National Adult Literacy Database

Authors: Canadian Council on Learning (CCL)

Collection: Research Materials

This document offers an analysis of 35 research studies that looked at the impact of experiential learning (EL) on student achievement, secondary school graduation, and students’ preparation for life after high school.

Regardless of the type of program or the quality of the study, the analysis suggests that EL programs had positive effects on career awareness and school retention rates, and on confidence, motivation, and social skills.

At the same time, the evidence of the impact of experiential learning on such measures of academic achievement as grades, standardized scores, or grade point average remains inconclusive, though the authors say it is reasonable to conclude that at the very least, EL programs do not appear to have a negative impact on student academic success.

To be successful, EL programs should be carefully thought out, the authors note. Students must be well prepared, and placements must be selected carefully, as inappropriate placements may discourage young people.

As well, the presence of a dedicated coordinator who oversees all aspects of a program is crucial to its success.

Funders:

• Ministry of Education, ON

Added: 2013-02-22

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See also:

• Les répercussions des programmes d'apprentissage par l'expérience sur la réussite des élèves

Authors: Jenny Horsman

Collection: Research Materials

How do experiences of violence affect learning? How can educators support
those who have been through violence to learn successfully? After many years
looking at these questions as they apply to women in adult literacy programs,
the author began research to focus on youth2 . She wanted to deepen her understanding of the complex picture of how violence affects learning, and to examine how school responses played a part in creating this picture. Most importantly, she wanted to look for ways to strengthen the possibilities of supporting learning for youth in high schools and in youth literacy and training programs.

This report focuses on the words of the interviewees, particularly the youth—both
in school and out of school—and what they tell educators and others working
in educational programs about what we can do to support learning.

Funders:

• OLES

Added: 2005-10-26

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Series: The Monograph Series

Authors: J. Douglas Willms

Collection: Research Materials

This report suggests that youth in North America do not fare as well in their literacy skills as their European counterparts. The findings were based on data from the International Adult Literacy Survey (IALS) which was conducted in seven countries in 1994, and later extended to include 24 countries. Detailed analyses of the IALS data for Canada revealed that the literacy skills of youth in Quebec and the Prairie provinces were somewhat higher than those of youth in the other six provinces.
It suggests that youth in in Canada, and North America as a whole, do not fare as well in their literacy skills as their European counterparts. An important aspect of the findings was that inequalities along social-class lines were less pronounced in the provinces with higher levels of literacy skills; that is, youth from higher socio-economic backgrounds tended to perform well, whereas youth from disadvantaged backgrounds varied considerably in their skills. As well, this study examines whether this general finding also applies to states within the United States, not only with respect to the socio-economic background of American youth, but also with respect to their ethnicity.

This monograph begins with a brief outline of the background and theoretical framework of the study. The next chapter briefly describes the data and methods used in this study and is followed by a results chapter that has five parts, one for each of five research questions. The findings are then discussed in the context of relevant literature. The study concludes with a summary of the research and a discussion of its policy implications.

To order a copy of this document at a cost of $10, please contact: Statistics Canada, Operations and Integration Division, Circulation Management, 120 Parkdale Avenue, Ottawa, ON K1A 0T6, Tel. (613) 951-7277 or 1 800 700-1033, Fax (613) 951-1584 or 1 800 889-9734, E-mail : order@statcan.ca This report is also available online at the following address: http://www.nald.ca/fulltext/NLS/ials/inequal/cover.htm (99.11.17)

Added: 1999-11-17

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See also:

• Inégalités en matière de capacités de lecture chez les jeunes au Canada et aux États-Unis

Results from IALSS

Series: IALSS 2003 Findings

Authors: NWT Literacy Council

Collection: Research Materials

The International Adult Literacy and Skills Survey (IALSS) provides a summary of how well adults understand and use printed information at home, at work and in the community. In 2003, the IALSS for the first time measured literacy proficiency among all provinces and territories in Canada.

In this pamphlet, the authors identify youth, unemployed people, and Aboriginal people as the three groups that face the greatest literacy challenges in the Northwest Territories. They urge government to target programs and services towards those who need them most, and to get members of the target groups involved in the search for solutions.

