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Research Projects

This page provides information on NCSALL research projects.

NCSALL Research projects by topic:

Assessment of Outcomes
Mary Beth Bingman, Principal Investigator

The Assessment of Outcomes Study explored the impact of participation in adult education and literacy programs on students, their families, and their communities, as well as ways to assess this impact and measure instructional outcomes predicting this impact.

For more information, see:

Adult Development Study
Robert Kegan, NCSALL Principal Investigator

This study followed 41 adult learners enrolled in community college, family literacy, and workplace literacy programs to better understand how they experienced learning in their programs; how this learning transferred to their roles as parents, workers, or learners; how the programs supported and challenged their learning; and how their learning helped them change.

For more information, see:

Adult Multiple Intelligences Study
Silja Kallenbach, Co-Principal Investigator
Julie Viens, Co-Principal Investigator

This study, which incorporated teachers as research partners, examined how multiple intelligences (MI) theory supports instruction and assessment in adult literacy education. The first systematic effort related to MI theory in the field, it creates a foundation of MI practice that can serve others working in adult literacy education.

For more information, see:

Adult Reading Components Study
John Strucker, Principal Investigator

The Adult Reading Components Study offers a portrait of adults enrolled in adult basic education and English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) classes by using clusters based on measures of reading components and a means to assess the literacy skills of the beginning-level learners.

For more information, see:

Adult Student Persistence
John Comings, Principal Investigator

The Adult Student Persistence Study aims to develop an understanding of the forces that support or discourage an adult's decision to stay in a basic education, ESOL, or secondary education program. This study has three phases:

For more information, see:

Classroom Dynamics
Harold Beder, Principal Investigator

The first major study of its type in a quarter century, the Classroom Dynamics Study addresses instruction content and delivery, processes underlying teaching and learning, and external forces shaping behavior in adult basic education.

For more information, see:

Equipped for the Future (EFF) Study
Mary Beth Bingman, Principal Investigator

Acting as technical advisor, NCSALL helped the National Institute for Literacy (NIFL) by developing a research and evaluation program focused on assessing EFF's 16 standards and the impact of implementing the EFF framework in local programs.

GED Impact
John Tyler, Principal Investigator

The GED Impact Study examines the economic impact of the GED for high school dropouts, and the implications of these outcomes for K-12 education.

For more information, see:

Health and Adult Learning and Literacy
Rima Rudd, Principal Investigator

The Health and Adult Learning and Literacy (HALL) Study addresses the impact of limited literacy skills on health activities and outcomes, building understanding of literacy among public health and medical professionals and helping devise health-related curricula for adult literacy educators.

For more information, see:

Literacy Practices of Adult Learners (LPALS)
Victoria Purcell-Gates, Principal Investigator

The Literacy Practices of Adult Learners Study (LPALS) considers the kinds of literacy programs that best encourage adult students to read and write more frequent, more complex texts. It categorizes programs nationwide along two dimensions, determining how these dimensions influence the frequency and complexity of reading and writing.

For more information, see:

Longitudinal Study of Adult Learning (LSAL)
Stephen Reder, Principal Investigator

The Longitudinal Study of Adult Learning (LSAL), conducted at Portland State University in Oregon and tracking the lives of 940 adults over seven years, breaks new ground by collecting and analyzing data needed to understand how adult literacy develops for those with limited formal education.

For more information, see the LSAL project Web site.

Professional Development
Cristine Smith, NCSALL Principal Investigator

The Professional Development Study examines how practitioners change after participating in one of three professional development models-multi-session workshops, mentor-teacher groups, or practitioner research groups-and the factors that support and hinder this change.

For more information, see:

If you're interested in NCSALL's research, you might also want to visit the following sites related to adult literacy and educational research:

Updated 7/27/07 :: Copyright © 2005 NCSALL