EST
David Rosen asks:
"...I wonder if anyone has examples of those differences among unemployed, working poor and self-sufficient groups of low-literate adults -- from your experience recruiting low-literate adults or from research..."
Some time ago we conducted our own in-house research on the matter of self-esteem, administering a questionnaire at intake. Among other things, we found that the learners whom we thought would have the lowest self-esteem--those at the lowest reading and income levels---actually demonstrated slightly higher self-esteem than those at the intermediate level, who, by the way, were mostly employed. Informally talking with learners in both groups, we concluded that the unemployed, lowest level learners felt less stigma in their residential communities than the stigma felt by those in a work environment. The intermediate, employed learners also expressed a lot of "sadness" about "what they had missed" all their lives. The other group seemed less conscious of the impact of low literacy on their circumstances. I should mention that most of the low-level, unemployed learners lived in public housing. I would also hypothesize that the employed learners felt more "at risk" of their reading deficiencies being discovered "any minute", and they were undisputedly more sensitive about confidentiality.
We took action, by the way, based on this information. We started taking advantage of invitations often extended to our organization to have a booth or table at "community fairs" and block parties in public housing and low income neighborhoods, literally hanging up our shingle on the street. We also gave away free children's books, by the way, to attract people. We were surprised how many individuals walked right up to the table and asked if we could help them with reading or to get a GED. And the learners already with us who lived in the neighborhoods staffed the tables for us, not in the least concerned that their neighbors would find out they were enrolled in our programs.
Long ago, we discovered that the "best salesman is a satisfied customer". Hands down, most of our learners tell us "a friend" where we ask them how they found out about us.
Deborah W. Yoho
Director, TURNING PAGES
- a community service of Volunteers of America Carolina and
- a ProLiteracy affiliate
- (formerly the Greater Columbia Literacy Council)
803-765-2555
yohogclc@earthlink.net
2728 Devine Street Columbia, SC 29205
From: DJRosen@theworld.com
Date: November 9, 2006 7:24:26 AM EST
Debbie and others,
Your research is very interesting, Debbie, and your explanation for the differences in these groups and why the non-working poor, with the lowest level might not be as concerned about privacy, makes sense, and is something new for me to think about .
Have programs other programs done research, that is, have surveyed their students or the community or in some other way systematically collected data on the differences in needs of the three groups (working and self-sufficent, working poor, and unemployed) and in particular what would attract each group to enroll in an adult literacy program?
David J. Rosen
From: sfallsliteracy@yahoo.com
Date: November 9, 2006 1:37:53 PM EST
David, Debbie and others,
I don't have further research - just want to ask a question.
Wow! I am very intrigued with Debbie's work-in-the-field hitting the streets with promotional materials. We don't have neighborhood block parties here, but do mann the booths that she spoke about. Here's my question about what she wrote:
<< Some time ago we conducted our own in-house research on the matter of self-esteem, administering a questionnaire at intake. >>
Debbie, I'd love it if you would post the questionnaire, provided it's public information. That would be helpful for our intake.
Comment: When I asked our advisory Reader group about outreach, I was told the same thing you heard - that they pass-it-on to to their friends. However, if it's a matter of going publicly to prospective learners, they felt the learner would come only when they were "in crisis" and not until they *have* to learn to read. That's when the following was initiated.
Our outreach efforts include establishing connections with personnel in the other entities which *serve* the adult in crisis - the unemployed, the homeless, the abused, parolees, and those in counceling - where referrals are made to our agency. We placed at 11 different sites an inexpensive card holder for their desks and/or front counter with business-sized cards in it sayng "Learn To Read Better" in large letters beside our logo and with our phone number plus a shortened council name.
It has been somewhat effective, but doesn't reap the greatest for volume. We serve one person at a time anyway so that was not a concern when the project was kicked off. Where it becomes problematic is it has to be an ongoing effort - renewing relationships frequently due to the turn-over in staffing we have seen in these social service agencies and refilling the card holders.
Nancy Hansen
Sioux Falls Area Literacy Council
From: dwyoho@earthlink.net
Date: November 10, 2006 11:27:26 AM EST
Nancy, et al.
