
iRead4Skills D2.1 Reading skills survey
Date: 15/07/2024
1. Introduction
Within the Work Package 2 - Skills survey: needs, skills, and gaps of the iRead4Skills project, aiming at gathering
specific information on the needs, skills and skills gaps related to reading difficulties and literacy skills of the
target population- adult learners and trainers in Adult Learning (AL) and Vocational Educational Training (VET)
training centres, it was necessary to collect specific information on the needs related to reading difficulties and
literacy skills to inform further data collection and treatment.
The achievement of these goals requires the direct engagement of in-the-field, stakeholders and end-users,
achieved through the specially designed surveys, namely a new Reading Skills survey.
This survey consists in a qualitative and a quantitative survey of training centres, on people who are following
AL and VET courses or that act as trainers, designed with the participation of the in-the-field partners and
others with knowledge on reading skills and adult learning, to assure that the survey covers the specific
information required for the subsequent work packages (i.e., text genres, domains, cultural and scientific
expectations, etc.).
A first draft of the survey was built and discussed cooperatively and tested in a small group of people before
wider implementation.
2. Survey structure
The survey aims at a qualitative and quantitative inquiry of adult learners in AL and VET courses, as well as a
population with low literacy skills, to better understand the needs and skills gaps related to reading difficulties.
The idea is to create a sociodemographic profiling of the target population, as well as identifying this
population’s reading needs and preferences, and understanding the impact the lack of literacy skills causes on
their daily lives. This survey was designed by experts on education, who are partners in the project to cater it
to the target population.
In order to compose a survey that suited our target audience, the involvement of trainers and experts from
AL and VET centres was requested. Besides the input from the institutions of the three countries in which the
survey was conducted (UCLouvain – Belgium, UNL – Portugal, UAB – Spain), all partners and peer institutions
working closely with the adult learners and trainers were asked to contribute to the development of the
survey. Particularly, trainers from Portuguese government-backed AL programs, under the jurisdiction of the
MEC - Portugal, and experts in low-literacy population from UAB assisted in the survey’s constitution and
structure. The cooperation and direct engagement from experts and AL trainers resulted in a novel
questionnaire.
The survey collects information from adults, and trainees/students in AL and VET centres via the form of an
online questionnaire, designed in a web platform (Qualtrics) and distributed via direct contact and email.
Considering that the target group include people with low reading skills, the survey will also have an oral
version so people can listen to the questions and select the appropriate answers. The informed consent will
also be provided in both written and oral versions, to assure its understanding by all the envisaged target
groups.
Equivalent versions of the survey will be provided in French, Portuguese, and Spanish.
Part 1: Information on the project and informed consent
Welcome message
Instructions on how to hear the text
Information on the iRead4Skills project
Informed consent