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Chapter 2: The Scale of NeedLITERACY 2.1 Roughly one in five adults has low literacy skills. However, it is important to emphasise that we are dealing with a spectrum of need ranging from adults who cannot read or write at all to people who may want to brush-up rusty skills. It would be naive to suggest that everyone needs or seeks the same kind of help. So we need an idea of the numbers of people at different levels of "low basic skills".Y 2.2 Research by the Centre for Longitudinal Studies (CLS) for the Basic Skills Agency has divided the overall 19% with weak literacy skills into two categories . About 6% of the adult working population are judged to have "very low" literacy skills; and a further 13% to have "low" literacy skills. Those with "very low" skills are likely to have great difficulty with any reading, struggling to read the simplest and shortest texts, though they may be able to cope with simple signs and advertisements, especially when these are illustrated. As an example, a sample of British-born adults were shown the poster in Figure A (shown in Chapter 1) and were asked where the concert would be held; 6% could not give the correct answer. 2.3 A further 13% (making 19% in all) of adults are defined as having "low" literacy skills. They may be able to read a short article from a tabloid newspaper and pick out favourite programmes from a TV guide, but may read slowly with little understanding. For example, the same sample of adults were given the index of the Yellow Pages and asked on which page they would find the details for plumbers; 22% were unable to answer correctly. 2.4 Identifying different groups is important because of the different needs involved. Clearly, individuals with very low skills may require different types of provision from the 13% with less serious problems. Hence our emphasis on diversity of study programmes later in the report. 2.5 Table 2.1 indicates the relation between the literacy problem and the Qualification and Curriculum Authority's (QCA) National Framework of Qualifications. "Very low" literacy skills means skills below Entry Level, and "low" literacy skills means achieving Entry Level, but not yet reaching Foundation Level, which is the equivalent of an NVQ Level 1. Table 2.1: Definition and Scale of Literacy Need
Source: It Doesn't Get Any Better, Bynner and Parsons, 1997 2.6 To show how basic these levels are, Table 2.2 suggests - very broadly - how they correspond to standard levels of vocational qualifications and in the National Curriculum in schools. This means that the one in five adults with "low literacy" we refer to are below the standard norm expected of 11 year olds. Table 2.2: Equivalent National Levels
Source: QCA 2.7 Many adults who have Foundation Level skills, have not reached the Intermediate Level of the National Framework of Qualifications; this is the level required to achieve GCSE grades A*-C. While they may have literacy problems, they can largely cope with the daily demands of reading and writing. For these adults, attainment of key skills and other qualifications at Level 2 is a more likely and appropriate goal in the context of the National Learning targets announced by the Government in 1998. 2.8 Though all countries have problems of poor literacy, Britain and the US have more severe problems than most. In 1997, the International Adult Literacy Survey (IALS) made a standard literacy assessment of 12 countries and Table 2.3 shows how poorly Britain compares with our international competitors. Of the twelve countries in the survey, only Poland and Ireland had a higher proportion at this low level than Britain. Table 2.3: Percentage of adults with literacy skills at the lowest level*
Source: Literacy Skills for the Knowledge Society, OECD,1997 NUMERACY 2.9 Problems with numeracy are even more common than with literacy. Some researchers suggest that nearly half of all adults in Britain have numeracy skills below the level expected of an 11 year old. A quarter are estimated to have "very low" numeracy skills, which means that they are unlikely to be able to perform even the simplest calculations. The survey carried out by the CLS asked the following question: if you bought the items in Figure B (see Chapter 1) and paid £2, how much change would you get? A quarter of respondents could not give the correct answer. 2.10 A further group of adults are judged to have what is sometimes termed "low" numeracy. These adults, while coping with the simplest transactions, would find it difficult to deal with fractions or percentages and find number manipulation a slow and arduous task. In the CLS research referred to above, when asked to work out the area of a room that was 21 ft by 14 ft, a third of all adults gave the wrong answer, even though calculators were allowed. 2.11 Table 2.4 illustrates the scale of need for numeracy, estimated by the CLS survey. Table 2.4: Definition and Scale of Numeracy Need
Source: It Doesn't Get Any Better, Bynner and Parsons, 1997 2.12 In comparison with other countries, Britain if anything does worse in numeracy than in literacy, as illustrated in Table 2.5. Table 2.5 Percentage of adults with numeracy skills at the lowest level
Source: Literacy Skills for the Knowledge Society, OECD, 1997 2.13 The same situation emerged from a survey conducted for the Basic Skills Agency in 1996. A sample of adults in various countries were asked twelve fairly simple numeracy questions. Britain had many more people getting less than six right answers than any other country, as Table 2.6 illustrates. Table 2.6: Percentage of adults getting less than six right answers*
Source: International Numeracy Survey, The Basic Skills Agency, 1997 2.14 We need to stress that the evidence on numeracy is less straightforward than on literacy. There are problems of definition and the tests are weaker. Even so, it is clear that a person's problems can range from almost total inability to deal with numbers to more marginal difficulties. Hence the dividing line between 'very poor' and 'poor' numeracy commented on above. Where one draws the dividing line is arbitrary. In our judgement, it is reasonable to think of some 40% of adults as having some numeracy problems, half of whom we would classify as having 'very low' numeracy. Our thoughts throughout focus on this latter category. ENGLISH LANGUAGE SKILLS 2.15 In addition to the problems of poor literacy and numeracy, research undertaken by the Institute of Education and MORI has estimated that almost half a million people whose first language is not English have little command of the English language. As Table 2.7 shows, there are significant differences between different linguistic groups. For example, of Gujerati speakers, 11% scored at the lowest level (zero score) compared to 37% of Punjabi speakers. Table 2.7: Language skills of linguistic minority groups (1995)
Source: Lost Opportunities: The Language skills of linguistic minorities in England and Wales, Carr-Hill, Passingham, Wolf with Kent, The Basic Skills Agency, 1996
2.16 Overall, about one in four of the sample obtained a 'zero score', meaning that they could not:
BASIC SKILLS AND AGE 2.18 Surveys of the scale of need for literacy and numeracy skills suggest that levels of need are similar across the population between the ages of 16 and 45. However, skills problems tend to rise with people over 45. Table 2.8 shows the percentage of adults in each age group defined as being in the lowest skills category.
