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English as an additional language (EAL) adult literacy learners have special needs and unique characteristics. The various challenges they face include decoding, comprehending, and developing basic skills for reading and writing. At the same time, it is extremely important to understand EAL adult literacy programming, as the right approaches for EAL adult literacy learners literacy learners might become a turning point in their future learning. EAL students bring positive experiences, strengths, and needs to the adult EAL classroom. Teachers need to acknowledge and address these strengths and needs.

Morphological knowledge refers to an individual's understanding of the structure and meaning of words based on their familiarity with morphemes (i.e., word parts, including prefixes, suffixes, and bases). This knowledge is crucial to developing various aspects of language and literacy to successfully function in 21st century education and workplace settings, including vocabulary, spelling, phonological awareness, word reading, and reading comprehension. This research digest provides a brief review on why morphological knowledge is important to literacy for adult education leaners. Next, we briefly describe the literature on adult morphological and etymological instruction and provide examples for how to integrate them in the classroom with adult education learners. We conclude with future directions and resources for research and educational practice.

In Pakistan, adult literacy programs are offered to enable learners to function effectively to attain individual, family, and social sustainability, but these programs are continuously reporting low participation. This study aimed to explore the reasons behind low participation, employing a descriptive phenomenological design to examine the challenges experienced by adult learners, literacy teachers, and administrators. Forty-five participants (30 learners, 10 teachers, and 5 administrators) were selected by using a purposive sampling technique. Data were gathered through focus group discussions and semi-structured interviews, and a thematic analysis was conducted. Numerous challenges were found, including less attractive, non-relevant literacy content, inappropriate presentation methods, lack of proper mechanisms for teachers' training, and learners' evaluation. Based on the evidence, practical implications were proposed, with a particular emphasis on adult learners and literacy teachers.

Motivational research identifies utility value, or the importance of a learning task to future goals, as central to motivation to learn. This study analyzed survey data (N = 86) collected from adult literacy learners to examine their utility value of writing improvement in grammar and spelling skills, word processing skills, and planning, drafting, and revising skills. Findings revealed that participants had a high utility value of improving writing in all three skill areas and possessed a variety of underlying motivations, including obtaining further education, seeking future employment, and personal reasons. Participants' age, educational attainment, and reading levels showed relationships with utility value of improving grammar and spelling skills, and age showed an additional relationship to utility value of improving word processing skills. This work extends research on motivation in this population and supports the application of expectancy-value theory to both adult motivation and writing motivation.

The purpose of this study was to (a) examine the underlying assessment structure of the Derivational Morphology Task (DMORPH) and (b) investigate the relation of the DMORPH to vocabulary and reading comprehension outcomes with a sample of struggling adult readers. Specifically, participants included 218 struggling adult readers enrolled in adult literacy classes. We used item-level analyses to evaluate the underlying structure of the DMORPH. Items with phonological (e.g., "music" to "musician") and non-phonological transformations ("teach" to "teacher") were examined in relation to adult literacy students' vocabulary and reading comprehension skills. A bifactor model was the best fit to the data, suggesting that the DMORPH measured a single factor of derivational morphological awareness with some variation due to phonological and non-phonological change items. Follow-up analyses revealed that the DMORPH can essentially be considered unidimensional, which justified the use of a single scoring system for the DMORPH with adult literacy students. However, after controlling for word reading and phonological awareness, the phonological change items uniquely predicted vocabulary knowledge and reading comprehension, whereas the non-phonological change items were not significant. The results support the structural validity of the DMORPH and the need to use both phonological and non-phonological change items with adult literacy students. The present findings also provide insight into potential intervention targets for instructors in adult literacy programs who are interested in improving students' vocabulary and reading comprehension skills.

