New Light on Adult Literacy and Numeracy in Scotland: Evidence from the 2004 survey of the 1970 British Cohort Study (BCS70)

This report gives the results of a separate analysis for Scotland of literacy and numeracy data collected in the 1970 British Cohort Study at age 34. It relates performance in these skills to a wide range of other features of Scottish cohort members' lives.


Foreword

Analysis of the UK data reported in New Light on Literacy and Numeracy 1 indicated that there are some differences between performance of adults in Scotland and those from other parts of the UK. A second analysis was commissioned by Learning Connections, Directorate of Lifelong Learning, the Scottish Government.

This report presents the findings of that analysis. It provides valuable insights into the social, educational and economic factors associated with the acquisition of effective literacy and numeracy and the consequences for those who have not yet mastered literacy and numeracy skills to the level demanded by modern day life.

There are lessons here for policy makers and providers of tuition in all educational sectors. There are also significant messages for a range of other services, such as Health, Social Care and Social Work concerning the relationship between their service users and educational attainment, and the potential for learning to contribute to service outcomes.

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