本研究綜合文獻，分析比較我國和美國成人識讀教育政策。研究目的有三：1.分析影響兩國政策的背景脈絡；2.論析兩國政策潛藏的問題；3.根據上述發現，從而尋找我國政策出路的基本原則。研究結果發現，國際社會對於成人識讀教育的關注啟動兩國的政策，但對於我國影響力有限。兩國的政策均受其政治、社會與文化之影響，惟走向不同。我國成人識讀教育因受國民補習教育制度所框限，未能成為公共政策性議題，而美國則因關注國家競爭力與公民責任，故成為公共政策性議題。影響兩國差異的關鍵在於對識讀內涵與功用不同的理解。我國效率導向的行政文化，相對於美國的績效責任與標準化教育改革趨勢，前者限縮我國政策的格局，後者左右美國政策設計與成效評估發展方向。美國的政策發展過程受到學者和民間團體理論與實務觀點的折衝，我國則較缺乏。在我國，成人識讀教育被等同於國小階段的補習教育，呈現出匱乏的或殘補式的福利觀點，缺乏功能性識讀觀點，無法與國家社會、經濟發展做緊密的結合。美國過度採用人力資源論的觀點，將識讀教育定位於提昇國家競爭力之策略當中，忽略其所能發揮的主動公民的價值。針對上述結果，本研究並對我國成人識讀教育政策提出若干建議。

This research reviewed and compared documents of adult literacy educational policies between Taiwan and the United States. The goals are as follows: (1) to analyze the influential contexts of the policies of adult literacy education in both countries; (2) to analyze and discuss the issues behind the educational policies of both countries; and (3) to propose basic principles for the policy of adult literacy education for Taiwan. It is found that the international society's attention to adult literacy education facilitated the literacy policy of the United States in the 1980's and that of Taiwan in 1990's; however, its influence on Taiwan was extremely limited. Both countries' policies have been influenced by domestic politics, social and cultural factors deeply, but the influences moved towards different directions. Because adult literacy education has been limited within the framework of the supplementary education system in Taiwan, it has not been able to become a public policy issue. In contrast, because of attention to the competition of the country and the citizen responsibility in the United States, adult literacy education has become a public policy issue. The key factor that lies behind this difference is the completely different understanding of the meaning and function of literacy. Literacy education in Taiwan presents a deficient or remnant welfare perspective, lacks the perspective of functional literacy, and thus hinders its contribution to the social and economic development of the country. In the United States, the policy adopts the perspective of human resource and adult literacy education is seen from the viewpoint of national competitiveness. As a result of the involvement of scholars and the NPOs/NGOs, the Equipped for the Future in the National Institute of Literacy presents the viewpoint of New Literacy Studies, reflecting one kind of active participation of the citizen, and which has created some tension in federal government's theory of human resources. However, as a result of this kind of tension, the contribution of adult literacy education to the value of active citizenship is questionable. Finally, this study proposes some principles for the policy of adult literacy education for Taiwan.