Gender, Literacy, And Empowerment In Morocco (middle East Studies: History, Politics & Law)

This book's concept concerns the positive correlation between literacy and women's development and empowerment in developing countries. Book Cover......Page 1 Half-title......Page 2 Title......Page 4 Copyright......Page 5 Contents......Page 6 Acknowledgments......Page 7 List of Tables and Figures......Page 8 Introduction......Page 10 ADULT LITERACY RESEARCH AND GENDER: A BRIEF OVERVIEW......Page 14 THE NEED FOR MORE RESEARCH......Page 16 ADULT LITERACY RESEARCH IN MOROCCO......Page 17 IDENTIFYING WOMEN’S LITERACY NEEDS......Page 22 ASSESSING WOMEN’S LITERACY ATTAINMENT......Page 24 INVESTIGATING EMPOWERMENT THROUGH LITERACY......Page 27 CONCLUSION......Page 30 DEFINING LITERACY......Page 32 CONCEPTIONS OF ADULT LITERACY......Page 33 LITERACY AS A BASIC SKILL......Page 34 Measuring basic literacy: some problems......Page 35 Measuring basic literacy: some solutions......Page 37 BASIC LITERACY AND LANGUAGE CHOICE......Page 39 Mother tongue literacy experience......Page 40 Selected mother tongue experience......Page 41 The transitional stage experience......Page 42 The official language experience......Page 44 ADULT LITERACY AS A BASIC SKILL: WHERE DOES THE PRESENT STUDY STAND?......Page 45 FUNCTIONAL LITERACY......Page 46 The multi-facets of functional literacy......Page 47 Functional literacy and adult education programs......Page 48 LITERACY AS AN EMPOWERING SKILL......Page 50 Definition of empowerment......Page 51 APPROACHES TO WOMEN’S LITERACY......Page 52 Measuring empowerment......Page 53 CONCLUSION......Page 55 DEFINING ADULT EDUCATION, CAMPAIGN AND PROGRAM......Page 56 The political side of literacy......Page 57 The functional side of literacy......Page 58 The Experimental World Literacy Program (EWLP)......Page 59 Looking for a responsible body......Page 60 The Jomtien call and Morocco’s response......Page 61 The Moroccan Adult Literacy Directorate......Page 63 Organization and coverage......Page 64 Textbooks and method......Page 65 Limited returns......Page 66 The National Charter of Education and Training......Page 67 The Education Decade: 2000–2010......Page 68 The Government-sector-based literacy program......Page 69 The Industrial-sector-based Literacy Program......Page 70 CONCLUSION......Page 71 4 Research Design, Data, and Sample......Page 74 RESEARCH DESIGN......Page 75 The visited adult literacy centers: organism, location and schedule......Page 76 WOMEN’S LITERACY NEEDS AND LEARNING NEEDS: SAMPLE AND DATA......Page 79 WOMEN’S LITERACY ATTAINMENTS: SAMPLE AND INSTRUMENTS......Page 80 Sample......Page 81 The Functional Test......Page 82 Scoring criteria......Page 83 ASSESSING WOMEN’S EMPOWERMENT: DATA AND TECHNIQUES......Page 84 CONCLUSION......Page 86 THE TARGET BENEFICIARIES: A HOMOGENEOUS GROUP OR A DISPARATE POPULATION?......Page 88 The respondents’ family status......Page 89 The respondents’ occupation......Page 90 The respondents’ literacy experience in chilhood......Page 91 The causes of illiteracy......Page 92 The causes of dropping out of the literacy course......Page 93 SUMMARY OF THE RESULTS AND DISCUSSION......Page 95 The impact of tradition......Page 96 The quality of education......Page 97 Illiteracy and poverty......Page 99 CONCLUSION......Page 100 6 Identifying Women’s Literacy Needs and Learning Needs......Page 102 Wants, needs and interests: What’s the difference?......Page 103 THE TARGET SITUATION APPROACH VERSUS THE LEARNINGCENTRED APPROACH......Page 104 Learning needs......Page 105 TARGET NEEDS AS DETERMINED BY THE PROGRAM DESIGNERS......Page 106 Target needs as expressed by the teachers......Page 108 THE RESPONDENTS’ FELT NEEDS......Page 109 Khaddouj, 50 years old......Page 110 Hlima, 32 years old......Page 111 Aicha, 34 years old......Page 112 Health-related needs......Page 113 Houria, 21 years old, rural Amazigh......Page 114 Job related perceived needs......Page 115 Continuing-education based needs......Page 116 THE LEARNERS’ REAL NEEDS......Page 117 Reaction to the ascribed contents......Page 118 Reaction to the adopted language......Page 121 Reaction to the employed logistic......Page 122 SUMMARY OF THE RESULTS AND DISCUSSION......Page 125 CONCLUSION......Page 129 7 Responding to Women’s Literacy