| Literacy has traditionally been linked to socio-economic development, moral improvement, cultural change, and individualism. Library literacy programs have promoted this literacy ideology from the early Americanization programs to the recent influx of computers. The workforce development goal of many literacy programs in the 1990s has intensified the pragmatic approach of meeting the needs of the marketplace while literacy students' needs remain invisible. Women, who are the largest proportion of learners, and their perspectives are largely hidden to policy makers. Literacy programs can better address the needs and perspectives of students by knowing more about their social relations and life histories.; This study investigates the literacy and education experiences of a select group of women literacy learners in Hilo, Hawai'i. Ten multi-ethnic, mid-life women who were Adult Basic Education and English as a Second Language students in a library computer-assisted literacy program were interviewed over a year's time about their education, work, family learning, and social networks to understand their literacy, learning, and education experiences. Gaps were found between their views and that of the library literacy program.; Major findings in the study were uncovering the clash in beliefs and perceptions of those who directed the literacy program, which was functionally skills-based and had quantitative assessments, with those of the students. This conflict made it difficult for women to negotiate their identities, resulting in a high drop-out rate. Yet, the low-level literate women read creatively, practiced functional literacy and were not considered marginalized in their communities. The women's experiences yielded rich stories that revealed complex knowledge systems, identities, abilities, power relations, and struggles. |
