The Relationship Between Literacy Skills and Immigrant Characteristic Variables: A U.S. Examination

• In Event: Marriott Roundtable Session 30
  In Roundtable Session: Using International Survey Data to Explore Academic Outcomes in Different Countries

Abstract

The current study examined data from the 2015 Program for International Assessment of Adult Competencies Survey of Adult Skills data set pertaining to how U.S. adult, cognitive-based, literacy skills related to participant personal and workplace characteristics, such as social trust; cultural engagement; and parent immigrant status, when controlling for age of the respondent. Results indicated some interesting and potentially beneficial findings. That is, with more frequent cultural engagement, socially trusting more people, and socially broadening one’s perception that other people are not intentionally trying to take advantage of them, the multiple linear regression model predicted that Literacy skills scores would increase by 7.4, 4.4, and 4.9 points, respectively.

Authors

• David A. Walker, Northern Illinois University

• Thomas J. Smith, Northern Illinois University

• M Cecil Smith, West Virginia University