ProLiteracy, which is dedicated to serving the adult literacy and education field by providing approachable and actionable research free of charge, has released Volume 5, Issue 1, of Adult Literacy Education: The International Journal of Literacy, Language, and Numeracy.
Of note in the Winter 2023 issue, the Forum section focuses on mental health and adult learners. The three articles in this section discuss the prevalence of mental illness among the low-literate adult population in America, how mental health disorders affect these adults and their learning, and how to support these students, including some who may have suffered past trauma. Tips and classroom strategies outlined in the Forum will give practitioners a better understanding of how to serve every adult in their programs regardless of their situation.
“At a time when conversations about mental health are becoming more open and common, the articles in the Forum are a welcome and relevant resource for tutors and instructors,” said Mark Vineis, ProLiteracy president and CEO.
In addition to the Forum, the new issue of the journal includes the two research articles “Age, Period, and Cohort Effects on Adult Literacy Skills in the United States” and “Community-Based Adult Learning: A Scottish Case Study in the Time of COVID-19.” A Report from the Field titled “An Intelligent Tutoring System for Adult Literacy Learners: Lessons for Practitioners” describes the development and implementation of a web-based intelligent tutoring system for adults reading at elementary levels. And the journal wraps up with book and resource reviews, a research digest, and the technology solutions column.
ProLiteracy produces Adult Literacy Education in partnership with Rutgers University. The journal editors—Alisa Belzer, Amy Rose, and Heather Brown—are respected researchers who believe research is an important complement to practitioners’ experiences, intuition, and professional training.
“Research can provide new ways of seeing things. It can raise new questions, new understandings, and new ways of doing things in the learning context,” Belzer said.
You can find the new issue of Adult Literacy Education at https://www.proliteracy.org/ALE-Journal. Writers interested in submitting articles for consideration in future issues of the journal can find author guidelines and a submission form on the journal’s webpage.
The online journal is published three times per year to share research and best practices in adult literacy, numeracy, and English language education with practitioners, policy makers, and funders. Each issue of Adult Literacy Education includes thought-provoking and peer-reviewed research articles written by leaders in the field to inform and frame wider conversations in the adult education field.
By keeping its research free, ProLiteracy ensures the important information shared in the journal can benefit all adult learners equally.