Learning Apart Together: Student Profiles in Adult Literacy Classes in the Netherlands

Abstract

Until recently, the Dutch adult education policy distinguished between L1 and L2 adult education. Times have been changing, however, and the traditional L1 classes have evolved into increasingly multilingual ones. This paper presents the results of a study aimed at investigating the different student profiles in these adult education classes. Participants in the study were 237 students from eight different adult education centers and their teachers. In addition to background data on the students (e.g., age, age upon entry to the Netherlands, education, L1), we collected data on five different skill areas: Dutch language proficiency (vocabulary and syntax), word reading/fluency, text comprehension, spelling, and text writing. the teachers and the centers provided data on intake, instructional practices, and teaching materials for reading, writing, and oral Dutch proficiency. The analysis yielded five different student profiles. The two most frequently occurring student profiles were the more advanced low-literates (both L1 and L2 students), who were focused on improving their reading and particularly writing skills. Additional profiles represented the beginning second-language learner, the adult learner with specific reading problems, and students who never had been to school as children or exhibited general learning problems. Some educational implications of the different profiles are discussed.