LITERACY IN ESTONIA COUNTRY REPORT ADULTS March 2016 This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication reflects the views of its authors only, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained herein.
This report reflects the point of view of literacy professionals assembled in this network. It is still a work in progress since we continue to gather and update information on literacy in Romania up to the year 2015. The contents of this publication may be reproduced in part, except for commercial purposes, provided the extract is preceded by a reference to ELINET, followed by the date of publication of the document. Main authors A Performance in Literacy: Professor Anke Grotluschen, Klaus Buddeberg, Sophie Koch (University of Hamburg) B Literacy Policy: Maria Jürimäe and Anne Uusen Report edited by Jenny Litster and David Mallows (UCL Institute of Education) Coordinator of the ELINET-Project University of Cologne Prof. Dr. Christine Garbe Institut für Deutsche Sprache und Literatur Richard-Strauss-Str. 2 50931 Köln Cologne Germany christine.garbe@uni-koeln.de 2
TABLE OF CONTENTS A Performance in Literacy... 4 1 Average Performance in Literacy... 5 2 Gaps - Low Literate Population... 6 2.1 Language... 6 2.2 Age... 6 2.3 Gender... 7 2.4 Family... 7 2.5 Employment... 7 3 Skills Use... 8 4 Literacy Gaps... 9 4.1 Parental Education... 9 4.2 Books at Home... 9 4.3 Language... 10 5 Participation in Adult Education - Low Literate Population... 11 B Literacy Policy... 12 1 Provision... 13 2 Quality monitoring... 14 3 Literacy curricula/reading instruction... 15 4 Screenings/assessments/support... 15 5 Special support for second-language learners/migrants... 16 6 Reading environments to stimulate reading motivation... 17 7 Digital environments/use of technology in education... 17 8 Teachers... 18 9 Teacher education... 18 10 Policy-making... 19 3
A PERFORMANCE IN LITERACY 4
This section of the report draws on data from PIAAC the OECD s Survey of Adult Skills, to describe the reading performance of adults in Estonia. Our focus is on low achievers, those who scored on the lower levels of the survey: Level 1 (scores from 176 points to fewer than 226 points) and below Level 1 (scores below 176 points). At Level 1, adults can read relatively short digital or print continuous, non-continuous, or mixed texts to locate a single piece of information, which is identical to or synonymous with the information given in the question or directive. These texts contain little competing information. Adults performing at this level can complete simple forms, understand basic vocabulary, determine the meaning of sentences, and read continuous texts with a degree of fluency. Below Level 1, individuals can read brief texts on familiar topics and locate a single piece of specific information identical in form to information in the question or directive. They are not required to understand the structure of sentences or paragraphs and only basic vocabulary knowledge is required. In this report results are compared to the average of the 17 EU countries which took part in PIAAC. 1 Average Performance in Literacy Estonia performs significantly better than the EU-17 average of 271, scoring an average of 276. Table 1.1 Average Literacy Performance Average Standard Error Estonia 276 0.7 EU-17 271 - The lowest 10 percent of Estonian participants perform significantly better than the lowest 10 percent of the EU-17 average. The best 10 percent of Estonian participants perform also significantly better than the best of the EU-17 average. The gap between top and bottom performers is 112 points in Estonia, smaller than the EU-17 average of 117. Table 1.2 presents the spread of literacy achievement of adults in Estonia and EU-17 countries. Table 1.2 Spread of Literacy Achievement 10 th Percentile Standard Error 90 th Percentile Standard Error Gap 10 th -90 th Estonia 218 1.68 330 1.29 112 EU-17 210 0.49 327 0.33 117 5
2 Gaps - Low Literate Population In Estonia, 18% of the unemployed participants perform at Level 1 or below. The proportion of adults performing at Level 1 or below is bigger among men than among women. The proportion is bigger among those who live with a spouse or partner than among those living alone. Fewer non-native speakers perform on or below Level 1 than in EU-17 countries. All age groups perform significantly better than the corresponding groups on average of EU-17 countries. 2.1 Language Migration has no causal relation with literacy. What is significant however is the oral language competence of the migrant. As part of the survey, participants were asked if their native language is the same as the test language. 