[AAACE-NLA] Higher self-efficacy (not low self esteem)
David Rosen
DJRosen at theworld.com
Wed Jun 21 09:55:41 EDT 2006
John and others,
Thanks for this clarifying addition, John. Self-efficacy is a key
concept in this discussion. If, as I suggested earlier, we look at
what George is compiling as a list of obstacles to literacy, not
causes of illiteracy, one of the most important obstacles for some
adults is low self-efficacy.
And as you point out, John, higher self-efficacy may have many other
benefits.
For a good short description of the Albert Bandura definition of self-
efficacy see http://www.des.emory.edu/mfp/BanEncy.html
And, since this is the field's adult literacy public policy advocacy
discussion list, as you read about Bandura's definition ask yourself
if our belief in our capabilities to produce effects -- our
practitioner self-efficacy -- would help us overcome obstacles to an
increased public investment in adult literacy!
David J. Rosen
Adult Literacy Advocate
DJRosen at theworld.com
On Jun 20, 2006, at 9:56 PM, Benseman John wrote:
> It is important to note that the most consistently mentioned
> outcome of most evaluations are changes in self-confidence. Often
> learners go into programmes with a goal of say, achieving their
> driver's licence, but when you talk to them post-programme, they
> almost always talk about their new-found levels of confidence even
> before they mention any achievements like passing their tests.
>
> Re changes in clothes, teachers often talk to me about changes in
> body posture etc as manifestations of their new -found confidence -
> the learner who slouches in the back row, with a beanie pulled down
> over his eyes and finds it difficult to look people in the eye etc
> who changes into someone who 'stands tall', starts to take a pride
> in his/her appearance and interacts with others on an equal basis.
>
> One other point: there is an important distinction between self-
> confidence (as a person, a member of a community) and self-efficacy
> (confidence in one's skill as a learner). Learners can achieve
> changes in self-confidence, but not necessarily their self-
> efficacy; it is rare however to achieve greater self-efficacy
> without a corresponding positive change in self-confidence. This
> distinction is important perhaps in undertanding how some
> evaluations show no/minimal changes in learners' literacy skills
> and yet the learners themselves report that the programmes have
> been a success for them (does this really matter if they go out
> with minimally improved literacy, but far greater confidence to
> take their place in the world?)
>
> John
>
>
> John Benseman PhD
>
> Faculty of Education
> The University of Auckland
> Auckland, NZ
> E-mail: <mailto:j.benseman at auckland.ac.nz>
> j.benseman at auckland.ac.nz <mailto:j.benseman at auckland.ac.nz>
> Phone: 0064 9 373 7599 ext 87161
> Office location: Room 365, N Block, Epsom Campus
> Mail: PB 92019, Auckland, NZ
>
> ________________________________
>
> From: aaace-nla-bounces at lists.literacytent.org on behalf of
> esthershupe at comcast.net
> Sent: Wed 21/06/2006 10:23 a.m.
> To: National Literacy Advocacy List sponsored by AAACE
> Subject: Re: [AAACE-NLA] Low Self Esteem
>
>
> I think it would be hard to tease out changes in behavior due to
> increased literacy. Life is way too complicated for that. What
> I can say is that the students tend to feel good about their
> achievements. This feeling good translates into increased
> motivation which in turn helps learners to stay on board with their
> learning. I haven't noticed changes in personality or clothing
> attire.
> esther
> -------------- Original message --------------
> From: Andrea Wilder <andreawilder at comcast.net>
>
>> This is an interesting topic.
>>
>> I once asked Art LaChance if he observed changes in behaviors related
>> to self-esteem, and he did. Students looked happier,
>> wore better clothes in better condition.
>>
>> Anyone on this list see changes like that?
>>
>> Andrea
>>
>>
>> On Jun 20, 2006, at 9:17 AM, Peacock, Nathaniel wrote:
>>
>>>
>>> In response to Andres:
>>>
>>> I agree with Andres' comments concerning low self esteem and the
>>> adult
>>> learner. I am sometimes dismayed that many adult education
>>> professionals take the idea that learners have low self-esteem as a
>>> strict fact. I have observed in many instances where this perception
>>> has interfered with the proper modeling of behavior by stud ents.
>>>
>>> Staff (particularly instructors) sometimes give learners excuses for
>>> not
>>> being on time for class, frequent absence, or even sleeping in class
>>> because of their perception that learners can't demonstrate the
>>> required
>>> behaviors necessary for success because of their inability to manage
>>> their time, overwhelming family responsibilities, or their social
>>> condition.
