in this paper, i attempt to bring together approaches to literacy in theory and in practice, drawing upon various activities i have been involved in over the years–research in iranian villages during the 1970s; linking research and theory to literacy policy, with particular reference to a contribution to the unesco global monitoring report in 2004 and involvement in an ongoing adult literacy tr...

This paper discusses the re-introduction of the concept of functional literacy into policy in England, using Levine’s (1982) critique of the term as a starting point. We describe some of the different ways the term ‘functional literacy’ has been interpreted in the UK, the USA and Canada since its first international appearance and trace the development of the new policy in England. We offer a c...

In this paper, I attempt to bring together approaches to literacy in theory and in practice, drawing upon various activities I have been involved in over the years–research in Iranian villages during the 1970s; linking research and theory to literacy policy, with particular reference to a contribution to the Unesco Global Monitoring Report in 2004 and involvement in an ongoing adult literacy tr...

Understanding about the objectives of ICT literacy and the ways in which it should be enhanced vary. A comprehensive theoretical framework for the analysis of notions of ICT literacy is presented. Current notions of ICT literacy in different segments of policymaking and implementation in Australia are analysed and compared. Two dimensions (intended and implemented) and three theoretical perspec...

Within both academic and policy discourses, the concept of media literacy is being extended from its traditional focus on print and audiovisual media to encompass the internet and other new media. The present article addresses three central questions currently facing the public, policy-makers and academy: What is media literacy? How is it changing? And what are the uses of literacy? The article...

This article addresses the question, How do changes in policy discourses shape public representations of literacy learners and the goals of adult literacy education? It examines specifically how the agency of adult literacy learners is constructed. We carry out a critical discourse analysis of two key adult literacy policy documents from the U.K.: the manifesto A Right to Read (British Associat...

BACKGROUND In Nigeria, one of the major challenges associated with evidence-to-policy link in the control of infectious diseases of poverty (IDP), is deficient information literacy knowledge and skill among policymakers. There is need for policymakers to acquire the skill to discover relevant information, accurately evaluate retrieved information and to apply it correctly. OBJECTIVES To use i...

The recent emphasis on universal prekindergarten programs, coupled with ongoing concern about children’s’ early literacy development in the first years of school, carry significant implications for how preschool educators program for literacy and assess literacy growth. We discuss the evolving role of literacy development in expanded preschool, examine key features of literacy assessments with ...

Debates continue in public and in educational policy forums about the ‘basics’ of literacy while many have not recognised that these basics may never be the same again. Rapid changes in digital communication provide facilities for reading and writing to be combined with various and often quite complex aspects of music, photography and film. At the same time, educational policy and national test...