Colleagues, the following post is from Tom Sticht.  In it, Tom reviews
some of the literature supporting Functional Context Education (FCE)
principles, including the study on What Works Study For Adult ESL
Literacy Students by Larry Condelli and Heide Wrigley, which will be
presented as a Guest Discussion on the Special Topics Discussion List
next week (http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/specialtopics; see post
from Monday, April 2).  

The principles provide a framework for assessing a student's strengths
and needs, and for subsequently developing appropriate curricula, as
informed by the student.  What are your thoughts on FCE and its
principles?  

Do you find that you follow these principles 'automatically' in your
work, or do you need to be conscious of them in order to incorporate
them into your teaching and/or program?

Do you feel that the FCE principles are appropriate in all contexts of
adult literacy?  Why or why not?

Thanks for your thoughts,

Marie Cora
Assessment Discussion List Moderator

**********

Celebrating 20 Years of Functional Context Education: 1987-2007

April 3, 2007

Functional Context Education Principles Show "What Works" in  ABE and
ESOL
Instruction

Tom Sticht
International Consultant in Adult Education


The year 2007 is the twentieth anniversary of the formulation of
Functional
Context Education principles (Sticht, Armstrong, Hickey, & Caylor,
1987).
These principles were based on extensive research on how the U. S.
military
could annually enlist tens of thousands of young adults with literacy
skills
below the 30th percentile, about the 6th grade, with little or no work
experience, and in a matter of just a few weeks transform them into
automobile mechanics, medical corpsmen, clerical staff, commercial
cooks,
and other skilled and semi-skilled workers.

The review lead to the formulation of six principles that facilitate
learning on entry into a course,  learning throughout the course, and
transfer into the contexts for which the learning is meant to apply.

o1. Make sure students understand the purpose of the program and the
usefulness of the knowledge and skills to be learned.

o2. Consider the knowledge that students bring with them and build new
knowledge on the basis of this old knowledge.

o3. Develop and sequence new lessons so they build on prior knowledge
gained
in previous lessons.

o4. Integrate instruction in basic skills (reading, math) into programs
as
the course poses demands for these skills that potential students may
not
possess.

o5. Derive objectives from careful analysis of the realistic knowledge
and
skill needed in the work, home, or other community contexts in which the
learner lives.

o6. Use, to the extent possible, learning contexts, tasks, materials,
and
procedures taken from the future situation in which the learner will be
functioning.

Since 1987 some "silver standard," quasi-experimental studies have been
found that provide evidence for the usefulness of the six FCE principles
in
civilian programs of Adult Basic Education (ABE) and English for
Speakers of
Other Languages (ESOL).

Research on Integrated Vocational and ESOL Instruction

Sticht, McDonald, & Erickson, (1998) compared an Electronics Assembly
Vocational English as a Second Language (VESL) class which integrated
vocational and ESOL together, a Vocational class in Electronics Assembly
(no ESOL instruction) and a conventional ESOL class, not vocationally
related. In all three courses pre- and post-test data were obtained on a
vocational vocabulary test related to electronics training and a general
literacy test (the Adult Basic Learning Exam-ABLE). The data showed that
the integrated VOCED+VESL program had greater gains on the vocational
vocabulary test than either of the comparison groups, as well as a gain
rate per 100 hours of instruction some 65 percent higher for general
reading (ABLE) than the general ESL program, and over 300 percent
greater
than the VOCED program.

Altogether, the data on the FCE VESL+ VOCED program indicated that it
produced greater retention, greater course completion, and higher gains
in
learning than did the comparison courses of general ESL or a
conventional
electronics vocational education course. Other data also indicated that
placements of students in the VOCED+ESOL program into electronics jobs
was
high, almost 100 percent, and many were placed by the ninth week of the
course. This reflects the importance of FCE principles 5 and 6 in
helping
students transfer new knowledge and skills from the classroom to the
world
of work.

United Kingdom Research on Embedded Language, Literacy, Numeracy (LLN)
in
Vocational Courses

Casey, et. al (2006) reported research with 1,916 learners in 79
vocational
courses with varying amounts of embedded language, literacy or numeracy
(LLN) (FCE principle #4).  Using a four point scale courses were rated
as
non-embedded, partly embedded, mostly embedded, and fully embedded. This
provides a form of quasi-experimental design with a treatment group
(fully
embedded) and three comparison groups.

The authors reported that,  "On the embedded courses retention was 16
per
cent higher..The embedded courses also had higher success rates than the
non-embedded courses. . For learners on the fully-embedded courses, 93
per
cent of those with an identified literacy need achieved a literacy/ESOL
qualification, compared to only 50 per cent for those on non-embedded
courses. On the fully embedded courses, 43 per cent more learners
achieved
literacy qualifications. .For learners on the fully-embedded courses, 93
per cent of those with an identified numeracy need achieved a
numeracy/maths qualification, compared to 70 per cent for those on
non-embedded courses. On the fully embedded courses, 23 per cent more
learners achieved numeracy qualifications." (p. 5)

The United States' What Works Study For Adult ESL Literacy Students

Condelli & Wrigley (2004) discuss research for the U. S. Department of
Education to identify effective instructional practices ("what works")
for
adults needing basic literacy instruction along with ESOL. Among other
findings, they reported two major instructional factors related to
achievement in literacy and oral language that are consistent with FCE
principles.

First, in what the authors called"connection to the outside," they found
that  "students in classes where teachers made connections to the
"outside"
or real world, had more growth in reading development measured both by
general reading and "real world" reading. This is consistent with FCE
principles because it makes the purpose of the learning apparent, it
supports learning in the functional context of "real world" materials,
and
it shows how the learning relates to the person's life outside the
classroom.

A second major finding was that, "students in classes where teachers
used
students' native language for clarification during instruction (e.g., to
explain concepts and provide instructions on class work) had faster
growth
in reading comprehension and oral communication skills." This is
consistent
with FCE principles because it helps the teacher explain the purposes of
what is being learned and it makes it possible to draw upon the
learner's
prior knowledge of the native language as a means of learning new
knowledge
of the English language.

In summary, at the present time, the Functional Context Education
principles
are supported by the largest body of scientific, quasi-experimental
research
on adult vocational, English language, literacy and numeracy instruction
in
the field of adult education. They provide a solid foundation for
evidence-based instruction in the Adult Education and Literacy System of
the United States and other English-speaking industrialized nations.

References

Casey, H. et. al (2006, November). "You wouldn't expect a maths teacher
to
teach plastering." online at www.nrdc.org.uk.

Condelli, L. & Wrigley, H.  (2004) Real World Research: Combining
Qualitative and Quantitative Research for Adult ESL. Paper presented at
the
National Research and Development Centre (NRDC) Second International
Conference for Adult Literacy and Numeracy, Loughborough, England.
Downloaded from the internet April 3, 2007 from
http://www.nifl.gov/pipermail/professionaldevelopment/attachments/200704
01/dea5b0a7/attachment-0002.doc

Sticht, T.,  McDonald, B., & Erickson, P. (1998). Passports to Paradise:
The
Struggle To Teach and To Learn on the Margins of Adult Education. El
Cajon,
CA: Applied Behavioral and Cognitive Sciences, Inc., (available online
at
www.searchERIC.org ).

Sticht, T., Armstrong, W., Hickey, D., & Caylor, J. (1987). Cast-off
youth:
policies and training methods from the military experience. NY: Praeger.

Thomas G. Sticht
International Consultant in Adult Education
2062 Valley View Blvd.
El Cajon, CA 92019
Tel/fax: (619) 444-9133
Email: tsticht at aznet.net