A research review—Text-Reading Software by Dr. Pat Campbell

How do you teach adults who have severe and multiple barriers to learning? Could text-reading software provide the support that these learners need? This type of software uses a computer synthesized voice to read aloud any onscreen text selected by the learners. Action Read, a community literacy Centre in Guelph, Ontario, launched a study to explore whether textreading software could help literacy learners. The study also evaluated the strengths and weaknesses of six text-reading software packages.

Participants: A total of 13 learners who had been enrolled at Action Read for at least a year participated in the study. They had made slow progress since coming to Action Read. These learners had difficulty and became frustrated when reading text independently.

Determining Unassisted Reading Levels: In Ontario, there are five literacy and basic skills (LBS) that correspond to Grades K-9. The learners' unassisted reading levels were assessed before they started using the text-reading software. Learners were asked to read symbols, individual letters, wordlists and complete written documents without assistance or accommodations. Their abilities to decode and comprehend the materials were evaluated.

Tutors and Students Working Together: Volunteer tutors were recruited to work with the learners who field-tested the text-reading software. Each learner was asked to select a topic of interest to research.

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Join the conversation via the electronic Community of Inquiry Forum

The conversation begins here: www.nald.ca/forums/lcnb/ with three areas of interest: the Café; the Reading Room and Your Research Ideas. In order to join the conversation, you first need to register. This is a simple process with prompts along the way to guide you through the process. Once registered, you can join the conference by logging in.

Once you are into the conference, study the icons on the page. Choose one of the three forums mentioned in the first paragraph and click on it. Once in, you can post a question or message or respond to another person’s comments or questions.

The café forum is where questions about research will be posted. This is where we can share our thoughts and ideas about research in practice, or pose new questions.

Your Research Ideas is a forum where you can post research questions or ideas for research you feel needs to take place in the realm of adult or family literacy. The best approach is to try it! If you need help call Jan at the Literacy Coalition.

Tattooing-where’s the literacy in that? By Jan Greer Langley

Before attending the Research Conference in Newfoundland last June, I was instructed by Mary Hamilton, my workshop leader, to carry out a research assignment.. At a Writing Out Loud workshop at a CASP in Fredericton, the subject of stick-on tattoos became my research. Literacy artifacts included: Two packages of stick-on tattoos, printed instructions for putting on and taking off the tattoos, rubbing alcohol and cotton pads, scissors, writing journals, pens, lists of print - the commitment and fears associated with writing and voice - discussion and reading aloud what we've written on the experience.

Conflict and tension arose as a result of the experience with discussion around risqué behaviours, choices, social norms, culture, generation and religion. Themes of identity, power and exposé emerged. Views about tattoos emerged, changed and were challenged. For the full findings and findings from other experiments at Mary Hamilton’s workshop in Newfoundland, go to www.brown.edu/Departments/Swearer_Center/Literacy_Resources/hamilton.html