[NLA] First Scientific Research on ABE in US (long)

[Thomas Sticht]

Research Note 				November 23, 2002

Tom Sticht
International Consultant in Adult Education

The Effectiveness of Adult Basic Skills Education:
Results of The First Scientific Research Study In The United States


The United States Department of Education is currently placing a great
deal of attention on the use of the results of "scientific,
evidence-based, research" in its strategy for improving education across
the life span. This focus on research extends to the field of adult basic
skills education, where just recently the National Institute for Literacy
has joined with other U. S. government agencies to fund $18 million over
the next five years for  scientific research on effective methods for
teaching adults to read.

Given the interest in focusing federal (and state) funds for adult
literacy education on scientifically proven methods of teaching, it may be
useful to call attention to the methods and results of the very first
scientific study of adult basic skills instruction to take place in the
United States.  Surprisingly, this early research still stands out as
exemplary and well in advance of a large number of studies in adult
literacy education that have taken place since this seminal work.
Following is a very brief summary of the methods and outcomes of this
research.

The Opportunity Schools of South Carolina: An Experimental Study

The title of this section is the same as the title of  a  1932 report
written by Drs. William S. Gray of the University of Chicago, Wil Lou Gray
(no relation), Supervisor of Adult Schools, Department of Education of
South Carolina, and J. Warren Tilton, Assistant Professor of Educational
Psychology, Yale University.

The report describes the results of four week sessions of instruction in
reading, writing, arithmetic, and spelling for poorly educated, and in
many cases, almost totally illiterate adults in two summer residential
programs. Called Opportunity Schools, one of the experimental programs was
conducted at Clemson State Agricultural College in Calhoun, South
Carolina, between July 23 and August 22, 1931, and was attended by White
adults ranging in ages from 15 to 70 years, with an average age of  25
years. The other experimental program was conduced at Seneca Junior
College, Seneca, South Carolina during the same time period and was
attended by Black adults ranging in ages from 15 to 64 years with an
average of 38 years.

Among the features of the Opportunity Schools that render the research
study unique were the following:

1. The schools were residential and students stayed for four weeks of
intensive study both in academics and non-academic learning such as
civics, moral issues (both locations were church affiliated), fitness, and
personal care. The everyday needs of students were met such as for food,
shelter, clothing, laundry, etc.

2. Following the practice of the time, there were separate schools for
Whites and Blacks, and all students in the experimental work were
carefully selected for good health, interest in the programs, and ability
to stay throughout the program. Tuition for the experimental groups was
provided.

3.Extensive use was made of both qualitative and quantitative methods of
assessing the effectiveness of the Opportunity Schools.

4.Standardized testing for skills assessment and placement into the
instructional programs was conducted with extraordinary care, including
the administration of two pre-tests in some skill areas at the beginning
and again at the end of the program as post-tests so that studies could be
made of the reliability of the testing for measuring learning gains,
extent of regression effects, and to obtain information to estimate the
effects of practice on test-taking from the effects of new learning.

5. Measures were obtained for the basic skills of oral and silent
reading,writing, arithmetic, and spelling, along with different measures
of "intelligence" and information knowledge.

6. Extensive interviews were conducted to obtain qualitative estimates of
the effectiveness of the programs from the students.

The report of the experiment includes a detailed description of the
instructional methods, but for the present it is interesting to note that
reading instruction followed what today we would likely call a "whole
language" approach. This is not surprising given the role that William S.
Gray played in writing a Manual for Teachers of Adult Illiterates that
formed a large part of the basis for reading instruction.  W. Gray was a
formidable figure in reading instruction in the 1930s and beyond, and was
most well known to the general public as one of the originators of the
famous Dick and Jane reading series. These materials followed W. Gray’s
"word" method and focused upon the learning of reading without an initial
introduction using systematic phonics.

Results

Without going into  great detail, the results can be summarized as showing
that, corrected for testing practice effects, White students made an
average of 3.9 months gain in the one month training session, and Black
students made 3.4 months gain. These gains were cnsidered significant.
Analyses indicated that age was negatively related to the progress in
learning as assessed by different basic skills tests, and since Black
adults were about a decade older on average, that may have been one reason
for the small differences in the gains in learning of the two groups.

Following a listing of qualitative comments by students, all of which were
laudatory about the benefits of the educational programs, the authors
state, "These excerpts should serve to suggest values which the present
experiment was unable to study objectively. Such outcomes, however, are of
greater value than the extreme emphasis in this chapter upon the results
of standardized tests would indicate." (p. 111).

Recommendations

Following a discussion in which attention is called to the limited nature
of the study, only some 50+ students in each of the experimental groups,,
limitations in the selection of a representative sample of students from
across the state, etc., the authors provide a final summary paragraph
which could, with only slight modifications, be said of the benefits of
adult basic skills education today, two-thirds of a century after this
first scientific study of adult basic education:

"In summary, the facts which have been presented in the study show clearly
that agencies of adult education may render invaluable service to adults
of limited education. Because of the very nature of the training provided,
an opportunity school of the type described in this report has unique
possibilities of service. Such schools should be far more widely
established. They should supplement the public school and be supported by
public funds.
Economic needs, parental indifference, a narrow curriculum and an
unstimulating school environment have forced thousands of boys and girls
out of school before completing an elementary education. In addition,
there are thousands who have had few or no educational advantages
whatsoever. Thrown upon their own resources in a complex social
organization they are seriously handicapped. Virtually millions of adults,
both white and colored, are eager for the advantages which opportunity
schools afford. It is imperative that provision be made for such people so
that they may become more efficient socially and may live much richer,
happier lives."

One wonders whether the present focus upon research on adult literacy
education will lead to conclusions that differ much from those of  60
years ago.

Reference

Gray, William S., Gray, Wil Lou, & Tilton, J. Warren. (1932). The
opportunity schools of South Carolina: An experimental study. New York:
American Association for Adult Education.











_______________________________________________
NLA mailing list: NLA at lists.literacytent.org
http://lists.literacytent.org/mailman/listinfo/nla
LiteracyTent: web hosting, news, community and goodies for literacy
http://literacytent.org