A conceptual model described how adults responded to a simulated literacy assessment
Objective
To understand how adults with low literacy skills experienced an assessment of their reading ability.
Design
Multiple case study design with purposeful sampling, resulting in a conceptual model.
Setting
Community college in Ontario, Canada.
Participants
8 volunteers (age range 21–55 y, mean age 35.6; 50% men) with a range of literacy skills were recruited from a community college literacy programme through self referral or referral by teachers or peers. Inclusion criteria were ability to speak English fluently, recent experience as a patient in hospital, and low literacy based on placement in a literacy programme.
Methods
Data were collected through semistructured interviews and participant observation before, during, and after a simulated literacy screening experience which used a nurse administered tool—the Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Medicine. Interviews were audiotaped and transcribed verbatim. Non-verbal responses …
