Studies of the retention of literacy and numeracy by adults who have only obtained primary schooling have given little encouragement to the belief that the cognitive effects of schooling are enduring for many school leavers. How these findings can be reconciled with the claims made for the importance of schooling as an instrument of social and economic change is the subject ofinvestigation in this volume. The cognitive outcomes of literacy acqusition and secular schools in coastal Kenya are the focus of this ethnographic study, which stresses the relevance of an international understanding of the particular problems and dilemmas that face the educational systems of individual countries.

The purpose of the volume is to open up new perspectives in the study of literacy by bringing together current research findings from linguistics, psychology, sociology and anthropology. The book divides into five parts. The first part deals with theoretical questions related to the definition and the modeling of the construct of functional literacy. The second part goes into the notion of literacy development. Both societal and individual aspects of literacy development are taken into account. In the next two parts the actual achievement of literacy in various regions of the world is dealt with. In part 3 the focus is on attaining literacy in developing societies, and in part 4 on attaining literacy in industrialized societies. In the final part the question is raised how functional literacy can be promoted through education. Starting from a cross-cultural perspective the central issue is how standards of functional literacy can be established throughout the world.

The book titled “Counselling for Functional and Sustainable Education: A 21st Century Approach” is a maiden edition of Science and Education Development Institute (SEDInst) intended for student, neophyte and professional counsellors, care givers, researchers and all that need help in educational, vocational and personal-social matters. Education is an informal and formal teaching and learning process aimed at improving knowledge and the development of skills from elementary to higher education. Counselling is a significant means of functionalising and sustaining education through its array of qualitative services meant to make education goals meaningful and achievable to its recipient. The main objective of the book which is a blend of chapters on reviewed and empirical studies is to equip individuals with relevant data for subsequent researches, satisfy their personal quest for knowledge and meet their needs. The book contains a total of ten chapters that began with an introductory presentation on “Counselling for Sustainable Education: Issues in the 21st Century” and ended with “Impact of Anxiety, Self-Concept and Truancy on the Off-Task Behaviour of primary school Children in Warri Metropolis”. Each chapter, especially chapters eight to ten were carefully selected and written with accurate and appropriate literature review, methodology, discussions, findings and recommendations. We give God all the credit for His enabling grace in making this book a reality and we deeply appreciate the privilege given to us by Mr. F. O. Abulude, the president of Science and Education Development Institute (SEDInst) in ensuring that a book chapter in counselling is accorded its apt position in the scheme of things in academic environment. The effort of meaningful scholars who contributed various chapters and authors whose materials were used that cumulated to the success of the book is also acknowledged. This edition will create possibility for subsequent editions in the realm of counselling. Dr. (Mrs) Agbajor, Helena Tsaninomi Editor – in – Chief Department of Educational Psychology, College of Education, P.M.B. 1251, Warri, Delta State, Nigeria.

In Mali and throughout the Sahel, governments increasingly rely on parastatal organizations to overcome the problems of lagging food production and rural poverty. This book examines the political and economic consequences of the efforts of one organization, Operation Riz-Segou in Mali, to increase smallholder food and cash crop production. Drawing extensively on fieldwork in Mali, the author finds that significant investments in irrigation facilities, financed by foreign aid, have not reduced the smallholder's vulnerability to the risks posed by weather and uncertain flood levels of the Niger River. The extension system discourages smallholder investment for long-term agricultural development because of its preoccupation with supervision and administrative control. Moreover, the Operation engages in many popular rural development activities—literacy programs, farmer training, women's artisanal centers—that give the facade of grassroots participation but in reality do not provide villagers a critically needed voice in local program administration. Comparing Operation Riz-Segou to similar parastatal agricultural development programs in the Sahel, Dr. Bingen discusses why only those policies deliberately designed and carefully implemented to share power with the majority of the people can lay the political and economic foundation required to overcome rural poverty and resolve the food crisis in the Sahel.

As individuals and societies try to respond to fundamental economic and social transformation, the field of adult learning and education is rapidly getting increased attention and new topics for research on adult learning have emerged. This collection of articles from the International Encyclopedia of Education 3e offers practitioners and researchers in the area of adult learning and education a comprehensive summary of main developments in the field. The 45 articles provide insight into the historical development of the field, its conceptual controversies, domains and provision, perspectives on adult learning, instruction and program planning, outcomes, relationship to economy and society and its status as a field of scholarly study and practice. - Saves researchers time in summarizing in one place what is otherwise an interdisciplinary field in cognitive psychology, personality, sociology, and education - Level of presentation focuses on critical research, leaving out the extraneous and focusing on need-to-know information - Contains contributions from top international researchers in the field - Makes MRW content affordable to individual researchers