Article: Exploration of the lived experiences of illiterate African American adults

Article: Exploration of the lived experiences of illiterate African American adults.(Report) Article from: The Western Journal of Black Studies Article date :December 22, 2009 Author :Waters, LaTonya; Harris, Sandra CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1999 The Western Journal of Black Studies. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. Frederick Douglass said, "Once you learn to read you will be forever free" (in Lee, 2000). This was a profound statement made during a time in the history of the United States when most African Americans were enslaved and deprived of an education. Yet, education has been highly valued in the African American community (Neufeldt & McGee, 1990) and much discussion has focused on the need for literacy (Dalton, 1991). For example in the late 1700s Richard Allen, along with others founded benevolent organizations, publications, reading societies, libraries, and schools for African children (Harris, 1992). Harris (1992) suggested that this period in the late 1700s might be thought of as one in which the seeds for literacy were planted but not without hardship or opposition. In the mid 1800s there was a continued focus on African Americans' ability to become literate, according to Dalton (1991). At this time literacy was seen as the path to independence and full citizenship. In the early 1900s, three educators and scholars, Booker T. Washington, W.E.B. Du Bois, and Carter G. Woodson, symbolized varying ideologies that represented the first golden age in African American educational historiography (Harris, 1992). A foundation was created during this period that enabled African Americans to bolster their institutions, create publications, and debate educational philosophy. Qualls (2001) noted that by the early 1970s, school enrollment rates for African Americans had risen to 90% and by 1991, 93% of 5-19 year olds were enrolled in school. Between 1960 and 1970 the mean number of years of school completed by young African Americans rose from 10.5 to 12.2, with no change between 1970 and 1991. The average educational attainment for the entire U.S. population continued to rise as more highly educated younger cohorts replaced older Americans who had fewer educational opportunities. This was in sharp contrast to the 1940s, when more than half the U.S. population had completed no more than an eighth-grade education. According to Quails, about 70% of African Americans had completed high school in 1991. Qualls (2001) stressed that while data showed dramatic increases in the mean educational level of African Americans over the last 100 years, educational opportunities for African Americans continue to be encumbered by issues related to access and quality, factors that directly impact literacy. Further exacerbating the problem of lack of literacy is that although the overall level of education in the United States has increased, educational and technological advances impose ever greater literacy demands, to such an extent that more and more people are being left behind (Qualls, 2001). In fact, when considering the state of literacy in African Americans in 2001, 71% of African American fourth grade students had little or no mastery of the knowledge and skills necessary to perform reading activities at the fourth-grade level (Kamhi & Laing, 2001). Using the 1993 National Adult Literacy Survey (NALS) which defines literacy as using printed and written information to function in society, to achieve one's goals, and to develop one's knowledge and potential, 24% of African Americans possessed below basic literacy skills, 43% had basic literacy skills and 31% had intermediate literacy skills. Low literacy ensures restricted life chances, restricted access to information, and restricted employment opportunities (Quails & Harris, 1998). With this in mind, the national goal was that all adults in the United States would be literate by the year 2000 (Quails, 2001). According to the 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL), between 40 and 44 million Americans or one in five adults functioned at the lowest literacy level. Over 14 years ago, Sissel (1996) pointed out that African Americans exhibited the highest prevalence of illiteracy, followed by Hispanics, Native Americans, and Anglo Americans of lower socioeconomic status. More recently, the U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics (2007) reported that 88% of African American eighth graders read below grade level, compared to 62% of Anglo American eighth graders. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore the lived experiences of illiterate African American adults. Literature Review The literature review provides a brief discussion of the demographic trends in illiteracy, poor reading skills and dropouts, elderly illiterates, and the instructional spelling approach. Demographic trends in illiteracy. Sissel (1996) noted that largely a product of economic, social, and educational inequalities, literacy rates in America follow distinct demographic trends. African Americans exhibited the highest prevalence of illiteracy, followed by Hispanics, Native Americans, and Anglo Americans of lower socioeconomic status. Also, Sissel found that the incidence of illiteracy varied according to geographic location, with the highest prevalence of literacy problems occurring in rural communities. In 1993, Byers reported that while rural residents made up about 28% of the U.S. population, they accounted for some 42% of all functionally illiterate adults. Kusimo (1999) observed that poverty was concentrated more heavily in the Black Belt South--Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, and Virginia--than in any other U.S. region. Additionally, according to the 1990 census data, over half (54%) of all rural African Americans aged 25 or older did not have high school diplomas. Poor reading skills and dropouts. Poor reading skills have been noted as a reason for students dropping out of school. A recent study conducted by the Alliance for Excellent Education (2008) reported that every school day almost seven thousand students become dropouts. Annually, that adds up to about 1.2 million students who will not graduate from high school with their peers as scheduled. Only about 58% of Hispanic students and 55% of Black students will graduate on time, compared to 81% of Asian students and 78% of Anglo …