Numerous projects and programmes for adult literacy have been undertaken in developing countries in the past years, so it comes as no surprise that the fundamental problems and the global statistics on literacy have not changed even slightly in a country like South Africa. The present study examines the elearning readiness of adult facilitators and learners involved in adult literacy programmes and has these objectives: examine facilitators and learners on the use of technology in the adult literacy programme, investigate the use of technology for elearning in adult literacy programmes, and ascertain the extent to which elearning can motivate learners to learn. The study was underpinned by the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), whereby a convergent mixed-method approach was adopted in which quantitative and qualitative data were collected simultaneously, analysed separately, and interpreted. Data were collected through questionnaires and semi structured interviews from 120 adult learners that were randomly selected, and ten adult facilitators conveniently selected from the literacy centres in KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa. The study recommends that adult literacy centres should be equipped with relevant ICT gadgets to enhance adult literacy programmes and all adult literacy education stakeholders should be involved in the implementation process. Additionally, the government should make elearning an area of focus for a future literacy programmes.

Job automation is a topical issue in a technology-driven labor market. However, greater amounts of human capital (e.g., often measured by education, and information-processing skills, including adult literacy) are linked with job security. A knowledgeable and skilled labor force better resists unemployment and/or rebounds from job disruption brought on by job automation. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to advance understanding of the association between educational attainment and literacy, and job automation risk. Using the 2012/2014/2017 Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) data, survey-weighted linear regression was used to model the risk of job automation as a function of education, and literacy proficiency. Higher educational attainment (college or higher vs. less than high school: b = -18.23, p < 0.05) and greater literacy proficiency (score 0-500 points: b = -0.038, p < 0.05) were associated with a decrease in job automation risk among the U.S. workforce.

Snyder's hope theory depicts hope, through the frame of positive psychology, as a cognitive construct with the perceived sense of goal-directed, pathways, and agency thinking (Snyder et al., 1991). Hope levels have been measured in various countries; however, no research to date focused on Haitians. This study, conducted in Petit-Goâve, Haiti, addressed this gap by investigating hope, pathway, and agency levels derived from 135 Haitian-Kreyol adult literacy course participants. This manuscript reports scores of illiterate Haitians' hope levels utilizing Snyder's Adult Hope Dispositional Scale; the scores are explained by Snyder's hope theory taking Haitian cultural and social landscapes into account. Despite the challenging environment and illiterate conditions, Haitian participants reported just below average hope levels, average pathway levels, and low agency levels. These findings suggested this population garnered hope in their everyday lives, despite difficult obstacles.

This article is written by two researchers and a teacher involved with the development and implementation of a web-based intelligent tutoring system for adults reading at elementary levels. A description of the tool is provided, followed by some of the challenges faced in designing, developing, and using the tool in adult literacy classrooms.

Adult literacy skills are critical assets of individuals as well as societies in terms of economic (e.g., human capital) and social well-being. Thus, it is important to monitor the long-term trends and sources of skill gain/loss. Yet, temporal sources of adult literacy skill variation are understudied. The current study analyzed three comparable, nationally representative datasets including the 1994 International Adult Literacy Survey; the 2003 International Adult Literacy and Life Skills Survey; and the 2012/2014/2017 Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies. Results from the age-period-cohort hierarchical cross-classified random effects model showed significant variation in adult literacy skills across cohorts (1930-1995) and time periods (1994-2017). Possible implications for adult education policies and future research needs were evaluated.

According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), one in five adults living in the United States has a mental illness (2022). Despite the varying complexities and diagnoses associated with students who are navigating mental health issues, there are numerous approaches educators and professionals supporting adult learners can take to help students cope with mental health needs. The resources and accommodations presented in this article discuss best practices for students with mental health needs that are adapted using Hewitt's (2017) "Yes I Can: A Mental Health Guide for Adult Literacy Facilitators." The information in this article accounts for the most common student needs and ways for facilitators to incorporate best practices into their classrooms that can address various diverse learning requirements. [For part 2 of this Forum on supporting mental health, see EJ1389835. For part 3, see EJ1389833.]

