Story

 

The two previous studies are:
 

• The International Adult Literacy Survey (IALS), which for the first time assessed the capacity to produce written information and provided an overall picture of adult literacy (of people aged 16-65 years). The pilot study was conducted in 1993 while the main studies were conducted in the years 1994-1996 and then in 1998 in a total of 21 countries.

• The Adult Literacy and Lifeskills (ALL) study, which extended the research to skills concerning the use of formalised languages, reasoning and problem-solving, and the ability to interact effectively in the workplace and in social groups of reference. The study was conducted between 2002 and 2005 in 7 countries, and between 2006 and 2007 in another 4 countries.
 

The main aim of these studies, as with PIAAC, was to assess the cultural profiles of the populations concerned, to study the contexts and conditions in which skills are acquired and/or lost, or how skills can change and have effects on social inclusion and exclusion processes. Both IALS and ALL extensively studied the theme of competencies as the key to guaranteeing the basic elements to all people of all ages in order to be active in one’s job and social life and as citizens.
 

What is novel about PIAAC compared to these previous studies?
 

PIAAC will maintain the set of tools validated in the previous two studies and will deal with some aspects in greater depth, but will also develop some important aspects in an innovative way, by means of:

→ Direct observation of ICT skills through the direct use of computers in performing the items.

→ In-depth analysis of job-related competence profiles through the Job Requirements Approach.

→ The analysis of elements characterising the basic components of reading comprehension (reading components) in subjects with poor literacy skills.
 

• Moreover, since 2000 the OECD has promoted and coordinated theProgramme for International Student Assessment (PISA), which envisages periodic surveys every three years to assess key competences of 15-year-old students in OECD member states and in other partner countries. The knowledge and skills evaluated refer to the three disciplinary spheres of reading, mathematics and science, and each survey focuses on one of these spheres as the main target.
 

The IALS and ALL were conducted in Italy by the INVALSI – Istituto Nazionale per la Valutazione del Sistema Educativo di Istruzione e di Formazione (the National Institute for the Evaluation of the Education and Training System), supervised by the Ministry of Education, and with the support of 4 regional authorities and 1 autonomous provincial authority for the ALL study. The PISA is conducted periodically by the INVALSI, which completed the fourth edition in 2009.