Functional and structural neural plasticity effects of literacy acquisition in adulthood

2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 97-107
Author(s):  
Melanie Boltzmann ◽  
Thomas Münte ◽  
Bahram Mohammadi ◽  
Jascha Rüsseler
Keyword(s):  
Neural Plasticity ◽  
Adult Literacy ◽  
Writing Skills ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
Written Language ◽  
Learning To Read ◽  
Workplace Literacy ◽  
Functional Illiteracy ◽  
Brain Changes ◽  
Definition Of

Abstract. In Germany, 7.5 Million individuals between 18 and 64 years are considered to be functionally illiterate (Grotlüschen & Riekmann, 2012). Functional illiterates have only rudimentary literacy skills despite attending school for several years. Although they can use written language to a very limited extent, only few functional illiterates attend literacy courses for adults. In addition, most adult literacy courses primarily aim at promoting basic reading and writing skills. Offers specific to workplace literacy are scarce. This review gives an overview of the definition of functional illiteracy. Afterwards, a specific literacy program (AlphaPlus) and its effectiveness will be presented. The reviewed studies indicate that learning to read in adulthood is associated with structural and functional brain changes.

Geletterdheid, Tweetaligheid en Culturele Socialisatie Gegevens Uit Het Rotterdamse Onderzoek Naar Analfabetisme Onder Volwassenen.

1990 ◽  
Vol 37 ◽  
pp. 120-132
Author(s):  
Paul P.M. Leseman
Keyword(s):  
Adult Literacy ◽  
Lower Class ◽  
Educational Background ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
Written Language ◽  
Functional Illiteracy ◽  
The Social ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Metalinguistic Knowledge ◽  
The City

This article reports findings from a survey among a representative sample of 500 adult inhabitants of the city of Rotterdam. The survey was conducted in 1989 in order to estimate the incidence of functional illiteracy among Rotterdam adults. The measures of literacy levels gained in this investigation were essentially based on subjects' self-reports. In this article some results for the 62 immigrant bilingual subjects are discussed and compared with those for a random subsample of 84 indigenous monolingual Dutch subjects, concerning the levels of literacy and the linguistic, social and educational background. It is concluded that the acquisition of literacy skills poses to both indigenous lower-class subjects and immigrants largely comparable problems, which can be traced back to the dominant functions and uses of oral and written language in the social environment in which they grew up. Detrimental influences of bilingualism can in a large part be interpreted by these shared socio-cultural factors. However, especially with respect to epistemologically complex reading and writing in Dutch, bilingualism still has a direct negative effect on adult literacy, suggesting that insufficient development of metalinguistic knowledge, such as knowledge of the lexicon and the phonological and syntactic system of Dutch, is a major cause of the associated type of illiteracy - called 'cultural illiteracy'.

Developmental dyslexia

2007 ◽  
pp. 666-684 ◽  
Author(s):  
Margaret J. Snowling ◽  
Markéta Caravolas
Keyword(s):  
Reading Intervention ◽  
Visual Processing ◽  
Auditory Processing ◽  
Normal Development ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
Written Language ◽  
Intervention Programs ◽  
Learning To Read ◽  
Effective Interventions ◽  
Definition Of

In spite of the complexities of written language systems, the majority of children learn to read easily. However, a minority have difficulty acquiring literacy skills even though they master other tasks well. These children are sometimes described as dyslexic. This article presents current scientific understanding of dyslexia from a developmental perspective. First, it considers the definition of dyslexia in behavioural terms and, with the normal development of literacy as a framework, discusses how its manifestation differs according to the language in which the child is learning to read. The article then examines cognitive explanations of dyslexia and evidence concerning sensory, biological, and environmental factors in its aetiology; behavioural manifestations of dyslexia (dyslexia in English, dyslexia in consistent orthographies, dyslexia in Chinese); theories of dyslexia (cognitive theories, automatization deficit hypothesis, auditory processing impairments, visual processing deficits, speech perception); and reading intervention programs. It concludes by looking at how theoretical advances in the field of dyslexia provide the rationale for effective interventions.

