Identifying And Prioritizing Literacy Educational Needs Covered By The Literacy Movement In Fars Province: A Mixed-Methods Approach

The purpose of this study was to identify and prioritize the training needs of the students in the Literacy Movement Organization in Fars province. To this end, the study used exploratory sequential mixed methods design (QualitativeQuantitative). Participants in the study were 72 individuals selected through purposive, snowball and/or consensus sampling techniques from adult education specialists, local reference groups, as well as managers of both the reginal Literacy Movement Organization, and of the provincial department of education. The number of participants was decided on considering theoretical saturation. To identify the needs and interests of literacy learners, various instruments were used, including an open-ended questionnaire, semi-structured interview and brainstorming (for qualitative phase) and a researcher-made questionnaire (for quantitative phase). The questionnaire was developed based on the findings of the interview and the validity and reliability of the questionnaire were approved. The qualitative data was analyzed using thematic analysis and for the quantitative data, various statistical techniques were used, from descriptive statistics to Kolmogorov-Smirnov, t-test, Friedman, and ANOVA. The results of thematic analyses revealed three main categories (skill, knowledge and attitude) and nine subcategories for the students’ needs. For instance, within the category of skills, learners’ needs could be divided into the three subcategories of basic life skills, practical skills and learning skills. In the knowledge domain, four subdivisions were found: socio-cultural, scientific, spiritual (religion and ethics) and health care needs. In the attitude section, learners’ needs were of two types, individual and social. The results of the quantitative analyses also showed that the students’ needs in the order or priority were respectively in the skills, knowledge, and attitude sections.