Recurring Themes

From a “big picture” perspective, there were many recurring themes throughout the consultation. While expanded upon in the sections that follow, here is a brief summary:

Shifts in Awareness and Understanding…

• A majority of people reported an increase in their own awareness and understanding of literacy over the last three years – and particularly that they have a broader view of what it entails.

• Most people said they do not remember hearing of the International Adult Literacy Survey (IALS) and of those who have, most underestimated the percentage of Canadians who are at IALS level 1 and 2.

• There is significant interest in having local, community-specific data around literacy.

The Murk Around Literacy…

• Literacy is often described in contradictory ways – and is, for that reason, confusing. Many people, for example, refer to it as a broad and inclusive continuum of contextually relevant skills – along the lines of the five IALS measures or as overlapping with employability skills. Others, particularly educators, define it as a clearly measurable grade or academic achievement level. Without reconciling these two notions of literacy in some way, the confusion around the term will likely continue.

• Similarly, conversations about literacy seem to be segmented into age- or context-related silos. That is, distinctions are drawn between “family literacy”, “adult literacy”, and “workforce literacy”, for example, with the implication that separate streams of programming are required. At the same time, the notion of “literacy and lifelong learning” seems to be universally understood – but implies a more holistic and seamless approach to the issue.

• Literacy issues are bundled up with numerous other issues – making it that much more difficult to define, identify, and address.

• Literacy tends to be positioned as either a philanthropic issue or a socio-economic issue. Current messaging about literacy does not reconcile these opposing views.

• The word “literacy” is seen to have negative connotations. Numerous other terms are used in its place, including “foundation skills”, “employability skills”, “basic skills”, and “essential skills”.