Journal Article: Adult Literacy Teachers’ Perspectives on Reading Difficulties and the Origins of These Perspectives

I would like to share with you an article from volume one, issue one of the peer-reviewed, online research journal, Adult Literacy Education: The International Journal of Literacy, Language, and Numeracy. This article is written by Elaine Chapman, The University of Western Australia, and Janet McHardy.

The content of this work takes a deep dive into a study conducted of 19 adult reading teachers who were interviewed to explore their perspectives on how adults become less-skilled readers and the origins of these perspectives. Four themes were identified in terms of teachers’ perspectives, which attributed less-skilled reading respectively to: (a) learners’ distinct needs not being met, (b) readers’ “life baggage”, (c) under-developed sense of joy in reading, and (d) inappropriate learning environments. Four main types of experiences appeared to have contributed to the development of these perspectives: (a) teachers’ own experiences in learning reading, (b) teachers’ general teaching experience, (c) teachers’ experiences of teaching reading specifically, and (d) teachers’ knowledge of formal reading theories and/or empirical research findings. Potential implications for enhancing the outcomes of adult reading instruction programs are discussed. 

Download the full research article here.  We encourage you to ask any questions in this discussion.