A status study of mathematics education in adult basic education

The purpose of this study was to determine the current national state-of-the-art in teaching Adult Basic Education (ABE) mathematics and to generate testable hypotheses from data grounded in the results of the survey instruments and the literature of ABE. The teachers and students of the Knox County, Tennessee ABE program were surveyed for this study.

The data were collected from students and teachers who agreed to participate in the study. The data were then analyzed by a computer. Crosstabulations of the responses were done with the demographic data. The review of the literature revealed a paucity of completed research in the area of mathematics education in ABE. It was found that less than one third of the ABE students surveyed had ever used a calculator. The teachers averaged fewer than two adult education courses in their professional preparation. The teachers felt workshops are the most useful source of information about new developments in education.

The main conclusions emerging from the study were that curriculum specialists of both mathematics and Adult Education at the university level have failed to give proper attention to the adequate preparation of teachers who teach mathematics in ABE programs. Federal and state expenditures in ABE have not been used to develop professional incentive plans for teachers in ABE; i.e., professional incentive plans which promise career advancement and security. Passing the General Education Development examination is the primary objective educators teach for rather than developing literacy skills.