Functional Literacy in High School Students
What is Functional Literacy?
Prior to 1985, functional literacy was defined as the ability to read or write in English or another language. Standards for measuring one’s functional literacy have changed numerous times over the decades. In the 1930’s functional literacy meant having three or more years of school. During the WWII era, it meant completing a fourth grade education. The standards increased during the 1960’s. Literacy in this era meant that a person had completed an eighth grade education. During the 1970’s, the completion of a high school education meant that a person was functionally literate (Rose 2005).
The National Literacy Act of 1991 and the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 expanded the definition of functional literacy. These two pieces of legislation define functional literacy as “an individual’s ability to read, write, speak English, compute and solve problems at levels of proficiency necessary to function on the job, in the family of the individual and in society”. In conjunction with the clarified definition, literacy in general has been broken down into four levels (White and Dillow 2005):
Level One
• Able to follow simple written directions and select phrases that describe pictures
• Basic adding and subtraction
Ex: Locate the time and place of a meeting, Fill out a job application, Add amounts on a deposit slip.
Level Two
• Identifying cause and effect
• Demonstrating understanding of a body of text and draw conclusions about the text
• Using arithmetic when not explicitly needed
Ex: Identify specific location on a map, Compare cost of two items
Level Three
• Understand, summarize, and explain themes complicated literature
• Make...
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Finding a definition of literacy is not as easy as it sounds. The Webster definition says that to be literate is to be” able to read and write.” But to some researchers, this definition is too simplistic, leading to multiple models of literacy. Most Americans adhere to the autonomous model, which falls closest to the standard, dictionary definition. Believers in this form say that literacy is a cognitive activity that students learn like any other basic skill. It has a set of proficiencies that one must master in order to be capable of decoding and encoding text (Alvermann, 2009; SIL International, 1999). A competing theory is the ideological model, which claims literacy is intrinsically linked to culture, and therefore what constitutes a “literate” individual is ever-changing. Society is the largest influence on literacy, according to this thought, and it is affected by politics, religion, philosophy and more (Alvermann, 2009; SIL International, 1999). These two are just the tip of the iceberg. For example, some studies recognize “literacy as competence,” which is a “measure of competence to do a given task or work in a given field,” (SIL International, 1999) such as being computer literate. Although more researchers are recognizing and exploring multiple literacies, the one that most influences American schools is the autonomous, cognitive model – the ability to read and write. For many, it seems a simple task, but millions of adolescents are struggling or reluctant readers, and there are many reasons why young readers have difficulty with reading. XXXXXX------NEED HELP WITH THESIS STATEMENT HERE PLEASE—(This paper will focus on the effects of low reading skills, some of the possible causes of reluctant and struggling readership...
Deborah Brandt (1998) wrote “Sponsors of Literacy”, a journal where she explained her findings of the research she has done on how different people across the nation learned to read and write, born between 1900, and 1980 (p. 167). She interviewed many people that had varying forms of their literacy skills, whether it was from being poor, being rich, or just being in the wrong spot at the wrong time.
Other People’s Words: The Cycle of Low Literacy by Victoria Purcell-Gates recounts the author’s two-year journey with an illiterate Appalachian family. Purcell-Gates works with Jenny, the mother, and her son, first grader Donny, to analyze the literacy within the household. Throughout the journey, we learn the definition and types of literacy, the influences of society and the environment, and the impacts of literacy on education from the teacher’s perspective. In order to evaluate literacy in the household, one must study multiple types, including functional, informational, and critical literacy. As the name implies, functional literacy incorporates reading and writing as tools for everyday survival. Informational literacy is used through text to communicate information to others. The highest level of literacy, critical literacy, requires critical interpretations and imaginative reflections of text. In her study, Purcell-Gates strives to teach Jenny and Donny functional literacy.
Knoblauch. Knoblauch shows that there are four main types of literacy that exist. These four types are functional literacy, cultural literacy, personal growth literacy, and critical literacy. Functional literacy is what people use for the very basic everyday functions. Cultural literacy depends on the type of group or people. This is passed down through generations along with cultural heritage. Personal growth literacy has to do with the way people develop cognitive thinking. Individuals in this group let their minds wander in their imaginations. The fourth type of literacy Knoblauch discusses is critical literacy. Critical literacy is very radical and deemed to be negative in society. This type of literacy opposes people and organizations with authority and urges people to strive for equal opportunities. Knoblauch concludes that even though there are several different types of literacy and people, or groups of people, use the type that they want or need literacy to be. They then use this type to try and make everyone else conform to their
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Literacy, or the capability to comprehend, translate, utilize, make, process, assess, and speak information connected with fluctuating settings and displayed in differing organizations, assumes an essential part in molding a young's persons trajectory in life. The ability to read speaks to a key factor of scholarly, social, and financial success (Snow, Burns, & Griffin, 1998). These abilities likewise speak to a fundamental segment to having a satisfying life and turning into an effective worker and overall person (Snow, Burns, & Griffin, 1999). Interestingly, recent studies have demonstrated that low reading skills lead to critical hindrances in monetary and social achievement. As stated by the National Center for Education Statistics, adults with lower levels of reading skills and literacy have a lower average salary. Another study evaluated that 17 to 18 percent of adults with "below average" literacy aptitudes earned less than $300 a week, though just 3 to 6 percent of adults with "proficient" reading abilities earned less than $300 a week (Snow, Burns, & Griffin, 1998).
United States. Reading to Achieve: A Governor's Guide to Adolescent Literacy. Washington: National Governors Association, 2005. Print.
Knoblauch argues that there are many definitions of literacy that impact people’s lives. Although he argues there are many definitions, he focused on four types of literacy that are most common in society. Knoblauch labels them as functional, cultural, personal-growth/liberal, and critical literacy. He defines functional literacy as a level of literacy that is “readying people for the necessities of daily life—writing checks, reading sets of instructions”(1990, p. 3) and other basic reading and writing skills. However, he also warns that there are hidden agendas in these types of defined literacies. Ill prepared teachers who do not connect to and challenge their students result in no critical literacy and very little
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Understanding the educator and learners role, assessments, methods of assessing needs, readiness to learn, learning styles and instruments are equally as important as having an understanding of theories. According to Bastable (2014), the educators role includes: assessing problems/deficits, provide information/present it uniquely and appropriately, identify progress, give feedback and follow-up, reinforce learning, and evaluate learners’ ability. Additionally, the educator must be able to assess the learner, establish his or her needs, the learners readiness to learn, literacy, and which style of learning would best benefit him or her.
There are some theoreticians who view literacy in a form of social practice. In their view, social issues are also important components, as well as linguistic competence and understanding cognitive processes in language studies. Freire (1974) views literacy not only as a process of knowledge transformation, but also as a relationship of learners to the world. Vygotsky (1978) suggests two stages of development at social and individual level. In his view, literacy is a phenomenon that is created, shared, and changed by the members of a society. Gee (1996) similarly argues that becoming literate means apprenticeship with texts and apprenticeships in particular ways of being. In summary, literacy practices are not just about language, but about their interrelation with social practices.
The world around us is constantly changing and technology has a lot of impact on the rapid changes. This is one of the reasons why it is hard to give a specific definition of the word literacy. Literacy can be broken down into two main subcategories: literate and illiterate. One of the main discussions with this is what qualifications or qualities separate someone who is literate from someone who is illiterate. Historians have been researching literacy for the past five decades and have been trying to come up with a fixed definition of the word. To me, literacy is a very complex word as the definition has evolved over time, but in the end it is how one excels in their discourse(s), which have changed throughout the years and helped create their