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Level 3: another single measure of adult literacy and numeracy

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Whenever mathematics is employed to recommend or set in motion a certain course of action, it is done on the basis of a criterion. One never knows the validity of the criterion nor does one know the full implication of putting a particular criterion to work. (Davis and Hersh 1986, p. 74)

Abstract

In reporting the Australian results of the 2006 Adult Literacy and Life Skills Survey (ALLS), the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS, Adult literacy and life skills survey, summary results, Australia, 2008a, p. 5) stated that of the five internationally identified levels of literacy and numeracy in the survey, Level 3 is regarded by the survey developers as the ‘minimum required for individuals to meet the complex demands of everyday life in the emerging knowledge-based economy’. In effect, this Level 3 criterion, in the wake of traditional functional literacy/illiteracy dichotomies, creates yet another ‘single measure’ through which to distinguish those who can from those who cannot function in society. The Level 3 criterion and the accompanying verbatim quote have since been cited extensively by powerful institutions, including government, industry and skills in their promotion of a crisis discourse in adult literacy and numeracy. This has led in turn to national policy responses on ‘foundation skills’ and nationally agreed performance targets (by the Council of Australian Governments) for skills and workforce development based on the ALLS Level 3. In this paper we question the validity, origin and significance of the Level 3 criterion and contend that highlighting this aspect in the reporting of the ALLS has resulted in a narrow and unbalanced perspective on the role of literacy and numeracy in society.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Dr. Jeff Evans, Middlesex University, for reading and providing helpful comments on an earlier draft of this paper.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Research in Learning & Change, University of Technology, Sydney, Bldg 10, level 5, 235 Jones Street, Broadway, NSW, 2007, Australia

    Stephen Black

  2. Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences, University of Technology, Sydney, P. O. Box 123, Broadway, NSW, 2007, Australia

    Keiko Yasukawa

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  1. Stephen Black
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Correspondence to Stephen Black.

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Black, S., Yasukawa, K. Level 3: another single measure of adult literacy and numeracy. Aust. Educ. Res. 41, 125–138 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13384-013-0097-9

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