Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) . Part of OECD Skills program together with PISA and OECD Skills Strategy PISA looks at knowledge and skills of 15-year olds , PIAAC the entire adult population, (16-65). - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) Part of OECD Skills program together with PISA and OECD Skills Strategy PISA looks at knowledge and skills of 15-year olds , PIAAC the entire adult population, (16-65). PISA tries to identify ways in which students can learn better, teachers can teach better, and schools can operate more effectively. PIAAC focuses on how adults develop their skills, how the use sills, and what benefits they gain from using them. PIAAC collects information on how skills are used at home, in the workplace and in the community, how these skills developed maintained and lost over a lifetime, and how these skills are related to labour market participation, income, health, and social and political engagement.
Transcript
Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC)
Part of OECD Skills program together with PISA and OECD Skills StrategyPISA looks at knowledge and skills of 15-year olds , PIAAC the entire adult population, (16-65).
PISA tries to identify ways in which students can learn better, teachers can teach better, and schools can operate more effectively.
PIAAC focuses on how adults develop their skills, how the use sills, and what benefits they gain from using them.
PIAAC collects information on how skills are used at home, in the workplace and in the community, how these skills developed maintained and lost over a lifetime, and how these skills are related to labour market participation, income, health, and social and political engagement.
The PIAAC policy ambition
(a) identify and measure differences between individuals and countries in competencies believed to underline both personal and societal success;
(b) assess the impact of these competencies on social and economic outcomes at individual and aggregated levels;
(c) gauge the performance of education and training systems, workplace practices and social policies in generating required competencies; and
(d) help to clarify the policy levers that could contribute to enhancing competencies.
Overselling what PIAAC can do
• “For instance, it would be valuable to know whether six months of early childhood education is less, equally or more important in determining patterns of learning in adulthood than other policies (such as aspects of curriculum design, aims at increasing the motivation to learn, or financial incentives for adult learning)” OECD, 2007, p. 29).
Original data collection ambition:• Test to assess literacy, numeracy and problem solving• Individual survey• Workplace survey• Collection of administrative and policy data from countries
The economistic discourse
Education as a production function:Education - worker’s characteristics – productivity - wage individual and national prosperity. “Education is becoming less distinct from that which is he economy (OECD, 1989).
Predictions of labour market structure where will the new jobs come and relationship between education and employment/wages, wellbeing, health
Almost exclusively focus on supply of skilled workforce supply not demand
“Education is the best economic policy we have” (Tony Blair)
“When learning becomes profitable we capitalists must become humanists.” (Gyllenhammar)
Percentage of workers who are over or under qualifiedover- or under-skilled in literacy ( after Thorn, 2013)
0 5 10 15 20
Sweden Finland Canada
NetherlandsEstonia Poland
DenmarkFlanders…
England/N.…Norway United States
AustraliaJapan
Average Korea
ItalySlovak…
GermanyIreland
Czech RepublicSpain
Austria
Under-skilled
Over-skilled
%40 30 20 10 0
Under-qualification
Over-qualification
%%
Methods
Target population: adults aged 16-65’ residing in the country, irrespective of nationality, citizenship or language status.
Language of assessment: the official language or languages of each participating country. In some countries also conducted in widely spoken minority or regional language.
Sample size: varies by country from 4,500 to 27300 (Canada), in total 24 countries, 22 OECD countries plus Russian Federation and Cypress.
Data collection: survey undertaken in respondent’s home and administered on laptop computer or by a paper version depending on computer skills.
Literacy
The ability to...Understand, evaluate, use and engage with written texts.
In order to..Achieve one’s goals, and to develop one’s knowledge and potential. Literacy encompasses a range of skills from..The decoding of written words and sentencesThe comprehension, interpretation and evaluation of complex texts.
Numeracy
The ability to…Access, use, interpret and communicate mathematical information and ideas
In order to..Engage in and manage the mathematical demands of a range of situations in adults. Numeracy involvesManaging a situation or solving a problem in a real context, by responding to mathematical content/information/ideas represented in multiple ways.
Problem Solving In Technology-rich Environments
The ability to…Use digital technology communication tools and networks to acquire and evaluate information, communicate with others and perform practical tasks.
