Search

The primary purpose of this project is to produce a set of guidelines on how to deliver adult literacy and numeracy education and training using a social capital approach. Social capital in this project refers to the networks that operate during resourcing, course design, recruitment, teaching and evaluation. The study focused on three specific sectors: health, finance and justice. Appendices include: (1) Semi-structured interview schedules; and (2) Action research plan format. (Contains 4 tables and 2 figures.) [Funding for this project has been provided under the Adult Literacy National Project by the Australian Government, through the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations. For the support document containing additional information, see ED507218.]

The three case studies featured in this publication need to be viewed in conjunction with the recent National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) report: "A New Social Capital Paradigm for Adult Literacy: Partnerships, Policy and Pedagogy" (Balatti, Black & Falk 2009). The case studies form an important research phase of this report and due to the interest they could have for practitioners in the adult literacy and numeracy field, they are presented here as a separate publication. The first case study was a health literacy partnership involving Muslim women in metropolitan Sydney. The second was a jobseeker program with a financial literacy element conducted to mainly English speaking background learners in a regional city in North Queensland. The third case study was a literacy and numeracy program conducted in the Northern Territory and involved mainly Indigenous learners. The programs were undertaken over an 8-13 week timeframe in the second half of 2007. The three case studies are a demonstration of how specific teaching strategies in adult literacy and numeracy programs, such as encouraging peer learning and introducing guest speakers and organising outside visits can be seen in turn to lead to greater social networks and changed relations within these networks for the learners in these programs. [Funding for this paper was provided through the Australian Department of Education, Science and Training. This document was produced by the authors based on their research for the report "A New Social Paradigm for Adult Literacy: Partnerships, Policy and Pedagogy." For the main report, see ED507217.]

This Support Document reports in detail on two of three components of the methodology. The first part of this document features the literature review, focusing in particular on the three areas of health literacy, financial literacy and literacy in the justice sector. It also includes a background section on policy. The second part of the Support Document features the environmental scans undertaken in New South Wales, Queensland and the Northern Territory. These scans focus on identifying partnerships between literacy and numeracy providers and organisations within the three respective sectors of health, financial literacy and justice. [Funding for this paper was provided through the Australian Department of Education, Science and Training. This document was produced by the authors based on their research for the report "A New Social Capital Paradigm for Adult Literacy: Partnerships, Policy and Pedagogy" and is an added resource for further information. For the main report, see ED507217.]

This study investigated whether adult literacy and numeracy courses produced social capital outcomes, which are changes in students' connections with networks of people. Interviews seeking information about participation in adult literacy and numeracy courses were conducted with 57 students and 18 teachers in four courses, one each in the Northern Territory and Queensland, and two in New South Wales. Included in the participant group were students from non-English speaking backgrounds, Indigenous students, youth and mature-aged (45 and over) students. The study found that 80% of the students improved the structure of their networks and the way they communicated, as well as contributing to positive socioeconomic benefits in the areas of education and learning, employment and the quality of working life, and access to goods and services. Reporting on these outcomes may go some way towards providing a more complete picture of the benefits of literacy and numeracy courses, emphasizing that these courses are about more than the acquisition of a set of technical skills. At the same time, it is recognized that this may be problematic. (Contains 14 tables and 1 figure.) [This report was produced with funding provided under the Adult Literacy National Project by the Australian Government through the Department of Education, Science and Training.]

This document was produced by the authors based on their research for the report "Reframing Adult Literacy and Numeracy Outcomes: A Social Capital Perspective" [ED493887] and is an added resource for further information. The original report investigated whether adult literacy and numeracy courses produced social capital outcomes, which are changes in students' connections with networks of people. This support document contains the following appendixes: (1) Semi-Structured Interview Schedules for Teachers and for Students; (2) Tables Related to Student Sample; (3) Information about Courses; (4) Extended Literature Review. Appendix 4 presents: (1) Towards a social capital perspective; (2) Shifting conceptions of literacy and numeracy; (3) Theoretical approaches to adult literacy and numeracy; (4) Literacy and numeracy programs; (5) Literacy and numeracy program outcomes; (6) Social capital and learning; (7) What is social capital?; (8) Pedagogical determinants of social capital outcomes; (9) Effects of social capital outcomes; (10) OECD categories of socioeconomic well-being; and (11) Summary and concluding comments. (Contains 4 tables.) [This support document was produced with funding provided through the Australian Department of Education, Science and Training.]

