Evaluation of adult literacy education in the United States: A review of methodological issues

This is a critical review of methodological issues in the evaluation of adult literacy education programs in the United States. It addresses the key research questions: What are the appropriate methods for evaluating these programs under given circumstances. It identifies 15 evaluation studies that are representative of a range of adult literacy contexts at various evaluation levels; and reviews each study regarding evaluation designs, data sources, learner assessment tools, and indicators of program effectiveness. It summarizes methodological lessons learned regarding the evaluation of adult literacy education and identifies areas for further research.     

North American adult literacy programs and Latin American immigrants: how critical pedagogy can help nonprofit literacy programming in the United States

As nonprofit adult literacy programs are often the only options for low-income Latin American immigrants in North America, problems accompanying these programs affect the ability of immigrants to benefit from them. North American nonprofit adult literacy programs often struggle due to the difficulties inherent in using volunteer instructors (often from different cultural backgrounds than participants) who use curricula that often do not reflect students’ communities of origin. Hence, the outcomes of these programs can be problematic. One potential way to ameliorate these difficulties is found in the critical framework of Paulo Freire, wherein curricula are student-generated. The primary argument in this review essay is that trained community instructors (or Freirean-trained outsiders) – using Freire's model of instruction and curriculum development, working under a demand for true accountability for results from organizational administrators – could improve existent benign North American adult literacy programs into more empowering social resources for Latin American immigrant communities in the United States. The possibilities for such improvement are explored through analysis of positive and negative case studies within the larger literature on adult literacy.     

Boosting financial literacy: benefits from learning study

This paper reports on a study that employed a theory-based approach in the form of a learning study to enhance a domain-specific generic capability, financial literacy, of Grade 12 students to empower them to make informed and independent financial decisions. Financial literacy is seen in this study as a function of student understanding of a limited set of interrelated economic concepts that can be used as tools to assess financial situations and make sound financial decisions. Twelve teachers participated in the study. Six worked together in a learning study group and drew on a particular theory of learning in planning and carrying out lessons designed to serve the learning aims, whereas the other six worked collaboratively in a lesson study group. To evaluate the effectiveness of the two learning conditions created by the two groups, 193 students answered questions on complex, everyday financial situations in four tests: a pretest, a posttest following the research lessons, and delayed posttests 6 weeks and 6 months after instruction. The results showed that students in the learning study group outperformed their counterparts in the lesson study group in all three post-lesson tests, and that the inter-group performance gap was maintained or widened over time.     

Childhood emotional maltreatment and mental disorders: Results from a nationally representative adult sample from the United States

Child maltreatment is a public health concern with well-established sequelae. However, compared to research on physical and sexual abuse, far less is known about the long-term impact of emotional maltreatment on mental health. The overall purpose of this study was to examine the association of emotional abuse, emotional neglect, and both emotional abuse and neglect with other types of child maltreatment, a family history of dysfunction, and lifetime diagnoses of several Axis I and Axis II mental disorders. Data were from the National Epidemiological Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions collected in 2004 and 2005 (n = 34,653). The most prevalent form of emotional maltreatment was emotional neglect only (6.2%), followed by emotional abuse only (4.8%), and then both emotional abuse and neglect (3.1%). All categories of emotional maltreatment were strongly related to other forms of child maltreatment (odds ratios [ORs] ranged from 2.1 to 68.0) and a history of family dysfunction (ORs ranged from 2.2 to 8.3). In models adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics, all categories of emotional maltreatment were associated with increased odds of almost every mental disorder assessed in this study (adjusted ORs ranged from 1.2 to 7.4). Many relationships remained significant independent of experiencing other forms of child maltreatment and a family history of dysfunction (adjusted ORs ranged from 1.2 to 3.0). The effects appeared to be greater for active (i.e., emotional abuse) relative to passive (i.e., emotional neglect) forms of emotional maltreatment. Childhood emotional maltreatment, particularly emotionally abusive acts, is associated with increased odds of lifetime diagnoses of several Axis I and Axis II mental disorders.     

