Who gets the ticket to ride? Intersectionality and the literacy education journey

This article examines the literacy education opportunities and experiences of adults with low literacy skills. Drawing on intersectionality as a theoretical framework, we employ the metaphor of a train journey to challenge dominant understandings of how race, class, gender, and other positionalities shape access to literacy education across five national contexts: Canada, Chile, Germany, South Africa, and the United States. Interviews were conducted with two adults in each country, all of whom were current or former participants in adult literacy programmes. The analysis addresses two key questions: How do adults with low literacy skills describe their educational opportunities and experiences? In what ways can intersectional positionalities – including race, class/poverty, gender, and social status – be understood as shaping factors in those experiences? The train metaphor highlights that educational opportunities and experiences cannot be explained solely by individual traits, family background, or by the educational system alone. The article concludes with recommendations, including the need for sustained educational support into adulthood, expanded research using longitudinal and narrative methodologies, and educational practices that enable learners to ‘re-story’ their personal narratives. These approaches can help shift the discourse away from individualised explanations for low literacy and incomplete schooling.