International comparative and country studies (PIAAC, IALS, ALL) on the assessment of basic functional literacy skills

Abstract

The lack of such an important skill as functional literacy becomes a serious obstacle to personal
growth and participation in society. While increasing the level of literacy has a beneficial effect on the
individual’s capabilities, his political activity, cultural development, social activity and economic opportunities.
The political activity of an individual as a whole contributes to the active promotion of Kazakhstan’s educational
policy focused on integration into the world space. There are a number of studies conducted by international
organizations such as the OECD, UNESCO and the World Bank, as well as at the country level, which are
aimed at measuring the indicator of functional literacy in the adult population. This article analyzes the modern
scientific and methodological literature devoted to the assessment of functional literacy of adults in the context
of country studies. Existing quantitative studies very often consider literacy from the perspective of cognitive/
thought processes. Unlike quantitative research, qualitative research relies on cultural theory and critical literacy
theory. It is important to understand that both approaches to data analysis influence the formation of policy in
relation to large categories of the population: how the research literature defines people as literate or illiterate,
and affects how the trajectories of the development of the adult population are discussed in policy documents.