Impact of authentic adult literacy instruction on adult literacy practices

This study investigated the relationships between (a) two dimensions of adult literacy instruction and (b) change in the literacy practices of adult literacy students, The two instructional dimensions investigated were (a) degree of authenticity of the activities and texts employed in the literacy class and (b) degree of teacher/student collaboration around activities, texts, assessments, and program governance. The construct of authenticity for this study was defined as those literacy activities and purposes used by people in their lives, excluding those that are structured solely around teaming to read and write in school. Data on the two instructional dimensions of interest-authenticity and collaboration-were collected from 83 adult literacy classes in 22 states. Data on change in adult students' literacy practices were collected from 173 adult literacy students attending those classes. Data were analyzed using Item Response Theory and Hierarchical Linear Modeling to model change. Results of the analysis revealed that authenticity of class literacy activities and texts had;a statistically Significant effect on change in student literacy practices, operationalized as increases in frequency of reading and writing and/or types of texts read and written. Analysis of the literacy engagement and change scales revealed that the increases in types of texts involved reading and writing more texts at higher levels of discourse. The degree of collaboration between teacher and students showed no statistically significant effect on literacy practice change. Implications for adult literacy instruction and outcomes for adults and for intergenerational literacy are discussed.