Improving Adult Literacy Outcomes: Lessons from Cognitive Research for Developing Countries. Directions in Development.
Despite the existence of about one billion illiterates in the world, adult literacy programs make up 1-5 percent of government or donor budgets, and they remain severely underfunded in comparison to primary education. Though dropout and course completion rates improved in the 1990s, the outcomes of literacy instruction are still modest and may have improved little since the 1970s. The results may disappoint governments and donors who expect that once taught, people will have usable skills and remain literate. The modest results make it hard to increase coverage and to argue for increased expenditures for this sector. The results may be due to inefficient instruction but also to the structure of human memory, which has important implications for adult literacy acquisition. The need to learn the rapid recognition of complex patterns poses problems that are not apparent to people who became expert readers in their childhood.
Educating the adult brain: How the neuroscience of learning can inform educational policy
The acquisition of new skills in adulthood can positively affect an individual’s quality of life, including their earning potential. In some cases, such as the learning of literacy in developing countries, it can provide an avenue to escape from poverty. In developed countries, job retraining in adulthood contributes to the flexibility of labour markets. For all adults, learning opportunities increase participation in society and family life. However, the popular view is that adults are less able to learn for an intrinsic reason: their brains are less plastic than in childhood. This article reviews what is currently known from neuroscientific research about how brain plasticity changes with age, with a particular focus on the ability to acquire new skills in adulthood. Anchoring their review in the examples of the adult acquisition of literacy and new motor skills, the authors address five specific questions: (1) Are sensitive periods in brain development relevant to learning complex educational skills like literacy? (2) Can adults become proficient in a new skill? (3) Can everyone learn equally effectively in adulthood? (4) What is the role of the learning environment? (5) Does adult education cost too much? They identify areas where further research is needed and conclude with a summary of principles for enhancing adult learning now established on a neuroscience foundation.RésuméFormer le cerveau adulte : comment les neurosciences de l’apprentissage peuvent éclairer les politiques éducatives – L’acquisition de nouvelles compétences à l’âge adulte peut avoir une influence positive sur la qualité de la vie d’un individu, y compris son potentiel de revenus. Dans certaines situations, tels que l’alphabétisation dans les pays en développement, elle peut permettre de sortir de la pauvreté. Dans les pays industrialisés, la reconversion professionnelle à l’âge adulte contribue à la flexibilité des marchés du travail. Chez tous les adultes, l’apprentissage augmente leur participation à la société et à la vie familiale. Néanmoins, l’opinion générale veut que les adultes soient moins aptes à apprendre, et ce pour une raison intrinsèque : leur cerveau serait moins malléable que dans l’enfance. Les auteurs recensent les connaissances actuelles de la recherche neuroscientifique sur l’évolution de la flexibilité du cerveau avec l’âge, en particulier sur la capacité d’acquérir de nouvelles compétences à l’âge adulte. Appuyant leur examen sur des exemples de l’acquisition des compétences de base et fondamentales chez les adultes, les auteurs traitent cinq questions spécifiques : (1) Les périodes sensibles au cours du développement cérébral affectent-elles l’apprentissage de compétences éducatives complexes telles que l’alphabétisation ? (2) Les adultes peuvent-ils devenir chevronnés dans une nouvelle compétence ? (3) Tous les adultes apprennent-ils avec la même efficacité ? (4) Quel est le rôle de l’environnement éducatif ? (5) Les coûts de l’éducation des adultes sont-ils trop élevés ? Les auteurs identifient les domaines appelant des études plus poussées et concluent par une synthèse des principes valorisant l’apprentissage des adultes désormais fondé sur une base neuroscientifique.
Fighting Illiteracy: What Works and What Doesn't: A Case Study of Female Literacy in Pakistan.
Pakistan is a country with government will to increase literacy among women but which has made little progress in expanding educational attainment among women. There were 20 million illiterates in Pakistan in 1951 42.89 million in 1981 and 117.32 million in 1991-92. In 1981 35% of men and 17% of women were literate (55% of urban men and 35% of urban women). Literacy in rural areas is low at 26% for males and 7% for females. About 6 million school-age children are not enrolled in school and have no access to education. About 66% of school drop-outs are girls. Findings from a survey of a low-income population in Karachi in 1991 reveal that 11.6% of the female sample were literate compared to 37.2% of males. Out of 500 illiterate girls 8-14 years old 96.2% were not able to identify the alphabet and 75.6% had never attended school. The girls who had never attended gave as reasons: poverty (28.6%) family norms (15.4%) fathers opposition (14.2%) and interference with household work (2.8%). Girls who had attended school gave as their reasons for dropping out: financial constraints (26%) lack of interest (18.7%) and for the rest household work illness their school was closed or unwilling parents. 72.8% of illiterate girls reported a willingness to study if educational facilities were provided. A UNESCO report on illiteracy identified nine countries with over 70% of the worlds adult illiterates: Bangladesh Brazil China Egypt India Indonesia Mexico Nigeria and Pakistan.