Literacy is a fundamental aspect of development and a step towards freedom and liberation from socio-economic constraints, because it enables all citizens to realise their basic right to learning. However, the global efforts which -- according to a 2017 estimate of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) --…

This Data Point summarizes trends in adult literacy and numeracy skills since the 1990s for the United States and for those countries that participated with the United States in all three international adult literacy studies over the past three decades: Canada, Hungary, Italy, Norway, the Netherlands, and New Zealand. Results in this Data Point…

This study analyses how older (mostly 60 years or over) women who are literacy students at Youth and Adult Education Program in a small village of Brazil appropriate school numeracy practices during a class about the discursive genre "label" and the information it conveys. We focus on the students' participation in the discursive…

Low-skilled adults in literacy in English are those with skills insufficient to complete tasks requiring comparing and contrasting information, paraphrasing, or making low-level inferences. Low-skilled adults in numeracy in English are those who would have difficulty making calculations with whole numbers and percentages, estimating numbers or…

This study uses Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) data to examine latent profiles of engagement in reading, numeracy, writing, and computer skills-use for U.S. adults with low literacy skills. Additionally, we examine how these profiles relate to overall literacy performance and demographic heterogeneity.…

The OECD's Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) represents a comprehensive international comparative assessment of the information processing skills of adults vital for the full participation in social and economic life in the 21st century. PIAAC is now in its second cycle and continues a series of international…

The Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) is a multicycle international survey of adult skills and competencies sponsored by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The survey examines a range of basic skills in the information age and assesses these adult skills consistently across…

The Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) is a multicycle survey of adult skills and competencies sponsored by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The survey examines a range of basic skills in the information age and assesses these adult skills consistently across participating…

According to the Workforce Innovation and Opportunities Act of 2014, literacy refers to "an individual's ability to read, write, and speak in English, compute, and solve problems [emphasis added], at levels of proficiency necessary to function on the job, in the family of the individual, and in society" (Title 2, §203). Yet, according to…

Advances in artificial intelligence (AI) are ushering in a large and rapid technological transformation. Understanding how AI capabilities relate to human skills and how they develop over time is crucial for understanding this process. In 2016, the OECD assessed AI capabilities with the OECD's Survey of Adult Skills (PIAAC). The present report…

Comparing health risks that include ratios of integers (e.g., 12 in 1,000) is challenging. We tested whether a worked-example intervention with number-line visual displays improved adults' risk-comparison accuracy, whether pretest confidence moderated learning, and which individual differences related to accuracy. Replicating prior work, U.S.…

Adult language, literacy, numeracy and digital skills (LLND), and employability skills (for example, collaboration, problem-solving and self-management) -- often referred to as foundation skills -- are key skills that: assist people to get a job and remain employed, look after their mental and physical health, and help them to participate in their…

One of the primary goals of adult basic education programs is to help individuals develop the reading, writing, and math skills necessary to access stable employment opportunities. In the US, this need has been largely overlooked by the burgeoning educational technology sector. To understand how learning technologies might support these learners…

This article explores cross-country patterns in how conditions relating to family background, education, and the labor market are related to literacy and numeracy skills. It seeks to assess whether these patterns are in agreement with models of skills formation as identified in the political economy literature. The novelty of this article resides…

This report makes the case for a shift in emphasis in U.S. education and workforce development policy. Specifically, the report sets out a rationale for investing more in upgrading the foundational skill levels of the U.S. workforce. The report summarizes the results of studies that used data from the 1994 International Adult Literacy Survey…