Local literacy assessment tool more accurate than international survey

A new Aboriginal literacy study is showing higher literacy rates in Aboriginal communities than numbers gathered by Statistics Canada.

The two-year Aboriginal Adult Literacy Assessment Project was developed by a team of researchers concerned that the numbers gathered by Statistics Canada did not provide an accurate assessment.

In 2003, StatsCan used the International Adult Literacy Skills Survey to determine literacy rates in the Aboriginal population.

That study found that more than 60 per cent of Aboriginal people were unable to read.

“If you’re 63 per cent or below it makes it difficult to function in an economic society. It means you can’t even read medicine labels. We thought there was something wrong with that,” said Ross Grandel, a project co-ordinator.

Results from the Aboriginal literacy assessment showed 50 per cent of Aboriginal adults have challenges with literacy.

Robert Henry, a project co-ordinator, said there is a discrepancy in numbers because of how the surveys are framed and delivered.

“Literacy and assessments are biased towards those who have the power to create them,” he said. “The creators have the control to determine what is considered to be literacy.”

Henry acknowledged that even the AALAP survey is biased because it is skewed towards an Aboriginal perspective.

“That being said, this tool is more objective than other tools because we don’t rely on economic literacy or workplace literacy.”

Grandel said many Aboriginal people do not place the same amount of emphasis on the economy, therefore they may not relate to those specific questions on the survey.

“IALSS wanted to see how people can participate in the knowledge-based economy of Canada and internationally. It sounds like a generalization, but in Aboriginal cultures, the economy isn’t the most important aspect of existence,” said Grandel.

The two-part AALAP assessment targeted six pilot Aboriginal communities in Saskatchewan — one in the north, one in the southwest, one urban centre, two in the southeast and one province-wide.

The research team met with community members to develop the assessment.

Volunteers were then asked to take part in the survey, but were free to decline.

Grandel said the team wanted to make sure the survey was culturally sensitive and delivered in a holistic fashion.
For example, Grandel said the IALSS survey was simply a pen and paper test whereas AALAP had community members ask some of the survey questions.

“The facilitator was able to ask all the questions so that we could get the community’s story with literacy,” said Grandel.

The survey asked if participants went to residential school and if they spoke another language. The survey also asked why the participant may or may not have finished high school and what types of literacy education they would like to receive.

“People were able to use their first language to participate as well, if needed,” said Grandel.

The second part of the assessment measured strengths in reading, writing, numeracy, listening, and problem solving.

Grandel said the hope is for communities to use the survey results to develop literacy programs that fit their specific needs.

“This gives them that extra bit that they need to get literacy funding,” he said. “It also gives them an accurate picture so they know what kind of funding to go after.”

“We hope the communities can take these numbers and start creating an effective grassroots community plan rather than adopting best practices from outside the community,” said Henry.