Limited literacy has a large impact on the U.S. population; about half of adults lack sufficient literacy proficiency. However, not all populations are impacted equally, as there is a significant comorbidity between low literacy and mental illness. The authors have found that smartphones can offer mental health patients with low literacy numerous resources. They will highlight two examples in this article and describe how each can be beneficial to a patient's health. While these resources have great potential, the authors realize that not all patients are able to use their smartphones like this as they lack basic digital literacy. [For part 1 of this Forum on supporting mental health, see EJ1389837. For part 3, see EJ1389833.]

This research was motivated by some multicultural classroom students' reactions to practicing writing argumentative text including the fact that Indonesia's adult literacy rate of 95% is not accompanied by the ability to recognize and adopt composed facts, which on average is very little. This research was formerly aimed to depict how multicultural classroom students react to deploying rhetorical strategies to write and advance their linguistic skills as well as cultural diversity. The research approach adopted in this research was qualitative. The types of data sources in this study are documents in the form of various thesis manuscripts from a multicultural classroom of Masters' Study programs at UIN SATU Tulungagung. The data collection technique applied to the main data source in the form of archives or written documents is to rely on the note-taking technique and administrating one online questionnaire survey to thirty-two students as well as attending an interview. In the thesis of multicultural classroom deployed seven strategies counting definition, comparison, cause-and-effect, problem-solution, means-end, listing, partition strategies were applied by students in argumentative text units which they compiled at various levels, both at the sentence unit level, paragraph unit, and essay unit; several facets of appealing the students experience in writing argumentative text also appeared promoting linguistic and cultural diverse in composing argumentative text counting 5 linguistics facets and 2 cultural diverse such as argumentative state/disputatiousness, probing and assortment criticism, adopting composing typical, recognized arrangement, pondering on preceding insight, instructors' concentrating on awareness development, indigenous upbringing; experience of deploying rhetorical strategies in order to enhance linguistic skill counting conceptual and procedural knowledge to the same degree credibility, logic and emotion mainly deploying cognitive, social, search and metacognitive strategies.

This article examines how university-community outreach was an enabler for integral human development during the COVID-19 pandemic. Qualitative information about the University of Asia and the Pacific (UA&P) Community Outreach Program (COP) is described and analyzed. In particular, the Kabagis Aeta Projects succeeded in its initial implementation, moving from distribution of goods to capability building. It has improved family living conditions and instilled positive work values among the Aetas of Castillejos, Zambales, Philippines. The interventions served as enablers of integral human development in personal, economic, social, ecological, and spiritual life. Beyond physical, structural interventions and resources, values formation was integrated to achieve integral human development. Structures furnished through the COP--the study center, livelihood workshop, and training center--provide venues for trainings and continuous learning for the Aetas. Possible clients or markets can also be explored to absorb the products and outputs of their newly learned skills.

Adult English language instruction is the fastest growing segment of U.S. adult basic education population. Supporting adult emergent multilingual students through English as a Second Language or English for Speakers of Other Languages classes, referred to here as ES(O)L, and developmental literacy programs presents a "wicked problem" for many community colleges. This article compares literacy standards and instruction across adult ES(O)L and developmental literacy contexts in six Texas community college systems. Colleges held loosely shared organizational goals but lacked sufficient leadership, structure, and time for goal enactment. Through a systems theory lens, the article explores colleges' potential to become learning organizations supporting adult multilingual students' college transition.

In the United States, 16.6 million adults are unable to comprehend sentences or read common documents, thereby limiting their ability to participate in a literate society. Given the consequences of low literacy, we conducted a single-case study with adult multilingual learners to test the effectiveness of a game app, Codex: The Lost Words of Atlantis, on word decoding. The analyses of the pilot study showed moderate to large effect sizes on phonological decoding of taught and untaught words and large and statistically significant increases from pre-test to post-test on five distal reading measures. These results suggest the app may support adult multilingual learners in learning to decode common English words.