The questionnaire was 10 simple questions with responses on a Lickert scale that we administered orally. If you'd like a copy, email me off-list. I'd like to cite the source but I can't find the reference. We developed it by asking some mental health friends to recommend a simple instrument, and then doctored it for plain langauage. We were satisfied that the instrument was valid and reliable for our purposes, but since we tampered with it slightly I suppose the "research" wouldn't hold up to "scientific scrutiny". Neverthless, it was a useful exercise and yielded results. We stopped doing it after about two years and several hundred learners because the patterns seemed clear. It is important to note that the information we elicited was the learner's perception of their own self-esteem, not an independent assessment.
I'd like to offer a few more ideas about recruitment. I've been thinking about Tom's reminder of "institutional barriers", and reflecting with pride on the fact that when our state department of ed visited last year, we were especially commended for a positive, constructive and warm learning environment. Here are some things that have happened in our service center in the last few days that might not happen in many other places because of policy, custom, attitude, "bureaucracy" or other institutional barriers that might exist: All of these learners are very low level.
1. A learner was post-tested, and when she found she had advanced a full grade equivalent she couldn't help but "whoop" in the middle of an open-space environment Everything stopped as people looked up to see what was going on. She got all kinds of back slapping and congratulations.
2. A learner asked if we could fax an item for him. We did so immediately and subconsciously, as this is routine. Likewise, another asked for a copy of a legal document he was trying to read. His request was again immediately granted. Our learners conduct all sorts of business in our office, often with our help. A few, rarely, have abused these privileges. When they do, like the one today who seized an office phone rudely, we take them aside and quietly and sensitively teach them to make polite requests at appropriate times to the appropriate person. They begin to absorb the culture of a business-like, purposeful atmosphere , and not one has ever balked when politely guided in an adult way.
3. Three people came in today to work in the lab when it was not their assigned time. They were welcomed, went to work, and before leaving renegotiated their assigned time. We know all three will probably not stick to their time slot, but we don't mind. We just invite them to wait if they come at the "wrong" time and no computer is available. Nonetheless, we assign times because we consciously teach time management.
4. The lab instructor came to me concerned about the distraction of a learner who was unconsciously rocking back and forth in her chair while using the computer. As a special ed teacher, I had seen this before. I knew to ask if she was new (yes). I told the instructor to let me know if it didn't stop sometime before the end of her session. It did. Similarly, a learner was constantly getting up and down to go outside to smoke. We got a timer, and agreed the smoke break would occur after the bell dinged. First after 5 minutes, then 10 minutes, then 20 etc. It worked like a charm.
5. A learner came in a while back and confided to her tutor that she was being sexually harassed on the job. The tutor got her permission to talk to me about it. To make a long story short, we contacted the right people and the harasser was fired.
Conclusions for policy purposes: a. Make sure policy, volunteer training, staff qualifications, and expectations of learners align. b. Small, intimate environments facilitate many things. A traditional classroom furnished traditionally is not an intimate environment. c. foster procedures and environments where learners, administrators, professionals, and volunteers work as a team, and as equals. d. Teach the person, not the subject. e. assessment, teaching, and progress checks are part of one process, not separated into pieces handled by an array of various people each in their own silo.
Deborah W. Yoho
Director, TURNING PAGES
yohogclc@earthlink.net
From: DJRosen@theworld.com
Date: November 11, 2006 1:12:05 PM EST
AAACE-NLA Colleagues,
I asked Clare Strawn if there was something we might be able to learn from the Longitudinal Study of Adult Learning which she and Steve Reder have been conducting in Portland, Oregon. Here is her reply:
Begin forwarded message:
How can we attract low-literate adults, native speakers of English, to enroll in adult literacy programs? This is the big question of the field and there are no pat answers. I think the first step is to question the assumptions about the population you want to attract, and the best way to do that is to get out of your office and go talk to people where they are. Findings from the Longitudinal Study of Adult Learning indicate that the target population for adult education is very diverse, and I would add that different localities may have a different mix of conditions. A segment of this group will have sufficient literacy proficiency to not experience a need for formal education. Some will have constructed their lives within a comfort zone of community that meets their needs and values what they have to offer...again, no perceived need. Many have to work too many hours for too little pay to have the leisure to participate in education. My research shows a much higher rate of participation than is usually noted in national studies and program based studies. This is because we follow adults over many years and measure participation in the context of their lives rather than as snap shots of a program profile. So when you go to the union hall or bar or unemployment line to do your field inquiry, ask "are you now or have you ever...enrolled in an adult education program? why or why not?" Then write it up and let us know what you find.
Clare Strawn
Longitudinal Study of Adult Learning
www.lsal.pdx.edu