Needs......Page 130 THE LEARNERS' BASIC LITERACY ATTAINMENT......Page 131 The word picture matching exercise......Page 133 The letter recognition exercise......Page 134 The letter production exercise......Page 135 The word construction exercise......Page 136 The word production exercise......Page 137 The sentence completion exercise......Page 138 Case ending errors......Page 139 Definiteness......Page 140 Novel Errors......Page 141 The word order exercise......Page 142 The cloze procedure exercise......Page 143 THE LEARNERS’ PERFORMANCE IN THE BASIC COMPREHENSION EXERCISE......Page 144 THE EFFECT OF AGE AND MOTIVATION ON THE LEARNERS’ BASIC LITERACY ATTAINMENT......Page 145 THE EFFECT OF MOTHER TONGUE ON THE LEARNERS' BASIC LITERACY ATTAINMENT......Page 146 THE EFFECT OF AREA ON THE LEARNERS’ BASIC LITERACY ATTAINMENT......Page 147 THE LEARNERS’ FUNCTIONAL LITERACY ATTAINMENT......Page 149 The impact of mother tongue and area......Page 154 SUMMARY OF THE RESULTS AND DISCUSSION......Page 155 CONCLUSION......Page 158 8 Responding to Women’s Strategic Needs......Page 160 A non equitable space in the textbooks......Page 162 Gender roles in the textbooks......Page 164 Occupational activities......Page 165 Leisure activities......Page 166 GENDER STEREOTYPING......Page 167 Citizenship......Page 168 Social fulfilment......Page 169 Resistance to social pressure......Page 170 SUMMARY OF THE RESULTS AND DISCUSSION......Page 171 CONCLUSION......Page 176 9 Toward New Perspectives of Women’s Literacy......Page 178 THE BENEFICIARIES’ PROFILES AND OBSTACLES TO THEIR LITERACY......Page 179 IDENTIFYING WOMEN’S LITERACY NEEDS......Page 181 RESPONDING TO WOMEN’S LITERACY NEEDS......Page 183 RESPONDING TO WOMEN’S STRATEGIC NEEDS......Page 187 METHODOLOGICAL AND THEORETICAL IMPLICATIONS......Page 189 RECOMMENDATIONS......Page 192 References......Page 194 Index......Page 204 "Women's literacy has become a priority target of many developing countries since WCEFA, the World Conference on Education for All, which was held in Jomtien, Thailand, in March 1990. The conference acknowledges the need to reduce the gender gap in illiteracy by encouraging and ensuring girls' and women's education. Accordingly, non-governmental and voluntary associations in Morocco joined the government's efforts to combat female illiteracy. It is to be noted, though, that ten years after WCEFA, two million Moroccan children were left out of primary school and female illiteracy has decreased only moderately, as it is still as high as 60 percent at the national level and 80 percent at the rural one. In fact, although great, the effort to reduce female illiteracy in Morocco remains inefficient and this is, partly, due to high drop-out rates. By way of example, on the eve of the undertaking of this research, the drop out rate was as high as 72 percent (Proceedings of la Direction de la Lutte contre l'Analphabétisme, 1997). Evidently, the challenge is not only how to attract girls and women, who due to the gender gap in education constitute the majority of the participants in Moroccan adult literacy campaigns and programs, but how to retain them and sustain their motivations. Given this context, where retaining women in adult literacy classes is problematic, there is conjecture that the designed courses do not answer their needs. This creates a rationale for carrying a comprehensive needs analysis research that is centred on women by identifying their profiles, the causes of their illiteracy and dropping out of the literacy classes, assessing their literacy needs and attainments, and analyzing the teaching materials through which they are made literate."--Introduction (p. 1) Introduction : Investigating Women's Literacy In Morocco -- Literacy, Gender, And Empowerment : The State Of The Art -- Conceptions Of Literacy And Related Issues -- The Planning And Organization Of Moroccan Adult Literacy : Campaigns And Programs -- Research Design, Data, And Sample -- Women's Literacy Obstacles -- Identifying Women's Literacy Needs And Learning Needs -- Responding To Women's Literacy Needs -- Responding To Women's Strategic Needs -- Toward New Perspectives Of Women's Literacy. Fatima Agnaou. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 183-195) And Index. Mode Of Access: World Wide Web.