This paper reports on the findings of the research in which an evaluation of the Kha Ri Gude Mass Literacy Campaign was conducted at five different learning centers in Tshwane. The campaign was initiated as a result of the observation that“… South Africa’s system of Adult Basic Education and Training (ABET) is not reducing the number of illiterates in spite of the constitutional right of all South Africans to basic education in their own language” (Ministerial Committee on Literacy, 2007: 5). Furthermore, studies have shown that illiteracy especially among black South Africans is not going down. This is thus preventing affected people from contributing effectively and meaningfully to the social economic and political life of the new democratic SouthAfrica. The evaluation was to inter alia assess how the problem of illiteracy was being addressed in light of the campaign’s focus of using mother tongue as a way of enhancing the learning process. Data collection instruments included questionnaires that were completed by coordinators, supervisors, and volunteer educators involved in the campaign. Class observations were carried out on the learning process in order to establish the degree to which mother tongue instruction made it easier for the learners to among others participate effectively and meaningfully during the learning process and assess how different volunteer educators’ different teaching methodologies impacted on the performance of the learners. Preliminary results indicate that mother tongue teaching greatly enhances learner participation and understanding. It is therefore recommended that efforts to conscientize people about the benefits of using mother tongue when teaching be done so that all people can be able to reap its benefits.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the state of adult literacy in Tennessee. The field of adult education underwent a transition as the testing procedure and the test changed to correlate with the induction of the Common Core standards in public schools. Adult students face many barriers to overcome to be successful. The research questions posed guided the analysis of demographic data on student who completed the GED prior to the changes. Data were provided from the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development database. The demographics and scores included those of adults who had passed the GED test from 2008 through 2013. A series of 2-way chi square analysis were used to examine pass rates using the characteristics of race and ethnicity, gender, and age. A sample of 2,000 was randomly selected from a population of 60,000. The data showed that in the state of Tennessee there are significantly more males than females who pass the test each year. Although all ethnicities are permissible to take the GED, more Caucasians and African Americans take and pass the test in this state. Takers of the GED in the state of Tennessee are to identify their age while completing the exam. The majority of adults taking the GED from 2008 through 2013 were in the age group of 19 to 24. Many test takers only need to attempt to pass the test the first time. Out of 2,000 randomly sampled males and females, the data showed that a higher proportion of males than females pass the test in the first attempt. There was no significant difference between the randomly sampled age groups on number of attempts. The data did indicate that Caucasian testing candidates pass the GED significantly more often on the first try than African American candidates.

Thesis (M.Edu.) --University of Limpopo, 2002. / Refer to the document

Thesis (M.Ed.) (Adult Education) --University of Limpopo, 2010. / This report is a description of a research carried out at Hlatlolang ABET Centre, which is located at Makotse village, a rural area in the Limpopo Province. The research was conducted with the aim of investigating the problems affecting sustainability of income-generating projects at Hlatlolang ABET centre. In order to achieve the aim outlined above; I formulated the following main research question: • What are the problems affecting the sustainability of income-generating projects at Hlatlolang ABET centre? I decided to undertake an exploratory and evaluative study in order to answer the question outlined above. I wanted to understand the kinds of problems affecting sustainability of income-generating project at Hlatlolang ABET centre. The intention of this study was to investigate the problems affecting the sustainability of income-generating project at Hlatlolang ABET centre. I investigated the aims and objectives of introducing and incepting the project and how much they achieved as was envisaged. In the introduction and background of my study I tried to outline the factors that might have led to poverty such as delivering of basic services to the people creating jobs and others. To direct this study, I wrote the research questions concerning the sustainability of the income-generating project at Hlatlolang ABET centre at Makotse village. I briefly stated the scope of this study before I concluded the chapter. In chapter 2; I formulated assumptions about factors that could be affecting the sustainability of income-generating project at Hlatlolang ABET centre. After I conducted exploratory interviews with the respondents, the following were identified as possible factors that could be affecting the sustainability of income-generating project at Hlatlolang ABET centre: ignorance, shortage of training/skills to run the project, illiteracy, lack of sense of ownership and lack or insufficient needs analysis done. The definition of key concepts is given. The defined concepts are: sustainability, income-generating projects, poverty, and illiteracy and ABET. Finally I concluded the chapter by outlining what transpired in theoretical framework. In chapter 3, I stated the instruments which I used to collect data from various role players in different phases of data collection. In this chapter there is an explanation of how data collected from different phases was analysed using qualitative data analysis method. In my conclusion I discussed my main learning areas as well as the difficulties that were encountered during the research process. Chapter 4 is about the findings of the study. An overview of where the study takes place, the description of the project and its programmes are clarified. I made an explanation of a link between key concepts and critical factors. These critical factors were identified as possible problematic areas that could be affecting the sustainability of income-generating project Hlatlolang ABET centre. There is a report about the findings made from the critical factors before the chapter could be concluded. In chapter 5; there is an integration of information from the previous chapters where the problems affecting the sustainability of income-generating project at Hlatlolang ABET centre are integrated. This chapter is about the conclusion and recommendations about the problems affecting sustainability of the income-generating project Hlatlolang ABET centre. I concluded the chapter by mentioning issues that need to be further researched particularly the ones that will increase sustainability of the income generating projects for poverty to be eradicated. / Not listed