Studies on the role of digital technology in teaching and learning English tend to focus on secondary or higher education contexts and/or with literate or educated students. The recent global pandemic has highlighted the urgent need to advance digital equity and inclusion for adult learners with limited education and literacy. Despite their basic digital, language and literacy skills, classroom observations and studies have challenged stereotypes of this cohort of students' limited capacity for online learning (Pobega, 2020; Tour et al., 2021). This paper will discuss a digital literacy project which involved poetry writing using an online book creator app with adult learners with limited English print literacy skills. Moving beyond merely mastering the mechanics of digital technologies (Kern, 2015), this project was an exploration of how language classrooms can be set up as supportive spaces where adult English learners perform "social acts of meaning mediated by the creation of texts" (Bhatt, 2012). Drawing on their personal histories, the learners made connections with the people, events, and spaces, from their past and present, emphasising the need to focus on human connections in language learning and the development of digital literacy skills (Guillén et al., 2020). Through poetry as a familiar literary form, the project serves to expand and strengthen the epistemic contribution capability (Fricker, 2015) of English learners with limited education and print literacy skills.

This study analyses how older (mostly 60 years or over) women who are literacy students at Youth and Adult Education Program in a small village of Brazil appropriate school numeracy practices during a class about the discursive genre "label" and the information it conveys. We focus on the students' participation in the discursive interactions that take place in events involving concepts, ideas, procedures, rules, and values related to reading and registering the system used to write expiration dates. Using an example, we discuss how the different modes of this appropriation carried out by the students change the didactical activity and innovatively forge the pedagogical relationship.

Innovation is a ubiquitous term, and its use to promote neoliberal values such as competition, efficiency and its privileging of technology driven initiatives has been critiqued by educational researchers, including adult literacy researchers. This article argues that innovation in adult literacy (and perhaps in education generally) is a concept that needs to be problematized. While there appears to be a general agreement in the education and wider social science literature about the definition of innovation, the problem is the lack of specificity in "what the innovation is better for" when celebrating innovation as if it is inherently good.

In the 1960s and 1970s, mass campaigns were the dominant model of adult literacy provision, especially in countries of the Global South. After a long absence, there is now a revival of international interest in this model. This paper looks back on the earlier history of mass campaigns and the geopolitical reasons for their rejection, to help make sense of the problems encountered by more recent attempts to mount literacy campaigns in Timor-Leste and Australia. This analysis problematizes the concept of innovation, by identifying its association with a neo-liberal ideology of economic development which continues to produce adult literacy policy and programs which are ineffective at a national or global level.

The Reading Writing Hotline was originally conceived as phone support for viewers of an educational TV series. Celebrating it's 30th anniversary next year, it has evolved to become a national referral service for learners, as well as an information and advisory service for industry and community. It recorded a significant increase in call numbers and complexity during the pandemic. Because of its unique connections with learners and program providers, the Hotline's case studies and statistics are a valuable resource for governments and policymakers. The Hotline is trialing several pilot projects to address gaps in adult literacy provision.

Access to lifelong learning opportunities has long been discussed in terms of the economic benefits conferred by access to and engagement in further education by members of the labor force, particularly within the global knowledge economy. However, equitable access to lifelong education opportunities, particularly for low-skilled adults in the labor force, has been lacking. The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) identified three models for funding adult learning: (1) individual learning accounts, (2) individual savings accounts, and (3) training vouchers. The current study discusses examples of these models, either proposed or implemented, across four countries or economic blocks--France, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States. In addition, to understand the importance of providing funding for education and training to adults with low levels literacy skills, we use data from the Program for the International Assessment for Adult Competencies (PIAAC) to compare participation in adult education and training (AET) by literacy skill levels. In all countries examined, adults with low literacy skills participated in AET at lower rates than those with middle and high levels of literacy skills. To be successful in reaching adults most in need of skill upgrading, financing models need to provide adequate funds for meaningful skill upgrades, have well-structured information sources (e.g., websites) that are easily navigated by the target population, and include policies to screen educational providers for program quality. [For the corresponding grantee submission, see ED618107.]

