Adult Illiteracy in America Essay Example

abilities but struggle with everyday literacy tasks.

The literacy problem in America needs to be addressed.

While very low literacy is not a threat to the economy, it remains a significant concern for individuals. Society must address the issue of 7.7 million adults with very low literacy.

Despite the potential threat posed by the economy, it is important to note that over 40% of the population lacks motivation to attain high levels of literacy. This lack of motivation stems from the fact that only low to moderate levels of literacy are required for 60% of new jobs.

Mishel explains that even if most individuals are highly literate, only 40% of new positions will demand that level of literacy. Therefore, if 70% of the populace attains high literacy rates, around 30% will have to settle for jobs that underutilize their skills.

According to Mishel, the "skills deficit model" is seen as a means to shift blame away from the government and society onto individuals, absolving them of responsibility (12). This model suggests that education and financial security are accessible to everyone.

The skills deficit model suggests that individuals without a good education and job are lacking in character, strength, determination, and intelligence. This perspective places the responsibility on individuals rather than society. However, Bowles and Gintis argue that society shares some blame for the lack of education many people face.

Howell (Howell) emphasizes the decrease in wages in America since the early 1970s. The job market is facing a worrisome pattern of decreasing pay rates, which adds more complications to the situation.

Since the 1970s, literacy levels have

increased due to growing workplace and societal demands. However, there has also been a rise in literacy standards. Despite having more literate individuals today compared to thirty years ago, wages have actually decreased. This indicates that possessing advanced literacy skills is not necessarily valued or encouraged in the workforce.

Sticht challenges the "skills deficit model" that blames workers' lack of skill for low wage jobs, by presenting the theory of "basic skills surplus". According to Sticht, there are enough individuals who possess the required literacy skills for all job opportunities.

Despite the abundance of qualified individuals, there is a discrepancy between their qualifications and the literacy skills needed for particular jobs. As a result, job opportunities requiring advanced literacy are limited. Consequently, many individuals settle for lower-skilled and lower-paying jobs that do not match their level of expertise or literacy.

According to Kibby, as technology advances and people become more dependent on computers, many jobs in the 21st century will require less literacy and rely less on print materials.

According to Kibby, jobs involving information processing will demand higher and more intricate literacy skills, potentially leading to decreased social mobility. Kibby also states that while there may still be jobs that don't require advanced literacy, the more lucrative positions will necessitate exceptionally high literacy levels (380).

According to Mikulecky (379), the progress from many low-paying jobs to fewer high-paying ones will become more difficult due to the growing integration of technology and literacy. This integration will require the development of "multiple literacies."

Extensive research has established a significant link between low literacy, inadequate education, poverty, and income levels. The

findings consistently demonstrate that individuals who possess strong literacy skills and have received formal education generally earn higher incomes in comparison to those who left high school with limited reading and writing abilities. Sticht's "Knowledge Pays" chart effectively depicts this correlation by showcasing that individuals with advanced literacy skills have greater potential for earning than those with moderate or limited literacy skills (Sticht 24).

There is no evidence indicating a direct correlation between higher income and higher literacy levels. It is plausible that these attributes are merely coincidental. Additionally, certain individuals in our society may have a greater predisposition towards advantages such as wealth, education, good health, longevity, and strong literacy abilities; whereas others might be more prone to experiencing poverty, limited education, poor health conditions, shorter lifespans, and lower levels of literacy proficiency.

Who are the low-literate adults in America?

The NALS study indicates that low-literate adults have a relatively equal gender distribution, but people of color are disproportionately represented among this group. While white individuals are not the majority in terms of literacy difficulties, they constitute the largest racial group.

The low-literate adult population, which falls within the lower quartile of the U.S. income scale (Reder 3), is typically employed. Those at the lowest NALS level work around eighteen to nineteen hours per week, while those at the three highest levels work an average of thirty-four to forty-four hours per week.

Level 1 adults had a higher likelihood of receiving food stamps than level 4 and 5 adults, but they had a lower probability of obtaining bank account interest.

Two-thirds of level one adults did not complete

high school and receive a diploma, with many indicating that they were aware of their reading difficulties during their time in school.