20% of those with a different native language scored at or below Level 1 compared to only 13% whose native language was the same as the test language. The comparable figures for the EU-17 average are 34% and 14%. Table 2.1 Test language and Native Language at Level 1 or below Test language not same as native language Std. Error Test language same as native language Std. Error Estonia 20 % 3.43 13 % 0.55 EU-17 34 % 0.79 14 % 0.17 2.2 Age The percentage of the Estonian population scoring at or below Level 1 increases with age: from 7% among the age group 24 and below to 20% among those aged 55 plus. The overall impression of these data shows that in Estonia, within all age groups, the proportion of those performing at Level 1 or below is significantly smaller than in other countries. In the age group of young adults (16-24 years old), the share of Level 1 or below performers is lowest (7%). Table 2.2 Age at Level 1 or below Age Estonia Std. Error EU-17 Std. Error 24 or less 7 % 0.84 12 % 0.33 25-34 10 % 1.09 12 % 0.32 35-44 12 % 0.84 14 % 0.32 45-54 16 % 1.21 18 % 0.36 55 plus 20 % 1.36 25 % 0.41 6
2.3 Gender In the EU-17 average the sexes show nearly no significant differences, in Estonia it is the same pattern. 14% of men and 13% of women scored at or below Level 1. The comparable figures for the EU-17 average are nearly 17% of men and 16% of women. Table 2.3 Gender at Level 1 or below Male Std. Error Female Std. Error Estonia 14 % 0.82 13 % 0.62 EU-17 17 % 0.23 16 % 0.22 2.4 Family In Estonia, 13% of those living with spouse or partner scored at or below Level 1, compared to 12% of those living alone. The comparable figures for the EU-17 average are 16% and 15%. Table 2.4 Living with spouse or partner among those who scored at Level 1 or below Living with spouse or partner Percent Std. Error Estonia EU-17 Yes 13 % 0.63 No 12 % 0.89 Yes 16 % 0.21 No 15 % 0.31 2.5 Employment 11% of the employed in Estonia perform at or below Level 1, as do 18% of the unemployed, and 17% who are out of the labour force. The international comparison reveals that in Estonia the unemployed participants and those out of the labour force are more literate than the EU-17 average (18% vs. 22% - 17% vs. 24%). Table 2.5 Employment at Level 1 or below Employed Std. Std. Out of the Std. Unemployed Error Error labour force Error Estonia 11 % 0.59 18 % 2.35 17 % 1.31 EU-17 13 % 0.19 22 % 0.80 24 % 0.36 7
3 Skills Use Participants in the Survey of Adult Skills were asked about their writing and reading at home, and at work, if employed. In the table below a higher score shows more frequent use. Table 3 Literacy Skills Used At Home and At Work Writing Skills Reading Skills at Home at Work at Home at Work Index of Index of Index of Index of Std. Error Std. Error Std. Error Use Use Use Use Std. Error Estonia 1.88 0.01 1.69 0.01 2.01 0.01 1.95 0.01 EU-17 1.99 0.00 1.95 0.00 2.02 0.00 1.97 0.00 Adults in Estonia perform significantly worse with regard to their use of writing skills at home and at work than the EU-17 average. Use of reading skills at work also differs significantly and negatively from the corresponding index of EU-17 average as does the index of use of reading skills at home while this is difference is not significant. These indexes reveal that adults in Estonia use their literacy skills less often than on average across EU-17 countries, especially their writing skills at work. 8
4 Literacy Gaps 4.1 Parental Education Table 4.1 presents the spread of literacy achievement by adults reporting their parents highest education level. Parental level of education is a significant factor in Estonia as in the rest of the EU countries that took part in PIAAC. In Estonia there is a significant difference of 15 points between those reporting that neither parent attained upper secondary and those reporting that at least one parent attained secondary education (261 vs. 276). Furthermore, those reporting that at least one parent completed tertiary level education perform significantly better than those whose parents attained secondary education (291 vs. 276). The EU-17 average shows the same pattern at a significantly lower level for the group of lower parental education and at a significantly higher level for the group of highest parental education (253 vs. 261; 294 vs. 291). The ones reporting that at least one parent attained upper secondary education do not differ significantly from the corresponding group in EU-17 (276 vs. 277). Accordingly, the gap between those reporting lower parental education and those reporting higher parental education is smaller than the EU-17 gap of 41, scoring a gap of 30. The overall impression of these data is that the higher the parental level of education, the better the literacy performance. Table 4.1 Literacy Proficiency by Parents Education Lower Secondary or Below Std. Error At least one