Literacy as supply and demand

David Mallows,Jennifer Litster

doi:10.1007/s40955-016-0061-1

Abstract

This paper draws on three data sources – a national survey from Germany of adult literacy and numeracy skills (leo. – Level-One Study), the OECD’s Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competences (PIAAC), and case studies of workplaces in England – to argue for a greater focus by policymakers and researchers on the literacy demand experienced by adults.

Highlights

This paper is concerned with adult literacy and the role that it plays in adults’ everyday lives
In it we will argue that policy makers and researchers should focus on the literacy demands on adults in their everyday lives in order to better design policies to support them in meeting these demands
This has lead to concerted efforts by governments in many countries to increase the supply of literacy skills in their countries through development of basic education programmes for adults

Summary

Introduction

This paper is concerned with adult literacy (reading and writing) and the role that it plays in adults’ everyday lives. Over the past two decades, a number of large-scale national (Williams et al 2003; BIS 2011; Grotlüschen and Riekmann 2011; Jeantheau 2007; ANLCI 2013) and international (Kirsch 2001; OECD and Statistics Canada 2005; OECD 2013a) surveys have identified that a sizable proportion of the working age population have low levels of literacy skills This has lead to concerted efforts by governments in many countries to increase the supply of literacy skills in their countries through development of basic education programmes for adults. Closer examination of this functionally illiterate population, made possible through analysis of the data generated by the aforementioned large-scale national and international surveys, leads us to question the extent of the personal and economy-wide consequences (Munteanu et al 2014) deemed to be caused by poor literacy While this population are more likely than the rest of the adult population to be unemployed, the majority of them are not We suggest that by considering demand alongside supply we will be better able to formulate policy

Data sources

The “functionally illiterate” population

Demand

Skills use

The literate environment

Findings

Conclusion