The recent results of the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) by the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) reveal a concerning trend: Singaporean adults’ literacy proficiency remains stagnant and below average.

This raises a fundamental question: what does literacy mean in today’s world?

The traditional definition of literacy, rooted in reading and writing, no longer suffices. In a digital-first society, literacy must encompass the diverse ways language is used, shaped by technology and evolving communication norms.

Literacy education must reflect these changes, equipping learners with reading and writing skills and the ability to interpret and engage with language across different contexts.

Expanding literacy in a digital world

Language proficiency is not an end goal but a tool for participation in an increasingly digital world. To truly ensure no one is left behind, every adult should be armed with the multiliteracies necessary to navigate the modern digital landscape and lead meaningful lives.

With technology now embedded in work and daily activities, literacy extends beyond text. It includes digital fluency – the ability to navigate a complex landscape of online content, interpreting not just text but also memes, icons, and interactive elements.

When browsing the internet, one must distinguish genuine content from advertising and understand the significance of embedded hyperlinks – skills that go far beyond reading comprehension.

Beyond digital literacy, the way language itself evolves is another challenge. The meaning of words shifts rapidly, driven by different generations.

For example, Gen Alpha continuously invent new slang and memes, shaping a dynamic, private lexicon. The ability to communicate via technology is, therefore, a form of literacy.

Technology itself has become a tool and environment for literacy use.

Today, literacy has become a multi-dimensional concept encompassing a set of abilities that go beyond the ability to read and write. It includes digital and critical thinking skills. It is connected to processing and generating information, computing and problem-solving, and effectively using technology.

The OECD’s Survey of Adult Skills reinforces this expanded definition. Consequently, teaching methods must evolve. Language learning should be rooted in real-world contexts and incorporate digital tools to build practical literacy skills. This is the same position propounded by the OECD and encapsulated in its Survey of Adult Skills.

Current teaching methods, therefore, no longer suffice as language learning must be rooted in real-world contexts and real-world use. They should also integrate digital tools to equip learners with the proficiency and literacy skills needed to thrive. Embracing this shift in teaching is key to raising and sustaining literacy proficiency in our society.

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A fundamental need for a literacy programme

With English being a dominant global language in business, technology, science, research, and entertainment, ensuring every Singaporean attains a baseline level of English literacy will enable them to participate fully in society.

This literacy foundation is crucial for communication and a gateway to developing other critical skills. Language mediates learning, making it fundamental to accessing digital literacy and new skill development – key components of Singapore’s SkillsFuture initiative to future-proof its workforce.

Research reinforces this urgency, showing that literacy is positively tied to increases in income and employability and poor literacy is linked to cognitive decline and poor health management.

Yet, lurking beneath these discussions is an often-overlooked issue: functional illiteracy. Unlike complete illiteracy, which implies a total lack of ability to read and write, functional illiteracy refers to people with limited ability to read and write, thus limiting their ability to cope with everyday tasks like filling in forms or using machines.

These functionally illiterate adults often develop coping mechanisms to mask their limitations, but their challenges stem from various factors, including poor morphological awareness, limited listening comprehension, reduced reading fluency, vocabulary gaps, weak phonological awareness, insufficient orthographic knowledge, and working memory issues.

The OECD’s findings of potentially declining literacy proficiency serve as a clarion call.

Singapore must take serious action to maintain and enhance adult literacy skills through lifelong learning – the very mission that drives SkillsFuture.

Reinventing literacy for a digital world

The traditional understanding of literacy, centred on reading, writing, speaking, and listening, needs to be reassessed in today’s digital and multilingual world.

As technology transforms communication and information exchange, literacy must evolve beyond its conventional form to include multiple literacies that reflect how people interact in various contexts and across different modes of communication.

As a multicultural country, Singapore exemplifies the cosmopolitanism of the new global environment. The inherent diversity that influences literacy usage in a world defined by new communication technologies and various cultural and linguistic contexts necessitates a redefinition of literacy as a collection of multiple literacies that are open-ended and flexible for functioning across diverse contexts and communities, as well as for engaging with the multi-modalities of communication.

A literacy programme in a digital world must consider the diverse ways people communicate and make meaning. It also needs to take note of the demographics and backgrounds of the people trying to improve their English literacy. This means integrating instruction with authentic learning that references real-world contexts and includes culturally relevant content to support learners’ ability to apply their literacy.

One such approach that has been found to be effective by some researchers is culturally responsive teaching, which provides affordances for learner autonomy and reflection and encourages joint production of learning activities between educators and learners.

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Culturally responsive teaching considers the backgrounds of these learners by incorporating relevant social contexts into their learning, builds on their responses, fosters flexibility in teaching, sets clear goals for instruction, and encourages educator-learner and vice versa exchange of ideas. Our research at the Institute for Adult Learning (IAL) also echoes the need for authentic, reflexive learning and learner-centricity.

Another approach is to leverage technology. One research I came across successfully trialled a trialogue intelligent tutoring system. Such a system allows for a three-way interaction between an e-teacher, a learner, and an e-peer, which allows for the assessment of a learner’s understanding of the content by comparing his/her responses to expected answers or misconceptions, allowing the learner to learn from the e-peer’s responses, and guiding him/her by offering feedback, hints, and prompts. Because the system is intelligent, it can also adapt contents calibrated to the learners’ proficiency levels and provide data on how the learner is coping.

SkillsFuture Singapore and IAL have been supporting enterprises in harnessing technology for learning and many successful prototypes have been launched, including applications using serious gaming, artificial intelligence, and immersive technologies.

The massification of AI tools will support our efforts further and allow us to experiment with more cutting-edge technologies for mainstream use. Exploring how to better integrate technology and sound pedagogical practices would strengthen our teaching and learning outcomes.

Does age affect learning?

With Singapore’s ageing population, it is natural to wonder if age is a factor in learning. Admittedly, age has been found to be a factor in second language acquisition due to the brain’s maturation in the neural regions involved in language development.

However, some research has found that learners who start their second language learning later can still reach similar proficiency levels as first-language learners and early learners in bilingual environments.

One possibility is that semantic aspects of language learning are less impacted by age. Education Minister Chan Chun Sing’s call for more research into adult learning reinforces Singapore’s need to develop our research to inform our teaching practices. This is especially true since we do not yet know if the research in the Western hemisphere could be adapted to our people and context.

A new vision for literacy education

How we understand literacy is evolving, and so must how we teach it.

With new research deepening our understanding of how people learn and how teaching can be optimised, it would be a missed opportunity not to harness these insights. Raising literacy proficiency is crucial to building an inclusive, future-ready society.

IAL remains committed to advancing research, innovation, and cutting-edge pedagogical approaches to transform literacy education and ensure that every Singaporean is equipped for success in the digital age.