LITERACY in Saskatchewan Implications of Findings from IALSS 2003

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LITERACY in Saskatchewan Implications of
Findingsfrom IALSS 2003
Presented by Satya Brink, Ph.D. Director,
National Learning Policy Research Learning Policy
Directorate, HRSDC April 2006
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Key Questions
Introduction

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

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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
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Introduction
Background information of importance for IALSS
results Saskatchewan
Total population (2003)
994,500 Population 15-64(2005) 652,400 Populati
on 65 and over (2005) 147,100 Aboriginal
population (15-64,2001 ) 74,455 Immigrant
population (2001) 47,825
Gender Distribution (population 15-64,
2005) Males 330,000 Females 322,300
Population by mother tongue (Census
2001) English only 817,955 French
only 17,775
Non-official languages only 117,765 English and
French 1,375 Eng. And non-off
language 7,910
Population 15 years and over by highest level of
schooling (Census 2001) Less than high school
297,520 High school graduate 81,800
Trade Vocational cert. 22,500
College education 175,205 University 178,495
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
4.1 million
4.2 million
6.7 million
8.2 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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Comparisons of provinces and territories based on
average scores.
Saskatchewan performance
Prose, population 16 and older, 2003
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In Saskatchewan, 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.
Saskatchewan 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
8
Proficiency varied across domains and population
age in Saskatchewan.
Saskatchewan literacy performance
Average proficiency scores, population 16 and
older and population 16 to 65, Saskatchewan, 2003
- Below level 3
Proficiency levels are defined differently for
problem solving
Source IALSS, 2003
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Saskatchewan performance
Saskatchewan had average scores at level 3 in
document literacy, in prose literacy and 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 Saskatchewan,
33 of the working-age population (16-65) had an
average prose literacy proficiency below level 3.
Saskatchewan performance
Percent of population 16 to 65 at each prose
level by provinces and territories, 2003
Source IALSS, 2003
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Yukon had lowest proportion of working-age adults
below level 3 in numeracy (41). In Saskatchewan,
the proportion of working-age adults below level
3 in numeracy was 42.
Saskatchewan performance
Percent of population 16 to 65 at each numeracy
level by provinces and territories, 2003
Source IALSS, 2003
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Saskatchewan performance
The importance of language the proportion of
Saskatchewan residents at level 3 or above
increases by 2 when we only consider people with
French and/or English mother tongue.
Distribution of the population aged 16 to 65 and
whose mother tongue is English or French by prose
level, Canada, provinces and territories
Significantly above Canadian average
Not significantly different than the Canadian
average
Significantly below Canadian average
Source IALSS, 2003
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Saskatchewan performance
Impact of low literacy in the population 16-65.
Source IALSS, 2003
Total 8,849,000
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Saskatchewan performance
Impact of low numeracy in the population 16-65.
Source IALSS, 2003
Total 10,681,000
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Saskatchewan 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
Sources IALSS 2003 and Statistics Canada
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Saskatchewan performance
The proportion of the residents of Saskatchewan
at levels 1 and 2 varied by 9 percentage points
between literacy and numeracy, a variation
similar to the one of most provinces and
territories.
Percent of 16-65 population performing at levels
1 and 2 in IALSS 2003
Poor
Good
Source IALSS, 2003
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Residents of Saskatchewan at all levels of
education scored better in prose literacy than
their counterparts of most provinces and
territories (population 16 and over).
Saskatchewan performance
Literacy proficiency by educational attainment,
Canada, 2003
Source IALSS, 2003
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Residents of Saskatchewan had higher scores in
prose literacy at every educational level than
the Canadian averages.
Saskatchewan performance
Mean prose proficiency scores by education level,
population 16 and over, Canada, provinces and
territories, 2003
Source IALSS, 2003
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In Saskatchewan, as in most provinces and
territories, the majority of youth had prose
literacy proficiency at Level 3 or above. In
Saskatchewan, more than 60 of the population
16-25 were at level 3 or above in prose literacy.

Youth in Saskatchewan
Distribution of proficiency level on the prose
literacy scale for youth age 16-25, Canada,
provinces and territories, 2003
Source IALSS, 2003
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75 of seniors (147,100, 15 of the total
population) in Saskatchewan had low literacy
skills.
Seniors in Saskatchewan
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, Saskatchewan
In Canada, prose literacy scores declined with
age. In Saskatchewan, people at every age group
performed better than Canadians in the same age
group on average.
Source IALSS, 2003
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Number of people by proficiency level
About 203,000 residents of Saskatchewan had prose
literacy scores below level 3.
4.2m
149,000
8.2m
263,000
5.8m
162,000
3.1m
41,000
615,000
21.4m
SourceL IALSS, 2003
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Principal characteristics of people at levels 1
and 2 in prose literacy in Saskatchewan
(population 16 to 65).
Low literacy scores in Saskatchewan