parent secondary/ post-secondary Std. Error At least one parent Tertiary Std. Error Gap Estonia 261 1.30 276 1.13 291 1.05 30 EU-17 253 0.38 277 0.32 294 0.44 41 4.2 Books at Home Table 4.2 shows the spread of achievement of adults by reported number of books at home. This is a common measure of cultural capital. In Estonia, 42% of adults report having fewer than 100 books at home. On average these achieve 261 points in PIAAC, 26 points less than the Estonian adults reporting that they have more than 100 books at home (261 vs. 287). This gap is smaller than the categories in the EU-17 average (26 vs. 31). Distribution on average across the EU-17 countries is similar but reversed. However, those Estonians having fewer than 100 books perform significantly better than the comparable EU-17 group (261 vs. 259) and those having more than 100 books perform significantly worse than the comparable EU-17 group (287 vs. 290). 9
Table 4.2 Books at Home Average score Average score of those with Percent of Std. of those with Percent of Std. fewer than Population Error more than Population Error Gap 100 books 100 books Estonia 261 42 0.94 287 58 0.86 26 EU-17 259 60 0.25 290 40 0.28 31 4.3 Language In Estonia, there are 5 percentage points fewer adults reporting that the test language is not their native language than on average across EU-17 countries. These Estonian adults, who do not speak Estonian as their native language, achieve significantly fewer points in the PIAAC test than those who report that their native language is the same as the test language (265 vs. 276). Table 4.3 shows the spread of literacy achievement referring to the test language and adults native language. Table 4.3 Native Language Language of the Test and Native Language Same Not Same Gap Mean Std. Error % Mean Std. Error % Estonia 276 0.73 96 265 3.27 4 11 EU-17 274 0.19 91 246 0.91 9 28 In Estonia, the share of non-native-speaking participants is lower than the EU-17 average. Those Estonian participants whose native language is the same as the test language perform significantly better than the EU-17 average (276 vs. 274). Those whose native language is not the same scored also significantly better than the average across EU-17 countries (265 vs. 246). Accordingly, the Estonian gap between the native and non-native speakers is 11 points, much smaller than the comparable EU- 17 average (28 points). 10
5 Participation in Adult Education - Low Literate Population In Estonia, the rate of participation in formal or non-formal adult education by adults on Level 1 or below is significantly higher than on average across the OECD-Countries (34% vs. 31%). Table 5.1 Participation Rates in Formal and Non-Formal Adult Education on Level 1 or below Participation Rate Standard Error Estonia 34 % 2.1 OECD-Average* 31 % 0.5 *For technical reasons we report the OECD average here. The non-formal education index incorporates participation in seminars and workshops, private lessons and open or e-learning formats. Table 5.2 shows the percentage of low literate and high literate adults participating in all four types of non-formal education. Table 5.2 Percentages of Low and High Literate Adults Participating in Non-Formal Education and Training Open or distance Seminars or Private On the job education workshops lessons training Level 1 or Below Level 4/5 Level 1 or Below Level 4/5 Level 1 or Below Level 4/5 Level 1 or Below Level 4/5 Estonia 6 % 14 % 9 % 40 % 8 % 23 % 23 % 47 % OECD- Average* *see above 6 % 16 % 9 % 37 % 8 % 17 % 17 % 42 % Estonian adults are most likely to participate in on the job training (organised by supervisors or similar facilitators), achieving 23% of performers at Level 1 or below and 47% of performers at Level 4/5, which for both groups is more than in EU-17 average (5 or 6 percentage points). In private lessons, seminars or workshops and open or distance education the pattern is the same as the EU-17 average for those performing at Level 1 or below. Those performing at Level 4/5 participate more often in private lessons and seminars or workshops (3 or 6 percentage points) but less often in open or distance education than average in EU-17 countries. 11
B LITERACY POLICY 12