Literacy skills can assist in the navigation and enjoyment of adult life. For individuals who have reached adulthood without strong literacy skills, opportunities for continued literacy learning are few. Redesigning AAC technologies to support literacy skill development could extend literacy learning opportunities for adults with developmental disabilities who have limited speech. The current preliminary study evaluated an AAC technology feature designed to support literacy development. The study used a multiple probe across participants design. Three adults with Down syndrome who had limited speech and only basic decoding skills participated. Results suggest the participants made modest gains in decoding accuracy after interacting using the AAC app with the literacy supportive feature, though performance was highly variable. Results also offer emerging evidence that, for two participants, some generalization to encoding performance may have also been achieved. Results showed that, for all the participants, interacting using the literacy supportive feature increased their reading confidence. Altogether, the study's results show preliminary evidence that the feature can support adults with Down syndrome in their ongoing literacy learning, though access to formal instruction is still critical. Future research is needed to continue to explore this and other AAC technology redesigns to increase learning opportunities for the people who use the technology every day to communicate.

The International Literacy Day 2023 was the first after the launch the text generating artificial intelligence ChatGPT. This was the reason for a Literacy Promptathon that allows users to learn how to handle text and image generation. The International Literacy Day media coverage for the first time touched on the question of AI generated text. One of the difficulties of generative AI is that it does not necessarily produce true information. However, findings show that critical literacy is most difficult for adults with low literacy performance. Research shows that disinformation, algorithmic biases and data collection are among the most relevant dangers of generative AI, while controlling these dangers requires precise reading and builds on high literacy skills. The research question was how users handle the risk of disinformation and whether this varies by experience. Data collection used an ad-hoc online survey with 202 respondents. Findings indicate an overall high awareness to avoid fake news, but not necessarily adequate fact-checking habits, especially among less experienced AI users. While limited to the respondents, the findings give reason to assume that there is a substantial need to improve competences in fact-checking. Adult and continuing education have a pioneering role in this regard.

Some people in Japanese society have been classified as 'invisible' because they could not complete their compulsory elementary school education and have failed to assimilate into mainstream society. The 2010 Japan Census identified about 1.3 people per thousand over 15 years old who had not graduated from elementary school. However, the circumstances that prevented them from completing their compulsory elementary school education and their current challenges in accessing lifelong learning have yet to be researched. In an attempt to investigate these two issues, quasi-experimental panel data analysis with count data was applied to determine the characteristics of invisible people using the Japan census data disaggregated by the district for all residents and decomposed of environmental and war factors, thus unravelling the geographic anomaly in the national data. Estimation results showed that their features can be explained by three multi-level layers: 1) an explanation due to personal conditions: being in a state of poverty, 2) an explanation created by differences in nationality, and 3) identification from environmental factors, such as geographical isolation and the Battle of Okinawa. We can identify specific features of how to deliver lifelong learning to people with information barriers.

