ERIC Number: EJ916585
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2010-Dec
Pages: 24
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0020-8566
EISSN: N/A
Can India's "Literate" Read?
Kothari, Brij; Bandyopadhyay, Tathagata
International Review of Education, v56 n5-6 p705-728 Dec 2010
This paper takes a close look at India's literacy rate by exploring whether the officially "literate" can read and at what level. In a large sample, aged 7+, drawn from four Hindi-speaking states, two methods were used to measure literacy. One was the standard Census Method (CM) which relies on self-reporting and the other was a Reading Method (RM) which required the same individuals to actually read a simple text at grade 2 level. The findings revealed a substantial difference between the reading literacy rates obtained by CM and RM. CM over-reported RM by 16%. The overestimation was higher for males. Decoding skills were found to erode in most cases after completion of primary schooling, assuming no further education. A minimum grade 8-9 education was required for decoding skills to not deteriorate after schooling.
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Decoding (Reading), Knowledge Level, Literacy, Reading Tests, Self Disclosure (Individuals), Reading Skills, Comparative Testing, Grade 2, Census Figures, Educational Attainment, Achievement Rating, Achievement Tests, Individual Differences
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Secondary Education; Grade 2
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: India
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A