1. ICT use in a time of change

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The widespread diffusion of information and communications technologies (ICTs) has been a source of change on many fronts. Spurred by the rapid pace of this evolution, people have learned to develop new - and changing - skill sets to use ICTs effectively. ICTs are now linked with the experiences in many aspects of peoples’ lives (Fanning 2001). Whether using a search engine on the Internet at home, manipulating data on a computer at work, or using a word processor at school, people engage in a process of learning – and sometimes adapting – skills related to these technologies. Some skills may be very specific, while others are generic and transferable (Committee on Information Technology Literacy 1999). Some argue that it is not necessarily application-specific knowledge, but rather generic skills applicable to several applications that equip individuals for the rapid change in the world of ICTs (Anderson and Bikson 1998).

Having basic literacy skills enables individuals to enter various forms of engagement in everyday life. Means of social participation, and the conception of literacy that goes along with it, have changed substantially over time (Meyer and Rose 2000, Leu Jr. 2000). At some point, literacy for the majority of the population consisted of little more than being able to sign a legal document. In time, the ability to read became critical to an individual’s awareness and understanding of society, and this ability became intertwined with today’s concept of literacy (International ICT Literacy Panel 2002).

Possessing the skills to use ICTs effectively allows individuals to function in the digital world, much like basic literacy enables various forms of engagement in other parts of everyday life. This link underpins the notion that ICT skills are an integral part of an emerging concept of literacy (Irish Information Society 2000), or form distinct sets of skills (BECTA 2002, Asha and Ramachandran 2001) or “workplace competencies” (OECD 2001a, OECD 2002). These skills are sometimes referred to as “foundation” skills because they are often not specific to any one job or task but are needed across many activities and provide the base upon which other skills are built (HRDC 2002, Conference Board of Canada 2000). However, there is currently no commonly-adopted definition of ICT skills (OECD 2004). While progress has been made in properly situating ICT skills within the overall skills continuum (International ICT Literacy Panel 2002), ICT skills have eluded measurement - with a few exceptions (see, for instance, DfES 2003).

While the study of literacy and general life skills dates back some time, and ICT penetration and use have attracted much research in recent years, it has seldom been possible to combine the two.¹ The Adult Literacy and Life Skills Survey (ALL), however, collected information on individuals’ use of and familiarity with ICTs in relation to general literacy skills. Using this new information source, largely based on survey respondents’ self-assessment of ICT use, perceptions of experience, and degree of comfort with ICTs, this study explores the relationship between ICT use and literacy skills. It begins by profiling individuals’ access to computers, the Internet and other ICTs. It then proceeds to investigate the relationship between ICT use and literacy skills, as well as to profile ICT use by individual characteristics, including age, gender, and educational attainment. Finally, outcomes associated with both the use of ICTs and literacy skills are explored. In many parts of the paper, results for Canada are compared with those of five other countries included in the ALL survey: the United States, Bermuda, Italy, Norway and Switzerland. In some sections, patterns are also examined at the provincial/territorial level to provide additional perspective for Canada.²

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1. Some recent studies have addressed relationships between ICT use and academic performance among students. The findings are mixed, with studies showing positive, negative, and neutral relationships between specific types of ICT use and student performance (Bussière and Gluszynski 2004, Fuchs and Woessmann 2004). A review of research suggests that it is not merely the availability of ICTs, but rather the quality and type of ICT use that is a key factor in performance (Bussière and Gluszynski 2004). While some studies emphasize the role of ICT skills in today’s society, others challenge their importance or relevance, in terms of labour market returns, for example (Borghans and ter Weel 2004). This study does not attempt to measure ICT skills directly, but rather compares individuals’ attitudes and intensity of use of ICTs with literacy skills.
2. For an international comparative report on ICT use and literacy skills from the same survey source, see Veenhof, Clermont and Sciadas (2005). For a national report with detailed results for Canada, see Statistics Canada and Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (2005).