>>>
>>> In my experience, learners have been capable of demonstrating the
>>> same
>>> means as the general society in ordering their personal lives to
>>> accomplish their educational/life skill goals. I don't recall the
>>> specific study, but a study was done in North Carolina many years
>>> ago
>>> where adult educators and learners were assessed on their
>>> perception of
>>> learner self-esteem. The results of the study indicated that
>>> while the
>>> adult educators perceived the learners in their programs as
>>> having low
>>> self-esteem, the learners themselves rated their self esteem as
>>> high.
>>>
>>> I believe that it is important that adult educators do not "project"
>>> unfounded perceptions of learner self-esteem and motivation on the
>>> learner. If so, the learner's expectations may be lowered impacting
>>> negatively on their success.
>>>
>>> Nathaniel Peacock
>>> Adult ESOL & Literacy-GED Program
>>> Montgomery College
>>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: aaace-nla-bounces at lists.literacytent.org
>>> [mailto:aaace-nla-bounces at lists.literacytent.org] On Behalf Of
>>> aaace-nla-request at lists.literacytent.org
>>> Sent: Monday, June 19, 2006 6:07 PM
>>> To: aaace-nla at lists.literacytent.org
>>> Subject: AAACE-NLA D igest, Vol 37, Issue 21
>>>
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>>>
>>> Today's Topics:
>>>
>>> 1. Adult Literacy Education (ALE) Wiki (David Rosen)
>>> 2. FOB article on low self esteem (andresmuro at aol.com)
>>> 3. Re: the list--latest rendition (Jon Steinberg) < BR>> ; >
>>>
>>> --------------------------------------------------------------------
>>> --
>>>
>>> Message: 1
>>> Date: Mon, 19 Jun 2006 09:31:31 -0400
>>> From: David Rosen
>>> Subject: [AAACE-NLA] Adult Literacy Education (ALE) Wiki
>>> To: National Literacy Advocacy List sponsored by AAACE
>>>
>>> Message-ID: <064036B2-F614-4026-B878-94896F0A7D9D at theworld.com>
>>> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; delsp=yes; format=flowed
>>>
>>> Colleagues,
>>>
>>> The Adult Literacy Education (ALE) Wiki now has 30 topics, a newly
>>> designed front page, over 730 pages of content, and more than 600
>>> subscribers. Every week adult literacy educators add new content.
>>>
>>> The ALE Wiki is a community of practice and a professional de
>>> velopm ent
>>> treasurehouse. Check it out -- or visit again -- at:
>>>
>>> http://wiki.literacytent.org/index.php/Main_Page
>>>
>>> For some of the topic areas we still nead Topic Area Leaders. If you
>>> are interested in learning more about this, please email me.
>>>
>>> David Rosen
>>> DJRosen at theworld.com
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> ------------------------------
>>>
>>> Message: 2
>>> Date: Mon, 19 Jun 2006 12:28:20 -0400
>>> From: andresmuro at aol.com
>>> Subject: [AAACE-NLA] FOB article on low self esteem
>>> To: aaace-nla at lists.literacytent.org
>>> Message-ID: <8C861D4834C4DB3-C3C-B5F at mblk-r36.sysops.aol.com>
>>> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>> ; > I just received and gave a cursory glace at the Low Self
>> Esteem article
>>> on FOB. I am skeptical of the results. I do not believe that our
>>> students live lives of failure. In fact I believe that they live
>>> lives
>>> of incredible sacrifices, successes, triumphs, and overcoming
>>> tremendous
>>> difficulties. However, society portraits them as failures though
>>> different mechanisms, ie, low literacy, poverty, difficulty with
>>> academic environments, domestic violence, lack of employment, blue
>>> collar work, lack of citizenship or residency, racism, poor health,
>>> etc.
>>> These are the tools that mainstream society uses to evaluate
>>> success or
>>> failure of individuals.
>>>
>>> While most of our students are extremely hard working, passionate,
>>> dedicated, excellent family providers, etc. They do not measure
>>> t hemsel ves in terms of these, but in terms of the mainstream
>>> society
>>> markers. The mainstream society markers have very detrimental
>>> effects
>>> in
>>> our student self esteem.
>>>
>>> We have found that through a lot of motivation, creative writing,
>>> success in academic pursuits we are able to help students to see
>>> themselves as they truly are instead of the mainstream societal
>>> markers
>>> of success. As a result, we see our students self esteem improve.
>>>
>>> In a society where the dominant media dictates that success is
>>> measured
>>> by primarily wealth, possessions, intellectual entitlements and
>>> looks,
>>> the poor, the dispossessed, those without degrees and those who
>>> don't
>>> meet the standard look will have poor self esteem. Fortunately,
>>> there
>>> are alternatives to the media that can validate people based on
>>> other
>>> ; thin gs. However, the competition against the mainstream media
>>> is tough.