The assessment focuses on the abilities to…Solve problems for personal, work and civic purposes by setting up appropriate goals and plans, and accessing and making use of information through computers and computer networks.
“Key information-processing skills”
4
Survey of Adult Skills Skills assessed(after Thorn, 2013)
The big message: Skills transforms lives and drives economiesWhat people know and can do impact on their life chances
On the average as proficiency increases:• the chances of being in the labour force and being employed increases,
• wages increases,
• skills also positively associated with other aspects of wellbeing (health, trust, participation in volunteer work).
Summary of proficiency in key information-processing skills
Significantly above the average
Not significantly different from the averageSignificantly below the average
Literacy skills in younger and older generations ( after Thorn, 2013)
Average 16-24 year-olds
Average 55-65 year-olds
UK
US
Canada
Germany
France
Finland
Spain
Korea
Role of formal education
• More important in Canada, USA less in Austria, Australia, Estonia, Finland, Japan, Italy
• In some countries skill levels differ markedly from what data on formal qualifications suggest ( United States rank much higher level of formal qualifications than in numeracy, literacy and problem solving skills)
• Japanese and Dutch 25-34 year-olds with only high school outperform Italian and Spanish university graduates of the same age. Interesting examples in many countries where those with less education outperformed those with higher education- especially in older groups.
• Raises questions about the relevance and quality of education in some countries.
5.6a (N) Mean numeracy proficiency in PISA and in the Survey of Adult Skills(after Thorn, 2013) 23-25 year-olds
570
Australia
GerAustria
Canada
Czech Republic Denmark
Finland
manyIreland
United States
Italy
Japan
KoreaNetherlands
Slovak Republic NorwayPoland
Spain
Sweden
450
470
490
510
530
550
220 230 240 250 260 270 280 290 300 310320
Survey of Adult Skills score
5.6a (L) Mean literacy proficiency in PISA and in the Survey of Adult Skills 23-25 year-olds
(after Thorn, 2013)
PISA score
570
550
Canada Australia
Austria Denmark Czech Republic
Finland
Germany
Ireland
Italy
JapanKorea
Norway
Poland
Spain
SwedenUnited States
470
450
490
510
530
260 270 280 290 300 310Survey of Adult Skills
score
320
Level 1 Level 2 Level 3
PercentAll adult education and training
100
80
60
40
20
0
Below level 1 Level 4/5
5.7 (L) Participation rate in adult education by literacy proficiency levels (after Thorn, 2013)
Use of skills at work ( after Thorn, 2013)
1.4
1.6
1.8
2
2.2
2.4
Reading at workLeast frequent use = 0
Writing at work Numeracy at work
ICT at work Problem solving at work
Average
Canada
Italy
Japan
United States
Most frequent use = 4
Inde
x of
use
Use of skills at work ( after Thorn, 2013)
1.6
1.4
1.8
2
2.2
2.4
2.6
2.8
3
3.2
3.4
Task discretion
Learning Influencing Co-operative Self-organising
Dexterity Physical
Average
Canada
Italy
Japan
Most frequent use = 4
3.6
United States
Least frequent use = 0
Inde
x of
use
6.11(L) Volunteering and literacy proficiency
0
1
2
3
4
5
Level 2 Level 3 Level 4/5
Odds ratio
Statistically significant differences are marked in a darker tone
Reference group: Level 1 or below
( after Thorn, 2013)
Per cent of workers who report experiencing change at their current workplace during the last 3 years which has affected their immediate working environment Source: European Working Conditions Survey, 2010.
Information about PIAAC
• OECD (2013). OECD Skills Outlook 2013: First results from the survey of adult skills. Paris: OECD (available from the web)
• OECD (2013). Technical Report of the Survey• of Adult Skills (PIAAC). Paris: OECD (pre-publication copy available on the
web).
• The Centre for Literacy:"Sabadooey PIAAC?": Interpreting PIAAC ResultsHowdy.Blog Name: "Sabadooey PIAAC?": Interpreting PIAAC ResultsBlog URL: http://piaacinstitutes.wordpress.com
