Literacy in the Lives of Working-Class Adults in Australia: Dominant versus Local Voices

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Description

Adopting a social practice approach to literacy research based on ethnographic methods, this book provides a strong critique of dominant understandings of the role of literacy in the lives of adults in Australia. It explores how groups of working-class adults can manage the literacy practices of their everyday lives by drawing on social networks of support. It is based on research conducted by the author over a forty-year career in adult literacy education, featuring the voices of varied adult groups, including: prisoners, the long-term unemployed, local council workers, manufacturing workers, adult literacy students, marginalised young people, vocational students, and patients living with a chronic illness (type 2 diabetes). Each chapter explains how dominant society views these adult groups in relation to literacy, and provides a qualitative examination at the local level of how members of these groups manage the literacy practices of their everyday lives.

Reviews

[Stephen] Black is an expert in adult literacy, having spent the whole of his career working and researching in adult literacy education in a variety of settings The depth and detail of his knowledge are formidable this book is engaging, insightful and very challenging. -- Anne Worrall * Journal of Criminology *
This is a great book! Stephen Black gives voice to under schooled working-class adults on the shop floor and in a variety of educational settings. It provides a window into their individual and collective experiences as they grapple with diverse literacy demandsoften in unexpected ways. A must read for scholars, literacy practitioners, and adult education program developers. -- Judith Kalman, Center for Research and Advanced Studies of the National Polytechnic Institute (Cinvestav), Mexico

Author Bio

Stephen Black is a Research Fellow in the School of Education, University of Technology Sydney, Australia.