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All (5) ((5 results))

  • Articles and reports: 56F0004M2005012
    Geography: Canada
    Description:

    This paper investigates relationships between adult literacy skills and use of information and communications technologies (ICTs). Using the Adult Literacy and Life Skills Survey (ALL), it becomes possible to compare respondents' ICT use, based on self-assessed ICT use patterns and attitudes toward computers, with literacy skills and a number of socio-demographic characteristics, including age, gender and educational attainment. The paper offers data for Canada, its provinces and territories, as well as five other countries (Bermuda, the United States, Italy, Norway and Switzerland), allowing international and inter-provincial comparisons. An important objective of the paper is to examine outcomes associated with literacy skills in combination with patterns of ICT use, and this is achieved by profiling these characteristics and studying their relationships with respondent income. In addition, it offers a portrait of adults' computer and Internet use, including purposes of use, attitudes toward computers, and use of other ICTs, and analyzes such use, with a detailed focus on Canada.

    Patterns of Internet and computer access confirm the existence of "digital divides" both within and between nations. Apart from Italy, differences between the countries included in this study are not large. However, as found elsewhere, large divides exist within countries when examining respondents grouped by their level of income. In Canada, the Western provinces, the territories, and Ontario emerge as leaders in ICT use, although regional patterns are complex and vary depending on the specific technology examined.

    Many other factors are also strongly associated with respondents' ICT use. Age, gender, educational attainment, and level of literacy proficiency help predict whether a respondent is a "high-intensity" computer user. A significant decline in ICT use is found to occur after age 45 in all countries. The findings for ICT use by gender, however, were mixed. In the European countries included in this study (Italy, Norway and Switzerland), clear gender differences emerge but no such gap exists in North America. Respondents with less than upper-secondary education are significantly less likely to use computers for a range of purposes, and this pattern is most pronounced in Italy and Bermuda. In addition, scales that measure individuals' use of computers and the Internet, and attitudes toward computers, tend to increase with the literacy proficiency of respondents.

    Finally, literacy and computer use profiles are strongly related to the likelihood that respondents have high earnings. In most countries included in this study, adults who have average or higher literacy skills and who are intensive computer users have about three to six times the odds of being in the top quartile of personal income, compared to respondents with below average literacy skills and less intensive computer use.

    Release date: 2005-12-05

  • Journals and periodicals: 89-617-X
    Geography: Canada, Province or territory
    Description:

    The International Adult Literacy and Skills Survey, undertaken in 2003, measured the proficiencies of a representative sample of Canadian adults aged 16 and over in four domains: prose literacy, document literacy, numeracy and problem solving, and benchmarked performance against an international standard. The proficiency scores are compared between provinces, territories and nations, and over time. Moreover, literacy performance is examined in relation to differences in variables such as educational attainment, employment and unemployment, earnings and self-assessed health. Analyses of the literacy performance of groups of special interest, including women and men, young adults and seniors, recent and established immigrants, and Aboriginal populations are included.

    Release date: 2005-11-30

  • Articles and reports: 88-003-X20050038762
    Geography: Canada
    Description:

    The penetration of information and communications technologies (ICTs), most notably computers and the Internet, has been analyzed extensively in recent years. Studies of the digital divide have identified important gaps in access and use of ICTs between different groups of people, depending on their demographic and socioeconomic characteristics. The results of a Statistics Canada survey combined measure of individuals' computer use and literacy in order to get to such outcomes.

    Release date: 2005-10-26

  • Journals and periodicals: 89-603-X
    Geography: Canada
    Description:

    "Learning a living: First results of the Adult Literacy and Life Skills Survey" presents new evidence on the nature and magnitude of the literacy gaps faced by OECD countries and how these gaps have evolved over the medium term.

    The fundamental goal of the Adult Literacy and Life Skills Survey (ALL) is to shed new light on the twin processes of skill gain and loss. The survey is sponsored by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

    The report offers new insights into the factors that influence the formation and loss of adult skills in various settings - at home and at work - for the seven countries participating in the first round of data collection. The study offers the first comparative evidence on the impact of formal adult education and informal learning on the supply of skill. It also provides unique insight into the distribution of information and communication technology skills, and how these have amplified both productivity and wage inequality.

    It is meant to assist decision makers in formulating policy in four areas:-Policies aimed at removing skill deficits that act as barriers to innovation, productivity and high rates of economic growth;-Policies designed to limit and reverse social exclusion and income inequality; -Policies that seek to reduce the unit cost of delivering public health care and education services;-Policies conceived to improve quality in all spheres, from public services to quality of life, individual fulfillment and happiness.

    Release date: 2005-05-11

  • Surveys and statistical programs – Documentation: 89-552-M2005013
    Geography: Canada
    Description:

    This report documents key aspects of the development of the International Adult Literacy and Life Skills Survey (ALL) - its theoretical roots, the domains selected for possible assessment, the approaches taken to assessment in each domain and the criteria that were employed to decide which domains were to be carried in the final design. As conceived, the ALL survey was meant to build on the success of the International Adult Literacy Survey (IALS) assessments by extending the range of skills assessed and by improving the quality of the assessment methods employed. This report documents several successes including: · the development of a new framework and associated robust measures for problem solving · the development of a powerful numeracy framework and associated robust measures · the specification of frameworks for practical cognition, teamwork and information and communication technology literacy The report also provides insight into those domains where development failed to yield approaches to assessment of sufficient quality, insight that reminds us that scientific advance in this domain is hard won.