In remote Indigenous communities in Australia there are minimal labour market opportunities, with the majority of jobs under the Community Development Employment Projects (CDEP), and limited education and training services. Yet Indigenous communities are under increasing pressure from the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC) and the government to build sustainable communities with a social, cultural and economic capital base, and share responsibility for community well-being and capacity building. Simultaneously, the delivery of primary and secondary Indigenous education is under great scrutiny as outcomes fall behind commensurate levels in the wider Australian society. There is also increasing emphasis on ensuring that "culturally appropriate" vocational education and training (VET) opportunities in remote Indigenous communities are made more accessible, so that Indigenous people can gain the employment skills to ultimately take control of their communities. Conversely, adult literacy is increasingly seen as a major factor affecting the participation of Indigenous people in training and the subsequent delivery and management of services in remote communities. This study investigates and describes how both the English and the local Indigenous language are used in reading and writing by adults, through a case study of a community-controlled health service in a remote Indigenous community in the Northern Territory. In addition, it analyses the social context of literacy use (Barton 1994; Barton & Hamilton 1998; Reder 1994; Street 1993, 1995); that is, how (for what purposes and functions) people use reading and writing in everyday life in the community. Although Western education has a short history in the region--schooling was first introduced in the area in 1969--access to schooling for all children was only made available as late as 2003. The case study in this report highlights the challenge faced by remote Indigenous communities. For these communities, the challenge is to achieve social and economic sustainability without losing the core values of Indigenous law, culture and language. Remote communities can no longer afford to be excluded from the broader national context and this report is not suggesting an isolationist approach. It does, however, suggest that the key to sustainability is to find a way to maintain local coherence, and the core values within remote localities, while simultaneously developing models of appropriate community development. Training and employment are essential elements in this future scenario, but emerging models for remote Indigenous communities must integrate training and employment pathways that reflect community realities and tolerate alternative definitions of employment that are characteristic of diverse localities. Appended are: (1) Interviewee profiles; (2) Research questionnaires; (3) National Reporting System; (4) NRS writing assessment samples; (5) Types of literacy practices; and (6) Literacy environment diagrams. (Contains 3 tables and 16 figures.)

Through a set of five detailed case studies of individuals representing the new conditions of un/employment, a research project generated new information and knowledge about effective communication skills, often referred to as generic and transferable, for people engaged in so-called new ways of working. These three research questions were addressed: What communicative skills did respondents report? Is there evidence the identified skills are generic and transfer? and What is the explanation for generic and transferable skills? A literature review produced a general profile of views about literacy and numeracy; an overview of research on generic skills to set the scene for one on the research of transfer of training; and a review of what it might mean to talk about non-standard work. The case studies were selected according to the criteria of non-standard workers, including casualization and out-sourcing, telecommuting, multiple jobs in which the employee is engaged, nature and frequency of non-work, and the phenomenon of portfolio work. Findings were that basic skills are not transferred but re-contextualized by new forms of situated learning; the terms "generic" and "transfer" are wrong and misleading; speaking and personal presentation skills are the leading communicative practices; successful communication is driven by the need and purpose of the learning; practice (in context) makes perfect; and the main game is good practice in learning. (Appendixes include 106 references and an interview schedule.) (YLB)

