When investment in basic skills gives negative returns

• Published in: Adult education quarterly Vol. 67; no. 2; pp. 136 - 154
• Main Authors: Billington, Mary Genevieve, Nissinen, Kari, Gabrielsen, Egil
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01-05-2017
• Subjects: Achievement Tests; Adult Basic Education; Adult Education; Adult Literacy; Age Differences; Alphabetisierung; Basic Skills; Data Analysis; Educational Trends; Erwachsenenbildung; Evaluation; Foreign Countries; Gender Differences; Integration; International Assessment; Norwegen; Numeracy; Outcomes of Education; Secondary School Students; Statistik; Surveys; Norway; literacy; basic skills; numeracy; adult education; trends; international surveys
• ISSN: 0741-7136; 0001-8481; 1552-3047
• DOI: 10.1177/0741713617692413

In recent years, the Norwegian government has invested heavily in improving basic skills in the adult population. Initiatives have included legislation, the introduction of work-based adult education programs, and reforms in schooling. In light of this investment, we explore trends in adult literacy and numeracy, by comparing data from two international surveys of adult skills, conducted in 2003 and 2012. Paradoxically, the proportion of low-performing adults appears to have increased, most significantly in the 16- to 24-year age group and in the foreign-born population. The profile of the lowest performing group has changed in the intervening years. These findings suggest that adult education programs and the education system more generally may not be in concord with the goal of including all in the communities of the literate. We discuss policy implications, in the context of the Scandinavian model, but argue that the discussion is applicable beyond national boundaries.