Various international organizations have performed a series of adult literacy surveys over the years. 1992 — NALS (National Adult Literacy Survey) 1994, 1996, 1998 IALS (International Adult Literacy Survey) 2003–2008 — ALLS (Adult Literacy and Life Skills Survey) 2011 PIAAC (Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies). Extra focus on digital and mixed formats.
We typically think of literacy in terms of whether someone can read or not, and how well. However, it is good to have a more nuanced understanding of literacy. According to the OECD, “Literacy is understanding, evaluating, using and engaging with written texts to participate in society, to achieve one’s goals, and to develop one’s
Yes, keeping in mind that what that looks like will vary widely depending on various factors: genre (from ads to research reports); audience (from children to policy makers); purpose (from a brochure to a manual).
The reading task refers to why a target user would access the content and how they would use the knowledge gained. Consider the following: What do they want to know? What does the author want them to know? What action on their part could be influenced by reading the content?
Target audience refers to all groups or individuals who may be expected to access the content and act on it. It includes those that may not be content authorities/experts but may push the content to a role with authority and/or budget to help achieve solutions. It does not refer to population groups who will benefit