1 Provision 1.1 What types of adult literacy provision are there? What do you consider to be adult literacy provision in your country? Adult literacy programmes in Estonia are mainly focused on e-literacy (digital literacy). The Estonian government and NGOs are promoting e-literacy for the Estonian people, especially members of the older generation. Different initiatives are available and free courses, for example Look@World ( Vaata maailma! ) 1, where people can learn basic computer literacy, such as learning to read news online, creating an e-mail address, learning online banking, and using search engines etc. Some state and private educational institutions offer courses to adults to introduce the newest orthography rules (for example rules on capitalisation have changed) or to improve their writing skills (creative writing, writing official letters, writing promotional materials), but these are advanced courses aimed at professionals, for example lawyers, editors, translators etc. and are not what could be considered basic adult literacy, rather ongoing professional development. Most of these courses require a fee which is paid by participants or their employers. Estonia also has initiatives for parents to support the home literacy environment and the literacy development of their children. These initiatives have been supported by various NGOs: the Estonian Reading Association, Hea Algus (the member of ISSA International Step by Step Association) etc. However, these strategies have focused on supporting literacy in children, not adult literacy directly. Following the publication of the PIAAC results, more questions have been raised about adult functional literacy. In general the term literacy has been used to mean basic reading and writing (something similar to reading components in PIAAC). If we define literacy like that, our adult population (excluding those with special needs) is literate almost all adults can read and write (PIAAC results show that only 2% of Estonians performed below the level 1), and this kind of literacy has been considered a norm for hundreds of years. Thus, the understanding is that there are no illiterate people in Estonia in the sense of not having basic (functional) literacy. Estonian minorities are literate too, even though their functional literacy level is lower. The greatest minority ethnic group are Russian-speaking people, some of whom are also fluent in Estonian, but all can read and write in their mother tongue, Russian. Our smaller minority groups, like Roma people, also attend the educational system and learn at least the basics of literacy. 1.2 How is adult literacy provision funded? The e-literacy programmes cited above are funded both by government and NGOs. 1.3 Is there a statutory entitlement to literacy provision up to a certain level? No. 1 See http://www.vaatamaailma.ee/en/ 13
1.4 What is the rate of participation in adult learning, workplace training, and liberal adult education? E-literacy courses were (and are) very popular. Adult learning, workplace training, open-university courses etc. are popular too, but no data are available about participation rates and no research takes place on this. 1.5 Are studies available on factors that inhibit or prevent participation in literacy education and in using literacy outside educational contexts? If yes, what are the factors? No such studies are available. 1.6 What progression routes are there from adult basic education courses to VET/HE courses? The Estonian educational system provides courses for young adults who have left (or drop out) from basic schools. There are also programmes of adult education in all educational levels and there is the possibility of considering previous learning and working experiences (VÕTA programme) at vocational and higher educational level. 1.7 Does a right to information, advice and guidance (IAG) regarding educational opportunities exist? If yes, who provides this IAG? There is a law that states all citizens are entitled to education and equal opportunities, but there is no explicit right to advice or guidance. There are private firms or voluntary sector centres which provide general advice, including on careers, which often includes advice about educational opportunities. This advice is open to everyone. 2 Quality monitoring 2.1 Is there an inspection service to monitor the quality of adult literacy providers (including classroom practice)? All educational institutions (state, private, NGOs) which provide training for adults have to submit their curricula to the Ministry of Science and Education. The ministry and local authorities also provide inspection when needed. 2.2 Are there national quality standards for the quality of adult literacy providers? Not directly, but there are standards for adult education providers. 2.3 Are there national benchmarks/standards for adult literacy performance? How are adults No. progress in reading and writing assessed/monitored? 2.4 What accountability measures are in place for adult education providers? For education institutions which provide diplomas (vocational or higher education), there are different legislation documents, external evaluations, etc. For those who just support adults to learn something new, there are no official accountability measures. 14
