Adult Literacy in Cambodia: Examining Teachers’ Practices From Adult Learning Perspectives and Their Effects on Learners’ Willingness to Continue Learning

Non-formal adult literacy programme has contributed to reducing illiteracy and provided learning opportunities for disadvantaged Cambodian adults to obtain knowledge and skills to improve their life. However, there remain illiterate adults and literacy teacher’s low-capacity issue. Non-formal literacy programme is seen as contributing to adult learning and education, but literacy teaching-learning process from adult learning perspectives remains understudied. This mixed-methods study aims to investigate literacy teachers’ practices from adult learning perspectives, considering instructional practices, learning contents, learning environments, learning assessments, and their association with learner’s willingness to continue learning using ordinal logistic regression. A survey of 172 literacy learners and interviews with nine literacy teachers showed that literacy teachers’ practices in selecting content and creating learning environments were more closely aligned with adult learning principles. There is less alignment between their instructional practices and adult learning principles. Teachers’ practices in learning assessments tended to align moderately with these principles. Two main factors – learning contents and learning environments – positively influenced learners’ willingness to continue learning, suggesting they are significant predictors of adult learner’s intention to pursue continuing education. This does not mean instructional and assessment strategies are not important; but teachers should use them flexibly, considering individual adult learners’ contexts.