Essential Skills Literacy Training: Tools for Older Adults

Findings and Analysis

By Linda Collier, Public Consultation FacilitatorNewfoundland and Labrador Laubach Literacy Council

Findings and Analysis

The following are the findings and analysis resulting from the public consultation process of the Essential Skills Literacy Training: Tools for Older Adults project. Over the course of the province-wide consultation process, 646 people were contacted to participate in focus groups and complete surveys through our website and by telephone or face-to-face interviews. 206 participated in 16 focus groups and 200 completed surveys – an overall participation rate of 62%.

Essential Skills Being Taught

Presently, the main Essential

Skills being taught by tutors are:

1. Reading 81%

2. Numeracy 58%

3. Writing 56%

Essential Skills currently taught - by percentage levels:

81%

56% 58%

35%30% 33%

23% 21% 21%

0%10%20%30%40%

50%60%70%80%90%

How Essential Skills are Being Taught

Although all nine Essential Skills are being taught by

various tutors to a degree, it is mainly at a basic

level.

Most are using the Laubach Way to Reading Series

(LWRS) supplemented with resources/documents

used in everyday living.

Many tutors who are not proficient in computer use

are presently not comfortable teaching basic

computer skills; others who would teach Computer

Use do not have facilities/resources available to

them.

Essential Skills Used in the Workplace As indicated by Key Stakeholders- Businesses/Organizations

Essential Skills Used - Business/ Organizations’ Responses

82%

77%

85%

72%

83%

77%

95%

79%

70%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

Reading text

Writing

Numeracy

Document Use

Thinking Skills

Computer Use

Oral Communication

Working with others

Continuous Learning

Comparison of Essential Skills used in the workplace and those currently being taught

81%

56% 58%

35%30%

33%

23% 21% 21%

82%77%

85%

72%

83%

77%

95%

79%

70%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100% Essential Skills CurrentlyTaught

Essential Skills Used -Business/ Organizations’Responses

Essential Skills used in the workplace rate much higher than those being taught in the current program.

Tutors’ and Trainers’ Perspective on Essential Skills’ Needs of Adult Learners

Tutors and Trainers indicate that adult learners would benefit from training in all nine Essential Skills.

82%72% 72% 72%

64% 66%58% 58% 58%

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%

Top ratings: (1) Reading 82% (2) Document Use, Numeracy and Writing

72%; (3) Computer Use 66%

Older Adults’ perspective on Essential Skills’ Needs by percentage:

22%

13%

22% 22%15%

70%

12% 12%18%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

Rating in the top three:1. Computer Use 70%2. Numeracy, Reading, Document Use 22% 3. Continuous Learning 18%

Key Stakeholders’ Perspective on Essential Skills’ needs of Employees/Volunteers/Clients

Respondents indicated that their

employees/volunteers/ clients would benefit from

training in all nine Essential Skills, depending on the

workplace situation. The top three indicated are:

1. Working with Others – 67%

2. Computer Use – 65%

3. Oral Communication, Continuous Learning

– 64%

Key Stakeholders’ Perspective on Essential Skills’ training needs of Employees/ Volunteers/Clients rated by percentage:

49%43%

38%42%

52%

65% 64% 67% 64%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

Comparison of Essential Skills’ Training Needs of Older Adult Stakeholders as indicated by the three different groups.

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

Older Adults 22% 13% 22% 22% 15% 70% 12% 12% 18%

Tutors/Trainers 82% 72% 72% 72% 64% 66% 58% 58% 58%

Business/Organizations 49% 43% 38% 42% 52% 65% 64% 67% 64%

Reading Text Writing Numeracy Document Use Thinking Skills Computer UseOral

CommunicationWorking w ith

othersContinuous Learning

Essential Skills Training Needs Point of View Comparisons

All groups had different ratings on Essential Skills’ needs of Older Adult Stakeholders.

Older Adults indicated their main needs were in Computer Use at 70%. All other Essential Skills rated 22% and under.

Tutors and Trainers indicated Adult learners lack all Essential Skills in varying degrees, ranging from 58% to 82%, the highest in the 3 R’s, Document Use, and Computer Use.

Businesses and Organizations indicated Older Adult Stakeholders (employees/volunteers/clients) lack all Essential Skills to a degree, with the highest deficiency in Working with Others, Computer Use, Oral Communication, and Continuous Learning.

All groups similarly indicated that Older Adults were lacking in Computer Use.