This document is one of two that discuss the significance of the IALSS results for the Northwest Territories. To look at the other document, click here: http://library.nald.ca/item/5894.

Funders:

Added: 2006-11-10

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Series: Financial Literacy Tips & Activities

Authors: ABC Life Literacy Canada

Collection: Learning Materials

This document sets out, in chart form, programs the Government of Canada offers to help parents save for their children’s post-secondary education through a Registered Education Savings Plan. The programs are the Canada Learning Bond (CLB); the Canada Education Savings Grant – Basic (CESG – Basic); and the Canada Education Savings Grant – Additional (CESG – Additional).

The authors explain who is eligible for each of the programs and offer step-by-step instructions for taking advantage of them.

Added: 2011-06-03

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Authors: George Demetrion

Collection: Research Materials

The author wants to emphasize with this document the importance of both stimulus-response behaviorist and intuitive-inferential constructivist
approaches in learning to read as a both/and rather than an either/or phenomenon.

As in learning anything complex, mastering the basics in this case, of how print literacy works, is indispensable.

In this respect, an emphasis on the regularities of written English is a proper focus of initial instruction, while introducing the exceptions later.

Added: 2006-02-16

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Building Literacy Across Generations

Authors: Ray Doiron, Jessie Lees

Collection: Research Materials

For over ten years, Project L.O.V.E. (Let Older Volunteers Educate) has brought together senior volunteers and elementary grade students in Prince Edward Island schools for the purpose of reading books and enjoying a shared literacy experience. In this research report, the authors examine the impact of Project L.O.V.E. on elementary children’s literacy development in Prince Edward Island. Two major questions guided the entire project: 1) What literacy and social benefits do Project L.O.V.E. volunteers contribute to the development of elementary students? and 2) What aspects of Project L.O.V.E. could be changed to make the contributions volunteers make to student’s literacy and social well-being more extensive and more generally applicable?

This is a comprehensive report that includes background information on project L.O.V.E and past studies, research design and methods, current research, social benefits of the project for both students and seniors, as well as literacy benefits for students.

Funders:

• OLES

Added: 2008-02-05

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Women's Education des femmes, March 1984 - Vol. 2, No. 3

Series: Canadian Congress for Learning Opportunities for Women (CCLOW)

Authors: Elizabeth Wood

Collection: Research Materials

This article is about Jessie's Centre for Teenagers, Toronto, a community resource centre designed to meet the needs of teenaged mothers and teenagers who become pregnant. At the time the article was written, it was the first wholistic approach service for teenagers in the country.

Added: 2004-08-25

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Authors: John Howard Society of Alberta

Collection: Research Materials

This paper is an attempt to describe the evolution of Canadian juvenile justice legislation and compares the principles and practice of the Juvenile Delinquents Act, the Young Offenders Act, and the Youth Criminal Justice Act. The impact that each Act had (or will have) on the youth justice system will also be considered.

It includes the following information:

- Executive Summary
- Introduction
- Juvenile Justice Legislation in Canada prior to 1908
- The Juvenile Delinquents Act: An effort to save the children and protect the community
- The long road to reform: 1962-1984
- The guiding principles of the Young Offenders Act
- The Youth Justice process under the Young Offenders Act
- Reforming the Young Offenders Act
- The Youth Criminal Justice Act: In principle and practice
- Discussion
- Citations

Added: 2007-12-20

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Authors: ABC Life Literacy Canada

Collection: Learning Materials

This short video is one in a series about financial literacy prepared by ABC Life Literacy Canada, with funding from TD Bank Group and Government of Canada.

The narrator points to a recent survey showing that only one-third of youth reported that their parents talked with them regularly about financial matters. However, young people both want and need to discuss those issues with their parents.

The video features a teenage girl and her father talking about how they deal with money matters. It also offers several tips for improving financial skills, including writing down anticipated costs; reading up on financial matters; and discussing the difference between needs and wants.

The video includes a link to a website that offers information and activities to build financial literacy skills: http://www.smallchangeaddsup.ca.

Funders:

• Government of Canada
• TD Bank Group

Added: 2012-11-01

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