Education as the Key to Adult Quantitative Literacy

Many adults have neither the careers, education, nor lifestyles they desire due to a lack of quantitative literacy. For example, 1.1 million Louisianans are in need of basic literacy and skills training, and more than 30 percent of the residents older than 25 years never finished high school or earned an equivalency diploma, and a head of household without a high school diploma or a GED has a 92 percent chance of never rising above poverty due to chronic underemployment. (Louisiana Department of Education, 1994)According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, in the year 2000, 65 percent of all jobs will demand skilled labor. Three percent of the population with four or more years of college, seven percent of high school graduates, and 14.8 percent of citizens with one to three years of high school were unemployed. (United States Department of Education, 1992.) To compete in a global economy, Americans must be able to meet the demand for qualified labor (Young, 1995). Certain standards of literacy are required to be competitive. In 1991, the average age of the community college student was 32 years old. At that time, 1.9 million full-time and 3.5 million part time students were on community college campuses. (ERIC Clearinghouse for Community Colleges, 1995) Since 1988, community college enrollment has increased 23 percent. (Schrof, 1993) The increasing number of adults to re-enroll in educational institutions indicates that they are aware of learning opportunities. The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of educational and other variables on quantitative literacy levels of adults not currently in school. Method This study used the latest data from the National Adult Literacy Survey sponsored by the National Center for Educational Statistics. The sample consisted of approximately 1,800,000 individuals between 25 and 35 years of age reflecting the national population, including inmates from 80 prisons. Each subject provided background information and completed a booklet of literacy tasks. Three achievement tests were developed using the three parameter item response models to assess, prose, document, and quantitative literacy (Hambleton, Swaminathan & Rogers, 1991; Hambleton & Zaal, 1991; Hashway, 1988/1989, 1978; Ingebo, 1987; Lord, 1980, 1977; Swaminathan & Rogers, 1991; Wright, Linacre & Schultz, 1990). This study was confined to analysis of quantitative literacy scores, the knowledge and skills required to apply arithmetic operations. (Educational Testing Service, 1992) Participants ranged in age from 25 to 35 and were not currently enrolled in school. Males made up approximately 49 percent of the study. This sample included 72 percent white, 12 percent Black, 12 percent Hispanic, two percent Asian, one percent american Indian, and small segments of Pacific Islanders and others. Eighteen percent reported a yearly income between $20,000-$29,999; 14 percent earned less than $5000; and 13 percent earned between $10,000-$14,999 or $15,000-$19,999. Forty-one percent reported earning a high school, equivalency, or technical school diploma; 20 percent attended college or earned an Associate's degree; and, 20 percent reported education ranging from bachelor's degrees to master's degrees. Approximately 27 percent of the sample reported watching and average of two hours of television per day; 22 percent watched about two hours daily; and, 18 percent watched one hour or less daily. All disabilities, mental and/or physical, were grouped together. Path analysis was used to examine the covariance in the data (Kerlinger, 1986; Pedhauzur, 1982; Pedhazur & Schmelkin, 1991; Tatsuoka, 1971). Full rank model parameters were estimated to examine the hypothesized paths to quantitative literacy including library usage, television usage, personal yearly income, disability, personal education, race, parents' education, and gender. The final parsimonious model reflected the observed correlations with a minimal number of relationships and revealed that only five variables influenced quantitative literacy. …