Essential Skills Literacy Training: Tools for Older Adults

1
Essential Skills Literacy Training Tools for
Older Adults

• Findings and Analysis
• By Linda Collier, Public Consultation Facilitator
• Newfoundland and Labrador Laubach Literacy Council

2
Findings and Analysis

• The following are the findings and analysis
  resulting from the public consultation process of
  the Essential Skills Literacy Training Tools
  for Older Adults project. Over the course of the
  province-wide consultation process, 646 people
  were contacted to participate in focus groups and
  complete surveys through our website and by
  telephone or face-to-face interviews. 206
  participated in 16 focus groups and 200 completed
  surveys an overall participation rate of 62.

3
Essential Skills Being Taught

• Presently, the main Essential Skills being
  taught by tutors are
• Reading 81
• Numeracy 58
• Writing 56

4
Essential Skills currently taught - by
percentage levels
5
How Essential Skills are Being Taught

• Although all nine Essential Skills are being
  taught by various tutors to a degree, it is
  mainly at a basic level.
• Most are using the Laubach Way to Reading Series
  (LWRS) supplemented with resources/documents used
  in everyday living.
• Many tutors who are not proficient in computer
  use are presently not comfortable teaching basic
  computer skills others who would teach Computer
  Use do not have facilities/resources available to
  them.

6
Essential Skills Used in the Workplace As
indicated by Key Stakeholders- Businesses/Organiza
tions

7
Comparison of Essential Skills used in the
workplace and those currently being taught
Essential Skills used in the workplace rate much
higher than those being taught in the current
program.
8
Tutors and Trainers Perspective on Essential
Skills Needs of Adult Learners

• Tutors and Trainers indicate that adult learners
  would benefit from training in all nine Essential
  Skills.

Top ratings (1) Reading 82 (2) Document Use,
Numeracy and Writing 72 (3) Computer Use 66
9
Older Adults perspective on Essential Skills
Needs by percentage
Rating in the top three 1. Computer Use
70 2. Numeracy, Reading, Document Use 22 3.
Continuous Learning 18
10
Key Stakeholders Perspective on Essential
Skills needs of Employees/Volunteers/Clients

• Respondents indicated that their
  employees/volunteers/ clients would benefit from
  training in all nine Essential Skills, depending
  on the workplace situation. The top three
  indicated are
• 1. Working with Others 67
• 2. Computer Use 65
• 3. Oral Communication, Continuous Learning
  64

11
Key Stakeholders Perspective on Essential
Skills training needs of Employees/
Volunteers/Clients rated by percentage
12
Comparison of Essential Skills Training Needs of
Older Adult Stakeholders as indicated by the
three different groups.
13
Essential Skills Training Needs Point
of View Comparisons

• All groups had different ratings on Essential
  Skills needs of Older Adult Stakeholders.
• Older Adults indicated their main needs were in
  Computer Use at 70. All other Essential Skills
  rated 22 and under.
• Tutors and Trainers indicated Adult learners lack
  all Essential Skills in varying degrees, ranging
  from 58 to 82, the highest in the 3 Rs,
  Document Use, and Computer Use.
• Businesses and Organizations indicated Older
  Adult Stakeholders (employees/volunteers/clients)
  lack all Essential Skills to a degree, with the
  highest deficiency in Working with Others,
  Computer Use, Oral Communication, and Continuous
  Learning.
• All groups similarly indicated that Older Adults
  were lacking in Computer Use.

14
Recommended Essential Skills training for Target
Group by Tutors and Trainers (rated by level of
importance from 1 to 9)

• Highest rated for recommended Essential Skills
  training (rated 1)
• 1. Reading 61
• 2. Computer Use 12
• Second highest rated for recommended
  Essential Skills training (rated 2)
• 1. Writing 29
• 2. Numeracy 18

15
Essential Skills training interest of Older
Adult Stakeholders

• 75 of respondents indicated that they would
  benefit from Essential Skills training 19
  indicated they would not benefit 7 did not
  know.

16
Older Adults Essential Skills Training interest
by level of importance (1 9)

• Computer Use rated highest order of importance
  (Level 1) for course interest over all other
  Essential Skills 17 Computer Use was also
  checked more often than other Essential Skills
  32 also received the lowest amount of No
  Response.
• Continuous Learning rated second highest order
  of importance (Level 1) for course interest 7
• Continuous Learning and Document Use checked as
  important second highest (Level 2) Continuous
  Learning also second lowest amount for No
  Response.
• Highest number of No Response in Writing,
  Thinking Skills, Working with Others.
• Many respondents placed check marks instead of
  using numbers to rate level of importance others
  rated only some. Possibly these were the most
  important to them for course interest which would
  indicate interest in those Essential Skills only.

17
Older Adults Essential Skills Training
Overall Course Interest

• This chart indicates Older Adults level of
  overall course interest, rated and unrated.

18
Barriers to Training

• Main barriers identified were
• Work and Family commitments
• Lack of confidence/self-esteem/fear
• Time
• Transportation
• Awareness/availability
• Finances

19
Essential Skills that Adult Stakeholders consider
important for the workplace

• All Essential Skills considered of major
  importance with Oral Communication and Thinking
  Skills rated highest.

20
Participant Profile

• The majority of respondents were retired 35
• 2nd highest group - students 31
• 3rd highest - employed 28

21
Focus Group Findings Target Group

• The highest lack of Essential Skills indicated
  by Older Adults is Computer Use, which is
  consistent with data compiled from
  questionnaires.

22
Focus group findings Key Stakeholders

• Key Stakeholder Focus Groups indicated there is
  need for training in all nine Essential Skills,
  the major ones being Computer Use, Document Use,
  and Thinking Skills.
• Training in Computer Use was also one of the top
  needed Essential Skills indicated by survey
  respondents.

23
Focus group findings Tutors and Trainers

Tutor and trainer focus groups indicated there is
a need for material for tutoring Document
Use. Three of the four groups indicated a need
for training in Computer Use, including basic
computer use, cash registers, GPS and ATMs.
24
Summary

• A comparison of findings from Survey/Interview
  respondents and Focus Group participants
  indentified the following main gaps in the
  current system
• Need for updated, student-appropriate material to
  prepare learners for todays workplace
• Need for application of Essential Skills learned
  from theory to practical
• Need for computer use/training
• Getting the word out - awareness of training/help
  available

25
Conclusion/Recommendations

• A tutor/learner training package that addresses
  Essential Skills development which includes a
  train the trainer guide, tutor handbook, and
  learning modules should be a top priority.
• A documented process for application of
  Essential Skills from theory to practical should
  be put into place for universal use by all
  Laubach literacy tutors.
• Computer Use/training in basic computer use
  should be an aspiration for all Councils. While
  it is not necessary that all Council tutors be
  proficient in computer use, it is important to
  embrace technology and have tutors and resources
  available to teach those who seek it.
• There should be updated training for tutors
  which includes tutoring in Essential Skills to
  meet the demands of todays workplace.
• Public awareness sessions should be held on a
  regular basis to promote help available for those
  seeking literacy services,.

26

• Participants throughout the province of
  Newfoundland and Labrador.