Understanding functional illiteracy from a policy, adult education, and cognition point of view: Towards a joint referent framework

2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 109-122
Author(s):  
Aleksandar Bulajić ◽  
Miomir Despotović ◽  
Thomas Lachmann
Keyword(s):  
Adult Education ◽  
Operational Definition ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Industrialized Countries ◽  
Functional Illiteracy ◽  
Scale Levels ◽  
Components Of Reading ◽  
The One ◽  
Definition Of

Abstract. The article discusses the emergence of a functional literacy construct and the rediscovery of illiteracy in industrialized countries during the second half of the 20th century. It offers a short explanation of how the construct evolved over time. In addition, it explores how functional (il)literacy is conceived differently by research discourses of cognitive and neural studies, on the one hand, and by prescriptive and normative international policy documents and adult education, on the other hand. Furthermore, it analyses how literacy skills surveys such as the Level One Study (leo.) or the PIAAC may help to bridge the gap between cognitive and more practical and educational approaches to literacy, the goal being to place the functional illiteracy (FI) construct within its existing scale levels. It also sheds more light on the way in which FI can be perceived in terms of different cognitive processes and underlying components of reading. By building on the previous work of other authors and previous definitions, the article brings together different views of FI and offers a perspective for a needed operational definition of the concept, which would be an appropriate reference point for future educational, political, and scientific utilization.

scholarly journals LEARNING TO READ IN ADULTHOOD: AN EVALUATION OF A LITERACY PROGRAM FOR FUNCTIONALLY ILLITERATE ADULTS IN GERMANY

2013 ◽  
Vol 51 (1) ◽  
pp. 33-46
Author(s):  
Melanie Boltzmann ◽  
Jascha Rüsseler ◽  
Zheng Ye ◽  
Thomas F. Münte
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Personal Growth ◽  
Satisfaction With Life ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
Learning To Read ◽  
Reading And Writing ◽  
Functional Illiteracy ◽  
Essential Prerequisite ◽  
Illiterate Adults

It is estimated that 759 million individuals worldwide are illiterate, i.e. they cannot read or write properly. With 95%, the majority of the illiterate population lives in developing countries. In most cases, these individuals did not attend school and, therefore, did not have the chance to acquire any skills in reading and writing. They are referred to as primary illiterates. However, illiteracy is not restricted to developing countries: In developed countries there are individuals who have great difficulties with reading and writing despite attending school for several years; they are termed as functional illiterates. For most individuals, the ability to read and write is crucial for being employed and socially accepted. Thus, education is an essential prerequisite for personal growth and satisfaction with life. The present research presents an innovative approach to overcome deficits in reading and writing in adults. The effectiveness of the program was investigated in two courses, each comprising 18 German functionally illiterate adults. Results show that participation in the program was accompanied by improved literacy skills and neuronal changes measured with fMRI. Key words: adulthood, fMRI, evaluation, functional illiteracy, reading and writing, training program.

Addressing African American English in Early Literacy Assessment and Instruction

2008 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 54-61 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole Patton Terry
Keyword(s):  
African American ◽  
Early Literacy ◽  
American English ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
African American English ◽  
Literacy Assessment ◽  
Learning To Read ◽  
Speech Language Pathologist ◽  
Early Literacy Assessment

Abstract Determining how best to address young children's African American English use in formal literacy assessment and instruction is a challenge. Evidence is not yet available to discern which theory best accounts for the relation between AAE use and literacy skills or to delineate which dialect-informed educational practices are most effective for children in preschool and the primary grades. Nonetheless, consistent observations of an educationally significant relation between AAE use and various early literacy skills suggest that dialect variation should be considered in assessment and instruction practices involving children who are learning to read and write. The speech-language pathologist can play a critical role in instituting such practices in schools.

THE ROLE OF LITERACY METHODS IN MASTERING OF WRITTEN LANGUAGE BY STUDENTS WITH DEVELOPMENTAL DYSLEXIA

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 10-18
Author(s):  
Tsvetanka Tsenova
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Work ◽  
Developmental Dyslexia ◽  
Reading Skills ◽  
Writing Skills ◽  
Written Language ◽  
Reading And Writing ◽  
Empirical Verification ◽  
Literacy Methods ◽  
The Relationship

This article focuses on the relationship between literacy methods applied at school and the emergence of serious difficulties in mastering reading and writing skills that shape the developmental dyslexia. The problem was analyzed theoretically and subjected to empirical verification. Experimental work was presented which aims to study the phonological and global reading skills of 4- th grade students with and without dyslexia. Better global reading skills have been demonstrated in all tested children, and this is much more pronounced in those with dyslexia than their peers without disorders. Hence, the need to develop a special, corrective methodology for literacy of students with developmental dyslexia consistent with their psychopathological characteristics.