In 2001-2002, the Adult Literacy and Numeracy Australian Research Consortium conducted 26 national investigations with findings in the following areas: (1) population competence; (2) linking literacy and numeracy into training; (3) professional support for educators and trainers; and (4) policy and systemic issues. All the projects were intended to integrate new research with an analysis of past provision and practice and thereby provide a body of evidence for future policy development in the adult literacy and numeracy field. The following were among the conclusions that emerged from the projects: (1) addressing the challenges facing Australia's adult literacy and numeracy sector requires a whole-of-government approach that is consistent with parallel innovations in other areas of social policy; (2) the vocational education and training sector provides a number of models of integrated policy responses to complex relationships that can guide formation of a policy regarding literacy and numeracy; (3) adopting a lifelong learning approach must take seriously the political and social exigencies of lives across their span while also giving consideration to the concerns of employers and business; and (4) efforts to develop policy regarding literacy and numeracy must be informed by the knowledge and cultures of diverse groups. (An 8-item reference list and 28-item bibliography are included.) (MN)

This document presents 13 papers that are intended to serve as a professional development resource for language, literacy, and numeracy practitioners and others involved in enterprise-based training provision in Australia and to provide a framework for evaluating workplace language, literacy, and numeracy programs. The following papers are included: "Workplace Assessment and Training Delivery Model" (Jo Crothers); "Analysis of National Standards against Workplace Tasks" (Bruce Milne); "Integrating LLN (Language, Literacy, and Numeracy) into Gap Training and Assessment" (Bruce Milne); "A Case Study in 'Learning Organizations' and New Initiatives in Practice" (Sharon Wiles); "Numeracy and Literacy and the Certificate of Agriculture" (Julie Miller); "Integrating LLN with a Training Package: An Alternative Approach" (Sally Mitchell); "Identifying Enterprise Goals and Delivering Needs" (Sally Mitchell); "Too Many Words: Training in a Factory Environment" (Vanessa Lynne); "A Course in Applied Vocational Study Skills (CAVSS): Team Teaching as a Strategy for Integrating Literacy in VET (Vocational Education and Training)" (Susan Bates); "Finding the Best Training Options to Meet Organization Goals" (Bruce Milne); "Addressing Issues in Sawmills" (Ruth Bakker); "On-Farm Training Delivery" (Helen Fletcher); and "Evaluating Literacy and Numeracy in Training Packages: A Framework and Some Issues" (Ian Falk, Pat Millar). (Twenty-nine tables/figures/information sheets are included. The bibliography lists 35 references.) (MN)

A qualitative research approach was used to examine how one vocational education and training (VET) school in rural Australia contributed to its community and the complex role of leadership in the process. The study focused on the VET in Schools program in Cooktown in Far North Queensland. The following data collection activities were conducted: (1) semi-structured interviews with purposively selected students, school staff, parents and other community members, and representatives of industry and community groups; (2) researchers' observation; and (3) a review of written documentation. The initiative for the VET in Schools program came from two teachers at Cooktown State School who were concerned with the failure of the mainstream curriculum to cater to certain students. The program was developed through a school-community partnership that was formalized by formation of a management committee comprising representatives of all stakeholder groups in the community. The project has resulted in increased in student attendance and retention rates and has enabled students to identify their place in and value to the community. The program's success was attributed to a leadership process focusing on extensive consultation with stakeholders and a willingness to take risks by pushing traditional boundaries of government policy and practice. (Contains 25 references.) (MN)

The question of the extent to which effective leadership in vocational education and training (VET) depends on the specific context in which it occurs was examined. Data were collected from the following sources: an intensive literature analysis; studies of purposive sample of 12 diverse VET sites across Australia; and individual interviews with 48 individuals and group interviews with approximately 60 individuals at the 12 sites. The data from the sites were assembled and subjected to preliminary analysis. Selected emerging results were reported. The following attributes were deemed important leadership characteristics: (1) envisages future trends and their impacts on current strategies; (2) demonstrates interpersonal skills by talking and listening to others and establishing rapport; and (3) works to understand the personalities, motivations, and other diverse qualities of people. The following different "takes" on effective VET leadership were identified: (1) leadership is initiated and carried by a single "leader" or manager; (2) leadership is encouragement of each employee; (3) leaders must see the big picture and translate it into each staff member's own contribution so they perform at their best; (4) people are essentially born leaders; and (5) leadership is about enabling people to develop and grow within an environment of increasing complexity and change. (Contains 33 references.) (MN)

