Literacy in PEI Implications of Findings From IALSS 2003

1
Literacy in PEIImplications of FindingsFrom
IALSS 2003
Presented by Satya Brink, Ph.D. Director,
National Learning Policy Research Learning Policy
Directorate May 2006
2
Key Questions
Introduction

• What is the level of literacy proficiency in PEI?
  
• How does PEI compare to Canada, other provinces
  and territories?
• How proficient are residents of PEI in the
  different component skills?
• How is literacy performance distributed in the
  working age population of PEI/Atlantic?
• What is the level of literacy proficiency among
  males and females in PEI?
• How do age and education affect the literacy and
  numeracy performance?
• How is literacy performance distributed in the
  labor force, among immigrants, occupations,
  industries and earning groups?
• What are the demographic characteristics of
  people with low literacy proficiency and where
  are they located in PEI?

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Introduction
Literacy proficiency the ability to understand
and employ printed information in daily
activities, at home, at work and in the
community. It is not about whether or not one
can read but how well one reads.
4 Domains, measure skills at five levels

• Prose The knowledge and skills needed to
  understand and use information from texts
  including editorials, news stories, brochures
  and instruction manuals.
• Document The knowledge and skills required to
  locate and use information contained in various
  formats, including job applications, payroll
  forms, transportation schedules, maps, tables,
  and charts.
• Numeracy The knowledge and skills required to
  apply arithmetic operations, either alone or
  sequentially, to numbers embedded in printed
  materials, such as balancing an account, figuring
  out a tip, completing an order form or
  determining the amount of interest on a loan
  from an advertisement .
• Problem Solving Involves goal-directed thinking
  and action in situations for which no routine
  solution procedure is available. The
  understanding of the problem situation and its
  step-by-step transformation, based on planning
  and reasoning constitute the process of problem
  solving. (Only four proficiency levels)

• Level 1 0 - 225 points
• Level 2 226 -275 points
• Level 3 276-325 points
• Level 4 326 -375 points
• Level 5 376 -500 points

Proficiency level for modern economy
and knowledge-based society
4
Introduction
Background information of importance for IALSS
results.
Total population (2003) 137,300
Population/square km 24 Population
15-65 (2005) 94,200
Population 65 and over (2005)
19,500 Immigrant population (2001) 4,140

Gender Distribution (15-64, 2005) Males
46,300 Females 47,900
Population by mother tongue (Census
2001) English only 125,125 French only
5,665 Non-official languages only
2,065 English and French
440 Eng. And non-off language 85