中美教学文化的比较分析

为什么不同国家地区的教学文化呈现出不同的特征和不同的形式,笔者认为除了一些浅层次的因素外,最根本的是文化传统的差异。本文将从文化传统与教学文化的关系、中关文化各自的特征以及中关文化传统影响下的教学文化的不同表现形式等方面去揭示中关教学文化的根本性差异,以便对中关教学文化有一个本质性的了解。     

美国制度文明研究

文章从社会理念、制度设计和社会现状三个方面对美国的制度文明进行了研究。作者认为，形成美国制度的理念有人本主义、天赋人权主权在民、人本理性假设；实现美国制度理念的方式有以社会契约理论为基础的国家权力委托代理制度、以人在法律规范内追求利益最大化为假设的权力分设与制衡制度、以卢梭天赋人权主权在民为基础的通过宪法法律保障公民基本权利的制度。文章对美国社会现状中的法律陪审团制度、总统与州长关系、民主与平民政治、自由与市场经济、法律宗教与社会诚信等五个方面进行了研究；并对美国现代制度文明带来的多数人暴政、社会效率低下、人性淡漠等问题进行了简述。     

美国州立助学政策的目标取向

美国州立助学政策有三个目标取向：基于需要的助学计划的目标取向是确保低收入家庭学生的入学机会;基于选择的助学计划的目标取向是保证自由选择入读院校的类型;基于成绩的助学计划的目标取向是奖励和激励卓越.三种模式各有其优点和缺点.     

The effect of ability matching and differentiated instruction in financial literacy education. Evidence from two randomised control trials

The present paper examines the impact of ability matching and differentiated instruction on the learning outcomes of eighth and ninth grade students in a financial education programme. In particular, the effect of within-class ability matching is investigated by forming pairs of students either randomly or based on their abilities. In addition, the paper studies whether differentiated instruction, in the form of additional instructions for lower ability students, enhances the impact of the financial education programme. The paper provides evidence on the effects of both practices using two randomised control trials involving 65 schools and 2,407 students. Overall, the results suggest that the programme raises the financial proficiency of students by 0.18 standard deviations. Although the learning outcomes of the average student are not affected by the differentiation practices, non-native students significantly benefit from differentiated instruction.     

Education reforms and adult skills: Evidence from Estonia

This paper studies the impact of education reforms in Estonia in the 1990s on adult skills using the OECD PIAAC surveys. Estonia implemented extensive education reforms in the early 1990s throughout Estonian-speaking schools while Russian-speaking schools were exposed to less comprehensive reforms, which were implemented later. A large minority of Estonia’s population at the time was enrolled in Russian-speaking schools providing a unique opportunity to measure the impact of education reforms on literacy, numeracy and problem-solving skills among adults by comparing improvements in PIAAC performance among Estonian and Russian speakers. Difference-in-difference estimation suggests that the reforms led to an adult skill dividend of around 15 to 30 percent of a standard deviation. This translates to a wage (productivity) premium of around 5 to 12 percent.     

妈祖文化的外向型特征及其在美国的播迁

妈祖信仰及文化的研究,是20世纪以来宗教学、历史学和人类学研究的重要议题。从对美国地区妈祖文化的传播的研究入手,介绍美国现有妈祖文化的产生与播迁,从一个侧面揭示妈祖外向型神格及其文化传播与19世纪以来美国华人移民命运之间的密切关系。     

Considering linguistic and orthographic features in early literacy acquisition: Evidence from Korean

This study investigated (1) the role of syllable awareness in word reading and spelling after accounting for the effects of print-related skills (letter-name and letter-sound knowledge, and rapid serial naming), and (2) unique contributions of orthographic, semantic (vocabulary and morphological awareness), phonological, and print-related predictors to word reading and spelling for 4- and 5-year old Korean-speaking children (N = 168). Syllable awareness was found to be positively related to word reading and spelling after accounting for print-related skills and phoneme awareness. Letter-name knowledge and orthographic awareness were uniquely related to word reading and spelling after accounting for other language and literacy-related skills. In addition, phoneme awareness was uniquely related to spelling whereas rapid serial naming was uniquely related to word reading, after accounting for other language and literacy-related skills. Semantic knowledge such as vocabulary and morphological awareness were not related to either word reading or spelling after accounting for other language and literacy-related skills. Word reading and spelling remained uniquely and positively related to each other. These findings are discussed in light of crosslinguistic variation in early literacy acquisition.     

