The Literacy Zone Project, a partnership between a university and community organizations, aimed to provide valuable experiences for students while generating data for local agencies regarding adult literacy. Respondents faced fewer barriers to education and reported less difficulty with daily living tasks than expected, attributing their success to persistence and supportive teaching. The program led to upward mobility and improved self-esteem, highlighting the need for further understanding of non-persistent individuals to enhance support services.

1. April 19, 2013

2. Literacy Zone Project
 University-Community Organization
partnership
 Provide valuable experience for students
 Generate useful data for local
organization/agency
 “Service-based learning”

3. Literacy Zone Research Questions
 What barriers did participants face along
the way in their education?
 How did low literacy impact their lives
prior to entering the program?
 How were participants able to persevere
and succeed in the literacy program?
 What lasting impact did the program
have on participants?

4. Methodological Challenges
 Recruitment plan
 Recruitment of respondents via Literacy
Zone staff
 Students interview respondents
 Recruitment even more difficult than
anticipated
 Resulted in lower sample size than
called for in original plan

5. Barriers to Education
 Respondents faced fewer barriers than
anticipated, based on the literature
 Some negative school experiences
 Family concerns (providing childcare) or
disruptions served as barriers to school
success
 Little evidence of learning disabilities as
substantial barrier

6. Coping with Low Literacy
 Again, respondents reported fewer
difficulties in coping with tasks of daily
living than the literature would predict
 Individuals faced difficulties in reading on the
job, in voting, and in banking…
 And coped largely by “faking it” or asking
others for help

7. Keys to Success
 Persistence: many had left the program
and returned several times
 A teacher who spent time with them, and
made respondents feel like s/he really
cared about the success of his/her
students

8. Impact of the program
 Upward occupational mobility
 Improved self-esteem and self-
confidence

9. What Else Do We Want to
Know?
 Try to talk to individuals who do not
persist
 Get more complete picture of support
services needed to persist and be
successful in the program

10. Contact information
 Ronni Tichenor
 tichenv@sunyit.edu