National Adult Literacy Database

Series: International Adult Literacy Survey

Authors: Jean-Pierre Corbeil

Considering the importance of literacy and the skills that individuals require in a knowledge and information economy, it is clear that the vitality of official language minorities largely depends on them having the tools and information that they need in order to grow and develop. Because of the unfavourable situation in which many Francophones find themselves with respect to their reading, writing and numeracy skills, these communities must have data enabling them to better understand the situation of their members so that they can target their efforts more effectively.

It was in this spirit and in light of the above that this study was prepared, focusing on the literacy and skills of official language minorities as measured in the 2003 Adult Literacy and Life Skills Survey (ALL). This study seeks to shed light on different aspects of the processes by which official language minorities acquire literacy and language mastery.

The main national objective of the ALL survey is to produce estimates of the change in the literacy level of Canada’s adult population since the publication of data from the 1994 International Adult Literacy Survey (IALS).

Added: 2007-08-09

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See also:

• Le volet canadien de l'Enquête internationale sur l'alphabétisation et les compétences des adultes de 2003 (EIACA) : État de la situation chez les minorités de langue officielle

Results of the International Adult Literacy Survey (IALS)

Series: International Adult Literacy Survey

Authors: Serge Wagner, Jean-Pierre Corbeil, Pierre Doray, Évelyne Fortin

This analytical report uses data from the 1994 International Adult Literacy Survey (IALS) to paint a general picture of francophones' literacy in Canada, and examines literacy in the context of language transfers to English. It also examines literacy training of francophones, and sorts out the impact of various social and cultural factors on literacy. Finally, the report suggests a number of avenues that deserve attention with regards to the analysis of data from the 2003 Iternational Adult Literacy and Skills Survey.

Funders:

Added: 2002-12-10

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See also:

• Alphabétisme et alphabétisation des francophones au Canada

A data analysis from the 1994 International Adult Literacy Survey

Series: International Adult Literacy Survey

Authors: Jean-Pierre Corbeil

This recent study analyses the disparities in literacy levels between francophones and anglophones in Canada. It is based on data from the 1994 International Adult Literacy Survey (IALS), the development and management of which were co-ordinated by Statistics Canada. Like many earlier surveys, the 1994 IALS identified sizable differences in literacy levels between francophones and anglophones. With respect to their performance on all three scales of literacy (prose, document, or quantitative literacy), francophones did less well on skill tests than anglophones.

This study uses several variables from the survey to identify factors that could explain such disparities between the two linguistic groups. For example, level of education plays a major role, as do age, sex and reading and writing habits. Historical factors are also important, especially given the substantial progress in education achieved by francophones between 1971 and 1996. This progress was such that among young people, there is almost no gap in literacy test scores between the linguistic groups. The study also examines substantial differences in literacy between Quebec francophones, living in a majority situation, and francophones living outside Quebec in a minority situation.

Literacy in Canada: Disparity between francophones and anglophones (89-573-XIE, free) is now available on Statistics Canada's Web site (http://www.statcan.ca). For more information, or to enquire about the concepts, methods or data analysis of this release, contact Jean-Pierre Corbeil, Demography Division, Statistics Canada, Tunney's Pasture, Ottawa ON K1A 0T6, Tel. (613) 951-2315, E-mail : corbjea@statcan.ca

Added: 2001-01-01

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See also:

• Littératie au Canada - Disparité entre francophones et anglophones