Functional illiteracy affects more than 14 percent of the working population in Germany. A study investigates the topic and develops new theories.
Contrary to popular belief, illiteracy does not necessarily mean that the person concerned has no knowledge of letters or the formation of words and sentences in the written language. Illiteracy in this narrower sense affects “only” around four percent of the working population. They can understand and write individual words, but not whole sentences.
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Online survey on literacy and education
Functional illiteracy - different levels of understanding of the text
On the other hand, the level at which people can read and write individual sentences is widespread, but they fail due to the context - the understanding of the text is thus undercut or only inadequate. Another level is the faulty writing and reading - texts are read and written to some extent, but very faulty and slow, sometimes still at primary school level. In summary, one speaks of "functional illiteracy" at different levels. This differs from "total illiteracy", which ultimately does not have any written language skills. Functional illiteracy is generally defined as a certain level of reading and writing skills in adulthood, which no longer enable independence and social participation in everyday life and thus prevent individual chances of achievement depending on the written language requirements of a society. Instead, you are permanently dependent on support services.
Written skills forgotten again or wrong developments at school?
For Dr. Sibylle Schneider, research assistant at the Faculty of Philosophy and Social Sciences at the University of Augsburg and head of the study, further distinctions are important:
"Has reading and writing skills been forgotten at some point in the course of old age because literary skills were not used in everyday life, or was one ultimately never learned? Did you stop at the level that was learned at school and there was no further progress? Others could read and write at a medium level, but then never needed it in the course of development, so that the ability gradually deteriorated. Then there are the cases where something went wrong in school, in the biographical development. "
Students are system-dependent alphabets, regardless of their actual ability.
© Frank Molter / dpa
Ms. Dr. tells us how to get through everyday work without using reading and writing skills. des. Schneider using the example of the painter who can not read, but of course knows what the color yellow, blue or red looks like and consequently looks for it in the hardware store purely optically or even finds the RAL number by using the characters on the Compare the client's notes with those on the paint buckets.
Message: "The school system must change"
When asked to what extent prevention and early detection is carried out in schools by teachers, she replies with a message:
"In Germany we have the legally required compulsory schooling up to the ninth grade, these students are automatically alphabetized until then and also in vocational schooling, so the problem does not officially exist in this phase. In the end, the school system has to change, because teachers recognize who becomes a functional illiterate and cannot write and read properly. The question is whether the problem needs to be recognized and something is done about it, for example by expanding teacher training. ”
Break down prejudices about illiteracy
The fight against illiteracy - it requires a lot of commitment and empathy, because affected people often shy away from talking about their situation, also and because the term is loaded with prejudices. The fear of being labeled as "stupid" is great, so that the problem is rarely visible to the environment. Having the menu in the restaurant read out to you because you have “forgotten your glasses” is just one of many strategies for flying under the radar of friends, colleagues and acquaintances.
Migrants, on the other hand, are a different phenomenon, many have been alphabetized in their home country, the lack of command of the German language in written and spoken is not attributable to illiteracy.
Take part in the online survey of the University of Augsburg
Valerie Kammerer (23 years), Tobias Kegel (25) and Marina Kraus (26) form the scientific team headed by Dr. des. Sibylle Schneider, in order to investigate the still largely unexplored illiteracy and to gain new knowledge. The core of the research project is an online questionnaire on the topics of “literacy and education” - the Ippen-Digital central editorial team supports this project and is pleased about the active participation of the readers:
Online survey on literacy and education
Stefan Stukenbrok, with the technical support of Marina Kraus