The National Center for Educational Statistics found that 25% of the participants were immigrants with limited English proficiency, which was not measured by NALS. Furthermore, one third of the respondents were aged 65 or older. Additionally, a quarter of them faced health conditions affecting their participation in school and other activities, both physically and mentally. Around 20% reported having vision problems.

According to Fingeret's study, many adults faced a dilemma between conforming to social norms among their peers and following the acceptable behavior set by the school system. This categorization made them feel powerless and resulted in either resisting or being passive. Moreover, some individuals believed that they were merely pushed through the system even though they couldn't handle the workload (Fingeret).

The Lack of Learning How to Read

The understanding of illiteracy causes has dual benefits: preventing future illiteracy through identification and resolution of contributing factors, and offering effective assistance to adults with limited literacy skills.

To resolve the situation, it is important to understand what adult illiterates miss in the process of developing literacy. These distinct yet interconnected questions need to be considered.

Literacy is a process that occurs unconsciously through exposure, modeling, and practice. It does not rely on conscious understanding or awareness. Individuals can acquire the ability to read without realizing or comprehending the learning process.

Acquiring and comprehending acquired behaviors is a difficult endeavor. It can be puzzling to understand how skills like speaking, walking, running, reading, and writing are acquired.

Although individuals may excel in these tasks, they might have misunderstandings about the process of learning and acquiring these abilities (Fingeret).

There is a considerable amount of research on children's literacy acquisition, leading to ongoing debate and uncertainty. The phonics versus whole language debate generates intense discussions. Moreover, there is a vast amount of information about adult literacy demographics, encompassing their reading and writing skills, as well as the links between low literacy levels and income, health, and incarceration.

Understanding the acquisition of literacy skills and being aware of individuals who lack these skills is essential. However, this knowledge alone does not provide a complete understanding of why adults were unable or discouraged from developing their reading abilities.

Research on the reasons for adult illiteracy is limited due to its gradual and often unnoticed development. The causes of why some individuals do not acquire literacy skills are hard to determine. To comprehend illiteracy, it is crucial to concentrate on the absence and obstacles that impede its growth (Fingeret).

While it is challenging to conduct such research, there are studies available. For instance, Heath's Ways With Words investigates the language, learning, and literacy of two communities in North Carolina. Heath spent years studying two adjacent communities.

Heath's aim was to comprehend the differences between the two cultures and how they may vary from other cultures while portraying the intricacies of development.

The author is studying the difficulties individuals from different cultures face when learning how to read. Additionally, she is examining various other issues in the field of adult literacy that are rarely explored (Heath).

Taylor requested adult learners

to describe the reasons behind their reading difficulties. She categorized the results into two groups: issues related to the school and issues related to the students.

In schools, a frequent issue arises where teachers lack awareness of problems and students hesitate to seek help or address issues on their own. This problem is accompanied by additional challenges, including students having negative perceptions of themselves and labeling themselves as "dumb," while also viewing teachers negatively as racist, lazy, or inflexible (71). Additionally, students encounter difficulties associated with trauma, peer pressure, embarrassment, and a lack of support at home.

During interviews, participants often talked about distressing childhood events like the loss of parents, parental substance abuse, and extreme poverty. They also mentioned peer pressure as a reason for neglecting education or deciding to drop out of school.

The interviewees mentioned that their lack of reading skills caused embarrassment and hindered them from seeking assistance. Moreover, certain students acknowledged the absence of support or encouragement at home throughout their schooling (Taylor, et. al. 72).

Fingeret conducted interviews with adults with low literacy to investigate their backgrounds. Her study revealed that the significance of school played a crucial role. The participants mentioned parents who believed school was not essential, teachers who lacked instructional effectiveness, and being promoted to the next grade despite their lack of skill development.

According to Fingeret (43), interviewees mention additional factors such as dyslexia, parents who couldn't read, physical abuse, being labeled as "wild," and engaging in misbehavior.

The environment is believed to contribute to illiteracy. Although basic literacy development begins before children start school, schooling plays a

crucial role in continued development or lack thereof for children who are not learning to read.