3 Literacy curricula/reading instruction 3.1 Is there a national literacy curriculum framework for adults? How is this linked to school curricula? No. There are, however, some e-literacy curricula; they change over time and are not officially linked to school curricula (even though they cover a similar area). 3.2 What is the accepted methodology for the teaching of literacy to adults? Active learning; that is, courses where the theory is linked with practice (learning by doing). 3.3 How do curricula and learning materials cater for diversity of learner groups and learning needs? Some courses are especially designed for some groups of learners, for example older people, Estonian as L2, for non-estonian-speaking people, etc. 3.4 Is there a specific focus on literacy in VET provision for adults? No. 4 Screenings/assessments/support 4.1 How are adults with literacy needs identified? In terms of digital literacy, this is done by self-evaluation those who feel they need to know more about computers attend the courses. 4.2 How are adults prior literacy knowledge and skills recognised and validated? It can be connected with the possibilities of VÕTA (to take into account previous experiences). 4.3 Are there any standard tests to assess literacy needs or learning progress in literacy No. programmes? 4.4 How are adults with dyslexia identified and supported? They will be identified already in childhood; specialists in special educational needs are available in kindergartens, schools and special regional counselling centres. Because of this, it is unlikely that an adult will have grown up without his/her dyslexia being discovered. If the dyslexic adult comes to Estonia from another country or his/her reading ability has suffered because of an illness or accident, the same regional counselling centres can help to identify the dyslexia and to find some support. 15
5 Special support for second-language learners/migrants 5.1 Is there literacy provision for adult migrants whose home language is not the official language of the host country? Most second-language learners in Estonia are migrants from the former Soviet Union. Schools with Russian instructional language are available, and eventually migrants learn Estonian too. In some schools and kindergartens there are language immersion programmes; in others there are classes of Estonian language and later, some subjects will be taught in Estonian. Different private (or NGO-led) language schools provide Estonian language as L2 courses for post Soviet Union period migrants also. 5.2 Who pays for this provision? The state pays. Although there are some private schools, their numbers are small. Some NGOs, cultural organisations, etc. also support education in their languages in Sunday schools, camps, etc. 5.3 Does this provision employ specialist teachers? Yes. 5.4 Is there specialist provision for those who have poor literacy skills in their L1? Yes. 5.5 Is there a separate national curriculum framework for this type of provision? Yes and no the official curriculum is same all over the Estonia, but the schools with Russian instructional language have some differences. For example they do not begin with foreign language instruction, but with the classes on Estonian language. 16
6 Reading environments to stimulate reading motivation 6.1 Are there schemes to promote reading and writing for pleasure among adults? We have some literacy circles, reading clubs, etc. Everybody can establish any kind of voluntary club, society, movement, etc. 6.2 Is there systematic cooperation with civil society e.g. libraries, bookstores, literature institutions, theatres, media, newspapers, publishers etc. in reading and writing promotion for adults? There is cooperation, but it is not very systematic there are some projects and campaigns and then there are periods of time where organisations concentrate on their own work. 6.3 Are there family literacy programmes with a focus on supporting adult literacy? No. There are family literacy programmes (see 1.1) but the focus is on supporting children s literacy. 7 Digital environments/use of technology in education 7.1 Is there a digital gap? How are adults supported in acquiring literacy and digital skills? Yes, we still have a digital gap. Even though many people (including the older generation) have had the opportunity to access free courses, younger generations are still more literate in this field. As described in 1.1, the Estonian government and NGOs have supported the drive to raise digital skills, especially among the members of older generations, through different initiatives and free courses. 7.2 Which population groups are excluded from access to ICTs due to lack of literacy skills? No groups are excluded, but old people (mostly from age 60), those living alone (with no children/ grandchildren/ younger relatives or friends) are more likely to be not involved in the digital community and use computers in their personal lives (for the search of information, communication, banking, voting, etc). 7.3 Are there any web-based or mobile-based programmes for adults to improve their literacy & numeracy skills? There are some web-based programmes to improve their digital literacy skills. There are also web materials to improve literacy and numeracy - although adults can use these, they were developed for children/beginners. 17
