Improving the Numeracy Component of the Essential Skills Profiles: A Canadian Perspective

• In Event: Social Issues and Content Domains in Workplace Learning

Abstract

One means of helping Canadian workers have the necessary essential skills entails ensuring that numeracy framework used by Human Resources and Skills Development Canada reflects key development in numeracy research and that this framework is compatible with comparable established international assessment frameworks. Our study involved a comparative analysis of five international numeracy assessment frameworks and of the current numeracy framework included in the Canadian Essential Skills Profiles (ESP). We argue that the ESP definition of numeracy should highlight declarative and procedural knowledge; emphasize use of knowledge and abilities; describe purposes for numeracy related activities; be context-related; and promote critical engagement with numerical information and activities. We also present the key domains of the proposed framework and discuss potential complexity ratings.

Authors

• Oksana Bartosh, Directions Evidence and Policy Research Group

• Isabelle Eaton, Simon Fraser University

• Charles S. Ungerleider, Directions Evidence and Policy Research Group