Routledge - Conflicting Paradigms in Adult Literacy Education

Explore the evolution of adult literacy through this comprehensive historical overview. Published by Routledge, this book examines the theory, policy, practice, and research that have shaped the field from the mid-1980s to the present day. Readers gain a descriptive analysis of three distinct schools of literacy that define the current landscape. The text covers the Freirean-based participatory literacy movement, which is rooted in grassroots community activism and oppositional politics. It also examines the British-based New Literacy Studies, which looks at how diverse students use different literacy practices in their daily lives. Finally, the book addresses the U.S. federal government's focus on functional literacy, a direction linked to a 45-year policy trend. This work serves as a vital resource for understanding the different approaches to literacy and how they impact democratic politics and educational policy in the United States.