NALA Policy Brief

on Integrating
Literacy

December 2009

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Contents Page

Position statement 3

Policy Context 3

What is ‘integrating literacy’ 5

Research evidence 5

Benefits of integrating literacy 8

Conclusions and recommendations 10

References 11

Published by: The National Adult Literacy Agency 2009

NALA © 2009

The National Adult Literacy Agency (NALA) was established in 1980 and is an
independent membership organisation, concerned with developing policy, advocacy,
research and offering advisory services in adult literacy work in Ireland. NALA has
campaigned for the recognition of, and response to, the adult literacy issue in
Ireland.

Contact NALA at:

National Adult Literacy Agency
76 Lower Gardiner Street
Dublin 1
Tel: +353 1 8554332
Fax +353 1 8555475
Email: literacy@nala.ie
Web: www.nala.ie

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Position statement

The integration of basic skills, in particular literacy, into all publicly funded education
and training provision, in so far as is possible, is Irish Government policy.

NALA advocates that Government, along with the major providers of further
education and training, agree a strategy to implement this policy. Integrating, or
embedding, literacy into such programmes would contribute to achieving a range of
national policy objectives. It would be an important strand in the National Skills
Strategy (Expert Group on Future Skills Needs, 2007), in a refreshed national adult
literacy strategy, and in advancing social inclusion and equality.

A national strategy for integrating literacy support and development with further
education and training would enable many more adults to meet their learning goals
and needs. An integrating literacy strategy would assist all providers - such as
VECs, FAS, Teagasc, Bord Iascaigh Mhara, Fáilte Ireland, Enterprise Ireland – to
increase the effectiveness of their core programmes while at the same time
contributing to adult literacy development.

Policy context
Since 1997, with the publication of the results of the OECD’s International Adult
Literacy Survey (IALS) (Department of Education and Science, 1997), the Government
has recognised adult literacy as an issue of major educational, economic and social
concern. Adult literacy has been highlighted as a priority in a range of national
policies and strategies. The National Development Plan 2000 – 2006 provided
funding for a National Adult Literacy Programme (NALP) as set out in the White
Paper on Adult Education Learning for Life (2000). Towards 2016: Ten-Year
Framework Social Partnership Agreement 2006 –2015, prioritises adult literacy in the
area of adult education and commits to literacy development within the context of
the workplace and work-related training. The National Action Plan for Social
Inclusion (NAPS INC) sets out the national adult literacy target to reduce the
numbers of adults with significant literacy needs from 25% to between 15 – 20% of

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the adult population. The National Development Plan (NDP) 2007-2013 includes
funding for a sub-programme to address low literacy levels in the adult population,
prioritising a National Adult Literacy Programme.

The NDP commits to the objectives of the National Skills Strategy as outlined by the
Expert Group on Future Skills Needs (2007), in addressing low skills and qualification
levels in the workforce. Drawing on a review of available national and international
evidence, the Expert Group recognised ‘literacy, using numbers, using technology’ as
important generic skills that should be embedded in publicly funded education and
training. It is now a requirement of the Further Education and Training Awards
Council (FETAC) that generic skills will be incorporated into all new major awards
made by FETAC at levels 1-6 on the National Framework of Qualifications.

The Department of Education and Science has recently included integrating literacy
as a core guideline for the Back to Education Initiative. The Guidelines to Enhance
Cooperation between Back to Education Initiative and Adult Literacy Programmes
(DES 2009) map the basic features of an integrated approach to literacy that will
inevitably be adapted to the local, specific context:

Teachers of the core subjects know and use inclusive, literacy-aware methods
and materials. They take account of the specific types of language, reading,
writing and numeracy the students need to engage with in relation to each
topic or class. They choose and use methods and materials to explicitly
support students to fully participate in the core learning programme.

Students have access to a dedicated course-related literacy support service.

This is provided by tutors who are trained and experienced in adult literacy
principles and practice, and skilled in providing course-related language and
literacy development in adult and further education programmes at all levels.

There is effective and systematic communication between subject staff and

literacy support staff to jointly plan how to support students with their
specific needs.

Management have systems in place to facilitate that communication and

teamwork. (DES, 2009: 6)

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What is ‘integrating literacy’?

‘Integrating literacy’ has been defined by Australian researchers as

“concurrently developing language, literacy and numeracy and vocational
competence as inter-related elements of one process.” (Courtenay and Mawer 1995)

Integrating literacy involves particular methodologies on the part of the teacher or

trainer. It also involves inclusive, literacy-friendly systems and procedures at every
phase and across the entire curriculum. For more information on this, see the
document “Integrating Literacy – Guidelines for Further Education and Training
Centres” (NALA 2002) which outlines the key features of the integrated approach.

