The Economic Payoffs to Workplace Literacy

This paper focuses on one of the potential benefits to improving the Nation's literacy the economic payoffs. A more literate workforce provides economic benefits to the members of the workforce themselves, to employers, and to society. Workers who improve their basic skills through participation in workplace literacy programs should be more productive and hence earn higher wages and have greater job security. Employers with more productive workers will be more competitive in their industries and will be more profitable. Society gains by having a more productive and stable economy, by having more individuals employed with higher earnings and thus paying more in taxes, and by having fewer individuals unemployed who would otherwise be drawing transfer income from the government. The key nexus in the argument that workplace literacy engenders significant economic benefits is that a more literate worker will be more productive on the job. Were that not the case, the economic benefits to workplace literacy programs would all but evaporate. Whereas literacy advocates would easily accept the notion that more literate workers are more productive, the evidence is far from clear. In fact, the status quo provides a strong counterargument. The business sector is characterized by a very low incidence of workplace literacy programs despite the fact that there is a substantial need, as measured by the percentage of the workforce who are deficient to some extent in basic skills (see Hollenbeck 1993). It can be legitimately asked why, if workplace literacy programs are so beneficial economically, is there such a paucity of programs? Why haven't more employers increased their profits by adopting such programs? This paper presents findings that suggest that there are substantial productivity payoffs to workplace literacy programs. The answer to the question as to why there is such a low incidence of programs is that there must be market failures such as inaccessible capital, lack of information, or uncertainty about costs or payoffs that are dampening more widescale adoption of programs. In the next section of the paper, I review prior literature on the economic payoffs to workplace literacy programs and suggest a model for determining their payoffs. The third section describes the data that I use to analyze the issue, which come from two national surveys of individuals. The fourth, fifth, and sixth sections of the paper present my empirical findings. In the fourth section, I analyze participation in workplace literacy programs the characteristics of the individuals who participate. The fifth section presents tabular analyses of program characteristics as reported by the participants and in the sixth section, I analyze the economic benefits to workers from participation. The final section presents conclusions.workplace, literacy, programs, productivity, Hollenbeck

An information literacy integration model and its application in higher education

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to present a model for curricular integration of information literacy for undergraduate programs in higher education. Design/methodology/approach - Data are drawn from individual interviews at three universities in Australia and curricular integration working experience at a New Zealand university. Sociocultural theories are adopted in the research process and in the development of the model, Findings - Key characteristics of the curriculum integration of information literacy were identified and an information literacy integration model was developed. The S2J2 key behaviours for campus-wide multi-partner collaboration in information literacy integration were also identified. Research limitations/implications - The model was developed without including the employer needs. Through the process of further research, the point of view of the employer on how to provide information literacy education needs to be explored in order to strengthen the model in curricular design. Practical implications - The information literacy integration model was developed based on practical experience in higher education and has been applied in different undergraduate curricular programs. The model could be used or adapted by both librarians and academics when they integrate information literacy into an undergraduate curriculum from a lower level to a higher level. Originality/value - The information literacy integration model was developed based on recent PhD research. The model integrates curriculum, pedagogy and learning theories, information literacy theories, information literacy guidelines, people and collaborative together. The model provides a framework of how information literacy can be integrated into multiple courses across an undergraduate academic degree in higher education

Adolescent Literacy Programs: Costs of Implementation

Reviews the literature on implementation of educational reforms and compares implementation processes and costs at schools that have adopted one of three literacy reforms. Includes recommendations for detailed resource planning and cost accounting

Is functional literacy a prerequisite for entering the labor market? An analysis of determinants of adults literacy and earnings in Ghana

The authors analyze the determinants of literacy and earnings in Ghana. They link literacy and earnings with various other factors, including age, gender, family educational background, distance to school, and income. Literacy and age are negatively correlated, suggesting that efforts to strengthen the supply and quality of basic education programs in recent years have succeeded in raising literacy rates. Parents'education is positively associated with literacy. Distance to the nearest primary school, residence in a rural area, and poverty are negatively associated with literacy. Functional literacy appears to be a prerequisite for entering the labor market, which may partly explain the lack of returns to education other than middle school and technical and professional training. The policy implications of this study: Basic education and literacy programs should target girls and poorer households, especially in rural areas.Access&Equity in Basic Education,Primary Education,Public Health Promotion,Curriculum&Instruction,Nonformal Education,Gender and Education,Curriculum&Instruction,Nonformal Education,Education For All,Primary Education

Literacy, learning and libraries: Common issues and common concerns

Discusses common issues in literacy, learning and libraries in Canada. Role of libraries and librarians in literacy; Need to have collaboration between public libraries and school districts on professional family literacy programs; Measures to succeed in making library programs effective for students

Coaches in the High School Classroom

Explores the choices and challenges faced by six literacy coaches working in Boston and Houston. Includes tools for assessment and analysis of coaching programs

The Enhanced Reading Opportunities Study: Early Impact and Implementation Findings

This report presents early findings from a demonstration and random assignment evaluation of two supplemental literacy programs that aim to improve the reading comprehension skills and school performance of struggling ninth-grade readers. On average, the programs produced a positive, statistically significant impact on reading comprehension among students

Library Instruction and Themed Composition Courses: An Investigation of Factors that Impact Student Learning

Many academic libraries partner with English composition in order to teach first year students skills related to academic research and writing. Due to the partnership between information literacy and first-year writing programs, it is important to evaluate how these programs can best support one another. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of two factors on student information literacy skill development: library instruction and section theme—defined here as class sections of the English 102 (ENG 102) program developed around a central topic selected by the instructor. A random sample of annotated bibliographies from 95 sections of ENG 102 were scored with two information literacy rubrics in order to find out if scores differed between sections based on the variables of library instruction and theme. The results of this study indicate that sections of the ENG 102 program that attended an information literacy instruction session scored significantly higher on the annotated bibliography assignment than sections that did not attend. We also found that themed sections of ENG 102 scored marginally higher on the annotated bibliography than non-themed sections of ENG 102. Implications for further research are discussed, including the potential impact of theme-based writing on information literacy learning