Defining literacy and its consequences in the developing world

A variety of important life consequences for literacy are widely assumed in the contemporary discourse on adult literacy with little, if any empirical research to support them. As a result, they have been variously labelled as ‘myths’ (Coombs 1985), ‘doubtful promises’ (Hinzen 1983), proclamations of ‘faith’ (Winchester 1990) and ‘claims in search of reality’ (Wagner 1992). Part of the problem here is that the effects of literacy are often identified without first defining what literacy is. Naturally, if literacy is ambiguously or broadly defined, virtually any consequence can be attributed to it. Thus, the first task of any researcher, educator or policymaker involved with issues of adult literacy is to make his or her definitions of literacy and the scope of each definition's applicationsexplicit. Within the field of adult literacy education, Lytle and Wolfe (1989) provide a useful conceptual categorization for literacy in terms of four metaphors: literacy as skills, tasks, practices and critical reflec...

[1]  N. Stromquist.  Women and Illiteracy: The Interplay of Gender Subordination and Poverty , 1990, Comparative Education Review.

[2]  M. Carnoy,et al.  Education and Social Transition in the Third World , 1990 .

[3]  H. S. Bhola,et al.  Evaluating "Literacy for Development" Projects, Programs and Campaigns. Evaluation Planning, Design and Implementation, and Utilization of Evaluation Results. UIE Handbooks and Reference Books 3. , 1990 .

[4]  Hal Beder.  The Stigma of Illiteracy. , 1991 .

[5]  E. Auerbach.  Literacy and Ideology , 1991, Annual Review of Applied Linguistics.

[6]  J. Spratt.  Women and Literacy in Morocco , 1992 .

[7]  D. Wagner.  Literacy : developing the future , 1992 .

[8]  Shirley Brice Heath,et al.  The Functions and Uses of Literacy , 1980 .

[9]  Arlene Fingeret.  Social Network: A New Perspective on Independence and Illiterate Adults , 1983 .

[10]  J. Gee.  Orality and Literacy: From The Savage Mind to Ways With Words , 1986 .

[11]  M. Cole,et al.  The psychology of literacy , 1983 .

[12]  L. Ramdas.  Women and literacy: A quest for justice , 1989 .

[13]  Paul Harrison,et al.  Inside the Third World: The anatomy of poverty , 1980 .

[14]  C. Mulholland,et al.  Functional Literacy, Health, and Quality of Life , 1992 .

[15]  C. Kaestle,et al.  Literacy and reading performance in the United States, from 1880 to the present , 1987 .

[16]  L. Vygotsky,et al.  Thought and Language , 1963 .

[17]  Thomas R. McDaniel,et al.  Review of Cultural Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know , 2009 .

[18]  D. Wagner,et al.  Literacy, Culture and Development: Becoming Literate in Morocco , 1993 .

[19]  D. B. Guralnik.  Webster's new world dictionary , 1967 .

[20]  K. Levine,et al.  Functional Literacy: Fond Illusions and False Economies. , 1982 .

[21]  A. Paton.  WAYS WITH WORDS , 1995 .

[22]  R. Cervero.  Is A Common Definition of Adult Literacy Possible? , 1985 .

[23]  Donaldo P. Macedo,et al.  Literacy: Reading the Word and the World , 1988 .

[24]  H. Graff,et al.  National Literacy Campaigns , 1987 .

[25]  Robert B. Kaplan.  Language Policy and Planning: Fundamental Issues , 1994, Annual Review of Applied Linguistics.

[26]  Y. Kassam.  Who benefits from illiteracy? Literacy and empowerment , 1989 .

[27]  J. Goody,et al.  The Consequences of Literacy , 1963, Comparative Studies in Society and History.

[28]  H. Graff,et al.  The labyrinths of literacy , 1987 .

[29]  T. Husén,et al.  The World Crisis in Education: The View from the Eighties , 1985 .

[30]  Sylvia Scribner,et al.  Literacy in Three Metaphors , 1984, American Journal of Education.