7.4 What classroom resources (E-books, notebooks, internet, mobile phones ) are used to support the development of adults literacy? All these digital resources are used to improve digital literacy; but there are (as explained in 1.1) few adult literacy programmes. 8 Teachers 8.1 What are the professional roles within adult literacy education? A great number of people are involved professionally in adult education, both with state providers (Universities), private providers (different training companies) and NGOs. Their professional roles differ but in Estonia, there is no profession of adult literacy teacher. 8.2 What is the status/reputation of teachers and other professionals who work in adult literacy education? Good. 8.3 What are their working conditions? Working conditions vary, but they are average or better. 8.4 How do salaries compare to the national average? Likewise, salaries are at the national average or above. 9 Teacher education Note: these answers are very general as there are no specialised adult literacy teachers in Estonia. There are general adult teachers and therefore also initial teacher education for future adult teachers. 9.1 What are the statutory qualification requirements for adult literacy teachers? There are no special requirements for adult literacy teachers, as this profession does not exist. The requirements for those who provide e-literacy courses are skills and experience in the area and the knowledge about teaching adults. 9.2 Are there specialist qualification routes for adult literacy teachers? These exist for adult educators more generally and andragogy is a branch of specialisation offered at Estonian universities. 9.3 What are the entry requirements for Initial Teacher Education for adult literacy teachers? For adult education in general, requirements differ year to year, but certain points in State Exams (literacy, math, foreign language) have been required, plus, in some places, additional tests, interview, etc. 18
9.4 Who pays for training? Training is paid for by the state, the student teacher, or the company that employs the student teacher. 9.5 Is there a curriculum framework for adult literacy initial teacher training? There is no such training. 9.6 Are there compulsory (or optional) language and literacy modules in all adult education ITE? Yes, optional. 9.7 What is the length of the required initial teacher education? Not applicable. 9.8 Are there quality standards for ITE? Yes. 9.9 Is there continuous professional development (in-service training) for teachers which focuses on literacy development? Yes, but it is focused on teachers teaching children. 9.10 What is the take-up among teachers? Not applicable. 9.11 Who delivers this training? Not applicable. 9.12 How is it quality assured? Not applicable. 10 Policy-making 10.1 Who is involved in policy-making for adult literacy education? Both the State and NGOs are involved in policy-making, but as explained in 1.1 the policy focus is on digital literacy and not on adult literacy. 10.2 How is inter-sectoral and interministerial cooperation promoted and coordinated? There is cooperation, coordinated by the people responsible for a certain area or project. Some initiatives (like Vaata maailma ) have been well promoted and publicised in media (there was a special project budget to cover this). 19
10.3 What financing mechanisms exist that facilitate inter-sectoral cooperation? Various financing mechanisms enable this, including money provided by the government, NGOs, businesses and EU project funding. 10.4 Which policies promote for the provision of broad and varied access to adult literacy education? There are no special policies of this kind, but there is a generally supportive attitude towards educational improvement. 10.5 How are the motivation, interests and needs of adults taken into account in the policymaking processes? By using the result of (international) research in policy-making processes. 10.6 Does government promote adult literacy in its lifelong learning policy? The government, policy makers and different institutions promote lifelong learning generally, but not adult literacy, due to the perception that there are very few adults who are illiterate. 20