Abstract (eng)
Many years of experience in the field of adult literacy has led the author to questions relating to the interacting factors that cause illiteracy: which systemic influences impede the acquisition of literacy, and what is the role that language plays in the process of becoming literate? What are the effects of a literacy course, and what is the relevance of aspects of the learners’ biographies?
This thesis shows how technological development generates a wide-reaching change in societal structures, which in turn gives literacy a new significance and function. It is within this context that the causes of illiteracy are discussed. To clarify the role that language plays in the development of literacy, relevant theories of language are presented, followed by a discussion of the different concepts of literacy. These form the basis of a qualitative empirical study, which was carried out with learners at the Adult Education Centre Floridsdorf in Vienna, in the initial course of a literacy programme. The main focus was, on the one hand, on aspects of the learners’ biographies, the effects of structural changes and the increasing demands currently made on the learners’ lives, and on the other hand, on learning processes with regard to acquiring competencies and personal development.
Finally, conclusions for literacy work in practice are drawn from the results, and perspectives for future research as well as necessary developments in the field of literacy are presented.