Resumen de Programmed Learning:: A Study in Literacy
An experimental study has been undertaken by the Arab States Functional Education Centre in co‐operation with UNESCO to investigate the application of programmed learning in literacy as a new technique that may enable the illiterate to self‐learn, or learn with the assistance of a mentor who has limited qualifications and training. A plan of action has been developed and executed as follows: First, the preliminary phase, in which visits were made to select suitable sites for the study, and agreements reached with the responsible authorities. Second, the study of the environment, whereby the educational needs of the illiterates were identified and the topics of the educational programme were defined. Third, planning the educational programme and preparing its requisities; in this phase the curriculum, the programmed lessons, the teacher's guide and the evaluation tools were prepared. Fourth, an implementation and evaluation phase, in which the educational programme was implemented, the evaluation tools administered and the results analysed. The present study represents a serious and pioneering attempt on the application of programmed learning as a self‐learning technique in adult literacy in the Arab countries. The results have shown that self‐instruction can be used with a certain degree of success in adult literacy and numeracy. The author suggests that an attempt should be made to replicate the present study, with more rigorous procedures, a larger sample, and more allocations of funds and personnel to carry out a new study in several Arab countries, and that an attempt should be made to investigate the applicability of more advanced educational media to the development of self‐learning materials and programmes in adult literacy.