    Release date: 2005-03-24
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  • Articles and reports: 56F0004M2005012
    Geography: Canada
    Description:

    This paper investigates relationships between adult literacy skills and use of information and communications technologies (ICTs). Using the Adult Literacy and Life Skills Survey (ALL), it becomes possible to compare respondents' ICT use, based on self-assessed ICT use patterns and attitudes toward computers, with literacy skills and a number of socio-demographic characteristics, including age, gender and educational attainment. The paper offers data for Canada, its provinces and territories, as well as five other countries (Bermuda, the United States, Italy, Norway and Switzerland), allowing international and inter-provincial comparisons. An important objective of the paper is to examine outcomes associated with literacy skills in combination with patterns of ICT use, and this is achieved by profiling these characteristics and studying their relationships with respondent income. In addition, it offers a portrait of adults' computer and Internet use, including purposes of use, attitudes toward computers, and use of other ICTs, and analyzes such use, with a detailed focus on Canada.

    Patterns of Internet and computer access confirm the existence of "digital divides" both within and between nations. Apart from Italy, differences between the countries included in this study are not large. However, as found elsewhere, large divides exist within countries when examining respondents grouped by their level of income. In Canada, the Western provinces, the territories, and Ontario emerge as leaders in ICT use, although regional patterns are complex and vary depending on the specific technology examined.

    Many other factors are also strongly associated with respondents' ICT use. Age, gender, educational attainment, and level of literacy proficiency help predict whether a respondent is a "high-intensity" computer user. A significant decline in ICT use is found to occur after age 45 in all countries. The findings for ICT use by gender, however, were mixed. In the European countries included in this study (Italy, Norway and Switzerland), clear gender differences emerge but no such gap exists in North America. Respondents with less than upper-secondary education are significantly less likely to use computers for a range of purposes, and this pattern is most pronounced in Italy and Bermuda. In addition, scales that measure individuals' use of computers and the Internet, and attitudes toward computers, tend to increase with the literacy proficiency of respondents.

    Finally, literacy and computer use profiles are strongly related to the likelihood that respondents have high earnings. In most countries included in this study, adults who have average or higher literacy skills and who are intensive computer users have about three to six times the odds of being in the top quartile of personal income, compared to respondents with below average literacy skills and less intensive computer use.

    Release date: 2005-12-05

  • Journals and periodicals: 89-617-X
    Geography: Canada, Province or territory
    Description:

    The International Adult Literacy and Skills Survey, undertaken in 2003, measured the proficiencies of a representative sample of Canadian adults aged 16 and over in four domains: prose literacy, document literacy, numeracy and problem solving, and benchmarked performance against an international standard. The proficiency scores are compared between provinces, territories and nations, and over time. Moreover, literacy performance is examined in relation to differences in variables such as educational attainment, employment and unemployment, earnings and self-assessed health. Analyses of the literacy performance of groups of special interest, including women and men, young adults and seniors, recent and established immigrants, and Aboriginal populations are included.

    Release date: 2005-11-30

  • Articles and reports: 88-003-X20050038762
    Geography: Canada
    Description:

    The penetration of information and communications technologies (ICTs), most notably computers and the Internet, has been analyzed extensively in recent years. Studies of the digital divide have identified important gaps in access and use of ICTs between different groups of people, depending on their demographic and socioeconomic characteristics. The results of a Statistics Canada survey combined measure of individuals' computer use and literacy in order to get to such outcomes.

    Release date: 2005-10-26

  • Journals and periodicals: 89-603-X
    Geography: Canada
    Description:

    "Learning a living: First results of the Adult Literacy and Life Skills Survey" presents new evidence on the nature and magnitude of the literacy gaps faced by OECD countries and how these gaps have evolved over the medium term.

    The fundamental goal of the Adult Literacy and Life Skills Survey (ALL) is to shed new light on the twin processes of skill gain and loss. The survey is sponsored by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

    The report offers new insights into the factors that influence the formation and loss of adult skills in various settings - at home and at work - for the seven countries participating in the first round of data collection. The study offers the first comparative evidence on the impact of formal adult education and informal learning on the supply of skill. It also provides unique insight into the distribution of information and communication technology skills, and how these have amplified both productivity and wage inequality.

    It is meant to assist decision makers in formulating policy in four areas:-Policies aimed at removing skill deficits that act as barriers to innovation, productivity and high rates of economic growth;-Policies designed to limit and reverse social exclusion and income inequality; -Policies that seek to reduce the unit cost of delivering public health care and education services;-Policies conceived to improve quality in all spheres, from public services to quality of life, individual fulfillment and happiness.

    Release date: 2005-05-11
Reference (1)

Reference (1) ((1 result))

  • Surveys and statistical programs – Documentation: 89-552-M2005013
    Geography: Canada
    Description:

    This report documents key aspects of the development of the International Adult Literacy and Life Skills Survey (ALL) - its theoretical roots, the domains selected for possible assessment, the approaches taken to assessment in each domain and the criteria that were employed to decide which domains were to be carried in the final design. As conceived, the ALL survey was meant to build on the success of the International Adult Literacy Survey (IALS) assessments by extending the range of skills assessed and by improving the quality of the assessment methods employed. This report documents several successes including: · the development of a new framework and associated robust measures for problem solving · the development of a powerful numeracy framework and associated robust measures · the specification of frameworks for practical cognition, teamwork and information and communication technology literacy The report also provides insight into those domains where development failed to yield approaches to assessment of sufficient quality, insight that reminds us that scientific advance in this domain is hard won.

    Release date: 2005-03-24
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