The socioeconomic contributions of adult learning to community were examined from a social capital perspective. The concepts of human capital and social capital were differentiated, and the relationship between learning, human capital, and social capital was explored. The relevance of social capital in describing the wider benefits of adult learning was illustrated through the examples of a study of the impact of the adult and community education (ACE) sector on communities and society in Victoria, Australia, and a study of a group of African women refugees located in a suburb of a large Australian capital city. The studies documented wider benefits of ACE in the following areas: health; education and learning; employment and quality of working life; time and leisure; command over goods and services; physical environment; social environment; and personal safety. Social capital building was shown to be implicated in effective adult learning in the following ways: (1) social capital is involved in program design, management, and delivery whether it is explicitly recognized as such or not; (2) the processes of drawing on and building social capital are part and parcel of the learning process; and (3) social capital can be a direct or indirect benefit of learning. (Contains 27 references.) (MN)

Social capital helps communities respond positively to change. Research into managing change through learning in communities and in small businesses, particularly farm businesses, has highlighted the importance of relationships between people and the formal and informal structure of communities to the quality of outcomes experienced by communities. Communities can be geographic communities or communities-of-common-purpose, such as agricultural commodity organizations or discussion groups. This paper reviews research into managing change through learning and social capital, presents a model of the simultaneous building and use of social capital, and explores the ways in which learning as part of an agricultural community can be used to bring benefits to isolated geographic communities. The model presented stems from studies in Tasmania (Australia) of the informal learning process that builds resilient communities. The two-stage model conceptualizes the way in which social capital is used and built in interactions among individuals. The first stage depicts social capital at the micro level of one-on-one interactions, focusing on knowledge resources and identity resources (identification with and commitment to the community). The second stage of the model outlines the interrelationship of micro-level social capital processes with community-level and societal-level social capital resources. (Contains 54 references.) (Author/SV)

The 10 portraits, or case studies, in this book are intended to show how locally-owned adult education turns everyday learning into social and economic well-being. Taken alone, each portrait tries to give a particular insight into the daily transformation of adults and their local communities. Together, the group portrait shows how strongly adult and community education (ACE) is growing the community asset called, social capital. An introduction sketches in the theoretical frameworks used to interpret the portraits; describes the process used to gather the information that forms the portraits; and summarizes the portraits, showing their locations, programs, people, and social and economic well-being they generate. The portraits are: "A Learning Community Builds Social Capital: Ballarat East Community House" (Barry Golding); "Make Connections and Move On: African Women's Project, Maribyrnong Community Centre" (Josephine Balatti); "Partnership with Business Builds Social Capital: Colac ACE and Industry Training Networks" (Josephine Balatti); "Connecting Young Koories to Their Community: Coorong Tongala Course, Robinvale Local Aboriginal Education Consultative Group" (Barry Golding); "Wellbeing of Marginalized Young People: Future Connections, Bendigo (Barry Golding); "Wellbeing of Aboriginal Elders: Aboriginal Oral History Project, Aboriginal Community Elders Services, Brunswick Consultative Group" (Barry Golding); "I Give Back: Bonds, Bridges, and Reciprocity, Cheltenham Neighborhood House" (Ian Falk); "'We Are the Community': Transformations of Identity in the Hawthorn Community Education Project" (Ian Falk); "Connected: Rural Women Build Social Cohesion through Literacy, Cobram Community House" (CRLRA with Barry Golding); and "Leadership in a Rural Region: Gippsland Community Leadership Program, SCOPE Quality, Learning Morwell" (CRLRA with Barry Golding, Josepine Balatti). A conclusion, "Building Communities: ACE, Lifelong Learning, and Social Capital" (Ian Falk, Josephine Balatti), highlights what was learned. Demographic maps are appended. (YLB)

