Colleagues,
National literacy rates (not the same as school attendance or school or program completion rates) are usually determined through household surveys of a random sample of the population. Because household surveys are expensive they aren't always done regularly or well. Now, a company in Norway has a new, inexpensive strategy for measuring national literacy: conduct research based on mobile data usage.
“Significant differences between the number of incoming and outgoing texts is one way to judge literacy rates…..Including other factors such as economic and social features, the researchers say they can predict literacy rates with 70% accuracy.” http://www.newstalk.com/literacy-research-mobile-data-phones
Should this be a strategy that researchers should employ in the United States? What do you see as the pros and cons? Is a 70% accuracy rate good enough? Should we employ both this strategy and household surveys until such time that we see a high rate of accuracy for the mobile data usage strategy?
What do you think?
David J. Rosen
Moderator, Technology and Learning CoP
Djrosen123@gmail.com
Comments
David, I applaud Norway for taking the initiative to find new and less expensive ways to assess literacy rates in a country. You asked, "What do you see as the pros and cons?"
The big pro is that it never hurts to have more information on literacy rates, and data always tends to support grant seekers hoping to get funded to serve adult learners, in our case. The only con that I can foresee is that the data gathered may not in fact represent large numbers of adults who don't use mobile devices. Then we would have to gather that information, which would be expensive. I'm not sure that 70% information is useful. In fact, I don't find data that useful in changing literacy rates at all.
My big question on statistical gathering is, "What is the purpose of knowing more about the high rate of illiteracy in the US?" We know that we rank low on that world wide. We know, for example, that our high rate of adult illiteracy is responsible for the high cost of keeping folks behind bars. We know that recidivism increases significantly, for when inmates learn to read! We know that when adults learn to read, their children are likely to be readers as well, and vice-versa. We know that adults with good academic skills earn better wages in more sustainable jobs. We have stats coming out of every pore of our research systems. And yet...
We are not lacking data or information. We are lacking consciousness about how money and effort are spent to serve our illiterate population. Rather than more input on numbers, I would like more input, more models, and more creative suggestions on how to accelerate and intensify the process of having adults become good readers and writers. Now I could add a long list here about the cons on that! Leecy
Hello Leecy,
You wrote: "What is the purpose of knowing more about the high rate of illiteracy in the US?" and you raised the concern that although we have collected national literacy rates, for at least two decades, policymakers have not acted on this information. I might add that at least so far policy makers do not appear to care that among our modern, industrial and information technology peer countries, the member countries of The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), we do not have an impressive performance in literacy or numeracy, and our nation performs even less well on the problem-solving in technology-rich environments assessment. (OECD PIAAC U.S. household Survey of Adult Skills .)
Have national, state or local policy makers ever acted on adult literacy data? Yes, at least on the national level, and in some cases at the state and city levels. Last year, for example, I heard a former chief administrator of OVAE (now OCTAE), Ron Pugsley, say in public that there was a period when the U.S. had collected -- I think it was the National Adult Literacy Survey (NALS) -- literacy data for which OVAE had commissioned adult literacy researcher Stephen Reder to produce synthetic literacy estimates for states and for Congressional districts that were based on the national literacy data. Ron Pugsley said that after these state and district literacy reports had been delivered to every member of Congress there were significant increases in Adult Education and Family Literacy Act funding that he believed could be directly attributed to policy makers having this information for their own Congressional districts and states. From my experience, state policy makers, too, want data about what is happening with constituents in their legislative districts; I know that in my state having this kind of data significantly contributed to increases for several years in state funding for adult basic skills. Legislators want to know about their constituents' literacy, what the literacy rate is for their districts, and how that compares with other districts and sometime other states.
For those who may be interested in public policy advocacy for adult basic skills, there is a newly revitalized online forum that I moderate, sponsored by the American Association of Adult and Continuing Education, called the AAACE-NLA Wiggio group. (Wiggio is the name of the digital platform on which the group is held.) In that forum we can consider in detail questions such as those you have asked, Leecy. Those who may be interested in joining the AAACE-NLA Wiggio group should email me directly.
David J. Rosen
djrosen123@gmail.com
Thanks for your response, David. You said, "Legislators want to know about their constituents' literacy..." I wish that were true in Colorado, which has the least state investment of all states in adult ed, and, until two years ago, was the only state that did not contribute a cent to adult ed!
This year, there is a rumor going around that the CO plans to close non-profits and/or nonformal ed programs, especially those in rural areas in the state, which already struggle to stay open with supplemental funds, when and if they can find them. Are those just rumors? Facts and data are not considered, apparently, where there is the greatest need.
I also wonder if the data proposed from texting, from your original post, will influence legislation, which is my concern. Maybe so, and, as they say, "Hope springs eternal..." Leecy
Leecy, Is Colorado not participating in WIOA?
Unless I'm living in a different dimension of the universe, I think WIOA requires states to contribute their share, and WIOA is a significant increase in Adult Literacy funding, as compared to the past years.
I, too, have been appalled at the disappearance of Adult Ed. funding several years ago. And the increases are nowhere near enough to support programs for even a majority of those in need. But there are improvements in the amount of money. Some of the budget in WIOA was based on Literacy Statistics. So, I conclude that the stat's do make a difference.
Arthur
Hi, Arthur. Yes, Colorado does participate in WIOA. So there you go.
Please share any information on WIOA's "significant increase in Adult Literacy funding, as compared to the past years" and on how to access those funds. Thanks, Leecy
http://links.govdelivery.com/track?type=click&enid=ZWFzPTEmbWFpbGluZ2lkPTIwMTYwNzI1LjYxOTMxNTExJm1lc3NhZ2VpZD1NREItUFJELUJVTC0yMDE2MDcyNS42MTkzMTUxMSZkYXRhYmFzZWlkPTEwMDEmc2VyaWFsPTE3NzQxMTE4JmVtYWlsaWQ9YXJ0aHVyQDJsZWFybi1lbmdsaXNoLmNvbSZ1c2VyaWQ9YXJ0aHVyQDJsZWFybi1lbmdsaXNoLmNvbSZmbD0mZXh0cmE9TXVsdGl2YXJpYXRlSWQ9JiYm&&&100&&&http://blog.ed.gov/2016/07/5-things-know-wioa/?utm_content=&utm_medium=email&utm_name=&utm_source=govdelivery&utm_term=#more-23846
Hope this helps.
BTW: anyone interested in helping to create an online adult ed program, based on content from an existing 17 book program?
Thanks for sharing the site with us! If anyone else has additional information, please drop by and share. Leecy
Hi All,
Add another person to the tally of those appalled by the disappearance of Adult Ed funding and ignoring the stats - especially those on the ROI in investing in literacy & adult ed!
And I haven't read how they designed the research in detail, but from my experience with Cell-Ed, it's the least literate adults who often don't have phones or know how to open their text inbox in the first place. How are they accounting for that in their research design?
Best,
Alison
Good questions, Allison! Hope to hear more! Leecy