Evaluating the Outcomes of Literacy Training: A Feasibility Study

Abstract

Abstract: Challenges inherent in evaluating literacy training programs include strict confidentiality policies, the reluctance to “test” students, irregular meeting schedules, and the limited attention span of low-literate students. Guided by interviews and focus groups, this project explored the feasibility of tutor-based assessments in three domains: cognitive skills, functional literacy, and literacy-related self-confidence. Over a period of one and a half years, the assessment battery was returned by 38 of 67 tutors from two literacy programs—one highly structured and curriculum based, the other learner centered. Level of formal education and program placement were found to be important indicators of functional performance and confidence. Length of time the student had been in the program, meanwhile, was unrelated to functional performance and inversely related to ratings of self-confidence. Recommendations for further evaluation of literacy programs are based on our findings regarding utility of the various measures, feasibility for administration, and acceptability to students, tutors, and program administrators.