Functional Literacy

Jane J. Parkerton
ENGL B6400
October 21, 2009

FUNCTIONAL LITERACY

The term “functional literacy” was first used in the 1930s. The U.S. military described individuals who had three years of schooling or less as functionally literate (Ntiri, 102). During the same decade, the Civilian Conservation Corps also used this definition of “functional literacy” (Rose, 6).

In 1973 UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) published a small booklet entitled Practical Guide to Functional Literacy: A Method of Training for Development. UNESCO’s use of the term “functional literacy” was in its most practically applicable sense, “the intellectual and civic training of workers” (Bellahsene, 11). Their concern was with the economic development of third world countries, which naturally involves training workers for a more complex and increasingly technological marketplace. The booklet outlines an integrated program that includes reading, writing, vocational training and instruction to develop the “professional conscience” of workers (11).

In their book, Literacy Primer, B. Blake and R. Blake say that “functional literacy” has “at least two meanings: (1) a minimal level at which an individual exhibits the ability to read and write a simple prose paragraph; and (2) the ability to use literacy for practical purposes, to get something done” (14). Regarding a minimal level of ability to read and write, B. Blake and R. Blake point us to other qualifying terms that are often attached to “functional literacy” such as “survival literacy” and “marginal literacy” (14). As for the second meaning of “functional literacy,” the authors include four “broad categories” of literacy skills, “reading, writing, numeracy and document processing” (17).

It is important to note that “functional literacy” is more frequently used in connection with adult literacy. About this B. Blake and R. Blake say, “A crucial element in an adequate definition of functional literacy is one’s performance in society” (15). Adults who are functionally literate would be expected to “function in society, at work, for home management, and for voting intelligently” (16). (Note: When I ran a Google search of “functional literacy,” well over three-quarters of the results that popped up were about adult literacy.)

Possessing a basic ability to read and write may still leave an individual functionally non-literate, that is, unprepared to fully participate in society and the workplace. If the individual lacks the ability to manipulate data and technology, employment opportunities may be very limited, allowing access only to low paying jobs. Ntiri says, “modern demands of literacy include far more than decoding and producing text. They have expanded to include information-processing and critical-thinking skills that adults use to navigate the marketplace” (98). In today’s society and workplace, labeling someone as literate or non-literate raises questions, such as what type of literacy is needed and how that literacy is to be employed.

This leads the discussion back to the second part of B. Blake and R. Blake’s definition of functional literacy, that is “the ability to use literacy for practical purposes, to get something done” (14). The authors refer to Venezky’s use of “procedural knowledge” to describe an individual’s ability to “do” something as opposed to his “declarative knowledge” which is knowing about something (15). In other words “functional literacy” can be used to describe all manner of types of literacy in which an individual must be competent in order to participate in society and compete in the marketplace: computer literacy, health literacy, numerate literacy, and media literacy are some examples, with reading and writing a vital component of each.

Looking more closely at the four “broad categories” of “functional literacy,” B. Blake and R. Blake focus their discussion on how to define and measure the attainment of each category. For the category of “reading,” they comment that “there continues to be widespread disagreement on the levels or types of reading necessary for functional literacy;” as for “writing,” “there is not yet enough empirical evidence about the skills for writing to set criteria for writing literacy” (17). “Numerate literacy,” the third category, is defined and measured generally as “The ability to think and express oneself with numbers, or the skills critical for ordinary meaning in print, such as basic addition, comparison (greater than, less than), dates, and times” (17). With “document literacy,” the fourth category, the authors quote Venezky’s definition as “the ability to make sense of documents such as these: tax schedules (which are becoming more and more complex), television schedules, advertisements, and labels on products” (18). The authors also suggest that computer literacy should be added to this list.