Recommended Essential Skills’ training for Target Group by Tutors and Trainers

(rated by level of importance from 1 to 9)

Highest rated for recommended Essential Skills training (rated #1):

1. Reading – 61% 2. Computer Use – 12%

Second highest rated for recommended Essential Skills training (rated #2):

1. Writing – 29% 2. Numeracy – 18%

Essential Skills’ training interest of Older Adult Stakeholders

75% of respondents indicated that they would benefit from Essential Skills training; 19% indicated they would not benefit; 7% did not know.

Yes, 75%

No, 19%

I don’t know , 7%

Older Adults’ Essential Skills Training interest by level of importance (1 – 9)

Computer Use rated highest order of importance (Level 1) for course

interest over all other Essential Skills – 17%; Computer Use was also

checked more often than other Essential Skills – 32%; also received the

lowest amount of No Response.

Continuous Learning rated second highest order of importance (Level

1) for course interest – 7%

Continuous Learning and Document Use checked as important

second highest (Level 2); Continuous Learning also second lowest

amount for No Response.

Highest number of No Response in Writing, Thinking Skills, Working

with Others.

Many respondents placed check marks instead of using numbers to rate level of

importance; others rated only some. Possibly these were the most important to

them for course interest which would indicate interest in those Essential Skills

only.

Older Adults’ Essential Skills Training Overall Course

Interest

This chart

indicates Older

Adults’ level of

overall course

interest, rated

and unrated.

Overall Course Interest

Computer Use, 69%

Continuous Learning, 44%

Document Use, 36%

Numeracy, 30%Oral

Communication, 28%

Reading Text, 28%

Writing, 27%

Working with Others, 27%

Thinking Skills, 27%

Barriers to Training

Main barriers identified were: Work and Family commitments Lack of confidence/self-esteem/fear Time Transportation Awareness/availability Finances

Essential Skills that Adult Stakeholders consider important for the workplace

All Essential Skills considered of major importance with Oral Communication and Thinking Skills rated highest.

82%

84%

86%

88%

90%

92%

94%

96%

98%

100%

96% 96% 91% 88% 99% 93% 99% 93% 92%

Reading text Writing NumeracyDocument

Use Thinking

SkillsComputer

UseOral

CommunicaWorking

with othersContinuous

Learning

Participant Profile

The majority of respondents were retired 35%

2nd highest group - students 31%3rd highest - employed 28%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

31% 28% 35% 11% 11%

Students Employed RetiredUnemployed,

looking Unemployed, not looking

Percentage of Essential Skills Lacking

Reading7%

Writing10%

Numeracy15%

Document Use9%

Thinking Skills7%

Oral Communication

11%

Computer Use20%

Continuous Learning

12%

Working with Others

9%

Focus Group Findings – Target Group

The highest lack of Essential Skills indicated by Older Adults is Computer Use, which is consistent with data compiled from questionnaires.

Focus group findings – Key Stakeholders

Key Stakeholder Focus Groups

indicated there is need for

training in all nine Essential

Skills, the major ones being

Computer Use, Document Use,

and Thinking Skills.

Training in Computer Use was

also one of the top needed

Essential Skills indicated by

survey respondents.

Esential Skills Lacking

60%

40%

60%

100%

100%

80%

100%

60%

80%

Reading

Writing

Numeracy

Document Use

Thinking Skills

Oral communication

Computer Use

Continuous Learning

Working with Others

Focus group findings – Tutors and Trainers

100%

75%

50%

50%

50%

50%

50%

25%

25%

25%

25%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% 120%

Practical document use

Computer training

Role playing

Thinking skills

Audio aids

Budget aids

Workshops

Story telling..

Teaching time

On-site tutoring

Materials suitable to learners’ interests

Tutor and trainer focus

groups indicated there is a

need for material for tutoring

Document Use.

Three of the four groups

indicated a need for training

in Computer Use, including

basic computer use, cash

registers, GPS and ATMs.

Summary

A comparison of findings from Survey/Interview respondents and Focus Group participants indentified the following main gaps in the current system: Need for updated, student-appropriate material

to prepare learners for today’s workplace Need for application of Essential Skills learned

from theory to practical Need for computer use/training Getting the word out - awareness of training/help

available

Conclusion/Recommendations

A tutor/learner training package that addresses Essential Skills development which includes a train the trainer guide, tutor handbook, and learning modules should be a top priority.

A documented process for application of Essential Skills from theory to practical should be put into place for universal use by all Laubach literacy tutors.

Computer Use/training in basic computer use should be an aspiration for all Councils. While it is not necessary that all Council tutors be proficient in computer use, it is important to embrace technology and have tutors and resources available to teach those who seek it.

There should be updated training for tutors which includes tutoring in Essential Skills to meet the demands of today’s workplace.

Public awareness sessions should be held on a regular basis to promote help available for those seeking literacy services,.

Participants throughout the province of Newfoundland and Labrador.