Previous research based on large-scale studies consistently suggests that on average, male students tend to have lower literacy compared to their female students during secondary schooling. However, this gender gap in literacy seems to "disappear" during adulthood. Up until today, only a few studies investigated the role of assessment features in gender differences in literacy performance in adulthood. This study aims to understand the relationship between assessment features and gender differences in literacy skills. Using the German 2012 PIAAC data (N = 4,512), we applied item-level analyses using linear probability models to examine gender differences in the probability of solving a literacy item correctly with six assessment features including: (1) text format; (2) text topics; (3) text length; (4) cognitive strategies; (5) numerical content of the text/questions; and (6) gender typicality of content. We found that men had a 13.4% higher probability of solving items with a noncontinuous text format correctly than women. Men also had a 9.4% higher probability of solving short text items correctly and a 4.6% higher probability of solving items with a medium/high numerical content in the question correctly than women. There were small to negligible gender differences in literacy performance in terms of text topics, cognitive strategies, and gender typicality of content. Our findings highlight the role of text format, text length, and numerical content in gender differences in literacy skills, suggesting that further refining these practices can enhance the fairness and accuracy of literacy assessments. Specifically, we advocate for ongoing research aimed at understanding and minimizing the potential bias introduced by these assessment features. Such efforts are not only crucial for developing instruments that accurately measure literacy skills, but they also yield insights that hold significant implications for educational researchers and practitioners dedicated to creating more equitable assessment environments.

Despite increasing demand in distance education, relatively little is known about the demographic and socioeconomic characteristics as well as basic skill levels of adult distance education participants at the national level in the US. This study analyzed the US data from the 2012/2014 and 2017 Program for International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) to identify baseline determinants of nonformal (i.e., not for a formal credential or degree) distance education among adults aged between 25 and 65 years old. Results showed that higher educational attainment, employment, literacy skills, and digital problem-solving skills were positively associated with nonformal distance education participation. As recent distance education is provided predominantly through the internet and digital device, digital skills may be of particular concern. These identified determinants should be reflected in policy interventions to close education gaps. Additionally, the findings of this study are useful for future research that focuses on psychological and behavioral factors.

Literacy builds a foundation for further learning and necessitates human capital development that creates a knowledge economy. A clear focus on literacy policies is fundamental in achieving national and international socio-economic targets. In Tanzania, adult literacy growth has been slow, inconsistent, and characterized by regional gaps. A review of policies and practices has revealed several constraints associated with budget allocation and cultural perspectives. We suggest to the governments in the whole developing world to prioritize consistent funding and formulating culture-sensitive policies in ensuring mass literacy, poverty reduction, creation of high productive personnel, and eventually achieve the UNESCO's Agenda 2030

Background: Political and economic upheavals in the current millennium globally have displaced millions of people, making cross-border and forced migration a reality. Many refugees are forced out of their countries and flee to other countries to find new languages with which they are not familiar. South Africa as a signatory to the 1954 UN Convention on refugees and stateless persons accepts refugees (asylum seekers) from all over the world. The displaced persons are mostly illiterate in English and the indigenous languages of their new settlement countries. Objectives: The study was set up to investigate the socio-economic value of literacy in the lives of refugee adults in South Africa. Hence, in this article, literacy refers to the ability to read, write, calculate, communicate and function in any language with a basic understanding in one's environment. Method: This ethnographic qualitative study used interviews, observations and focus group meetings to explore how literacy matters in the sustainable development of entrepreneurial activities among the refugee adults and youths in South Africa. The study is grounded in Paulo Freire's critical pedagogy theory and has some implications for adult literacy throughout the developing world where millions of adult refugees find themselves vulnerable. Results: The study revealed that refugee adults learn functional literacy in English and other 11 local South African languages informally as communication skills for the survival of their small businesses and for social and economic use in their 'adopted home'. They find it difficult to get employment in the formal sector and often use their ingenuity to create their own jobs for survival and livelihoods in informal trade and entrepreneurship. Conclusion: The article concludes that within the public adult learning interventions by the Department of Basic Education, where literacy programmes are offered, refugees should be encouraged and supported in attending formal classes to deal with their livelihoods and small businesses for survival.

