A recent study of a comprehensive reading intervention for adults in the Minnesota STAR program suggests that evidence-based approaches for teaching reading to adults with low literacy skills (reading between 4.0 to 8.9 grade level equivalency) lead to greater success than programs based on less rigorous approaches ( Minnesota STAR Project: Meeting the Needs of Struggling Adult Readers). The STAR program was based on research evidence gathered by John Kruidenier and his colleagues, reported in two government publications Research-Based Principles for Adult Basic Education Reading Instruction and Adult Education Literacy Instruction: A Review of the Research.

There is also a summary of this research in a book chapter (Part III Chapter 12 – Effective Strategies for Teaching Reading to Adults) completed by John in the Handbook of Family Literacy by Barbara Wasik. The handbook is available directly from the publisher ( Routledge) or Amazon.com.