In adult foundational education, we’re often asked: What works?
The answer is not always simple, because adult learners come into programming with different goals, experiences, schedules, skill levels, and life circumstances. Programs also vary widely in their resources, technology, and staff capacity.
In the Adult Literacy Education research journal, a new research digest, “Themes in Developing and Studying Interventions in Adult Foundational Education,” submitted by Jen Vanek of World Education and Stephanie Cronen of American Institutes for Research, explores the workings of this not-so-simple environment. The digest shares information that will be included in an upcoming publication from the CREATE Adult Skills Network, which focuses on building knowledge about technology-enabled instruction and assessment while bringing researchers and practitioners together.
The big takeaway? Effective interventions aren’t just about choosing the right instructional strategy. Effective interventions include creating approaches that fit the people, programs, and environments where learning actually happens.
Read what the researchers learned about developing, implementing, and studying adult education interventions below.
Foundation: Think About Who Will Use the Intervention
Before adopting a new tool or approach, ask:
- What problem are we trying to solve?
- What barriers might our learners and instructors face?
- What would make this practical to use and sustain?
Researchers emphasize that educators, programs, states, and other stakeholders should be involved throughout the process rather than just asked for feedback at the end. Practitioners can help identify potential challenges, interpret findings, and determine whether an intervention is realistic for their setting.
Design: Consider Real-World Classrooms
When it comes to adult education, there is not one typical classroom. The digest suggests designing for variation rather than assuming ideal conditions. Instructor preparation, digital readiness, technology access, organizational routines, and learner needs can all affect whether an intervention succeeds.
Programs should consider what can be modified while maintaining the essential elements of an intervention.
Don’t forget to take sustainability into account. Who will support the intervention? What professional learning will educators need? What happens when grant funding ends or technology changes? Flexible tools and ongoing educator capacity can help interventions remain useful over time.
Implementation: It’s a Learning Process
Even a well-designed intervention may need adjustments once it reaches a real classroom. Don’t wait until the end of a pilot to ask instructors what worked. Instead, create regular opportunities for feedback.
The digest describes implementation as an iterative process that should respond to learner and educator experiences. Clear onboarding, accessible guidance, technical assistance, and ongoing feedback can help educators successfully integrate new approaches.
Learn: Student Success is Variable
Variation among adult learners shouldn’t simply be treated as a problem to eliminate. Learners have different goals, circumstances, and learning trajectories, so an intervention may work differently for different groups.
Instead of asking “Did this work?”, consider asking:
- Who benefited most?
- Who struggled?
- Did the approach work differently for learners at different skill levels?
- What adaptations appeared to help?
These questions can reveal much more than a single average outcome.
For example, test scores matter, but they aren’t the whole story. Consider learner confidence, engagement, persistence, use of skills in everyday life, and progress toward employment or other personal goals.
And don’t forget that the assessment itself needs to work for the learner. The digest notes that some standardized assessments may not be appropriate for adults with foundational skill needs. Simplified, oral, translated, or hands-on approaches may provide more meaningful ways to measure learning for some students.
Take Action
When introducing a new intervention, technology, or instructional approach, ask five questions:
- Did we involve practitioners and learners early?
- Does this work in our real-world context?
- Are we creating opportunities to learn and adapt?
- Are we measuring more than test scores?
- Can we sustain this over time?
By taking an approach that feels familiar to many adult educators—listen, adapt, learn, and keep the learner at the center— interventions are more likely to be practical, sustainable, and meaningful.