Becoming a literate person in our complex society increasingly calls for more than just a single set of skills such as reading and writing, which is a traditional definition of literacy. To be literate today requires an ability to function in society, in the community, and most especially in the workplace. Ntiri quotes the National Literacy Act of 1991’s definition of literacy as “the ability to read, write and speak in English and compute and solve problems at levels of proficiency necessary to function [emphasis mine] on the job and in society, to achieve one’s goals, and to develop one’s knowledge and potential” (97). Ntiri emphasizes the social context of “functional literacy” when she says, “The functional aspects of literacy now take precedence over basic reading and writing skills to the extent that both the scope and content have been enlarged to challenge the strengths of people to develop themselves and their societies” (99).

In Lives on the Boundary, Mike Rose describes himself as educationally marginalized. In public grade school in south Los Angeles he was mistakenly put in the vocational track when a teacher confused his record and standardized scores with another, less able, Rose in his class. He remained in the vocational track becoming one of the kids who was “scuttling along the bottom of the pond” (26) until high school and sophomore biology. His teacher was impressed with his A-student performance, checked his record, discovered the mistake and moved him promptly into the College Prep track. “A mixed blessing” (30), Rose says, because he was so ill equipped to read, write and perform at the College Prep level. It was only through the intervention of this teacher and other dedicated, caring and competent teachers along the way that Rose was able to move up through the “latticework” of the university system (8). The point that is germane to this article is that Rose not only had to catch up on declarative knowledge but he had to learn the “doing” or craft skills of academics. He had to learn how to read closely and critically, learn and practice constantly the craft of writing and to think critically, to summarize, analyze and synthesize his thinking.

Patricia Bizzell addresses this higher level of looking at “functional literacy.” Moving the discussion out of the minimal or basic reading and writing requirements to survive, past the purely functional competencies in skills, she says that metalinguistic awareness is the principal component of “functional literacy.” Metalinguistic is, she says, “an awareness of how thought and language interact” (135). "Functional literacy in America—literacy that confers a reasonable degree of educational and economic success and political participation—is that literacy which enables critical reflection not only on the different relations between thought and language that obtain among our various social groups, but also on the educational, economic, and political uses to which these differences may be put" (136).

Bearing these various conceptions of “functional literacy” in mind, it might prove useful to briefly look at the way “functional literacy” is played out in our society, particularly in New York City where this writer resides. A multitude of programs are now available in this country for adults, families and children. These programs fall generally into two categories: those federally or government funded and those that spring from national volunteer organizations. Through the Adult Basic Education Act of 1966, individual states receive funds to support locally driven, community-based literacy organizations. The Adult Learning Centers of the Brooklyn Public Library are excellent examples. Through these centers programs are offered in ABE (Adult Basic Education), pre-GED and GED as well as computer classes, health literacy, and visa and immigration issues. The Consortium for Worker Education and the Literacy Assistance Center, both in New York City, are excellent examples of locally based literacy efforts. These centers, and others like them throughout the city and country offer classes in ABE and GED as well as English, citizenship and civics for immigrants, employment and workforce preparation, homeowner and small business seminars, family literacy programs and education and training for volunteers and professionals in the field of adult and functional literacy.

In summary, this paper has explored the various definitions of “functional literacy” and the roles it has played in educating adults for a fuller participation in society and the workplace. Although “functional literacy” was and still is sometimes regarded as education for those at a minimal or remedial level of literacy, the term has also expanded to include vital and necessary educational opportunities for all.

Works Cited
1. Bellahsene, C. Practical Guide to Functional Literacy: A Method of Training for Development. Paris: UNESCO, 1973. Print.
2. Bizzell, Patricia. “Literacy in Culture and Cognition.” A Sourcebook for Basic Writing Teachers. Ed. Theresa Enos. New York: Random House, 1987. 125-137. Print.
3. Blake, Brett Elizabeth and Robert W. Blake. Literacy Primer. New York: Peter Lang Publishing, Inc., 2005. Print.
4. Ntiri, Daphne W. “Toward a Functional and Culturally Salient Definition of Literacy.” Adult Basic Education and Literacy Journal 3.2 (Summer 2009): 97-104. EBSCO. Web. 14 Oct. 2009.
5. Rose, Mike. Lives on the Boundary: The Struggles and Achievements of America’s Underprepared. New York: The Free Press, 1989. Print.