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Skills and Practices
in Long-term
Adult Literacy
Development: Evidence from PIAAC and the
Longitudinal Study of Adult Learning
Stephen Reder
Portland State University
Stephen Reder - Portland State University
Practice Engagement Theory
• PIAAC includes measures of both proficiencies (assessed literacy, numeracy, and
problem-solving skills) and self-reported uses of reading, writing, numeracy and
ICT skills, which we will call practices here
• PIAAC data suggest that both proficiencies and practices are fundamental to
economic and social well-being
• Key question: How do proficiency and practices develop over time in adult life?
• My initial formulation of Practice Engagement Theory proposed that literacy
practices and proficiencies mutually interact and facilitate each other’s growth over
time
• The original evidence base for this came from ethnographic studies of literacy in
diverse settings and contexts
• A recently completed longitudinal study in the U.S. provides an opportunity to look
at the adult literacy development process more closely and elaborate Practice
Engagement Theory
Stephen Reder - Portland State University
Longitudinal Study of Adult Learning
• Long-term panel study of low-education adults who participate in adult education
programs & those who do not participate (6 sweeps 1998 – 2006)
• Sample of ~1,000 representative of local rather than national target population:
early school leavers, age 18-44, proficient not necessarily native English speakers
• Periodic in-home interviews and repeated literacy assessments encompassing
both standardized TALS literacy proficiency assessments and scaled measures of
engagement in everyday literacy practices
• Examines program participation & other learning activities, changes in literacy skills
and practices over time, and social and economic changes (e.g., annual income
reported in administrative data)
Stephen Reder - Portland State University
Elaborating Practice Engagement Theory
Proficiency
(t)
Proficiency
(t+1)
Proficiency
(t+2)
Proficiency
(t+3)
Practice
Engagement
(t)
Practice
Engagement
(t+1)
Practice
Engagement
(t+2)
Practice
Engagement
(t+3)
…
…
Stephen Reder - Portland State University
Elaborating Practice Engagement Theory
Proficiency
(t)
Proficiency
(t+1)
Proficiency
(t+2)
Proficiency
(t+3)
Practice
Engagement
(t)
Practice
Engagement
(t+1)
Practice
Engagement
(t+2)
Practice
Engagement
(t+3)
…
…
Proficiency
(t+2)
Stephen Reder - Portland State University
Elaborating Practice Engagement Theory
Proficiency
(t)
Proficiency
(t+1)
Proficiency
(t+2)
Proficiency
(t+3)
Practice
Engagement
(t)
Practice
Engagement
(t+1)
Practice
Engagement
(t+2)
Practice
Engagement
(t+3)
…
…
Proficiency
(t+2)
Stephen Reder - Portland State University
Elaborating Practice Engagement Theory
Proficiency
(t)
Proficiency
(t+1)
Proficiency
(t+2)
Proficiency
(t+3)
Practice
Engagement
(t)
Practice
Engagement
(t+1)
Practice
Engagement
(t+2)
Practice
Engagement
(t+3)
…
…
Proficiency
(t+2)
Stephen Reder - Portland State University
Elaborating Practice Engagement Theory
Proficiency
(t)
Proficiency
(t+1)
Proficiency
(t+2)
Proficiency
(t+3)
Practice
Engagement
(t)
Practice
Engagement
(t+1)
Practice
Engagement
(t+2)
Practice
Engagement
(t+3)
…
… Practice
Engagement
(t+2)
Stephen Reder - Portland State University
Elaborating Practice Engagement Theory
Proficiency
(t)
Proficiency
(t+1)
Proficiency
(t+2)
Proficiency
(t+3)
Practice
Engagement
(t)
Practice
Engagement
(t+1)
Practice
Engagement
(t+2)
Practice
Engagement
(t+3)
…
… Practice
Engagement
(t+2)
Stephen Reder - Portland State University
Elaborating Practice Engagement
Theory
Proficiency
(t)
Proficiency
(t+1)
Proficiency
(t+2)
Proficiency
(t+3)
Practice
Engagement
(t)
Practice
Engagement
(t+1)
Practice
Engagement
(t+2)
Practice
Engagement
(t+3)
…
… Practice
Engagement
(t+2)
Stephen Reder - Portland State University
Proficiency Practices
Proficiency at Previous
Time 0.643*** 0.002***
Practices at Previous Time 1.151** 0.411***
Age -0.365*** -0.003
Female -3.305** 0.194***
Non-Minority 7.160*** 0.126***
Learning Disability -4.728*** 0.026
U.S. Born 8.080*** -0.049
Years of Education 1.886*** 0.039**
Constant 82.464*** 0.453*
N 3722 3722
R2 0.50 0.22 *** p < 0.001 ** p < 0.01 * p < 0.05
Stephen Reder - Portland State University
Proficiency Practices
Proficiency at Previous
Time 0.643*** 0.002***
Practices at Previous Time 1.151** 0.411***
Age -0.365*** -0.003
Female -3.305** 0.194***
Non-Minority 7.160*** 0.126***
Learning Disability -4.728*** 0.026
U.S. Born 8.080*** -0.049
Years of Education 1.886*** 0.039**
Constant 82.464*** 0.453*
N 3722 3722
R2 0.50 0.22 *** p < 0.001 ** p < 0.01 * p < 0.05
Stephen Reder - Portland State University
Proficiency Practices
Proficiency at Previous
Time 0.643*** 0.002***
Practices at Previous Time 1.151** 0.411***
Age -0.365*** -0.003
Female -3.305** 0.194***
Non-Minority 7.160*** 0.126***
Learning Disability -4.728*** 0.026
