Literacy Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia Action Research Movement

B. Allan Quigley, Professor of Adult Education

Allan is Professor of Adult Education in the Department of Adult Education at St. Francis Xavier University. He received both the Masters of Arts and Bachelors of Arts degrees from the University of Regina with a major in English. His doctorate in Adult and Continuing Education is from Northern Illinois University with a specialization in adult literacy and policy. For almost 40 years, Dr. Quigley’s field of study and practice has been adult literacy.

He recently completed a five year term as Departmental Chair and is the immediate past Editor of The Canadian Journal for the Study of Adult Education—the premiere refereed journal in adult education in Canada. Currently, he Chairs two Adult Education & Literacy Research Working Committees—one out of the University of Victoria and one out of the University of New Brunswick. Both of these new Knowledge Centres are under the auspices of the federal Canadian Congress on Learning. He has recently completed a major study on health literacy as co-investigator with a Social Sciences and Humanities Research grant, and is currently a member of a study team studying the question of “Authenticity in teaching” with a three-year SSHRC grant.

He has been published widely in the top referred journals in his field and was awarded the Cyril O. Houle Award by the Commission of Professors of Adult Education in 1988 for his book Rethinking literacy education. The Houle Award is the highest award in the field for a book contributing to the literature. He was awarded the Kenneth J. Mattran Award for Leadership in Literacy by the Commission on Adult Basic Education in 1997 and, during his 10 years at Penn State University before returning to Canada, he was awarded the Penn State Award for Academic Excellence. In 2004, he was selected by the Canadian Education Association as one of Canada’s Leading Literacy Researchers and was recently invited to publish three entries in the new International Encyclopedia of Adult Education, including one on Literacy, one on action research, and one on social policy.

His most recent book, Building professional pride in literacy: A dialogical guide for the professional development of practitioners of adult literacy, is currently in print with Krieger Press. It draws on his research in several areas and his direct experience in helping establish Research-In-Practice networks with practitioners in British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Kansas and Louisiana. He is regularly invited to give keynote talks across North America. In 2003, he was invited to conduct a speaking tour of Australia during International Learners’ Week. During that week, he spoke in Sydney, Perth, Adelaide and Brisbane. Dr. Quigley has developed research reports for governments, most recently he completed an analysis of literacy policies for the Government of New Zealand. And, he has just been invited to participate in a Mayor’s Blue Ribbon Advisory Committee to assist in helping rebuild New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina through literacy education.