Cancer Narratives for Low-Literacy Adult Learners

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The proposed project aims to help low-literacy adults understand information on colon cancer and take action for themselves. Phase I will establish the technical feasibility of producing an interactive multimedia system for low-literacy learners and will evaluate its effectiveness on a purposive sample of 25 learners. The design of the curriculum and multimedia presentation is based on principles of social learning theory and combines direct and narrative-based instruction. Direct instruction uses text, illustrations, and optional audio to present material. Narrative techniques employ stories that convey information via character, dialogue and plot, with optional audio to narrate the story. Phase I objectives are to a) produce a prototype CD-ROM based on specific desired behavior change related to colon cancer prevention, and b) evaluate the usability of the CD-ROM by learners, the tutors' level of satisfaction with the CD-ROM, and the extent to which the desired behavior change in the learner has been promoted by the use of the CD-ROM. The material will focus on eating at least 5 fruit and vegetable servings each day, knowing what a serving size is, and limiting high-fat additions to fruits and vegetables. Phase I locates its evaluation activities within Project Read, a library-based adult learning service in California.