The knowledge-based economy and the information society highlights the importance of developing new competencies for personal, professional and social integration. Problem-solving in technologically rich environments (PS-TREs) is one of these competencies. This research examines the relationships between higher education and the PS-TREs…

The UK continues to face a huge adult-literacy challenge, with a sizeable percentage of the UK adult population having very low literacy skills. In addition to highlighting the literacy challenge in the UK, this report shows these individuals experience negative impacts on personal relationships, wellbeing, health, and education, as well as a…

Literacy skills are a prerequisite to fully participate in society and are related to better chances on the labour market. Results from the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) show that a substantial proportion of adults in many participating countries possesses only low literacy skills. In Germany this…

This study highlighted how particular intersections of personal characteristics were related to Motivation to Learn (MtL) among adults. MtL is a prerequisite for adult education and training participation. However, little is known about MtL across subpopulations due to several methodological limitations. This study developed a national profile of…

Problem-solving skills in a digital environment are a prerequisite to a better future for all citizens in the Fourth Industrial Revolution era. To investigate the relationship between age, gender, computer use, and adult learners' problem-solving skills in a digital environment, this study analyzed the 4,540 Korean participants' problem-solving…

Background: A priori assumptions about specific behavior in test items can be used to process log data in a rule-based fashion to identify the behavior of interest. In this study, we demonstrate such a top-down approach and created a process indicator to represent what type of information processing (flimsy, breadth-first, satisficing, sampling,…

The current study examines change and stability of cognitive skills across life stages and delves into the factors contributing to changes in cognitive skills. Specifically, we examine the associations between cognitive skills and individual characteristics and contextual factors in a large sample of German adults aged 16-65 years (N = 2,430;…

This exploratory analysis documents and examines the differences in the information processing skill proficiencies (low, middle, high) of Black adults in the U.S. (ages 16-74) by key socioeconomic and related demographic characteristics (e.g., age, gender, education level, employment, health). Illuminating bridges and barriers (factors of success)…

We investigated whether andragogical assumptions and their common critiques are reflected in global PIAAC data using its motivation-to-learn (MtL) and elaboration scales. A preliminary validation study with 300 adults revealed that andragogical assumptions cluster on these scales' two factors. Using hierarchical linear modelling of PIAAC data, we…

Adults with learning disabilities (LD) face educational and employment challenges and may also have other disabilities and health conditions. Little is known about these adults' numeracy skills and how they use numeracy at work or home. The article's objective was to investigate numeracy skills and skill use for U.S. adults with LD. The author…

Today's workplace is going through tremendous changes and becoming highly complex in terms of technology and tasks. Thus, critical problem-solving skills are key to creating a sustainable career in today's global economy. Indeed, the global COVID-19 epidemic has amplified the need for these skills in almost all occupations. This study examined the…

Adult literacy skills are critical assets of individuals as well as societies in terms of economic (e.g., human capital) and social well-being. Thus, it is important to monitor the long-term trends and sources of skill gain/loss. Yet, temporal sources of adult literacy skill variation are understudied. The current study analyzed three comparable,…

The Survey of Adult Skills is a product of the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) led by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The Survey of Adult Skills aims to measure the skills needed by adults to participate in society and for economies to prosper. The 2023 survey assessed…

Quantitative literacy or numeracy skills are increasingly important at every level in a knowledge-based society. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships between numeracy achievement, environmental and intrapersonal characteristics. Although the sample for this study included 5,862 U.S. adults (aged 16-65) from the Program…

This study examines what demographic and skill-level factors predict the aspiration to enroll in any education class or program among people in prison in the U.S. The authors draw independent variables from the literature on prison and community-based programs that relate to educational achievement and aspiration. These include race, gender, age,…