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This
project is the Scottish Survey on Adult Literacy and Numeracy (SSALN).
As the first national survey of literacy and numeracy abilities to be conducted
in Scotland in 13 years, the outcomes of this work will have profound implications
for policy and practice. As a small nation with a strong commitment to social
equity and inclusion, Scottish Government decision-making requires reliable
and sophisticated information.
The
current research is going to fill an important niche in the data
available to policymakers in Scotland. As discussed within the tender
document, it is important that this survey is conducted in a way
that:
- Is
consistent with IALS, to allow longitudinal comparison
- Has
a sufficiently sophisticated sampling strategy to allow exploration
of relationships between social justice issues and literacy/numeracy
- Can
link across to the SCQF
- Includes
detailed background information on education, employment, community
and family factors
In order to ensure the quality of data so critical
to this endeavour, literacy researchers from the Universities of
Glasgow and Edinburgh have formed a collaboration with the National
Foundation for Educational Research, the most highly respected
educational research and statistics organisation in the UK, and
Gallup Europe, an internationally known polling company with
experience of working in Scotland on projects such as Eurobarometer.
The team has personal involvement from key figures in Scottish
literacy research, specialists in household survey work and the
most respected educational statisticians in the UK. The
Principal Investigator and Grant Holder is Ralf St.Clair, University
of Glasgow. Lyn Tett is the research from the University
of Edinburgh.
The research involves a sample of over 2000 randomly selected 16-65
year olds in Scottish households. The sampling strategy ensures a high
degree of randomness and allows in-depth discussion of issues such
as gender, social class (broadly), urbanisation and geography.
The research began in October 2008 and will be completed in December
2009. It is funded by the Scottish Government, Education Analytical
Services Lifelong Learning Research. |
