Adult literacy classes in Timor-Leste and diverse language values and practices across the regions: implications for language policy-making

This article draws on two studies of language diversity and adult literacy education in Timor-Leste that were conducted in different regions of the country between 2009 and 2013. Its central focus is on the day-to-day language practices and language values of local participants and the way in which these practices and values relate to national language policies. We first outline the views of language and of language policy-making that underpin our article. We then provide a brief overview of language-in-education policy-making in Timor-Leste with respect to provision for adult literacy. After that, we describe the design and conduct of the two studies and we present selected findings, drawing on both quantitative and qualitative data sources. The quantitative data were generated by means of questionnaire-based interviews and the research participants’ own accounts of their language repertoires, practices and values. The qualitative data were gathered via: (1) observation of adult literacy classes; (2) analysis of photographs of signage in local linguistic landscapes. We conclude with a discussion of the implications of our findings for language-in-education policy development in the area of adult literacy provision in countries in the global south, such as Timor-Leste. Here we plead for a greater involvement of teachers and learners as actors, not mere bystanders, who can bring new voices into policy-making processes and into research into these processes.

Health Literacy Among Bhutanese Adult Refugees in the United States: The Sociocultural Approach

Drawing on the accounts of literacy as socioculturally situated, this 2-year ethnography explores Bhutanese adult refugees’ health literacy at the intersection of their culture and experiences. This study illustrates the multifaceted relations between health literacy, culture, integration, and empowerment. This study indicates health literacy as sociocultural practice. Health literacy is mediated by Bhutanese adults’ oral tradition, language, education, and experiences over time. This study highlights health literacy as sociocultural participation—it resides in individuals’ community engagement. Rather than simply describing their limited functional health literacy as “a big problem,” this study recognizes Bhutanese adults’ ability to take action to improve personal and community health. This study challenges the deficit view rooted in adult literacy. It advocates integrating health literacy into adult literacy education to raise public awareness that health literacy promotes social justice, human rights, and world citizenship. Implications for a bottom-up approach to health literacy education are provided.