The implementation of the Australian national training package for hospitality occupations in Tasmania and the effects of inclusion of literacy and numeracy competencies in the training package were examined in a case study. Data were gathered through a literature review, analysis of the hospitality training package, workplace data, and discussions and interviews with seven trainers, three representatives of the adult literacy sector and one executive officer from each of the following agencies: Tasmanian Community, Property and Health Services Industry Training Board, Inc.; Tasmanian Tourism and Hospitality Industry Training Board; and Office of Vocational Education and Training. Major findings included the following: (1) trainers have had insufficient time to address the major shift from curriculum-based to training package-based training; (2) no major changes have occurred in training delivery to regional and rural trainees or in assessment modes; (3) strategies for dealing with language, literacy, and numeracy have not been an initial priority with trainers; and (4) the training package's dominant discourse derives from the context of vocational education and training. (The bibliography lists 34 references. An examination of literacy and numeracy competencies in the training package's units and a discourse analysis of the five core units are appended.) (MN)

The learning needs of older adults living in rural Tasmania, Australia, and the potential of online technologies to foster local literacy and community well-being were examined. The study used a qualitative inquiry strategy that included visits to three sites to investigate the literacy and numeracy implications of senior citizens' use of online technology. The sites were located in southern, central, and northeastern Tasmania. Local literacy program officials and practitioners were interviewed, and a questionnaire was administered to the online centers' users. The study established that access to online technology gives older rural people opportunities to improve their communication skills, develop a new awareness of their potential as learners, and engage in self-development. The following barriers to older learners' access to computers were identified: transport and access costs; attitudinal factors that may be related to limited literacy practices in a community; limited literacy skills; and lack of confidence. The positive outcomes resulting from online interaction included extension of social practices, including literacy and numeracy practices. It was concluded that the networks formed through the use of online access centers and interaction with online technology were suggested to be a crucial element of social capital. (The bibliography lists 36 references. The survey instrument is appended.) (MN)

A case study of a rural community in Western Australia examined factors responsible for the progress made in breaking down barriers between youth and adults and building community cohesiveness. Community documents and interviews with school personnel, students, and community members revealed that the high school worked with the community to build a number of school-community linkages, including involving the community in school decision making, introducing a work studies program into the senior curriculum, and introducing the state emergency services "cadet scheme" into the school. Although these efforts were funded initially by government grants, their success depended on key people in the school and community who capitalized on these opportunities through a leadership process based on the development and maintenance of relationships. Leaders within the school built relationships with community members and enabled these people to become leaders within their own community. As the relationships developed, mutual trust was built. As trust increased, community support for and sense of ownership of the school increased, contributing to the sustainability of the school-community linkage. Outcomes included increased self-esteem of youth; increased skills and knowledge among youth relevant to their community, resulting in greater numbers of youth taking up local employment and volunteer activities; increased leadership skills among local business operators; new sources of learning for the school within the community; and increased student retention rates. (Contains 16 references.) (TD)

A case study exploring the relationship between local leadership and the school-community partnership was conducted in a small, isolated Australian mining town. Data were generated from written materials such as the local newspaper and interviews with 8 school staff members and 11 community members involved with the schools or representing business, industry, and state and local government interests in the town. The major school-based interactions with the community were fundraising activities, sporting activities, cultural activities, and informal and formal community involvement in school operations and management. The study identified indicators of the effectiveness of school-community partnerships: a strong commitment to the partnership from school and community leaders; a high level of cohesiveness within the schools; wide-ranging and ongoing involvement by community members in all aspects of the school's organization and management; wide-ranging and ongoing involvement of students and school staff in community activities; and a strong sense of ownership of the school by the community. Findings indicate that leadership that enhances the school-community partnership actively engages in relationship building; facilitates two-way communication; strongly supports the involvement of varied community members in ongoing activities, as well as planning and decision making; and supports both a philosophy and practice of shared leadership. (Contains 49 references.) (TD)

