ERIC Number: ED661750
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2022-Jan
Pages: 36
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Assessed Skills and Skill Use of Adults with Learning Disabilities in PIAAC. Commissioned Paper
Margaret Becker Patterson
Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies
A sizeable proportion of adults has learning disabilities (LD); along with having LD, incidence of other disabilities and health conditions is a concern. Adults with LD face educational and employment challenges as well. Little is known about their skills in numeracy and digital literacy and how they use those skills, whether in the workplace or at home. The study's objective was to investigate numeracy/digital literacy skills and skill use for U.S. adults with LD. The study conducted descriptive and regression analyses of 2012-2014-2017 U.S. PIAAC data. Findings are presented on assessed numeracy and digital literacy skills, use of skills at work and at home, relationships of use and skills in both domains and locations, and use of skills among discrete groups of adults with LD. Adults with LD have lower mean numeracy and digital literacy scores than adults in the general population. Use of skills at home adds to variance explained in both numeracy and digital literacy skills; use of digital literacy skills at work does so for digital literacy skills. Findings suggest that using numeracy skills and digital literacy skills matter in gaining -- or keeping -- the skills themselves. Also, adults with LD appear to have a desire for learning, yet their rates of uncompleted education are high. Knowing relationships of assessed skills with skill use for this population helps in identifying strategies educators can implement to support adult program completion. Further implications of findings are discussed for adult and postsecondary educators, employers and human resource staff, and policy makers.
Descriptors: Adults, Adult Education, Learning Disabilities, Numeracy, Digital Literacy, Job Skills, Employment, Skill Development, Multiple Disabilities
Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies. Available from: American Institutes for Research. 1400 Crystal Drive 10th Floor, Arlington, VA 22202. Tel: 202-403-5000; Fax: 202-403-5001; Web site: https://www.air.org/project/program-international-assessment-adult-competencies-piaac
Publication Type: Reports - Research; Numerical/Quantitative Data
Education Level: Adult Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) (ED/IES)
Authoring Institution: Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) at American Institutes for Research (AIR)
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC)
IES Funded: Yes
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A