The main objective of this research was to explore the experiences and perceptions of adult learners at Public Adult Learning Centres. A total number of eighteen adult learners from three Public Adult Learning Centres in Nkomazi East Circuit at Ehlanzeni District participated in the study. The study was qualitative in nature using the interpretive paradigm. Data was collected through focus group interviews, individual interviews and observation. The study revealed that adult learners have mixed feelings and opinions regarding their experiences at Public Adult Learning Centres. Results indicated that some adults found their experiences interesting and enriching and have positive attitudes towards the teaching and learning at Public Adult Learning Centres, while others were frustrated with the lack of teaching and learning resources, and the poor management at the centres. Adult learners seem to regard education as important and they received satisfactory support from their families, communities, teachers, employers, and fellow adult learners, as well as financial support from the Department of Education. Findings revealed that adult learners find it difficult to understand the content of subjects and to cope with the pace of teaching. Participants had different views about the language of instruction. Some preferred English for employment and social purposes while others preferred the vernacular so as to have a better understanding of the content and to pass the subjects. These learners preferred that the content should prepare them for employment and for coping with day-to-day activities in rural areas. Responsibilities at home, becoming a learner at an elderly age, being involved in seasonal jobs and catching up work after absence were some of the challenges that adult learners experienced. From the results and findings of the study, recommendations were made to improve the effectiveness of teaching and learning and functionality of Public Adult Learning Centres. / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / gm2014 / Early Childhood Education / unrestricted

This thesis investigates both the information needs of the identified communities of Damonsville and Onverwacht and the contents of the selected Afrikaans literacy ABET programmes in order to determine whether the contents addresses the identified information needs. Educators need to develop material that is relevant and appropriate, for example, content that addresses the information needs of the targeted learners. The results of this content analysis were aligned with the information needs assessments carried out in the communities of Onverwacht and Damonsville. These two communities were chosen because of their close proximity to Pretoria and the high level of illiteracy prevailing in these two mainly Afrikaans-speaking communities. Both qualitative and quantitative research methodologies were used in the study. Two communities of Damonsville and Onverwacht were chosen as data collection sites so as to reveal their information needs through the use of questionnaires. The data collected was analysed by using descriptive and statistical tabulation for quantitative and content analysis methods and then compared. The main research question of the study is, “What are the information needs of the Afrikaans pre-literate adult learners of both Damonsville and Onverwacht communities and how can the content of adult literacy training material be tailored to match the information requirements of the identified communities?”. From the data derived from empirical study conducted, a list of activities which serve as information needs of both communities was compiled and could then be used when designing instructional tutorials so as that the content could match the specified needs of the identified communities. From the content analysis of the three literacy programmes, findings have indicated that there exist no correlation between the information needs of the identified communities and the contents of the literacy programmes. The researcher argues this shortcoming as a major implication to instructional design. Based on the findings of a comparison between the content of the Afrikaans literacy programmes and the information needs of the people in Onverwacht and Damonsville, a learning programme in the form of two lesson plans were compiled in which the identified information needs of the learners determined the content. Recommendations for the improvement of the content of literacy programmes that could be used in future were also made. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Afrikaans / unrestricted

No description available.