Table 2.8: Percentage of adults with poor literacy and numeracy by age (1997)
Source: Adult Literacy in Britain, ONS, 1997 2.19 A survey of the language skills of those for whom English is not their first language, found a large difference between the youngest, many of whom had presumably had the benefit of schooling in English, and the older age groups. Table 2.9 illustrates this.
Table 2.9: % understanding English a little or not at all
Source: A Nation's Neglect, The Basic Skills Agency, 1989 2.20 Surveys of adult literacy and numeracy undertaken in the last 25 years have varied in their sampling methods and provide little basis for estimating trends over time. However, research by NFER does suggest that over individual life-cycles, people's literacy skills do alter after they leave school, improving into early middle age, remaining steady for some time, before declining again in later years. This is supported by a longitudinal study carried out between 1961-72 (based on adults aged 16 in 1961 and 27 in 1972), which suggested that average literacy skills do improve during this time. 2.21 However, variations in an individual's literacy/numeracy skills over life will depend in part on the extent to which these skills are actually needed in day-to-day life. The data from the IALS survey makes clear that a decline in literacy is associated more with differing life experiences than with ageing, and that - not surprisingly - people can lose some of their reading and writing abilities if their daily life and work makes little demand on them. Similarly, research carried out by CLS shows that literacy, and in particular numeracy, tend to decline during time spent out of employment, though the likelihood of decline is reduced once a threshold level of skills is reached. INDIVIDUAL AWARENESS OF POOR BASIC SKILLS 2.22 The above figures come from tests of adult functional literacy and numeracy. They are in striking contrast to people's own perceptions. Various surveys have shown that many adults underestimate their need for help. Less than 5% of adults say they have a problem with reading and much the same small proportion acknowledge a difficulty with numbers. Only spelling is acknowledged as a problem by significant numbers - around 10%. Many people are unaware of their poor skills, and many, even if aware, don't regard it as a problem. And of course there is often a strong stigma in admitting to it. 2.23 In part, the lack of awareness, and perhaps of a need for improvement, reflects the low educational aspirations felt by so many. We cannot take for granted - far from it - that the importance of education and of wanting to improve one's lot, is felt by most people. This is a crucial background to our proposals. An appraisal of one's own needs will obviously effect how one can be motivated to join some kind of study programme. But, as is clear from research - for example The Basic Skills Of Young Adults - though many people who perceive themselves as having problems do come to classes, the great majority do not. How to make it all attractive, accessible and obviously worthwhile is the key issue. Motivation - and how to encourage it - is all. SPECIAL NEEDS 2.24 We are conscious of the needs of adults with learning difficulties and disabilities, some of whom certainly require help to improve their literacy and numeracy. This is a complex problem because of the range of difficulties and disabilities involved. Some, for instance, may want social and living skills more urgently than improved basic skills in the sense of this report. In considering this issue, we have taken note of the Tomlinson Report. Many adults with learning difficulties have low literacy and numeracy, but their needs may demand a curriculum wider than these basic skills. The Tomlinson Report rightly argued for greater guidance and collaboration in meeting the needs of such learners, and more effective support on courses. 2.25 It is also important to note that some adults with poor literacy are dyslexic. Whilst we have not been able to give specific attention to this, we believe that much of what we recommend about effective teaching will also help dyslexic adults. 2.26 However, it is important that following this Report, special studies be undertaken relating to specific literacy and numeracy problems for people in these groups.
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