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Functional Literacy

The document discusses functional literacy. It defines functional literacy as the ability to use reading and writing skills to participate meaningfully in life activities like work, community involvement, and personal development. The document outlines UNESCO's principles for effective functional literacy programs, including linking them to economic development. It also discusses specific literacy, which focuses instruction only on skills needed for a person's job. The document examines efforts in the Philippines to improve functional literacy rates, noting they rose from 44% to 76.53% from 2003 to 2016 at the community level but more progress is still needed.

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717 views12 pages

Functional Literacy

The document discusses functional literacy. It defines functional literacy as the ability to use reading and writing skills to participate meaningfully in life activities like work, community involvement, and personal development. The document outlines UNESCO's principles for effective functional literacy programs, including linking them to economic development. It also discusses specific literacy, which focuses instruction only on skills needed for a person's job. The document examines efforts in the Philippines to improve functional literacy rates, noting they rose from 44% to 76.53% from 2003 to 2016 at the community level but more progress is still needed.

Uploaded by

jhonrainielnograles52
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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FUNCTIONAL

LITERACY
PREPARED BY: GROUP 9
Learning Competencies/Objectives

 Students will demonstrate the ability to evaluate and critically analyze information from
various sources, distinguishing between reliable and unreliable sources.
 Students will acquire proficiency in using digital tools and platforms for
communication, collaboration, and information sharing.
 Students will gain an understanding of basic financial concepts, such as budgeting,
saving, and investing.
 Students will comprehend and interpret health-related information, including medical
terminology, nutrition labels, and healthcare instructions.
 Students will analyze and deconstruct media messages, identifying persuasive
techniques, biases, and the impact of media on society.
Functional Literacy
• Functional Literacy - The term functional literacy was initially defined by
UNESCO through William S. Gray in his Teaching of Reading and Writing
(1956) as adult training to meet independently the reading and writing
demands placed on them. It stresses the acquisition of appropriate verbal,
cognitive, and computational skills to accomplish practical results in
specific cultural settings dubbed survival literacy and reductionist literacy.
Over the decades, as societies have evolved into technical innovations, the
definition of functional literacy has been modified to meet the changing
demands (Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language, 1998).
Referring to functional literacy, UNESCO states the following:

• 1. Literacy programs should be integrated into and correlated with economic and
social development plans.
• 2. The eradication of illiteracy should begin with population sectors, which are
highly motivated and need literacy for their own and their country's benefit.
• 3. Literacy programs should be linked with economic priorities and carried out in
areas undergoing rapid economic expansion.
• 4. Literacy programs must impart not only reading and writing but also professional
and technical knowledge leading to greater participation of adults in economic and
civic life.
Referring to functional literacy, UNESCO states the following:

• 5. Literacy must be an integral part of the overall educational system and


plan of each country.
• 6. The financial need for functional literacy should be met with various
resources, as well as be provided for economic investments.
• 7. The literacy programs should aid in achieving main economic
objectives (i.e. Increase in labor productivity, food production.
Industrialization, social and professional mobility, creation of new
manpower, and diversification of the economy).
A number of functional literacy programs have been carried out that
focus on different job skills and development aspects. To name a few, in
the Philippine context, are agricultural, health, industry, family planning,
homemaking, arts and culture, and technical-vocational programs.

A new functional literacy aspect, called specific literacy, is becoming a


trend, in which the job of the student is analyzed to see exactly the
literacy skills needed and those that are only taught. This is to prevent
job-skill mismatch. In specific literacy, the student may learn very little
but will be of immediate value which would result in increased learner
motivation. Therefore, the specific literacy strategy is a planning tool
that allows the literacy worker to focus on skills that are of value to the
learners.
The significance of this approach includes literacy:

• (1) starts in the workplace;


• (2) uses a diagnostic approach;
• (3) identifies turning points in economic life that may act as an incentive
to learning;
• (4) assesses the limits of a short-term intervention; and
• (5) looks for generic skills.
 Gunes (2000) posited that functional literacy constitutes the second
level of literacy next to basic literacy, in which literary and
mathematical information and skills can be utilized in one's
personal, social, economic, and cultural endeavors. Therefore, the
essence of functional literacy is to learn basic related information
and skills and use them in daily life. The functional literacy level
comprises both technics and functional skills while encompassing
social, citizenship, and economic roles.
 Çapar (1998) cites that a functionally literate person is someone who
is one step ahead of literacy and maintains literacy activity
throughout his/her life to keep living and effectively accommodate
him/herself to his/her surroundings. It is, therefore, an ongoing
process.
 UNESCO defines functional literacy as the ability of an individual to
take part in significant activities in professional, social, political, and
cultural aspects in a society, where he/she lives using his/her literacy
skills
 Hatch (2010) defines it based on the American Heritage College
Dictionary (AHCD). Accordingly, the word "functional" means
"building capacity" and "literacy" as "reading and writing skills."
 The Education for All Global Monitoring Report (UNESCO, 2006)
states that functional literacy means the ability to make significant use
of activities involving reading and writing skills that include using
information, communicating with others, and following a path of
lifelong learning necessary for the ability to express him/ herself in
daily life.
Improving Functional Literacy in the Philippines

Over the years, the Philippines has continuously aspired to attain an increased
functional literacy rate
 Manuyo (2019) reported that based on the 2013 Functional Literacy, Education
and Mass Media Survey (FLEMMS), the country registered a 90.3% rate, which
means that nine out of every 10 Filipinos aged 10-64 were functionally literate.
In 2003, there were still gaps at the community level. In the study conducted by
World Vision, results showed that the proportion of girls and boys aged 11-13,
who were functionally literate, placed at a critical rate of 44%, or below 50% of
the students were able to read with comprehension by the end of their basic
education.
 In a follow-up study by World Vision in 2016, the functional
literacy rate went up to 76.53%. At the community level, the rate
inclined to 62.64%, or around 50%-70% of the students were able
to read with comprehension by the end of their basic education. The
increase was significant within the 3-year interval but it also
indicated more improvement is expected considering that the rate
remained 17.36% short of the 80% threshold.
GROUP 9
REPORTERS
 JOHN RESTER GOBOLE
 JHON RAINIEL NOGRALES

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