Impact of curriculum reform: Evidence of change in classroom practice in the United States

The purpose of the study reported in this article is to examine the impact of curriculum on instruction. Over a three-year period, we observed 579 algebra-related lessons in grades 6-8. Approximately half the lessons were taught in schools that had adopted a Standards-based mathematics curriculum called the Connected Mathematics Program (CMP), and the remainder of the lessons were taught in schools that used more traditional curricula (non-CMP). We found many significant differences between the CMP and non-CMP lessons. The CMP lessons, emphasized the conceptual aspects of instruction to a greater extent than the non-CMP lessons and the non-CMP lessons emphasized the procedural aspects of instruction to a greater extent than the CMP lessons. About twice as many CMP lessons as non-CMP lessons were structured to use group work as a method of instruction. During lessons, non-CMP students worked individually on homework about three times as often as CMP students. When it came to text usage, CMP teachers were more likely than non-CMP teachers to work problems from the text and to follow lessons as laid out in the text. However, non-CMP students and teachers were more likely than CMP students and teachers to review examples or find formulas in the text. Surprisingly, only small proportions of the CMP lessons utilized calculators (16%) or manipulatives (11%).     

The impact of computer usage on academic performance: Evidence from a randomized trial at the United States Military Academy

We present findings from a study that prohibited computer devices in randomly selected classrooms of an introductory economics course at the United States Military Academy. Average final exam scores among students assigned to classrooms that allowed computers were 0.18 standard deviations lower than exam scores of students in classrooms that prohibited computers. Through the use of two separate treatment arms, we uncover evidence that this negative effect occurs in classrooms where laptops and tablets are permitted without restriction and in classrooms where students are only permitted to use tablets that must remain flat on the desk.     

想象的大学——中美大学文化的图像符号学比较研究

本文通过对大学官方网页首页中的图像进行分析,研究中美两国大学的文化。运用符号学的研究方法提炼出大学网页图像在学术研究、教学、学生学习、校园艺术、校园体育、社会社区服务、行政等方面的诸多活动,在详细描述分析的基础上,统计出图像的主题内容。本文认为,就大学官方网页所进行的图像符号学研究而言,美国大学具有较优越的物质条件,是学者研究、教师教学、学生学习和生活的场所,并承担一定的社会责任;而中国大学则几乎只是由校园建筑组合成的学术和行政机构。     

美国高校研究生学费及资助政策新探

20世纪90年代以来,美国高校研究生学费有不断升高的趋势,出现了不同程度的“高收费”现象。伴随这种“高收费”现象的是“高资助”及收费标准的“多样性”。笔者通过具体分析美国高校研究生学费价格的变化,阐明其学费定价特点及资助政策。     

Technocracy,educational structures and libraries: historical notes from the United States

This paper discusses the application and effects of technocratic ideology in schooling and educational policy in the United States, and traces it up through present planning for ‘virtual libraries’ and rethinking of educational structures. This is done by reviewing the development of educational structures and policies and by looking at selected developmental/historical periods in American life when technocratic ideology was particularly influential in schooling and educational policy. Through this process the authors establish ideological connections between technocracy, education and the new educational processes that virtual libraries represent. In this analysis virtual libraries are the newest site of the extension, deepening and possible totalizing of the values of technocratic educational policy and processes.

The paper begins with a brief definition of the concept of technocracy which is placed in its historical context. An overview of the historical periods of dominant technocratic ideology in American education is then presented. The overview covers particular eras from the early nineteenth century through the 1980s, tracing the manifestations of technocracy in educational practice and policy (the early industrial era, the era of Scientific Management and social efficiency, the Sputnik era and the push for computers in education). The paper then turns to an analysis of current technocratic education reforms and the connections to the “virtual library”. The virtual library is representative of this historical technocratic pattern, and‐‐at least as currently envisioned‐‐is the next technocratic extension into education. The paper concludes with a summary analysis of this trend.     

美国社区学院及其启示

美国的社区学院在办学模式和管理方式上很有特色和创造性。对美国的经济和社会发展发挥着巨大的作用。在政府规划指导、职业教育和普通教育的衔接、职业教育与政府和企业的合作以及加强对学生的就业指导和职业训练方面．有许多值得我们借鉴的经验，我们应认真思考、探索一条适合我国国情的发展高等职业教育的有效途径。