U.S. Born 8.080*** -0.049
Years of Education 1.886*** 0.039**
Constant 82.464*** 0.453*
N 3722 3722
R2 0.50 0.22 *** p < 0.001 ** p < 0.01 * p < 0.05
Stephen Reder - Portland State University
Proficiency Practices
Proficiency at Previous
Time 0.643*** 0.002***
Practices at Previous Time 1.151** 0.411***
Age -0.365*** -0.003
Female -3.305** 0.194***
Non-Minority 7.160*** 0.126***
Learning Disability -4.728*** 0.026
U.S. Born 8.080*** -0.049
Years of Education 1.886*** 0.039**
Constant 82.464*** 0.453*
N 3722 3722
R2 0.50 0.22 *** p < 0.001 ** p < 0.01 * p < 0.05
Stephen Reder - Portland State University
Proficiency Practices
Proficiency at Previous
Time 0.643*** 0.002***
Practices at Previous Time 1.151** 0.411***
Age -0.365*** -0.003
Female -3.305** 0.194***
Non-Minority 7.160*** 0.126***
Learning Disability -4.728*** 0.026
U.S. Born 8.080*** -0.049
Years of Education 1.886*** 0.039**
Constant 82.464*** 0.453*
N 3722 3722
R2 0.50 0.22 *** p < 0.001 ** p < 0.01 * p < 0.05
Stephen Reder - Portland State University
Proficiency Practices
Proficiency at Previous
Time 0.643*** 0.002***
Practices at Previous Time 1.151** 0.411***
Age -0.365*** -0.003
Female -3.305** 0.194***
Non-Minority 7.160*** 0.126***
Learning Disability -4.728*** 0.026
U.S. Born 8.080*** -0.049
Years of Education 1.886*** 0.039**
Constant 82.464*** 0.453*
N 3722 3722
R2 0.50 0.22 *** p < 0.001 ** p < 0.01 * p < 0.05
Stephen Reder - Portland State University
Proficiency Practices
Proficiency at Previous
Time 0.643*** 0.002***
Practices at Previous Time 1.151** 0.411***
Age -0.365*** -0.003
Female -3.305** 0.194***
Non-Minority 7.160*** 0.126***
Learning Disability -4.728*** 0.026
U.S. Born 8.080*** -0.049
Years of Education 1.886*** 0.039**
Constant 82.464*** 0.453*
N 3722 3722
R2 0.50 0.22 *** p < 0.001 ** p < 0.01 * p < 0.05
Stephen Reder - Portland State University
The Long-Term Impact of
Participation in Skills Programs • Practice engagement theory suggests that the impact of skills programs may take
time to fully develop
• The typical short-term evaluation of programs may miss much of their eventual
impact
• Can see this clearly in LSAL data that followed participants and nonparticipants
over long periods of time
Stephen Reder - Portland State University
Wages of Skills Program
Participants and Nonparticipants
Stephen Reder - Portland State University
Propensity
Score Matching • One of three analytical methods used to deal with selection bias in comparisons of
program participants and nonparticipants
• Compares the 2007 wages of participants and nonparticipants matched on their
likelihood of participating based on observed pre-participation characteristics:
– Age Gender Race/Ethnicity Education
– Immigration status 1997 wages
– Learning disabilities Parents’ education
• Large difference between matched participants’ and nonparticipants’ 2007 incomes
if participation defined as 100 or more hours of program attendance
• No statistically significant difference if participation defined as less than 100 hours
of attendance
Stephen Reder - Portland State University
Income Growth in Propensity Score-Matched
Participants (100+ hours) & Nonparticipants
Stephen Reder - Portland State University
Skills and Practices in PIAAC • Many of these findings from LSAL are consistent with PIAAC data
• For example, earnings in PIAAC are predicted by both literacy skills and practices
in the workplace
• This PIAAC earnings result holds with controls on education, occupation, work
experience and demographics
Stephen Reder - Portland State University
Conclusions & Implications • This research expands the theoretical framework of Practice Engagement Theory
• The results provide evidence of ongoing, reciprocal influences between literacy
skills and literacy practices
• Key implication for programs: design programs to foster engagement in literacy
practices
• Key implication for policy: adult literacy programs have a long-term impact on
earnings that offers excellent returns on investment
• Key implication for research & development: improve measures of literacy
practices
Stephen Reder - Portland State University
Contact Details and References Dr. Stephen Reder:
– Email: [email protected]
– Phone: +1-503-725-3999
LSAL project information: www.lsal.pdx.edu
Some resources related to the research:
• Reder, S. (in press). The impact of ABS program participation on long-term economic outcomes. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education, Office of Career, Adult, and Technical Education.
• Reder, S. (2013). Lifelong and life-wide adult literacy development. Perspectives on Language and Literacy, 39(2), 18-21.
• Reder, S. (2012). The Longitudinal Study of Adult Learning: Challenging assumptions. Montreal: The Centre for Literacy.
• Reder, S. (2009). The development of literacy and numeracy in adult life. In S. Reder & J. Bynner, (Eds.), Tracking adult literacy and numeracy: Findings from longitudinal research (pp. 59-84). New York and London: Routledge.
