Identifies three significant findings about Canadian literacy from the first International Adult Literacy Survey, examines their significance for educators and policymakers, and proposes a number of interventions to support literacy learning, especially for families from low socioeconomic backgrounds. Makes the case for a concerted effort by…

The International Adult Literacy Survey (IALS) was conducted in 1994 in seven European countries with the aim of producing literacy profiles to be used in individual national analyses as well as in international comparisons. It was assumed that the test items could be divided into three unidimensional scales corresponding to the aspects…

Systematic knowledge about the dimensions and levels of literacy and information about its distribution are prerequisites for forming good educational policy. This issue discusses the conduct and findings of the International Adult Literacy Survey (IALS). The IALS was not intended to rank literacy skills across countries, but was intended to make…