Resource
Why Teach Writing to Adult Learners?
Posted on
Description
Writing is embedded in every aspect of adult learners' daily lives—from job applications to family communication. It is a crucial skill for adults pursuing high school equivalency, post-secondary education, career growth, and community engagement.Yet, learners in Adult Secondary Education (ASE) programs often face barriers to becoming confident, effective writers. ASE educators have limited research, tools, and preparation to guide learners. This gap leaves many adult learners without the writing support they need to achieve their goals. The W-ASE team is prioritizing writing instruction and providing more resources and research for ASE programs to empower adult learners to develop strong, adaptable writing skills—helping them build brighter futures and thrive in both work and life.
Blog
Lessons on Digital Inclusion: Learning Through CREATE Adult Skills Network Research
Posted on
There is a great need to use technology in adult education. In this blog post, we’ll examine digital inclusion challenges that impeded using technology in adult education, and how some of the field’s foremost researchers and practitioners are addressing these issues. About 43 million U.S. adults struggle with low literacy (Mamedova & Pawlawski, 2019). This is an equity issue because strong foundational skills help adults gain secondary education credentials. These credentials open up post-secondary education options and career growth, leading to higher…
Blog
Using a DEIA-Informed Approach Improves Curriculum Development for Adult Learners
Posted on
Dr. Christine Miller and Dr. Daphne Greenberg
Researchers put a lot of effort into ensuring that the content of a curriculum aligns with theory and previous scholarship. However, content issues should not be the only consideration. Diversity, inclusion, equity, and access (DEIA) issues need to also be addressed. The best intended curriculum will be unsuccessful if it fails to address the heterogeneity of adult learners, instructors, and settings. The goal of the W-AE (Writing in Adult Education) project is to develop and try out a technology-based…
Resource
Utility value of improving writing skills for adult basic education students
Posted on
Description
Motivational research identifies utility value, or the importance of a learning task to future goals, as central to motivation to learn. This study analyzed survey data (N = 86) collected from adult literacy learners to examine their utility value of writing improvement in grammar and spelling skills, word processing skills, and planning, drafting, and revising skills. Findings revealed that participants had a high utility value of improving writing in all three skill areas and possessed a variety of underlying motivations, including obtaining further education, seeking future employment, and personal reasons. Participants' age, educational attainment, and reading levels showed relationships with utility value of improving grammar and spelling skills, and age showed an additional relationship to utility value of improving word processing skills. This work extends research on motivation in this population and supports the application of expectancy-value theory to both adult motivation and writing motivation. A free video is available on the utility value of improving writing skills for adult basic education students on this page. A subscription or one-time payment is required access this full publication from the Writing in Adult Secondary Education Classes team.