A case study in a rural Australian township sought to determine the nature of the interactive productivity between the local networks in a community. Participants were chosen based on recommendations of community members concerning to whom they turn for help, advice, or information. Community interactivity was recorded using interviews, tape-recorded community meetings and interactions, and personal diaries. Findings indicate that informal learning is an important factor in the formation of social capital and that there are two categories of resources upon which people draw as they interact with each other. The first is knowledge resources, which comprise the common knowledge base of community, personal, individual, and collective information. These include knowledge of the skills, knowledge, and affective attributes of other community members, and knowledge of the common physical resources of the community. The second is identity resources, which are the common understandings of personal, individual, and collective identities, categorized as social and civic identities. Formation of social capital depends on sufficient numbers of interactions in which members foster each others' learning by sharing knowledge resources, build each others' self-confidence or encourage positive identity shifts in each other, and exhibit trust. It was also found that microinteractive processes have the capacity to link with meso and macro social, civic, and economic outcomes. (Contains 64 references.) (TD)

A study examined the question of how one Australian non-metropolitan community consolidates and develops sustainable economic and social activity through the learning of community members. The research used a focused interview process with open-ended questions with these 2 major sub-groups in the community and explored their interrelatedness: 2 people employed in 17 industry groups delineated for benchmarking performance in vocational education and training (VET) and 1 person affiliated with groups of community organizations. Sources of learning in these three contexts were explored: in recent paid work, in community activities, in home activities. Respondents rated the value to them of these five sources of learning: at school, through post-school qualifications, through work, outside of work from involvement with community groups, and associated with home activities. Findings indicated nonformal and informal learning contributed to a substantial proportion of an individual's learning. Formal learning through schooling and post-school qualifications were assigned a relatively lower value. While 46 percent of VET graduates regarded VET qualifications as of high or medium usefulness, trade qualifications and higher level awards were more highly valued. Regarding their most important skill, 47 percent named empathy for others and 42 percent named communication skills. (Contains 19 references.) (YLB)

A case study in a rural Australian township attempted to determine indicators verifying the existence of social capital. Social capital is provisionally defined as the networks, norms, and trust that constitute the capacity of individuals, workplaces, groups, organizations, and communities to strive for sustainable futures in a changing socioeconomic environment. Participants in the study were chosen based on recommendations of community members on who provides them with help, advice, or information. Analysis of interviews, tape-recorded community meetings and interactions, and personal diaries identified three categories of resources that people draw on as they interact with each other: 1) knowledge resources, or the shared knowledge of community, personal, individual, and collective information; 2) identity resources, or the shared understandings of personal, individual, and collective identities; and 3) consolidated resources, the common understanding and familiarity with community assets used reciprocally for mutual benefit. A set of indicators of these resources used in "community interactive productivity" was then developed. Interactive productivity is viewed as the community learning processes by which social capital is created. The terms "community learning" and "capacity building," and the possible causal link between social capital and economic well-being are discussed. (Contains 56 references.) (TD)

The Centre for Research and Learning in Regional Australia is investigating the elements of social capital and developing a set of indicators that show when social capital is building. The indicators can be used where groups or organizations with a shared purpose engage in productive interactions that benefit not only the individual member groups but also the "learning community" as a whole. The intention is that the indicators will be applicable to geographic communities, professional or common interest communities, such as professional associations, and groups of businesses such as Executive Link[TM], the subject of this paper. Executive Link consists of farm businesses that meet for nonformal training in several chapters in eastern Australia. Each chapter consists of about six farm businesses and their owner/managers who share their business management expertise. Executive Link appears to have features of a learning community, including a shared purpose and learning interactions across the boundaries of individual member businesses and chapters. This paper identifies networks, commitments, and shared values as the elements of social capital that contribute to the quality of learning interactions. Suggested indicators of social capital building include development of a shared language, shared experiences, trust, self-development, and an identification with the community. (Contains 25 references.) (Author/TD)