Supports for providers in integrating literacy include accredited professional

development programmes for vocational teachers and trainers (NUI Maynooth) and
for literacy tutors (Waterford Institute of Technology). NALA also offers an advisory
and training service to assist providers to phase in the approach.

Research evidence

A range of international research indicates that literacy is best developed in the

context of real-life activities and practices, and that effective further education and
vocational training programmes integrate literacy support and development with the
core content.

Dr Thomas G Sticht’s research provides a rich source of evidence that integrating

literacy works. In research and trials over many decades, in the US Armed Forces and
subsequently across a wide range of education and training settings, Dr Sticht
demonstrated that integrating literacy development with the teaching of the
vocational content was the most effective approach. It worked to raise literacy levels
and to increase retention and achievement on the vocational programmes. In a
presentation in Ireland (2007) of his own experience and research, and including an
overview of relevant international research, Dr Sticht concluded that

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 “In summary, at the present time, the Functional Context Education
principles are supported by the largest body of scientific, quasi-experimental
research on adult vocational, English language, literacy and numeracy
instruction in the field of adult education. They provide a solid foundation
for evidence-based instruction in the Adult Education and Literacy System of
the United States and other English-speaking industrialized nations…
Integrating literacy works!”

In the UK the government’s language, literacy and numeracy strategy includes a well-
resourced strategy to ‘embed’ language, literacy and numeracy into education and
training programmes. The National Research and Development Centre for adult
literacy and numeracy (NRDC) carried out significant research over several years
(2003 – 2006) on the effect of ‘embedding’ language, literacy and numeracy into
vocational education and training programmes in a range of settings. (Casey et al
2006). The study covered five curriculum areas in vocational education and training,
including 79 courses at two qualifications levels (roughly equivalent to our NFQ
levels 3 – 5). The researchers found that where literacy was fully embedded or
integrated into the vocational programmes, it led to

higher retention rates,

increased skills development in the vocational area and in language, literacy
and numeracy, and
increased achievement of qualification outcomes– in the core subject /
vocational area and in language, literacy and numeracy.
The research concluded that integrating literacy works.

In Australia, the government adopted in the mid-1990s a policy to integrate literacy

into all vocational education and training offered within the national training system.
It is a requirement that language, literacy and numeracy are built in, rather than
bolted on, to all stages of the development of what are called ‘training packages’ –
that is, all the publicly-funded workplace and vocational training programmes and
curricula. Research there indicates the pivotal role of successful partnerships in

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making integrated literacy work. These partnerships involve learners, educators and
trainers, qualification awarding bodies and those from the specific industry who
provide on-the-job training and work experience. (Commonwealth of Australia 2000;
Hegarty and Feeley 2009).

In New Zealand, the government’s Literacy, Language and Numeracy Action Plan
2008–2012 proposes a significant increase in the amount of explicit literacy and
numeracy teaching that is embedded into vocational and workplace training. To
underpin the ‘embedding’ strategy, the Tertiary Education Commission has
published a Theoretical Framework presenting ‘Key Understandings’ and outlining
implications for practice. These are based on a thorough review of research on
literacy and on adult learning, which confirmed the effectiveness of integrating or
embedding literacy in vocational and workplace training. (Tertiary Education
Commission 2008; 2009).

In Ireland, NALA has recently completed two research projects focusing respectively
on

- integrating literacy in formal further education and training programmes

at Level 5 (Hegarty & Feeley 2009); and

- a whole-organisation approach to integrating literacy in a youth

development and training setting (McSkeane 2009).

The findings from these research projects were presented at a joint IVEA-NALA
Research and Practice Conferenc e on Integrating Literacy on December 1st 2009
and are available on the NALA website www.nala.ie .

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The benefits of integrating literacy

Inclusive and successful programmes

Adults on an education or training course may have difficulties with some areas of
literacy while having high levels of ability to engage with the content and concepts of
the course. Integrating literacy with course design and delivery helps to
overcome literacy barriers to learning and achievement on the vocational or
academic course, and
develop literacy skills at the same time as, and as part of, teaching and
learning the main content of the course.
(Sticht 2007; Casey et al 2006).

Integrating literacy into vocational education and training programmes for adults
would significantly help achieve the National Skills Strategy objective to increase the
numbers of adults participating in education and training and achieving
qualifications at various levels. It would also help raise adult literacy levels: we
develop literacy best when it is embedded in activities that are personally
meaningful.

Integrating literacy will also help children’s literacy development, through the
intergenerational effect. For many adults, it will help redress the effects of
educational inequality and it will assist in a national strategy to combat educational
disadvantage.