Population 15 years and over by highest level of
schooling (Census 2001) Less than high school
36,720 High school graduate
12,350 Trade Vocational cert.
3,485 College education
25,780 University
25,175
Source Statistics Canada
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The number of persons (16 to 65) with low
literacy rose from 8 m in 1994 to 9 m in 2003
though the percentage (42) did not change.
Change between 1994 and 2003, Canada
IALS
IALSS
4.2 million
4.1 million
8.2 million
6.7 million
4.6 million
5.8 million
3.1 million
3.1 million
Total 18.4 million
Total 21.4 million
Differences at each level between IALS and
IALSS are not statistically significant
Source IALSS, 2003 IALS, 1994.
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In the Atlantic region, the number of persons (16
to 65) with low literacy rose slightly from 1.5 m
in 1994 to 1.6 m in 2003 (population 16 to 65)
Change between 1994 and 2003, Atlantic
0.3 million
0.3 million
0.5 million
0.6 million
0.4 million
0.5 million
0.3 million
0.2 million
Total 1.5 million
Total 1.6 million
Differences at each level between IALS and
IALSS are not statistically significant
Sources IALSS, 2003 IALS, 1994
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Comparisons of provinces and territories based on
average scores.
PEI performance
Prose, population 16 and older, 2003
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PEI performance
Gross domestic product (GDP) per capita and
numeracy proficiency average score in 2003,
Canada and Provinces (population 16-65)
IALSS 2003, 16-65 years
Source IALSS 2003
9
PEI proficiency varied across domains and
population age
PEI literacy performance
Average proficiency scores, population 16 and
older and population 16 to 65, PEI, 2003
- Below level 3
Proficiency levels are defined differently for
problem solving
Source IALSS, 2003
10
In PEI, the distribution of prose literacy
proficiency is more favourable in the working age
population compared to 16 and over, similar to
most provinces and territories
PEI performance
Per cent of population aged 16 and older and
16-65 at each prose level, 2003
16-65
16 and over
Source IALSS, 2003
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PEI performance
PEI has average scores in document and prose
literacy at level 3 and at level 2 in numeracy
(population 16-65)
Below level 3 in 3 domains Below
level 3 in Numeracy but not in literacy.
Source IALSS, 2003
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Yukon had the lowest proportion overall (31) of
prose literacy below level 3. In PEI, 43 of the
working-age population (16-65) had an average
prose literacy proficiency below level 3.
PEI performance
Percent of population 16 to 65 at each prose
level by provinces and territories, 2003
Source IALSS, 2003
13
Yukon had lowest proportion of working-age adults
below level 3 in numeracy (41). In PEI the
proportion of working-age adults below level 3 in
numeracy was of 54.
PEI performance
Percent of population 16 to 65 at each numeracy
level by provinces and territories, 2003
Source IALSS, 2003
14
PEI performance
Impact of low literacy in the population 16-65.
Total 8,849,000
Source IALSS, 2003
15
PEI performance
Impact of low numeracy in the population 16-65.
Source IALSS, 2003
Total 10,682,000
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PEI performance
The proportion of PEI residents at levels 1 and 2
varied by 11 percentage points between literacy
and numeracy.
Per cent of adult populations performing at
levels 1 and 2 in ALL 2003
Poor
Good
Source IALSS, 2003
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PEI residents with high school education score
better in prose literacy than counterparts in 8
provinces and territories (16 and over)
PEI performance
Literacy proficiency by educational attainment,
Canada, 2003
Source IALSS, 2003
18
Prose Literacy proficiency by educational
attainment in the provinces and territories.
PEI performance
Mean prose proficiency scores by education level,
population 16 and over, Canada and
jurisdictions, 2003
Source IALSS, 2003
19
Women in PEI performed significantly better than
men in prose and tend to do better in the other
domains as well
Gender in PEI
Differences for document, numeracy and problem
solving not significant
Source IALSS, 2003
20
In PEI, a larger share of youth have prose
literacy proficiencybelow level 3 (46) compared
to Nova Scotia (39) or New Brunswick (38) or
Newfoundland and Labrador (43)
Youth in PEI
Distribution of proficiency level on the prose
literacy scale for youth age 16-25, Canada, 2003
Source IALSS, 2003
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The majority of seniors (19,500, 14) in PEI have
low literacy skills.
Seniors in PEI
Distribution of proficiency level on the prose
literacy scale for those older than 65 years,
provinces and territories, 2003
Source IALSS, 2003
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Performance by Age, PEI
In Canada and in PEI prose literacy scores
decline with age in PEI, the scores are higher
in the 26-35 age group.
Source IALSS, 2003
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Number of people by proficiency level
40,000 (43 of the population 16-65) residents of
PEI had prose literacy scores below level 3.
18,000
4.2m
8.2m
36,000
5.8m
27,000
3.1m
13,000
94,000
21.4m
Source IALSS, 2003
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Low literacy performance
Main characteristics of people at level 1 and 2
in prose IALSS in PEI (population 16-65)

• Level 1
• 13,000
• 69 were male and 31 female
• 64 were employed
• 14 were unemployed
• Education
• 69 less than high school
• 20 had completed high school
• 11 had post-secondary education

• Level 2
• 27,000
• 53 were male and 47 female
• 58 were employed
• 11 were unemployed
• Education
• 36 less than high school
• 34 had completed high school
• 30 had post-secondary education

