Functional Illiteracy: High Stakes Learning in the Community College Environment

Abstract

Students enroll each year into post-secondary education institutions underprepared to meet college reading demands. This lack of knowledge places students at a disadvantage as they attempt to prepare for both college and career success. The purpose of this evaluation study was to ascertain the usefulness of the Reading Plus Program (RP) Adaptive Reading Literacy program to address functional illiteracy in the community college system. Using the Clark and Estes Gap Analysis Framework (2008), the study explored the knowledge, motivation, and organizational influences impacting the accomplishment of the stakeholder goals. The study findings identified the need for Reading professors to provide literacy skill support as the students advanced through the Reading Plus program. The RP computer program is designed to provide need-based instruction to students. In addition, the program allows educators to monitor student progress, and provide strategic skill support. The student and educator interviews underscored the need to set strategic learning goals to guide students through the learning process. The data-based instruction provided in connection to RP created opportunities for educators to engage knowledge lack through small group instruction. The study identified the importance of creating an academic environment that responds to the diverse needs of students. The students noted improved reading comprehension skills as a direct result of using RP. The students also reported an improved ability to recall textual details and apply learnings to other academic courses. Finally, students conceded to the value of RP as each individual can monitor the progression of skill and knowledge growth.