Literacy Matters | Fact Sheet · Literacy Matters | Fact Sheet Literacy in British Columbia The...
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Literacy Maers | Fact Sheet Literacy in British Columbia The latest large scale literacy survey, Programme for the Internaonal Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC), found that: • More than 700,000 Brish Columbians have significant challenges with literacy. (16% of Brish Columbians were at Level 1 literacy or below in 2012.) 20 • 45% of Brish Columbians aged 16 to 65 may have difficulty understanding newspapers, following instrucon manuals, reading health informaon and other daily living tasks. 20 • 52% of Brish Columbians aged 16 to 65 may have difficulty calculang interest on a car loan, using informaon on a graph, calculang medicine dosage and other daily living tasks. 20 In Canada, some groups are more likely to experience literacy challenges. They include: • Canadians with fewer years of schooling 20 • Immigrants 8, 20 • Indigenous peoples 2, 20 • Older Canadians 4, 20 At home: • Literacy maers for health. Canadians with stronger literacy skills enjoy beer health. 9 Literacy skills help people find, understand and use health informaon. 6 • Literacy maers for managing personal finances. Numeracy is a key factor in financial literacy. 14, 19 • Literacy maers for understanding rights and responsibilies. It helps people understand what to do in legal proceedings. 7 • A literacy-rich home environment maers for developing young children’s literacy skills. 5 Having books and reading aloud at home are significant ways to support children’s long term literacy skills. 12, 16 At work: • Literacy maers for employment. Strong literacy skills are connected to being employed. 18, 20 • Literacy maers for earnings. Stronger literacy skills are associated with earning higher wages. 11, 13 • Literacy maers for health and safety. Understanding and following health and safety instrucons can be crical for personal safety. 3 • Literacy maers for success at work. Improving literacy skills can increase efficiency and accuracy at work, and can decrease work-related stress. 10 • Literacy maers for adult educaon. People with stronger literacy skills are more likely to parcipate in adult educaon and job related training. 15, 17 In the community: • Literacy maers for community parcipaon. Canadians with stronger literacy skills are more likely to volunteer. 9 • Literacy maers for polical involvement. Canadians with higher skills are more likely to feel they can influence government. 9 • Research indicates that literacy skills may be an important factor in interpersonal communicaon, community parcipaon and inclusion. 9 “…it is hard to idenfy any other single issue that can have such a large payoff to individuals, the economy and society” – Craig Alexander 1 “Literacy is the ability to idenfy, understand, interpret, create, communicate and compute, using printed and wrien materials associated with varying contexts. Literacy involves a connuum of learning in enabling individuals to achieve their goals, to develop their knowledge and potenal, and to parcipate fully in their community and wider society.” - UNESCO 21 604.681.4199 | www.decoda.ca | decodaliteracy | @decodaliteracy
Transcript of Literacy Matters | Fact Sheet · Literacy Matters | Fact Sheet Literacy in British Columbia The...
Literacy Matters | Fact Sheet
Literacy in British ColumbiaThe latest large scale literacy survey, Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC), found that: • Morethan700,000BritishColumbianshavesignificant
challengeswithliteracy.(16%ofBritishColumbianswereatLevel1literacyorbelowin2012.)20
• 45%ofBritishColumbiansaged16to65mayhavedifficultyunderstandingnewspapers,followinginstructionmanuals,readinghealthinformationandotherdailylivingtasks.20
• 52%ofBritishColumbiansaged16to65mayhavedifficultycalculatinginterestonacarloan,usinginformationonagraph,calculatingmedicinedosageandotherdailylivingtasks.20
In Canada, some groups are more likely to experience literacy challenges. They include:• Canadianswithfeweryearsofschooling20 • Immigrants8,20
• Indigenouspeoples2,20
• OlderCanadians4,20
At home:• Literacymattersforhealth.Canadianswithstronger
literacyskillsenjoybetterhealth.9Literacyskillshelppeoplefind,understandandusehealthinformation.6
• Literacymattersformanagingpersonalfinances.Numeracyisakeyfactorinfinancialliteracy.14,19
• Literacymattersforunderstandingrightsandresponsibilities.Ithelpspeopleunderstandwhattodoinlegalproceedings.7
• Aliteracy-richhomeenvironmentmattersfordevelopingyoungchildren’sliteracyskills.5Havingbooksandreadingaloudathomearesignificantwaystosupportchildren’slongtermliteracyskills.12,16
At work:• Literacymattersforemployment.Strongliteracyskills
areconnectedtobeingemployed.18,20 • Literacymattersforearnings.Strongerliteracyskillsare
associatedwithearninghigherwages.11,13
• Literacymattersforhealthandsafety.Understandingandfollowinghealthandsafetyinstructionscanbecriticalforpersonalsafety.3
• Literacymattersforsuccessatwork.Improvingliteracyskillscanincreaseefficiencyandaccuracyatwork,andcandecreasework-relatedstress.10
• Literacymattersforadulteducation.Peoplewithstrongerliteracyskillsaremorelikelytoparticipateinadulteducationandjobrelatedtraining.15,17
In the community:• Literacymattersforcommunityparticipation.Canadians
withstrongerliteracyskillsaremorelikelytovolunteer.9
• Literacymattersforpoliticalinvolvement.Canadianswithhigherskillsaremorelikelytofeeltheycaninfluencegovernment.9
• Researchindicatesthatliteracyskillsmaybeanimportantfactorininterpersonalcommunication,communityparticipationandinclusion.9
“…it is hard to identify any other single issue that can have such a large payoff to individuals, the economy
and society” –CraigAlexander1
“Literacy is the ability to identify, understand, interpret, create, communicate and compute, using printed and written materials associated with varying contexts. Literacy involves a continuum of learning in enabling individuals to achieve their goals, to develop their knowledge and potential, and to participate fully in their community and wider society.” - UNESCO 21
604.681.4199 | www.decoda.ca | decodaliteracy | @decodaliteracy
604.681.4199 | www.decoda.ca | decodaliteracy | @decodaliteracy
Literacy Matters | Fact Sheet
References
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-July2018
