The Scottish Literacy strategy
The Adult Literacy and Numeracy in Scotland Report report (ALNIS 2001) defines adult literacies as "The ability to read, write and use numeracy, to handle information, to express ideas and opinions, to make decisions and solve problems, as family members, workers, citizens and lifelong learners." The Scottish approach to adult literacies adopts a social practice model, which sees literacies as part of the wider lifelong learning agenda. Such an approach recognises that:
- literacy and numeracy are complex capabilities rather than a simple set of basic skills
- learners are more likely to develop and retain knowledge, skills and understanding if they see them as relevant to their own context and everyday literacy practices.
- learning should be negotiated with the learner through an individual learning plan, selecting the knowledge and skills most relevant to the individual learner's goals.
The Scottish Survey of Adult Literacies 2009 shows that Scotland's adult literacy levels are on a par with the world's most advanced economies. Its key findings are:
- Literacy skills in Scotland are comparable with many of the world’s leading economies
- Three-quarters (73.3%) of the Scottish population have a level of skills that has been recognised internationally as appropriate for a contemporary society
- Around one quarter of the Scottish population (26.7%) may face occasional challenges and constrained opportunities due to their skills but will generally cope with their day-to-day lives
- Within this quarter of the population, we find that 3.6% (one person in 28) faces serious challenges in their literacies practices
- The proportion of people found to have limited or very limited literacies skills is lower than previous surveys, partly due to better survey methodologies
- Women below 55 have stronger skills than men, above 55 this picture reverses
- Stronger skills are associated with many other forms of advantage, such as better paying jobs and living in a less deprived area
- 26-35 year olds have stronger skills and higher education than other age groups
- There are strong links between measured literacies scores and educational qualifications, being employed, and the skill level of that employment
- People generally state they are satisfied with their literacies skills, though people with less developed skills are less satisfied
- The key issue in Scotland is distribution of literacies skills across the population, which mirrors poverty in our communities.
The results will inform the Scottish Government's Literacy Action Plan, due for publication in the autumn 2010, which will outline the next steps to further raise standards of literacy from early years through to adult learning.
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