Rural communities with populations of under 15,000 are the least resilient to negative economic shocks, but local initiatives can reduce the negative impact of rapid economic change. Data from a study of three rural Australian communities and one "community-of-common-purpose" were used to develop a model of how the informal learning process inherent in community action builds resilient communities. Learning, social capital, and change are interlinked. The model identifies the resources used in the learning process, which are the resources that form the social capital of the community. These social capital resources are: (1) a knowledge of who can provide advice, support, information, and resources; and (2) identity resources, that is, a sense of belonging or willingness to act for the benefit of the community. The model illustrates that social capital is built as it is used. Informal learning interactions help people get to know each other and develop networks. They also build a commitment to the community and people's confidence to act for community benefit. Both quantity and quality of interactions have a role in the development of social capital. Qualitative elements such as shared language, shared experiences, trust, personal development, and identification with the community help build knowledge and identity resources and thus improve the quality of learning interactions. An understanding of the ways in which communities develop and use social capital as they learn will help build resilient rural and regional communities. (Contains 41 references.) (TD)

A study identified some implicit concepts, knowledge, and skills that a seemingly standard adult literacy and numeracy "lesson" contains. Conversation analysis was used to show instances of how adult numeracy is embedded in adult language and literacy. The "conversation" was a transcript from an adult literacy class for long-term unemployed adult men that began with a recall segment about question and answer patterns. Two types of questions were compared: those occurring "naturally" as part of the "common sense" made during the classroom conversations and those asked as part of the instructional content of the lesson appropriate to the subject matter of mathematics. Analysis showed how language and literate practices in the adult literacy classroom created the reality that adult learners come to recognize as the subjects mathematics or numeracy. Two implications were explored. First, considerable differences between school mathematics and real-life numeracy raised the dilemma of what should be taught. Second, embedding of language with particular sets of valued "content areas" caused teachers to reproduce school-based practices and discourses for adults who had already experienced school failure and implied that literacy and numeracy teachers be trained in language interaction patterns and ways for teachers and adult students to manage them to achieve an identified purpose. (Contains 28 references.) (YLB)

A project explored the complex relationships between "integrated" numeracy and literacy skills, self confidence, and the place of skills, knowledge, and values in the learning process. The focus was on beef producers undertaking training in quality assurance (QA). Analysis of observations of QA process on three case study farms and examination of Cattlecare (the QA program developed for the beef industry) manuals suggested skills required to access QA. Findings indicated the following: (1) numeracy skills required for the non-chemical handling parts of Cattlecare were mostly arithmetic; (2) chemical mixing and administration involved more complex tasks; (3) Cattlecare manuals had a higher readability index than farming and popular newspapers and magazines; and (4) many Cattlecare forms were at the more complex end of the structure spectrum. The knowledge required to access QA was identified. These two possible reasons were suggested for failure to proceed with QA: the relatively high level of literacy and numeracy skills required and the high cost of necessary changes and accreditation. Underpinning the whole question of access was that farmers had to first value learning as important. Numerical and literacy activities were not prerequisites for learning about QA. Development of self confidence was shown in the values stage of learning. (Contains 25 references.) (YLB)

A project has been designed to identify how a non-metropolitan community consolidates and develops sustainable social and economic activity. For many authors, the political position reiterating vocational education and training (VET) as the pivotal contributor to building national economic sustainability is framed in terms of human capital imperatives, economic rationalism, and corporate managerialism. Contemporary research on VET's value or outcomes often focuses on industry outcomes or particular activity rather than value to its wider community. The project would examine whether models of vocational provision constructed to service one sector, as opposed to mutualities of sectors, may mitigate against attempts by non-metropolitan communities to reposition themselves economically and socially in an increasingly globalized economy. A more inclusive definition of VET may be appropriate to more accurately describe the true value of VET activity and its benefits to communities in their quest for economic and social sustainability. The research method combines the focused interview process with open-ended questions. The sample consists of two strata: those employed in 17 industry groupings delineated for benchmarking performance in VET in Australia and those affiliated with community groupings operating in the study community. (Contains 56 references.) (YLB)