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Adult literacy has been on the margins of postsecondary education for so long that many in our field assume our ongoing struggle for adequate funding and a better image is somehow "normal." It is "not normal" that some 107,000,000 adults across North America are marginalized, with many hidden in society due to low literacy. This article argues it is time to reconsider the position of our field concerning funding and image beginning with a new conversation concerning literacy classism--the "elephant in the room."

Health and health care in Canada is a story of high ideals, complex policy agreements, moments of raging public controversy, and the creation of a national health system that is the envy of many other nations. Despite its many health care achievements, evidence is mounting that good health is far from being universally accessible to all Canadians. As the authors discuss in this chapter, following a three-year pan-Canadian study on health and learning, it became painfully clear to them that in far too many cases, one's ability and capacity to learn about health can have immediate--even life-and-death--consequences. The authors concluded that good health is not strictly a medical problem and not simply a governmental funding issue. Their conclusion was that good health is, above all, a matter of successful learning. Their study made it clear that adult education can play a key role in enabling people to maintain and improve their health. Yet they found that learning and health is a remarkably underresearched, underrecognized area within the ambit of adult education. Since the area of learning and health not only defies boundaries but is far larger and more complex than any policy, system, or program, the authors hope that these findings will encourage adult educators in Canada and beyond to become more involved in the critical issue of health and learning.

A survey of 11 adult literacy practitioner research networks in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada indicated the following: primary purposes were professional development and outlet for practitioner voice; predominant methods were action and participatory research; 10 had government funding; and challenges included lack of time, skepticism about their value, and gender imbalance. (Contains 18 references.) (JOW)

Adult basic and literacy education (ABLE) is governed by political processes that impede practice. New trends that may help move ABLE toward democracy include the Internet as a site of policy debates and advocacy and use of the findings of practitioner action research. (Contains 16 references.) (SK)

Presents a rationale for change in adult education research. Suggests that graduate adult education programs teach relevant research methods based on practitioner problems and encourage action and participatory methods in theses and dissertations. (SK)

Addresses the issue of intention in action research, suggesting that researchers ask who will be the first-level beneficiaries and what will be the first level of change. Discusses ethical questions regarding consent and justification of research steps. (SK)

Action research involves responding to practice problems through problem posing and solving. Its core processes are planning, acting, reflecting, and observing. Data collection methods include anecdotes, field notes, document analysis, logs, journals, portfolios, questionnaires, interviews, audio/video recordings, and tests of learner performance. (SK)

The ideological divide in adult education extends to the issues of knowledge production and the authority to conduct research. Action research is a collaborative method involving practitioners in knowledge production. It can demystify research and help bridge the basic-applied gap. (SK)

Resistance theory was used as a framework in analyzing 10 works of fiction containing a character who resisted traditional schooling and embraced an alternative lifestyle. The results applied to nonparticipants in adult basic education show that resisters reject the hegemony of values of traditional programs. (JOW)

Primary differences between U.S. and Canadian use of General Educational Development Tests are as follows: Canada developed French version and uses metrics in math tests; some provinces use grade-level certification, not used in the U.S.; Canadian-content social studies test was developed; most provinces/territories set uniform pass levels; and Canada administers tests centrally, whereas U.S. has nearly 3,400 testing centers. (SK)

The literacy field hopes that literacy will be considered separately from the S-2 Omnibus Education Bill in Congress. Problems remain in the definitions of literacy, establishment of a National Institute for Literacy, lack of investment in teacher training and technology, and accountability. (SK)

Resistance to schooling of characters in 10 works of fiction was analyzed and findings applied to traditional literacy/adult basic education (ABE) programs. The results suggest that resistance occurs when values clash. Since ABE programs tend to reproduce the values of the dominant culture, they contribute to the resistance of those outside the culture and thus discourage participation. (41 references) (SK)

Health literacy is an area of practice and study that is expanding so quickly in the United States and Canada that it is difficult to keep up with the literature--not to mention the steady stream of conference notices. While this is an exciting new development for both adult education and the health professions, the history of adult literacy is crisscrossed with the tracks of "bandwagons" (Quigley, 1997). It seems that few in the current health literacy race are pausing to ask what adults with low literacy skills have actually experienced, or need, or will accept. Literature on adult learning states that adults need to be part of the learning process--that knowledge is not enough. Adult educators should be asking: "How can we approach adult learning in health settings and, in turn, enhance health learning in literacy practice to achieve a lasting impact with individuals and with the systems that are intended to serve them?" This question is discussed in this article by first looking back at the rich history of adult literacy, then presenting the lessons learned through a health literacy study in Nova Scotia as a possible way to address health literacy issues.

Increased use of practitioner research in literacy education is opening new vistas for grassroots knowledge. Such research affords new possibilities for professional growth, an improved image of literacy, and the potential to reduce illiteracy to minimal levels. (JOW)

Adult literacy has been on the margins of postsecondary education for so long that many in our field assume our ongoing struggle for adequate funding and a better image is somehow "normal." It is not normal that some 107,000,000 adults across North America are marginalized, with many hidden in society due to low literacy. This article argues it is time to reconsider the position of our field concerning funding and image beginning with a new conversation concerning literacy classism--the "elephant in the room.". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

"Research that produces nothing but books will not suffice" --Kurt Lewin Health literacy is all area of practice and study that is expanding so quickly in the United States and […]

Assuming that many undereducated adults resisted schooling in early years and are now resisting adult basic education (ABE) programs for similar reasons, this study examines young adults in literary fiction who resisted schooling. Implications and recommendations for ABE research are discussed. (JOW)

The field of adult and continuing education is becoming a vehicle for social policy without its involvement or consent. Steps to control its influence in the policy arena include involvement of frontline practitioners, leadership from professional associations, and research and evaluation to enhance, critique, and inform social policy development. (SK)

In the early 17th century, Francis Bacon asserted that "Knowledge itself is power." Unfortunately--at least for those deemed not to possess it--certain kinds of knowledge and certain sources of knowledge […]

When I (Allan) entered this field back 1972, it was unthinkable that teachers--like me--would somehow be involved in research. I was a new ABE teacher and, looking back, not a […]

A study of two adult basic education centers compared 17 reluctant learners (early dropouts) with 20 persisters and found that, although reluctant learners value education, they have negative attitudes and experiences of schooling and drop out because of dissatisfaction with the lack of challenge and attention they receive. (SK)

Adult education is based on two philosophies: the professional tradition and the social reformist tradition. The metaphor of the town meeting provides a forum for working out the future direction of the field. (SK)