Inequality and Lack of Professional Development: Barriers to Literacy

It’s astonishing that in 2020, 781 million people (12% of the world’s population) do not know how to read. To address this problem and look for solutions, the International Literary Association (ILA) interviewed 1443 people, mostly teachers, from 63 different countries and territories. The report, entitled “What’s Hot in Literacy,” aims to raise awareness of what is happening in the world of literacy, its barriers, and possible solutions to illiteracy.

This year, the focus of the study is on how to improve literacy in the new decade. Respondents believe that the most relevant solutions for achieving this goal lie in prioritizing equity and concentrating on professional development. One finding of the research was that 58% of the respondents reported a disconnection between what students need to be able to read and the school curriculum. Other barriers identified were the low socio-emotional support that students receive (52%) and the lack of additional support for those students with a reading level below their school grade (48%).

The ILA was also given the task of investigating the time that young people spend on reading and its effect on equity. They found that 70% of the respondents believe that the biggest obstacle to literacy is that young people do not have time to read independently. The researchers note that 57% of participants say that many students do not have access to books in their homes. On the other hand, 54% commented that access to opportunities could help level the playing field for students and provide a better environment for reading outside of school.

Increasing literacy levels will require teachers. The ILA is aware that one of the essential factors in student’s literacy is the teacher. But teachers need support. That is why the association has been doing this report for 20 years now, because teachers need evidence-based strategies for their professional development and thus be able to help students learn.

The vast majority of respondents (93%) agree that research is key to guarantee excellence in the teaching of reading and that staying up-to-date is one of their primary responsibilities. Still, 44% admitted that they needed more support to keep themselves up to date with new teaching methodologies and trends. But who should be responsible for providing this support? Most (85%) believe that academic experts such as the ILA and other similar associations should be accountable.

Regarding how effective existing professional development programs are, the answers vary, depending on the group. Higher education professionals are the most positive, with more than half (54%) believing that the programs adequately prepare teachers. By contrast, only 27% of primary education administrators believe that the programs are adequate, while 34% of teachers and 36% of literacy consultants say that the programs are effective. Overall, only 40% say that the programs are equipping teachers with what they need to instruct early reading.

The barriers facing literacy

One of the biggest obstacles to fair instruction to achieve literacy is inequity. According to the survey, 82% of educators specializing in literacy feel it is their responsibility to address this issue and that it is vital to ensure the right to free and secular education. But the same group recognizes that there is a long way to go in addressing prejudices and mistakes before there is fairness in the teaching of reading. There are significant gaps in cultural diversity and sensitivity and how teachers are preparing themselves to confront these challenges.

The report identifies the main barriers literacy faces today:

1. Variability of teacher knowledge and their effectiveness in teaching (71%)

2. Limited access to books at schools and students’ homes (57%)

3. Instability and lack of family involvement in the learning process of the student (55%)

4. Lack of access to early literacy programs that are of high-quality (54%)

5. Inadequate strategies for opportune intervention (49%)

6. Few or insufficient resources for those who are learning English (46%)

7. Poor diagnoses of dyslexia or other reading and writing disabilities (45%)

8. Lack of knowledge of the prejudices (44%)

9. Scarcity of cultural diversity in the various resources of reading (42%)

10. Deficiency of cultural responsiveness in literacy instruction (42%)

In summary, most of the barriers to literacy come from the following areas: intervention and support, diversity, responsiveness, and access to resources, whether at school or home.

How to address these challenges?

The report found that 50% of literacy professionals surveyed responded that academic interventions are needed for those students who need it most. In this regard, 31% believe the answer is in assessment and diagnostic tools, but they need to learn how to use them. Strengthening school libraries is one way to address literacy issues. About 36% of the respondents believe that the key is in improving the libraries in the classroom, while only 7% think it is best to strengthen the community libraries. Another critical point is access to books at home: 15% of the respondents believe it is essential to increase access to books at students’ homes.

Besides, the habit of reading should be promoted by developing spaces and times to read. However, there are different opinions about where to read, and with whom, 40% of participants believe that the best is independent reading. In contrast, 33% say the key lies in guided reading and instruction in small groups. It is noteworthy that 91% of teachers believe that particular time should be set aside for independent reading during school hours, yet only 60% have access to allocating that time. ¿The reason? 70% of the respondents believe that there is not enough time each day to devote exclusively to reading, due to the tight school curriculum. A worrying figure is that 40% of the administrators and 30% of the teachers do not value independent reading.

Although the study covers many aspects of literacy around the world and from different points of view, it fails to mention the impact of the various barriers. It would be interesting to see if, in the future, they include the consequences of the lack of time for reading or books at schools and homes, as well as examine whether more teacher training helps improve literacy figures.

We want to know your opinion: What do you think is the most significant barrier facing literacy today? Do you agree that teachers need more support? Do you think the problem is the curriculum? Would you give students more time to dedicate to independent readi
ng?

Paulette Delgado

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This article from Observatory of the Institute for the Future of Education may be shared under the terms of the license CC BY-NC-SA 4.0