[NLA] Response to Tom and others

Wed Nov 13 11:00:48 EST 2002

Tom,
At first I decided not to respond to your posting, because I don't understand your point. However, since your posting specifically mentions my name I have decided to ask you what are you trying to say or ask. You ended your posting with two wonders, so I will share with you my wonders:
1. Given some of your other postings, I wonder if by linking me with the NIFL/NICHD/USED grants, are you worried that tax payers' money is being linked to the types of questions that are posted on the Womenlit discussion? If yes, let me assure you that this is NOT the case. Not only is the grant not paying me to moderate the listserv, I do NOT get paid for moderating it-it is something that I do out of my spare time-as do many if not most of the listserv moderators.
2. Are you worried that my NIFL/NICHD/USED study will focus on the types of questions I post to the Womenlit discussion? Once again, let me assure you that that is NOT the case. It would be great, if one day that were the case, but for now it is NOT. I do hope, however that the types of questions that I raise, and the feedback that I receive will help inform me of issues that I need to be aware of and when possible help me as I develop the project, collect my data and interpret it.
3. Are you worried that the discussion on the Womenlit discussion list does not lead to immediate policy implications? Here you would be correct. As far as I know, the NLA listserv is the only adult literacy listserv that primarily focuses on that aspect.
4. I wonder why in the body of your message you focused on the gay question that I had raised and not on the learner/student, instructor/teacher question?
5. I wonder why if you have concerns about what is posted on the Womenlit discussion, you did not voice your concerns to that list, and instead posted it to this list?
6. Do you wonder why the questions that I posted are important? It really is an empirical question whether they are important or not. Maybe someday, someone will do a study to answer this wonder.
And finally a few comments that address some of the other postings that have been shared by others regarding the role of research and the interactions between researchers, practitioners, and policy makers (I am sorry that I did not respond to these earlier, I have been too swamped to breathe):
A. Interactions between researchers and practitioners:
I feel that both can learn from each other. Unfortunately we do not do enough of this. In my experience, I have noticed that neither group wants to really listen to each other. I place the onus of the burden on researchers to change this. We need to listen to practitioners, respect their experience, their views, their knowledge. When that day arrives I think that we will be able to move the field forward with more efficiency. 
B. Interactions between quantitative and qualitative researchers:
In my opinion the dividing line between these two camps is "what counts as knowledge/evidence". In my opinion, both sides need to be willing to acknowledge that there is not one single definition. Once again, when that day arrives, I think that we will be able to move the field with more efficiency.
C. Interactions between researchers and policy makers:
Policy makers are often too quick to jump to policy decisions based on one or two studies. Education is a messy field-it is not something that is analogous to the lab. Therefore, results from educational studies should not be treated similarly to results from the lab. That is something that I struggle with in terms of my NICHD grant-how will my results be used and interpreted by policy makers?
D. Discussions about research:
I know that many researchers disapprove of "exposing" their research before it is completed. They disapprove of sharing it with other researchers (especially when competing for grants), and they disapprove of sharing their struggles with the public. Tom, this gets back to your posting. I am different in this way. I welcome feedback, criticism and praise in all stages of my research. This is the way that I grow and learn, and this is the way that I hope that my research can improve. 
Tom, I began my email by stating that I don't really understand your posting. If I have not addressed your concerns, please clarify them for me. 
Daphne
>>> tsticht at znet.com 11/11/02 01:44PM >>>
Recently Dr. M. C. Smith mentioned some people whom he thinks is doing
"cutting edge" research. One of these was Dr.Daphne Greenberg, a recent
recipient of one of the five NIFL/NICHD/USED grants to study adult
reading. On the Women and Literacy (Womenlit) discussion list sponsored by
the National Institute for Literacy I recently came across a couple of the
"cutting edge" questions that Dr. Greenberg is struggling with. I left the
list after reading the questions and a couple of responses to the
questions posted by others, one of which reported the definite "fact" that
10 percent of the population of adults is gay,  puzzled as to what
particular issues in adult literacy education these questions were aimed
to resolve. I also wondered how this work might be used to approach the
Bush administration and new Republican-lead Congress to advocate for the
field of adult literacy education. I wonder if others have any insights as
to how this might be done.
Tom Sticht

On  the Womenlit list Dr. Greenberg said:

Quote:"As I mentioned in one of my previous posts, from time to time I will
pose questions that I am struggling with while I am doing my research.
Here are two questions:

1. Do you prefer the term learner or student? Do you prefer the term
teacher or instructor? If you have a preference, why? I am
struggling with the words that we use, but I don't know enough to
know why I am struggling. What do we imply when we use the word
learner vs. student? What do we imply when we use the word teacher
vs. instructor? Are there other terms that are even better?

2. I would like to make sure that the reading materials that we
offer to our learners/students are as diverse as possible. How do I
ensure this? For example, if I want to include books with characters
who have diverse orientations-what proportion of the books should
this be? Also, does anyone know of appropriate books that cover LGBT
[lesbian, gay,bisexual,transgendered] issues/characters that are written
between the 2nd and 7th grade reading levels (Mev, I know that you have
supplied lists, but are any of the books that you have mentioned written
below the 7th grade reading level)?

Any thoughts ideas about any of the above?
Daphne" End Quote.

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Daphne Greenberg
Associate Director
Center for the Study of Adult Literacy
Georgia State University
University Plaza
Atlanta, GA 30303-3083
phone: 404-651-0127
fax:404-651-4901
dgreenberg at gsu.edu
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