Source IALSS, 2003
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47 of those at level 1 and 60 of those at level
2 in the Atlantic were employed.
Literacy performance and employment
Per cent of employed population in each document
literacy level, population 16 to 65, Canada and
Regions, 2003
Atlantic
Source IALSS, 2003
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Literacy performance and employment
In PEI, unemployed workers and those not in the
labour force had an average prose score below
level 3
Source IALSS 2003
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Low literacy and employment
Persons with low prose literacy were concentrated
among certain industries, Canada and PEI.
(Population 16-65)
These industries employed roughly 60 of the
workers at levels 1 and 2
Total
1,257,000
2,666,000
Source IALSS, 2003
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The majority of knowledge experts score at Level
3 or above in prose literacy in the regions and
the Territories.
Literacy performance- Occupation
Per cent of Labour force population at prose
levels 3 and 4/5 by type of occupations,
population 16 to 65, Canada and regions, 2003
Atlantic
Source IALSS, 2003
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Workers in knowledge-related occupations tend to
engage more often in writing at work than do
low-skill information, services and goods
production workers.
Literacy performance- Occupation
Index scores of writing engagement at work on a
standardized scale (centered on 2) by aggregated
occupational types, labour force population, 16
to 65, 2003
Legend Occupation Types 1 Knowledge expert 2
Managers 3 Information high-skills 4 Information
low-skills 5 Services low-skills 6 Goods
Atlantic
Source IALSS, 2003
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Knowledge intensive sectors had higher
proportions of adults with document literacy
proficiency above level 3. 70 of knowledge
intensive industry workers in the Atlantic had
proficiency levels above level 3.
Literacy performance- Industry
Per cent of labour force populations (16-65) at
document literacy Levels 3 and 4/5, by type of
industry, 2003
Atlantic
Source IALSS 2003
31
In all industrial sectors in the Atlantic, at
least 35 of workers had proficiency levels above
level 3 in numeracy.
Literacy performance- Industry
Per cent of labour force population at numeracy
levels 3 and 4/5, by type of industry, population
16 to 65, Canada and regions, 2003
Atlantic
Source IALSS, 2003
32
Regardless of level of literacy proficiency most
immigrants were employed but were they under
employed?
Literacy performance- Immigrants in Canada
Source IALSS, 2003
33
A high number of immigrants at level 1 and 2
proficiency in English and French have post
secondary education
Literacy performance- Immigrants in Canada
Source IALSS, 2003
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About 45 of workers participated in adult
training in PEI compared to 50 in Canada.
Literacy performance- Adult training participation
Per cent of population receiving adult education
and training the year preceding the interview, by
type of participation, population 16 to 65,
Canada and jurisdictions, 2003
Source IALSS, 2003
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67 of PEI residents have access to a computer at
home compared to 76 of Canadians aged 16 to 65
years.
Literacy performance-ICT
Computer and Internet access at home Per cent of
adults aged 16-65 who report having access to a
computer and the Internet at home, Canada and
jurisdictions, 2003
Source IALSS, 2003
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Generally, 16 to 65 year-olds in poor health have
the lower average document literacy scores.
Literacy performance- Health
Physical Component Summary (PCS) scores by mean
document literacy proficiency by age groups,
Canada and regions, 2003
Note Orders the provinces and territories by
the size of the difference in average document
literacy between those in poor health and those
in excellent health.
Source IALSS, 2003
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Improving literacy in PEI
Policy sensitive targets should be directed
toward those with less than high school and those
with a mother tongue other than English or French.
Non significant
Regression analysis. Canada and PEI significant
results only shown. Base group -26-45
-Those with high school -Mother tongue
English
16-25
46-65
Less than High School
PSE
Mother tongue French
Source IALSS 2003
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Concentration of people at levels 1 and 2 in
prose in Prince Edward Island (IALSS population
16-65).
Source IALSS 2003
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Concentration of people at levels 4 and 5 in
prose inPrince Edward Island (IALSS population
16-65).
Source IALSS 2003
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Contact Information Satya Brink,
Ph.D. Director, Policy Research Learning Policy
Directorate Human Resources and Skills
Development Canada Place du Portage, Phase IV, 3
Floor 140 Promenade du Portage Gatineau, QC K1A
0J9 Tel [phone] Fax [phone] Satya.Bri
nk_at_hrsdc-rhdcc.gc.ca