STUDY ON ADULT LEARNING SURVEY CORRESPONDING TO THE OECD INTERNATIONAL ADULT LITERACY SURVEY

本研究的目的在于回顾OECD以“全民终身学习”为目标的成人识字率国际调查，并探讨该调查在日本终身学习政策制定中的作用、效果和意义。1996年，我们研究了1994年进行的第一次OECD国际成人识字调查的结果，并将英文问卷翻译成日文，以便制作一套日文版问卷草案。在1997年，我们制作了问卷初稿，并进行了一项实验性调查，以了解受试者对每项任务的理解程度和难度，以及对受试者的指导是否充分，从而考察问卷初稿的适当性。实验调查是在四组使用公立高中和非正规教育设施在静冈县。数据来自240名男性和女性。样本分为三个类别：15至30岁，31至49岁和50至77岁。调查结束后，我们要求所有参与者回答一份额外的问卷，询问他们对调查内容和方法的印象。根据上述实验性调查的结果，我们得出结论，由于在第二次世界大战后没有在全国范围内进行过这样的调查，除了在战后不久进行过类似的调查外，这将有助于重新考虑日本的扫盲和终身学习政策。但是，在问卷和调查方法上也存在问题，如所有的任务都是基于美国和欧洲的语言和文化。

The purpose of this two years study is to review the international survey of adult literacy conducted by OECD,which has set its goal at "lifelong learning for all", and to seek for the role, effect and meaning of such survey in the policy making of lifelong learning in Japan. In the year 1996, we studied the result of the first OECD International Adult Literacy Survey conducted in 1994 and translated the English questionnaires into Japanese, in order to make a Japanese version draft of the set of questionnaires. In the year 1997, we have made the draft questionnaires and conducted an experimental survey to see the level of understanding and difficulty of each task and the adequacy of instructions for the subjects, and thus examined the appropriateness of the draft questionnaires. The experimental survey was conducted in four groups using a public upper secondary school and nonformal education facilities in Shizuoka prefecture. Data were collected from 240 men and women. The samples were classified into three categories ; age 15 to 30,31 to 49 and 50 to 77. After the survey, we asked all the participants to answer an additional questionnaire asking their impression on the content and methodology of the survey. We also made in-depth interviews selecting one or more persons from each category.From the result of above mentioned experimental survey, we came into a conclusion that since such survey has not been conducted after the World War II at the national level, except for a similar survey conducted right after the war, it would contribute to reconsider the policies on literacy and lifelong learning in Japan. However, there are also problems in the questionnaire and method of survey such as the fact that all the tasks are based on American and European language and culture.