This study examines the literacies taught and valued by three major stakeholder groups within an innovative welfare-to-work/adult basic education (ABE) program in the northeastern United States. The program, which I call Women for Change, is examined from the perspective of the program participants (a group of eight women on TANF who are mandated to attend), program staff (four social workers affiliated with a local university and one veteran adult basic educator), and the organization that provides funding for the program. Using data collected from one-on-one interviews, participant observation, and primary documentation used within the program, this case study reveals substantive conflict in the primary literacy-learning goals held by each of the stakeholder groups: The program funders want participants to find paid work; participants desire to complete their GED certification and hope to meet additional interpersonal goals, such as learning to communicate more effectively; and program staff want to help participants develop self-esteem and meet other emotional goals. These disparate goals—and each stakeholder group’s dedication to its particular objectives—create conflict within the class sessions, producing a program that wasn't as efficient at meeting any particular goal. Based on these data, the present study makes three overarching arguments. First, literacy-learning programs—particularly those that work with adults—should solicit and aim to incorporate at least some of the goals and learning objectives sought and valued bylearners. Second, adult literacy educators, especially those who work with ABE and college-level writing students, must be prepared to help writers cope with the emotional components of the literacy learning process, particularly by connecting them with counseling professionals when appropriate. Finally, the connection between writing/literacy learning and emotion suggests that a more capacious understanding of literacy is necessary. James Paul Gee’s notion of Discourse helps us begin to theorize this broader understanding, but ultimately I argue that we must go farther than Discourse to develop an “integrative literacies” model that more robustly accounts for the relationship between literacy, identity, and histories of trauma. / English

Retaining students, particularly in the 16- to- 24-year-old category, is a constant challenge for adult basic education programs nationwide. Educators need to understand factors that affect adult learners' experiences, have a better understanding of ways to motivate adult students in a nontraditional school setting to enhance their engagement, and apply research-based techniques and targeted, practical strategies to improve student persistence. The primary objective of this case study was to investigate the perceived factors that students considered influential on their persistence and retention in adult basic education programs. Knowles's andragogy theory and Tinto's persistence theory were the theoretical frameworks for this study. The research questions were designed to understand the factors that motivate students to remain engaged in academic courses. Ten students enrolled in a high school equivalency program in a large northeastern city participated in semi-structured, individual interviews. Coding and thematic analysis were used to identify, describe, and interpret the data collected. The findings indicated that factors such as individual drive, the instructor's encouragement and high expectations, relevant topics, and connection to school all contributed to sustain a learner's persistence. A professional development project was designed from the findings to provide instructors with research-based best practices and techniques to increase students' motivation and persistence through active learning experiences in student-centered classrooms. The project will impact social change by helping educators to have more insights on theories about adult learning styles and a deeper understanding of current approaches to inspire active participation, sustain learner motivation, and improve student academic performance.

This study aims to contribute to the growing body of knowledge on the circumstances under which adult education, in particular adult basic education, can support and occasionally initiate participatory development, social action and the realisation of citizenship rights. It traces developments in adult basic education in South Africa, and more specifically literacy and language learning, over the years 1981 to 2001, with reference to specific multilingual contexts in the Northern and Western Cape. The thesis is based on four individual studies, documenting an arc from grassroots work to national policy development and back. Study I, written in the early 1990s, critically examines approaches to teaching English to adults in South Africa at the time and proposes a participatory curriculum model for the additional language component of a future adult education policy. Study II is an account of attempts to implement this model and explores the implications of going to scale with such an approach.  Studies III and IV draw on a qualitative study of an educator development programme after the transition to democracy. Study III uses Bourdieu's theory of practice and the concept of reflexivity to illuminate some of  the connections between local discursive practices, self-formation, and broader relations of power. Study IV uses Iedema's (1999) concept of resemiotisation to trace the ways in which individuals re-shaped available representational resources to mobilise collective agency in community-based workshops. The summary provides a framework for these studies by locating and critiquing each within shifts in the political economy of South Africa. It reflects on a history of research and practice, raising questions to do with voice, justice, power, agency, and desire. Overall, this thesis argues for a reconceptualisation of ABET that is more strongly aligned with development goals and promotes engagement with new forms of state/society/economy relations.