• Level 1
• 41,000
• 63 were male and 37 were female
• 13 (5,793) were immigrants
• 59 were employed
• 12 were unemployed
• Education
• 48 had not completed high school education
• 42 had completed high school education
• 10 had completed postsecondary education
• Mother tongue
• 71 English
• 5 French
• 24 other
• Aboriginal identity
• -17 urban aboriginals

• Level 2
• 162,000
• 52 were male and 48 were female
• 6 (8,948) were immigrants
• 67 were employed
• 8 were unemployed
• Education
• 38 had not completed high school education
• 30 had completed high school education
• 32 had completed postsecondary education
• Mother tongue
• 81 English
• 4 French
• 15 others
• Aboriginal identity
• 12 urban aboriginals

Source IALSS, 2003
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In Manitoba and in Saskatchewan, the proficiency
level in prose literacy of urban aboriginals was
inferior by close to 10 to the level of
proficiency of non-aboriginals.
Sub-populations Aboriginals in Saskatchewan
Comparative distributions of prose literacy
proficiency by level, per cent of Aboriginal and
non-Aboriginal populations in Manitoba and
Saskatchewan, aged 16 and over, 2003
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Subgroups Aboriginal people
For each age group in Saskatchewan and Manitoba,
the average scores for non-aboriginal people was
higher than those of urban aboriginal people
(population 16 and over)
Source IALSS, 2003
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Performance of aboriginals and non-aboriginals in
Saskatchewan
Urban aboriginals scored lower on average than
non-aboriginals at all levels of education in
Saskatchewan. (population 16 and older).
Saskatchewan
Source IALSS 2003
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66 of those at level 1 and 76 of those at level
2 in the Prairies were employed.
Literacy performance and employment
Percent of employed population in each document
literacy level, population 16 to 65, Canada and
Regions, 2003
Source IALSS, 2003
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Literacy performance and employment
In the prairies, the employed, the unemployed and
the people not in the labour force all had an
average score at level 3 in prose literacy. In
Saskatchewan, the unemployed had an average score
at level 2 in prose literacy.
Source IALSS 2003
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Low literacy and employment
People with low prose literacy were concentrated
among certain industries, Canada and Saskatchewan
(Population 16-65)
These five industries employed more than 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 scored at
Level 3 or above in prose literacy in the regions
and the territories.
Literacy performance- Occupation
Percent of Labour force population at prose
levels 3 and 4/5 by type of occupations,
population 16 to 65, Canada and regions, 2003
Source IALSS, 2003
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Workers in knowledge-related occupations tended
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
Source IALSS, 2003
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Knowledge intensive sectors had higher
proportions of adults with document literacy
proficiency above level 3. At least 55 of
knowledge intensive industry workers in the
Prairies had proficiency levels above level 3.
Literacy performance- Industry
Percent of labour force populations (16-65) at
document literacy Levels 3 and 4/5, by type of
industry, 2003
Source IALSS 2003
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All industrial sectors in the Prairies had at
least 43 of their workers with proficiency
levels above level 3 in numeracy.
Literacy performance- Industry
Percent of labour force population at numeracy
levels 3 and 4/5, by type of industry, population
16 to 65, Canada and regions, 2003
Source IALSS, 2003
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In all provinces and territories there was a
substantial difference between the participation
rates in training of those with the lowest and
highest levels of literacy.
Literacy performance- Adult training participation
Percent of population receiving adult education
and training during the year preceding the
interview, by document literacy levels, 16-65,
Canada and regions, 2003
Source IALSS, 2003
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About 53 of workers participated in adult
training in Saskatchewan compared to 50 in
Canada. About 20 took courses.
Literacy performance- Adult training participation
Percent of population receiving adult education
and training the year preceding the interview, by
type of participation, population 16 to 65,
Canada, provinces and territories, 2003
Source IALSS, 2003
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74 of Saskatchewan residents had 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, percent of
adults aged 16-65 who report having access to a
computer and the Internet at home, Canada,
provinces and territories, 2003
Source IALSS, 2003
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Improving literacy in Saskatchewan
Policy sensitive targets appear to be similar for
Saskatchewan and Canada.
Regression analysis
Non significative
Base group  -26-45 years old -Those with high
school - Mother tongue other than French or
English -Urban aboriginals in Saskatchewan


Mother tongue other than French or English
Less than high school
Urban aboriginals
16-25
46-65
Post-seconday educaton
Source IALSS 2003
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Concentration of people at levels 1 and 2 in
prose in Saskatchewan (IALSS population 16-65).
Source IALSS, 2003
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Concentration of people at levels 4 and 5 in
prose in Saskatchewan (IALSS population 16-65).
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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-drhcc.gc.ca
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