Bowles and Gintis (Bowles ; Gintis) explore the variations in how students perceive education based on their socioeconomic backgrounds. The authors also analyze the factors contributing to these disparities, such as the role of schools in perpetuating the existing inequalities in society.

According to Halliday, teachers' expectations for students align with the degree of divergence of the students' dialects from the "standard." Furthermore, Halliday states that these expectations are enacted by the students themselves.

The teacher sets a less sophisticated model of literacy for students to imitate. Additionally, the teacher has lower expectations for their students' ability to succeed in that model (Halliday 77).

Clay's research on children with low literacy skills suggests potential reasons behind adult illiteracy. The lack of reading abilities in childhood can persist into adulthood. The Reading Recovery program, originally created by Clay in New Zealand, has been successfully implemented in the United States.

The program is specifically designed to identify and help struggling readers in first grade through personalized, intensive, and short-term instruction. The program targets the poorest readers, which includes the bottom twenty percent of first graders. According to Clay (83), low-literate adults who attended school but never learned to read were likely part of the lowest twenty percent in their classes.

Reading Recovery highlights various factors that may contribute to low literacy among adults. The program emphasizes utilizing existing skills to assist students in acquiring strategies and building self-assurance. It also teaches specific techniques like self-monitoring, cross-checking, predicting, and confirming which can be employed autonomously.

Both

writing and reading are emphasized in reading recovery, even at the most basic levels. Students in this program learn sounds from the words they are reading, which is different from many other approaches that start with sounds and progress towards words.

In Reading Recovery, meaning comes last and is often infrequent. High expectations are held for students, assuming that reading problems will be resolved and that those who are behind will catch up. Making rapid progress is anticipated from students in Reading Recovery (Clay).

Education programs for low-literate adults

A majority of individuals with difficulties in reading do not join any programs, as stated by Fingeret. The US Department of Education conducted a study in 1999 on the participation in literacy programs and discovered that out of the total, 1,555,709 individuals were enrolled in Adult Basic Education, which is categorized as having skills below an eighth-grade level.

Although the department does not provide a specific breakdown of reading level within the category, New York City offers information on enrollees by level. According to the Literacy Assistance Center, around 25% of students in their programs are classified as very low-literate under the New York City Adult Literacy Initiative.

Adults participating in literacy programs distinguish themselves from schoolchildren by possessing life experience, emotional maturity, and adult level of oral language. A significant aspect of this life experience revolves around literacy, education, schools, and teachers.

Another significant contrast is that adults in literacy programs typically engage voluntarily, whereas children are required by law to attend school. However, there are exceptions for adults in welfare-to-work programs, alternatives to incarceration, and prison education, where

participation may be mandatory.

Overall, adults have the freedom to join and withdraw from programs as they please, resulting in uneven learning experiences and potential loss of knowledge. Fingeret's study revealed that numerous students abandon programs before achieving their objectives.

According to Fingeret, common reasons for leaving include transportation and health issues, as well as dissatisfaction with instruction. The Literacy Assistance Center of New York City states that around fifty percent of students drop out within the first six months.

Lost time is a significant factor for adults attending literacy programs, as learning to read is a lengthy and intricate process. Despite only attributing their inability to read to limited exposure and opportunities, adults are still considerably behind, given the considerable time it takes to become proficient in reading.

Adults face more pressures compared to those who learned to read as children. The texts that children encounter are significantly easier than the everyday texts that adults need to navigate in order to survive. Complex documents such as bills, leases, job applications, tax forms, and instruction manuals are characterized by various linguistic variations, conventions, and formats.

Despite adults’ claims of starting reading at age six, they were merely beginning their reading journey and only able to read simple texts. They have dedicated years to becoming proficient readers and continue to learn as they encounter new or more difficult texts in life.

Adults often underestimate the importance of acquiring reading skills for everyday life because their reading demands are not as high as those of children. However, when compared to a child's reading needs, it becomes clear that learning to read as an

adult is a significant and challenging task. Even under ideal circumstances, it will still take a novice a considerable amount of time to become skilled at reading.