Literacy Skills for the Knowledge Society

This second report from the International Adult Literacy Survey (IALS) builds on the data analysis of seven countries presented in the first IALS publication in 1995 and adds literacy data for five additional countries--Australia, Belgium, Ireland, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. The introduction presents an overview of new key findings and policy directions suggested by the study and the definitions of literacy used in the study. (The key finding of the report, similar to that of the first report, is that there are significant literacy skill gaps in every country, with at least one-quarter of the adult population of the countries surveyed failing to reach the third [minimum functional competency] of five literacy levels, with profound social and economic implications.)Chapter 1 outlines the overall levels of proficiency as well as the distribution of adult literacy in each country. Chapter 2 offers new evidence concerning the economic and wider social benefits of literacy. Chapter 3 examines the relationships between literacy and a range of individual characteristics, including age, socioeconomic status, and factors such as literacy practices at home and work that strengthen literacy during adulthood. Chapter 4 presents the results of an analysis of adults' readiness to learn in a variety of settings. It also concludes that coordinated policy can have an impact on the quantity and equitable distribution of adult education and training opportunities. Four appendixes provide more information on the conduct of the study and the project participants. (Contains 50 figures and 61 tables.) (KC)