Raising adult literacy levels

In the national programme to raise adult literacy and numeracy levels, a national
policy and strategy for integrating literacy would solve a number of problems. By
overcoming literacy barriers to inclusion, it would increase the number of adults
participating successfully in a wide range of vocational/academic/professional
education and training programme - all of whom will be using and developing their
literacy as part of the process.

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Economic objectives
Effective adult education and training has been identified as crucial to economic
development (Forfás 2007). If this education and training is to be inclusive, effective
and efficient, it is essential to integrate literacy support and development with its
design and delivery. Now more than ever there is a need to systematically
implement the recommendation of The Expert Group on Future Skills Needs (Forfás
2007) to develop an inter-departmental strategy to embed literacy development in
publicly funded education and training programmes.

Equity and social justice

Integrating literacy in all education and training programmes is critical in a national
effort to overcome educational inequality and disadvantage.

Many adults have had limited opportunities and life chances because of earlier
experiences in the education system. This educational disadvantage is too often
compounded in adulthood. Those with low or no educational qualifications have
benefitted least from investment in adult education and training: people with
literacy difficulties are less likely to participate in education and training
programmes, and persons with low levels of education are at greater risk of
unemployment. (Forfás 2009)

All publicly funded education and training for adults should be provided in a way that
overcomes literacy barriers to participation and learning. Such integrated
programmes will give more adults fair and effective opportunities to achieve
educational and vocational qualifications, while developing their literacy in the
process.

As a recent NALA research report concluded:

“There are equity, efficiency and pedagogical arguments for adopting a
totally integrated approach to literacy support and development (on further
education courses). Adopting an integrated approach…has been shown to
improve retention and achievement thereby augmenting individual,
community and national skills and social and economic wellbeing.” (Hegarty
& Feeley: 2009)

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Conclusions and recommendations

International evidence and practice shows that integrating literacy works. A national
strategy to integrate literacy support and development into all education and training
programmes will enable greater numbers of adults to raise their literacy levels. It will
overcome literacy barriers to inclusion, participation and success in education and
training. It will increase persistence and achievement across a wide range of
programmes. It will ensure that publicly funded courses at all levels are designed and
delivered in a way that takes effective account of course-related literacy needs.

A strategy to integrate literacy into all further education and training programmes
would be a significant part of a new National Adult Literacy Strategy and would
contribute to achieving a range of major national policy objectives.

NALA therefore recommends that Government, in cooperation with education and

training providers, agree a strategy for integrating literacy into publicly funded
education and training programmes.

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References
Casey, H. et al (2006) “You wouldn’t expect a maths teacher to teach plastering…”:
Embedding literacy, language and numeracy in post-16 vocational programmes – the impact
on learning and achievement. London: NRDC
Commonwealth of Australia (2000) Built in not bolted on: Language, literacy numeracy
issues in the delivery of training packages, www.anta.gov.au.
Department of Education and Science (2000) Learning for Life: White Paper on Adult
Education. Dublin: Stationery Office

Department of Education (1997) International Adult Literacy Survey: Results for Ireland.
Dublin: Stationery Office

Department of Education and Science (2009) Guidelines to Enhance Cooperation between

Back to Education Initiative and Adult Literacy Programmes. Dublin: FEDU

Department of the Taoiseach (2007) National Development Plan 2007 – 2013: Transforming
Ireland - A Better Quality of Life for All. Dublin: Stationery Office

Department of the Taoiseach (2007) Towards 2016 Ten-Year Framework Social Partnership
Agreement 2006 –2015. Dublin: Stationery Office

Expert Group on Future Skills Needs (2007) Tomorrow’s Skills: Towards a National Skills
Strategy. Dublin: Forfás

Expert Group on Future Skills Needs ( 2009) National Skills Bulletin. Dublin: Forfás

Hegarty, Ann and Feeley, M. ( 2009) Literacy-friendly further education and training.
Dublin: NALA

McKenna, Rosa and Fitzpatrick, Lynn (2005) Integrated approaches to teaching adult
literacy in Australia. Adelaide: NCVER.

McSkeane, Elizabeth ( 2009). Living Literacy: a whole-organisation approach to integrating

literacy in a vocational training setting. Dublin: NALA.

Ní Chinnéide, B. (2002) Integrating Literacy: Guidelines for Further Education and Training
Centres. Dublin: NALA

Sticht, T. (2007) Integrating Literacy Works! Presentation at NALA-NUI Maynooth Seminar,

January 23rd 2007. www.nala.ie

Tertiary Education Commission (2008) Literacy, Language and Numeracy Action Plan 2008 –
2012. Wellington: Tertiary Education Commission

Tertiary Education Commission (2009) Strengthening literacy and numeracy: Theoretical

Framework. Wellington: Tertiary Education Commission

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