Defining literacy

Silvia Montoya

GAML Fifth Meeting

17-18 October 2018

Hamburg, Germany
Defining literacy: UNESCO

Literacy is the ability to identify, understand, interpret,

create, communicate and compute, using printed and
written materials associated with varying contexts.

Literacy involves a continuum of learning in enabling

individuals to achieve their goals, to develop their knowledge
and potential, and to participate fully in their community and
wider society (UNESCO, 2004; 2017).
Three key features of the UNESCO’ definition of
literacy

 Literacy is about the uses people make of it as a means of

communication and expression, through a variety of
media;

 Literacy is plural, being practiced in particular contexts for

particular purposes and using specific languages;

 Literacy involves a continuum of learning measured at

different proficient levels.

UNESCO-led assessments: LAMP and RAMMA

 Defining literacy:
Other international organizations or assessment programmes
International
Defining literacy Note
organization
European Literacy Literacy refers to the ability to read and A multi-layered definition
Policy Network: write at a level whereby individuals can of literacy, from baseline
European Declaration effectively understand and use written literacy to functional and
of the Right to Literacy communication in all media (print or multiple literacy.
electronic), including digital literacy.

OECD: Survey of Adult Literacy is understanding, evaluating, It measures adults’

Skills (PIAAC) using and engaging with written text to proficiency in key
participate in the society, to achieve information-processing
one's goals and to develop one's skills - literacy, numeracy
knowledge and potential. and problem solving in
technology-rich
environments

World Bank: Skills Cognitive skills are defined as the “ability 1. It assess the skills
Towards Employability to understand complex ideas, to adapt (cognitive, technical, and
and Productivity (STEP) effectively to the environment, to learn non-cognitive) of adults
from experience, to engage in various in urban areas.
forms of reasoning, to overcome 2. The scales of the test are
obstacles by taking thought” the same as those used
in the PIAAC.
Four criteria are used to describe assessment/survey on
literacy
 Definition invokes continuum
 Assessment covers full range of skills
 Statistical methods confirm psychometric stability
 Statistical methods support comparison

A glance of existing assessments grouped into four:

o Direct assessments: International v.s. national
o Indirect assessment: International v.s. national
 International: Direct assessment on literacy

Features
Statistical
by criteria Statistical
Definition Assessment methods
methods
Projection invokes covers full confirm
support
Model Data continuum range of skill psychometr
comparison
Source ic stability
PIAAC Y Y Y Y 38 countries
11 countries
IALS and ALL Y Y Y Y conducted ALL
Urban areas in
STEP Y Y Y Y 15 countries
LAMP Y Y Y Y 4 countries
RAMAA Y N N N 12 countries
 National: Direct Assessment on Literacy

Statistical Statistical
Assessme
Definition methods methods
nt covers
Country Assessment invokes confirm support Adaptive
full range
continuum psychomet compariso
of skill
ric stability n

Bangladesh Education Watch 2016 Y N N N N

Botswana National literacy survey Y N N N N
Canada Test of Workplace Essential Skills Y Y Y Y Y
France The Information and Everyday Life Survey Y N Y N N
Germany Level One Study (LEO) Y N Y Y N
India National Literacy Mission. Y Y Y N N
Kenya The Kenya National Adult Literacy Survey Y Y Y N N
Lao PDR Lao National Literacy Survey Y N N N N
The Literacy and Numeracy for Adults
New Zealand Assessment Tool Y Y Y N Y
Papua New Education Experience Survey and Literacy
Guinea Assessment Y N N N N
USA Adult Literacy Supplemental Assessment Y Y Y Y N
 National: Indirect assessment on literacy
Statistical
Definitio Assessme Statistical
methods
n invokes nt covers methods Example of
Survey/census Defining literacy Mode confirm
continuu full range
psychometric
support countries
m of skill comparison
stability
Barbados and
International
household
survey
programmes

Can read part of the sentence Literacy test N N N N

Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey other 15 countries
(MICS) Self Algeria and other
Can read and write N N N N
declaration 3 countries
Demographic and Health Able to read parts of or a Self Benin and other
N N N N
Surveys (DHS) whole sentence* declaration 20 countries
Can read and write a simple
Colombia and
text in ...(given languages) or Literacy test N N N N
other 25 countries
Labour Force Survey any languages
Ability to read and write in any Self-
N N N N
language declaration
National census or survey (selected examples)

Can read, understand and Literacy

Population Census write a short story regarding test, or self- N N N N Azerbaijan 2009
one's routine life declaration
Ability to write a personal letter Self-
Living Standard Measurement Survey N N N N Albania 2012
or read a newspaper. declaration
Can read and write Self-
Continuous Household Survey N N N N Uruguay 2015
declaration
Can read and write in any Self-
Core Welfare Indicators Questionnaire N N N N Liberia 2010
language declaration
Can read and write a simple
Functional Literacy, Education and Self
message in any language or N N N N Philippines 2013
Mass Media Survey declaration
dialect
The literate are those who
Self-
General House Survey have no difficulty or some N N N N South Africa 2015
declaration
difficulty in reading and writing
Can read and write one of the
Self-
National Socio-Economic Survey following languages: Latin, N N N N Indonesia 2016
declaration
Arabic, or other alphabet
Self-
The Reading of Population Survey Can read and write N N N N Thailand 2015
declaration
Notes: 1. *For some countries that conducted DHS, respodents were further asked if they "never", "almost never", or "sometimes" have difficulty
understanding what they read and if they "never", "almost never", or "sometimes" have difficulty writing. 2. Countries that use educational
attainment to estimate the literacy rate are not included in this table.
 International: Indirect assessment on the literacy rate:
Projection by the UIS
UIS Global Age-Specific Literacy Projections (GALP)
Regression analysis is applied to age-disaggregated literacy data, in combination
with demographic data by the UN Population Division (UN Population Division,
2011), to determine the likely evolution of literacy rates based on past trends.

Features Statistical
by criteria Assessment Statistical
Definition methods
covers full methods
Projection invokes confirm Countries
Model Data range of support
continuum psychomet
Source skill comparison
ric stability
GALP using national Argentina 2014
population census N N N N and other 23
or survey countries
Congo 2011 and
GALP using DHS data N N N N other 14
countries
Angola 2014
GALP using MICS
N N N N and other 13
data
countries
Data to transform lives

Learn more http://uis.unesco.org/

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