Exploring Family Literacy With the Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies: Looking at the Characteristics and Skills of Parents

• In Event: Moscone Center North Roundtable Session 11
  In Roundtable Session: Impact of Family Literacy and Parental Characteristics on Adult Outcomes Using Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies Data

Abstract

Objectives
This study will provide a profile of parents and non-parents. It will also look at relationships between education and skills among parents and non-parents. Finally, it will examine the constraints and barriers to education and training for parents.

Theoretical Background
Currently, there is limited research on improving outcomes for adults with family obligations. Research in this area is needed to look at issues such as whether education and training programs meeting the needs of working parents, or what approach for skills interventions may be needed based on the profile and characteristics of parents and non-parents.

Data and Methods
This study used the U.S. 2012/14 data from the Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC), looking at the 16-74 sample. It focused on descriptive statistics of parents, who reported having children (including those not living in the household), and non-parents, who reported not having children. Some analysis looks at parents with dependent (less than 18 years old) and non-dependent children (18 years old or more). These descriptive statistics were used to look at the characteristics of parents and non-parents, including low- and high-skilled parents, as well as those with dependent or non-dependent children, and what types of obstacles they face to participation in education and training.

Results
Looking at the overall scope of the population, there are twice as many parents than non-parents among U.S adults (144 million compared to 72 million).

Analysis of the demographics showed that:
• Children of parents less than 45 years old tend to be less than 18 years old.
• The percentage of parents whose mother and father have no high school degree is double that of non-parents.
• Adults who are out of the labor force are more likely to be parents than employed or unemployed adults. Those out of the labor force are more likely to have non-dependent children than dependent.

Focusing on skills:
• A higher percentage of parents have skills at the lower levels of the PIAAC literacy scale compared to non-parents.
• Parents who do not live with a spouse or partner have the highest percentage of low-skilled adults.
• While a higher percentage of employed parents are low-skilled than non-parents, an even higher proportion of parents who are not employed are low-skilled.

Looking at participation in education and training:
• Parents were less likely to participate in either formal or informal education.
• While being too busy at work was the most common reason parents reported for not participating in education or training, regardless of skill level, parents reported more family-related reasons than non-parents.
• High-skilled parents were more likely to participate in formal or informal education and training than low-skilled parents and were more likely to receive financial support from their employer to do so.

Significance
In addition to providing a detailed profile of parents and showing that overall, they are more likely to be low-skilled than non-parents, this study provides details on which groups of parents are more likely to be low-skilled and barriers parents face in participating in further education and training.

Author

• Emily Pawlowski, American Institutes for Research