This research sought to examine whether information literacy skills – being able to find and use information to resolve daily issues – are being blended into conventional literacy education; and whether low-literate adults use community information access centers, such as public libraries, to find information for conducting their everyday lives. Three adult literacy programs around the State of Florida participated in a series of case studies that explored the relationships between conventional literacy skills and information literacy skills. Multiple methods of data collection were used: 1) a program questionnaire completed by literacy program coordinators; 2) two in-depth interviews with each program coordinator; 3) document analysis of instructional materials, assessment materials, and student writings; 4) a group interview with four literacy tutors; and 5) two site observations at each of the three program sites. Results of this research suggest that adult literacy programs focus primarily on the foundations of reading, particularly those that follow the national models of literacy education, including Literacy Volunteers of America or Laubach Literacy International. The intent is to improve the reading levels of low-literate adults in order to provide them with tools to function in a text-based society. There is very little introduction to information resources or information technology. However, the participating sites recognize a need for adult learners to use the range of resources available for finding information and using it effectively to resolve everyday issues. The consensus among the three literacy programs is that most information resources are designed and written at an advanced reading level, and that the adults at the lowest reading levels are unable to use them. The findings also suggest that low-literate adults may be less likely to use community information access centers, such as public libraries, because they either do not have ready access to the information centers or do not know how to use the resources that are available. The lowliterate adults in this study were more likely to use personal networks or mass media, excluding newspapers, to find information for conducting everyday life. / A Dissertation submitted to the School of Information Studies in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Spring Semester, 2003. / December 3, 2002. / Adult Learner Resources, Literacy Program Support / Includes bibliographical references. / Jane B. Robbins, Professor Directing Dissertation; Penny Ralston, Outside Committee Member; Gary Burnett, Committee Member; F. William Summers, Committee Member.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_181059 |
| Contributors | Maatta, Stephanie Lee (authoraut), Robbins, Jane B. (professor directing dissertation), Ralston, Penny (outside committee member), Burnett, Gary (committee member), Summers, F. William (committee member), School of Library and Information Studies (degree granting department), Florida State University (degree granting institution) |
| Publisher | Florida State University, Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Language | English, English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text, text |
| Format | 1 online resource, computer, application/pdf |
| Rights | This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s). The copyright in theses and dissertations completed at Florida State University is held by the students who author them. |
Page generated in 0.0023 seconds