FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
New stats good step forward in portraying Canada's complex adult literacy landscape, says ABC CANADA
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TORONTO, ON – January 10, 2008 – New findings about the reading ability of Canadian adults who are most greatly challenged by low literacy – released yesterday in Learning Literacy in Canada: Evidence from the International Survey of Reading Skills by Statistics Canada – underscore the extent and the complex nature of our country’s literacy dilemma.
“This is a welcome study that begins to paint a fuller picture of the nine million Canadian adults who struggle, to some degree, with low literacy,” says Margaret Eaton, President of ABC CANADA. “It makes it clear that – unlike the often-held myth that we have scads of people who cannot read at all – Canada is populated by many people in diverse circumstances and with different reading and comprehension needs.”
The findings are based on the results of the 2005 International Study of Reading Skills (ISRS) which administered clinical reading tests to 1,585 English-speaking and 1,382 French-speaking Canadian adults, all of whom had participated in an earlier 2003 study by Statistics Canada and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) that determined, in broad terms, the literacy levels of Canadian adults, age 16 to 65. This new study looked at the participants' reading ability in terms of word recognition, vocabulary, listening comprehension, and general reading processing skills. Knowing their proficiencies in these areas, the ISRS study was able to profile the specific learning needs of different groups of adults.
ABC CANADA announces more analysis
“There is an absolutely crucial need for adult Canadians to have access to the literacy help they require, regardless of their geographical location or socio-economic circumstance, and this study is a great first step in understanding where help of a particular kind is needed,” adds Eaton. “ABC CANADA will continue to study these findings, and we intend to follow with some further analysis of the data.” That further analysis will provide more detail about the learning needs of each group of people, as well as demographic information – income, education level, number of children and employment status, for example – that should help literacy practitioners match their programs to those learning needs and promote their services. This investigation is supported along with partners Canadian Council on Learning, Canadian Language and Literacy Research Network, Canadian Public Health Association, and the National Collaborating Centre on the Determinants of Health at St. Francis-Xavier University.
A detailed picture of Canada's literacy needs will serve to understand best where investments in literacy need to be made in the workplace and in the community. “Those investments are critical,” says Eaton, “to rectify a situation where too many adult Canadians do not possess the skills to realize their full potential and where Canada's competitiveness is compromised.”
Please contact:
Jim Pollock, Director of Communications, ABC CANADA Literacy Foundation: 416-218-0010, ext. 126; cell: 416-524-8267; jpollock@abc-canada.org
ABC CANADA Literacy Foundation is Canada's private-sector voice championing adult literacy. The national charity's initiatives and campaigns are focused on bringing about meaningful change to raise Canadian adult literacy skills. It envisions a Canada where individuals, regardless of their circumstances, are provided the opportunities to increase those skills that prepare people for realizing their full potential at work, at home and in the community.
www.abc-canada.org