>>>
>>> Years ago, FOB published an article by Steve Reader that found no
>>> resistance among ABE students as Quigley and others have previously
>>> founds. This article finds no lack of self esteem among ABE
>>> students.
>>> These two articles contradict the obvious. To me, this means that
>>> the
>>> testing the statistical analysis, the questions asked, the
>>> understanding
>>> of the theory or other elements of the testing instrument are
>>> flawed.
>>>
>>> Add to this the fact that self esteem and resistance are very
>>> hard to
>>> understand and assess concepts. Asking questions such as Do you
>>> resist?
>>> Or Do you have a low self-esteem? May not be accurate ways to
>>> comparatively determine.
>>>
>>> Opinions, discussion?
>>>
>>> Andres
>>> < BR>> >
>>> Please take a look at my artwork: www.geocities.com/andresmuro/
>>> art.html
>>>
>>> ____________________________________________________________________
>>> ___
>>> _
>>> Check out AOL.com today. Breaking news, video search, pictures,
>>> email
>>> and IM. All on demand. Always Free.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> ------------------------------
>>>
>>> Message: 3
>>> Date: Mon, 19 Jun 2006 13:04:27 -0400
>>> From: "Jon Steinberg"
>>> Subject: Re: [AAACE-NLA] the list--latest rendition
>>> To: "National Literacy Advocacy List sponsored by AAACE"
>>>
>>> Message-ID:
>>> <6E8BC13A30982C44BCD32B38FB8F5AB8172AE7 at lac-exch.lacnyc.local>
>>> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
>>>
>>> Let's not forget that "modest progr ess" in adult literacy is
>>> often due
>>> to a lack of time to study. Here in New York State, 47% of adult
>>> education students are employed full-time or part-time. Many of
>>> them,
>>> particularly those who are women (60 percent of the student
>>> population
>>> in New York), have extensive family responsibilities. Adult learners
>>> who
>>> get children ready for school in the morning, rush to a job, work
>>> all
>>> day, then do the shopping, fix dinner, do the laundry, and put the
>>> children to bed, have to be highly motivated to enroll in a literacy
>>> class. Thousands are. Even so, family emergencies and other
>>> responsibilities may prevent them from attending every lesson. When
>>> they
>>> stay up late to read an article or write an essay, they sacrifice
>>> sleep.
>>> Limited time and sheer exhaustion can slow progress as easily as
>>> we ak
>>> preparation, low self-expectations, or a learning disability.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> ________________________________
>>>
>>> From: aaace-nla-bounces at lists.literacytent.org
>>> [mailto:aaace-nla-bounces at lists.literacytent.org] On Behalf Of
>>> gdemetrion at msn.com
>>> Sent: Sunday, June 18, 2006 9:57 PM
>>> To: awhitesi at ccsf.edu; National Literacy Advocacy List sponsored by
>>> AAAC
>>> Subject: Re: [AAACE-NLA] the list--latest rendition
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Anne,
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Thanks for your comments.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> A couple, things:
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> 1. I am less the author of this list than compiler and scribe.
>>> Whatever its strengths and limitations, the lis t, par tial as it
>>> is, is
>>> an attempt at identifying commonly acknowledged factors
>>> contributing to
>>> low English literacy among adults.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> 2. In the struggle for communicable language I have sought to make a
>>> shift from "causes" to "correlations." From this respect not even
>>> learning disabilities would be a cause, since, apparently, there are
>>> many people with learning disabilities who do not have a problem
>>> with
>>> reading. This doesn't even begin to address the matter of LD, or
>>> literacy, for that matter as an intellectual construct,
>>> culturally and
>>> historically derived within what might be defined as the ideology of
>>> 20th century schooling. I thought it wise, however, not to bring
>>> in the
>>> social theories of French philosopher Michel Foucault whose work,
>>> nonetheless, goes very much to the poi nt of what we are
>>> discussing. In
>>> any event, with all this aside, I'm looking both at literacy and the
>>> various factories identified in the document as mutually
>>> intervening,
>>> and the relationship, therefore, correlational, if I am using this
>>> terminology correctly.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> I've interspersed additional comments within yours.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> George Demetrion
>>>
>>> ___________________________________________________________________
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> AW: Forgive me for entering the conversation so late, but I find
>>> this
>>> list troubling. For one, as a list, it treats these categories
>>> rhetorically as parallel. But "increasing immigration" is not a
>>> cause
>>> of
>>> low literacy. Nor are these problems at some level equivant
>>> "causes".