The adult literacy education field draws on research from several disciplines to support the work of educating the 40-44 million U.S. adults who lack the skills to obtain and maintain family sustaining work opportunities (Kirsch et al., 1993). Adult literacy research that documents the prevalence of low literacy in the adult population is useful for increasing awareness, for advocacy, and for educating funders and community partners about the need for, and impact of, adult literacy education. Research from adult and K-12 education are useful for improving professional practice and implementing effective program initiatives and for developing new knowledge about effective instructional strategies, evolving learner needs, and improving learner outcomes. In adult literacy education, efforts are made to use research for each of these purposes at the national, program, and individual levels. This paper documents how Seeds of Literacy, an adult literacy program in Cleveland, Ohio, uses education research to support its work. [For Part 1 of the series, see EJ1353257.]

Organizations advocating for federal, state, and local level support for adult education have long relied on the power of individual story to influence both public perception and public policy. They have developed training programs, provided advocacy toolkits, and organized visits with policy makers in order to promote and sustain awareness of the benefits of adult education for the lives of individuals and the fabric of the community as a whole. At the same time, decision makers across the political spectrum have increasingly come to rely on research to inform the process known as evidence-based policymaking. How can the adult education field "prioritize rigorous research findings" that inform evidence-based policymaking, while also taking advantage of the persuasive power of the "anecdotes" that those affected by the policies can provide? This paper identifies two strategies that researchers can employ to reconcile the two and proposes three areas of current interest where those strategies might be used to good effect.

Knowledge exchange, also called knowledge translation, mobilization, or transfer, increasingly factors in university strategic plans and funding agency mandates. The growing emphasis on research that includes community engagement and making research knowledge more accessible and useful for nonacademic constituents often brings in knowledge brokers, whose activities promote sharing of research knowledge among different actors. In this article, we consider how librarians and adult literacy educators engage in this work as professionals uniquely positioned to advance knowledge exchange initiatives. Three initiatives in British Columbia, Canada, involve academic librarians and adult literacy educators engaging in knowledge exchange work in transformative ways. We describe how they are reconfiguring knowledge making, sharing, and use with constituents and bridging nonacademic and university communities. This approach disrupts traditional notions of who produces and consumes knowledge and who is an expert while acknowledging how place-based approaches are essential for advancing knowledge exchange initiatives.

Play is a universal human experience. Often regarded as the unique purview of children, an emerging body of research points to the importance of playfulness in adulthood. This article reports on the research and observations of two teaching artists working in Connected, a Sydney Theatre Company adult-literacy-through-drama programme. This article conceptualises the drama room as a liminal space. Through improvisational responses participants engage in a learning style that promotes playfulness, which subsequently generates a sense of pleasure and joy and, in doing so, has an intrinsic value beyond the specific language learning outcomes. In this article we build on Guitard et al.'s (2005) components of playfulness in adults: creativity, curiosity, pleasure, sense of humour and spontaneity, in order to posit our own ideas about the conditions necessary for encouraging the freedom to play in adult language learning contexts.

The evolving neurobiological and psychological understanding of emotions, specifically positive emotions, provides fascinating insights into how learners' emotions can be evoked, and online learning environments can be crafted to maximize student engagement. Engaged online learners are more active, self-directed, and responsible; they persist and find academic success at higher rates. This article aims to maximize learner outcomes by combining the research and frameworks of online student engagement with the neuroscience and psychology of positive emotions. This research suggests that positive psychology interventions, which have been consistently correlated to positive organizational outcomes when similarly used in business initiatives, also apply to the online adult literacy classroom. The infusion of practical positive psychology principles and the purposeful use of positive emotions in the online setting are presented from three distinct perspectives: creating a positive culture, facilitation, and academic content.

Narratives drawn from a Fulbright study of immigrant women in Chile communicating with their families at-a-distance through information and communication technologies show that they utilized digital visual literacy practices. Digital visual literacy is a combination of digital literacy and visual literacy and even goes beyond these conceptualizations. By manipulating their levels of visibility through platforms on smartphone devices, immigrant women strove to create a sense of co-presence with their families abroad. This paper demonstrates the complexity and relevance of combining visuality with multi-literacies, voice, and gendered narratives of digital communication for immigrants inside and outside of adult literacy classrooms.