The changing faces of adult literacy, language and numeracy: literacy policy and implementation in the UK

Abstract

This article draws upon a research project funded by the ESRC (R000239387) that tracked the development of adult literacy, numeracy and English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) from the 1970s to 2000 in England using life-history interviews and documentary policy analysis to compare policy, practitioner and learner perspectives. The article discusses the key influences shaping the field, and outlines the Deliberative Policy Analysis framework used to analyse the data. Tensions and gaps that have existed between practice, policy and research are identified, and the analysis is illustrated through discussion of the key thematic areas that emerged from the study.