Thanks for sharing the paper.

I was surprised to read that: "Adults who didn’t finish high school are the demographic group making the most gains as the digital divide closes."  it is also understandable that as the digital gap narrows, the people that may have been excluded the most now will become part of the population.

In fact, I have been researching to find out if the digital boom is helping adult literacy by creating access or widening the gap by adding the digital divide. more specifically, I'm trying to find more research articles on adult online learning. If you have suggestions, please let me know. Thanks,

Martha

________________________________
From: technology-bounces at nifl.gov [technology-bounces at nifl.gov] On Behalf Of clare at pdx.edu [clare at pdx.edu]
Sent: Tuesday, November 11, 2008 4:05 PM
To: technology at nifl.gov
Subject: [Technology 1790] Research report on literacy and technology now available


A new paper is now available from the Longitudinal Study of Adult Learning (www.lsal.pdx.edu)

The Relationship Between Literacy Proficiency And The Digital Divide Among Adults With Low Education Attainmen<http://www.lsal.pdx.edu/littech.pdf>t
by Clare Strawn

Adults who didn?t finish high school are the demographic group making the most gains as the digital divide closes. The Longitudinal Study of Adult Learning followed a representative sample of these adults (born between 1954 and 1980) in the Portland, Oregon metropolitan area, with repeat tests of literacy proficiency, work, and technology use.
Computer ownership increased 62%, from 45 percent of the study population owning a computer in 1998 to 73 percent in 2005. Internet connection in home rose 11%: from 47 percent in 2001 to 52 percent in 2005.
Computer use increased from 61 percent in 1998 to 98 percent in 2005. Most of the jump occurred between 1998 and 2001. People of color are as likely as whites to be computer users, when ownership is accounted for.

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