>>> It > > can be argued that failed educational policy causes
>>> poverty, but not
>>> vice versa.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> GD: See above: The document speaks of correlations and intervening
>>> variables, not direct linear causation.
>>>
>>> AW: Second, each category on the list is complex. Not all immigrants
>>> who
>>> can't read English have "literacy" problems: some don't speak
>>> English,
>>> some read other scripts, some have no schooling but can read, and
>>> others can't read in their first language. Nor do all immigrants
>>> make
>>> "Modest progress". Young adults with no schooling often make
>>> impressive
>>> gains in Spanish reading in the native language literacy program
>>> where
>>> I
>>> teach, and go on to study GED in Spanish. But few schools offer
>>> native
>>> language programs; at issue is a commitment to teaching readin g,
>>> not
>>> the
>>> motivation or capacity of students to learn.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> GD: Your inference about the complexity of literacy is
>>> acknowledged, a
>>> topic that I have sought to address in my scholarly publications.
>>> The
>>> statement in the document on immigration does not speak about all
>>> immigrants. It says, rather "immigrant groups possess among the
>>> lowest
>>> levels of English literacy." Leaving complexities of definition
>>> aside
>>> for the moment and the various ways individuals and groups
>>> appropriate
>>> literacy in relation to all that they possess as well as perhaps
>>> lack,
>>> the reality is that millions of immigrants do have basic
>>> difficulty in
>>> mastering both English reading and speech and comprehension to a
>>> level
>>> of their own satisfaction, even as many do, in fact, make "modest
>>> progress" ev en as I am not the one to judge what progress is.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Also, one may take issue with it, but the Proliteracy repot, The
>>> Number
>>> of Functionally Illiterate Adults in U.S. is Growing provides
>>> statistical on the incidence of low English literacy on pp. 4-5. Be
>>> advised that I am using the term "literacy" broadly here, to include
>>> ABE
>>> and ESOL students. Here's how to access that report:
>>>
>>> http://www.proliteracy.org/downloads/ProLiteracyStateOfLiteracy%2010
>>> -25-
>>> 04.pdf
>>>
>>>
>>> AW: Finally, you mention "increasing standards for what counts as
>>> literacy". Thirty years of literacy studies have shown that one size
>>> doesn't fit all in terms of reading and writing, that we can't
>>> equate
>>> the behavior of a restaurant worker clocking in with that of a
>>> col lege < BR>> > student writing a paper, even though they both
>>> involve computers and
>>> writing; literacy practices are embedded in particular social
>>> contexts,
>>> which have different social value. Some people are socialized into
>>> these
>>> practices, and some aren't: the college student might perform
>>> badly on
>>> many of the tasks of the restaurant worker, and might need help
>>> "reading" the context. What is absent from this list is that with
>>> globalization, there is an increased need for service workers not
>>> factory workers, and a corresponding decreased commitment to
>>> education.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> GD: I accept your points, even your implicit neo-marxian last
>>> sentence.
>>> BTW, this is not a dispersion. Without marxian social and cultural
>>> analysis there would be no basis outside of capitalism to critique
>>> capitalism, so the notion of the "hidden curriculum" implicit in
>>> what
>>> you say has more than an element of truth to it. This was got at
>>> indirectly in the discussion on poverty and failed educational
>>> policy.
>>> Nonetheless another point could be added to draw out the politics
>>> more
>>> explicitly. I encourage you to do that, which then we can add to the
>>> list, but as for me, at least for this project I'm 98% done as I
>>> prefer
>>> to focus on my own research. In terms of a more nuanced
>>> definition of
>>> literacy, one perhaps based on critical social practices, that's
>>> definitely where I'm coming from in my own scholarship. Nonetheless,
>>> and this is no minor point, in broad terms, given the role of
>>> technology, the increasing informational processing sector of the
>>> workplace, the importance of high school, college, and trade school
>>> cred ential ism, I think one could reasonably say from a broad-based
>>> societal perspective standards have increased in terms of what
>>> counts
>>> as
>>> literacy. Of course, the individual is the intervening variable of
>>> major proportions in the determination of one's own literacy needs.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> As I say, one can parse this list indefinitely and still not reach
>>> agreement. I do encourage you or anyone else either to work directly
>>> with the list or just to provide short full statements that then
>>> can be
>>> added or integrated to the list. To the extent that such feedback
>>> continues to come in on or off list (each me at gdemetrion at msn.com
>>> ) I'll
>>> continue to play my scribal role. Not for to long though as I have
>>> other work to do.
>>>
> & gt; >
>>>
>>> GD
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
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>>
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