WRITING SKILLS IN SMP USWATUN HASANAH, BURU DISTRICT

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
HARZIKO
Keyword(s):  
Middle School Students ◽  
Language Skills ◽  
Writing Skills ◽  
Boarding School ◽  
Written Language ◽  
Data Sources ◽  
Reading Process ◽  
School Students ◽  
Junior High Students ◽  
The Media

Abstract Reading is a process carried out and used by the reader to obtain a message, which the writer wants to convey through the media of written language. A process that demands that groups of words which are a unity be seen at a glance, and so that the meaning of individual words will be known. If this is not fulfilled, then the explicit and implicit message will not be captured or understood, and the reading process will not be carried out properly. A process that demands that groups of words that represent a group will be seen in a glance, and so that the meaning of individual words will be known. This study aims to describe the language skills of Uswatun Hasanah Middle School students in Buru Regency. The research location is in the Islamic boarding school of Uswatun hasanah Namlea. data and data sources namely students of class VII Uswatun hasanah. the method in this study is PTK or classroom action research. The results of the study showed that the language skills of the seventh grade junior high students were very prominent as evidenced by the assignment of language assignments, namely. Keywords: Reading, Uswatun hasanah, students, Buru

The effects of the World Wide Web on reading and writing skills in a Spanish cultural studies courseLos efectos de la Web en la adquisición de destrezas lectoras y escritas en un curso de cultura hispana

ReCALL ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 63-72 ◽  
Author(s):  
CARMEN CABOT
Keyword(s):  
Writing Skills ◽  
Written Language ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Reading And Writing ◽  
Spanish Speaking ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Effective Use ◽  
The University ◽  
Task Oriented ◽  
Target Culture

This paper presents the results of a study that demonstrates an effective use of the Web as a tool to increase motivation and thus promote reading and writing skills in Spanish as well as a deeper sense of the culture of the Spanish speaking world. In the study, thirty students of second year Spanish at the University of New South Wales were required to prepare an itinerary for a trip to a Spanish speaking country of their choice using the WWW as the only resource. In general our findings regarding improved language skills were consistent with the literature: an increase of vocabulary, more use of references, more student initiated interactions and greater interactivity in the classroom amongst students were observed. There was, however, one aspect, linguistic accuracy, in which improvement was not greatly noted. The data collected confirms that a task-oriented Web based course can increase the motivation of students, improve the scope of their reading, and enhance their perception of the target culture, all with a great effect on range of language explored, learned and re-processed, but a much lesser effect on the accuracy of written language produced.

scholarly journals Cohort patterns in adult literacy skills: How are new generations doing?

2019 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 52-65 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara Flisi ◽  
Valentina Goglio ◽  
Elena Claudia Meroni ◽  
Esperanza Vera-Toscano
Keyword(s):  
Adult Literacy ◽  
Literacy Skills

The Adult Literacy Process as Cultural Action for Freedom

1970 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
pp. 205-225 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paulo Freire
Keyword(s):  
Adult Literacy ◽  
Third World ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Sound System ◽  
Authentic Dialogue ◽  
Positive Action ◽  
Literacy Process ◽  
World Perspective

Dr. Freire writes from a Third World perspective, but with obvious implications for education in general. He rejects mechanistic conceptions of the adult literacy process, advocating instead a theory and practice based upon authentic dialogue between teachers and learners. Such dialogue, in Freire's approach, centers upon codified representations of the learners' existential situations and leads not only to their acquisition of literacy skills, but more importantly to their awareness of their right and capacity as human beings to transform reality. Becoming literate,then, means far more than learning to decode the written representation of a sound system. It is truly an act of knowing, through which a person is able to look critically at the culture which has shaped him, and to move toward reflection and positive action upon his world.

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