The Problem of Illiteracy
MENTAL HEALTH
An interesting article on the Army approach to Problems of illiteracy was published in the Educational Supplement of The Times of December 23rd, 1944.
In this the author, after commenting on the illiteracy or Partial literacy of a proportion of the population, and the fact that too little attention has been given to the niatter in this country, describes measures taken by the War Office to deal with the problem of illiterate soldiers who, it was recognized, could not be fully efficient and njight even become a liability. A committee was, therefore, appointed in 1943 to consider the question, and as a result it produced readers which embody special Matures (English Parade, Books I and II, and Instructor’s Pamphlet). At the beginning of 1944 basic education 9?urses for illiterate soldiers were established at centres in each command. Successive courses each of six weeks’ duration have been run.
The author describes the educational and social results ?f the work of the A.E.C. on these courses as ” almost ‘ncredible ” and goes on to state: ” Only men who were totally illiterate were sent on the courses, yet at the end ?f only six weeks between 10 and 20 out of every 30 men who attended could read and understand a newspaper.
Many were reading books for pleasure. About 25 out ?f every 30 were enabled to write letters unaided, and n?ost of them used this newly acquired power of expression during the last week or two of the course to write a daily letter home. The improvement in the men themselves during these courses was remarkable. Many at the beginning were slovenly, unhappy, suspicious, and obviously feeling inferior. Completing courses, they Were smart, alert and poised, happy and friendly.”
The author’s views on causes contributing to a state of ^literacy, after seeing many hundreds of men on the basic education courses, are summarized by him as follows: ” (a) The primary cause of illiteracy is the large size ?f classes in the junior schools. Most of the men were ?f below middle academic ability, probably within the I.Q. range 70 to 90, but were quite capable of acquiring good reading attainments. For example, a man with an I.Q. as low as 75 has a potential reading age of 12 years, which is sufficient to read and understand the simpler newspapers. In the junior schools, because of the large classes, class methods of teaching had been used with a rate of progression of the average child. These men Were slower learners and had lagged behind increasingly, eoming to a stop either without acquiring the techniques ?f reading or acquiring so little of the techniques that they were unable to use them. Some men who were Quite unable to read the simplest words said that they Used to be able to ‘ read a bit’.
. ” (b) A secondary cause of illiteracy appears to be ack of suitable books for ” C ” classes in senior schools. Men had lost interest in learning to read by the time they reached this stage because they found books too difficult ?r too babyish. There is an urgent need for readers for ?lder, slower learners based on the principles embodied ]n English Parade and for much reading matter that is realistic and verbally simple without being childish. 7 (c) A number of men gave the well-known reasons Which are usually advanced to account for illiteracy? J-e. failure to attend school, frequent or prolonged absence from school, changes of school, illiterate Parents, and no books or papers at home. Out of some hundreds of men who were seen only ten or so appeared t? be of middle academic ability or above. On the basic education courses these acquired good reading attainments very quickly. In the case of these few the above reasons may be valid. The vast majority, however, were of lower intellectual level and would be the slow learners. Absence from school was found to be due to dislike of school work, at which they were failures, possibly because it was too academic and verbal. Absence appeared to be a secondary cause of their inability to read, the primary cause being their lagging behind owing to class methods forced on teachers through large classes.”
The author states that the objections to the chiefly phonic approach in fairly general use by children in this country when learning to read, are: (a) it deals with component letters and sounds before phrases and words and meanings. One naturally sees wholes before parts? e.g. a whole aeroplane before the details, and a whole word or group of words before the component letters; (b) it develops in slow learners a technique of ” barking at print ” without grasping meaning; and (c) it is not so interesting or so immediately purposeful as the sentence approach.
The War Office Committee, profiting by the past experience of the Canadian and United States army authorities, who had found that the special readers based on the sentence method which they had produced were not generally successful, evolved a special method in which in each chapter the approach is through ” meaning before sound, but in which the chapters are based on a phonic framework Differences between men and children who are illiterate were noted in the courses. (a) Men, after long years of failure, had a sense of complete defeat and needed confidence restored. (b) These men abhorred childish things and school work.
(c) Their greater maturity, experience of life, and will power enabled them to work, with great purpose and determination.
(<d) Although unable to read even simple words, some of these men had learned to read a little at school but had forgotten.
(c) and (d) may account in some degree for the amazing rate of progress made.
The first course in some districts was begun before English Parade became available. On some courses the Canadian army readers were used. About two-thirds of the men made little or no progress because the first steps were too difficult. On other courses phonic readers were used. It was found that ” slogging ” at letter-sounds failed to stimulate interest and resulted in little progress. The introduction of English Parade led to quick progress.
In conclusion the author stresses that the nation cannot afford to have illiterates who lack efficiency as citizens, and that there is an urgent need to reduce the size of classes in the junior schools and also for new readers. The past tendency in this country to ignore the existence and extent of illiteracy may, he states, be due to shame, Lack of reading attainments has been wrongly thought to constitute a criticism of teachers’ work. Individual men (far more men are illiterate than women), so long as they lived at home, were able to jog along with the help of relatives, and to hide their inability to read and write easily. Present conditions have,.however, focussed attention on this problem, and, with the raising of the school-leaving age and the provision of adult education, it is one which will have to be seriously faced. Reprinted by kind permission of ” The Times Educational Supplement ” and with acknowledgments to the Author.
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