Adult numeracy skill practice by STEM and non-STEM workers in the USA: an exploration of data using latent class analysis

ABSTRACT

Adult numeracy is one of the essential skill sets to navigate through numeric information-rich labour markets in general, and STEM industries in particular. Yet, relatively little is known about how numeracy skills are used in different settings in the USA. This study examined numeracy skill use patterns of STEM and non-STEM workers at work and home. Data were obtained from the 2012/2014/2017 Program for International Assessment of Adult Competencies, USA restricted-use file. Adults who were employed and aged between 25 and 65 years old (n = 5,220) were included in this study. Latent class analysis revealed four numeracy skill use patterns: non-users, non-occupational (i.e. at home) simple numeracy users, ubiquitous numeracy users, and occupational numeracy users. Additional multinomial logistic regression analysis showed that the STEM occupation was associated with a greater likelihood of being ubiquitous users than being non-occupational simple users. Results also showed that numeracy proficiency, socioeconomic statuses (i.e. educational attainment and income), as well as demographic characteristics (i.e. gender and race/ethnicity), were predictive of the numeracy skill use patterns in terms of the level of engagement and settings. Findings from this study inform policies and interventions which promote skill engagement and improvement among workers in the USA.

KEYWORDS:

• Numeracy
• practice engagement
• STEM

Acknowledgments

In this research, Takashi Yamashita, Wonmai Punksungka, Donnette Narine, Abigail Helsinger, Jenna W. Kramer, Phyllis A. Cummins & Rita Karam, were partially supported by the Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education, through Grant R305A200261 to University of Maryland, Baltimore County. The opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not represent the views of the institute or the U.S. Department of Education.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Institute for Education Sciences (IES) [R305A200261].

Notes on contributors

Takashi Yamashita

Takashi Yamashita, Ph.D., MA, MPH is an associate professor of sociology at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. His primary research are social determinants of health and well-being over the life course, wider benefits of lifelong learning, health literacy, and gerontology education. Yamashita has a Ph.D. in Social Gerontology from Miami University.

Wonmai Punksungka

Wonmai Punksungka, MA is a Ph.D. student in Sociology and Graduate Research Assistant in the Center for Social Science Research, Education and Health Hub at George Mason University (GMU). Her research interests include inequality in higher education and the role of community colleges in informing student success. Formerly, she was a Research Associate and Project Manager at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). She received her BA and MA in Sociology and Applied Sociology, respectively, from UMBC.

Donnette Narine

Donnette Narine, MA is a Ph.D. Student in Gerontology at the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) and the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). She is a Caribbean clinical-community psychologist. Her teaching experience includes adjunct faculty in the psychology department at St. George's University, Grenada. Her research interests include healthy aging among Caribbean populations, health-related benefits of intergenerational relationships, lifelong learning, social and civic engagement across the life course, and optimization of technology for social connection among older adults.

Abigail Helsinger

Abigail (Abby) Helsinger, MS, is a Senior Research Associate at the Discovery Center for Evaluation, Research, and Professional Learning at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. Abby spent the first half of her career working with local and national non-profit organizations where she focused on healthy living and chronic disease prevention. Her current research focuses on educational opportunities for adult learners, public health, and equity.

Jenna W. Kramer

Jenna W. Kramer, Ph.D., is an Associate Policy Researcher at RAND. She undertakes experimental, quasi-experimental, and mixed methods research to examine the effects and implementation of initiatives designed to promote the success of individuals pursuing postsecondary education and workforce training.

Phyllis A. Cummins

Phyllis Cummins, Ph.D.'s research foci are workforce issues for older workers, including examination of the benefits of ongoing training and workforce development. An important component of her research is gaining an understanding of the demographic characteristics of older workers, especially those who have experienced cumulative inequality over their life course and are at risk for economic insecurity in retirement. She is currently a co-investigator on two grants funded by the Institute of Education Sciences.

Rita Karam

Rita Karam (PhD, Education) is a RAND Senior Education Policy Researcher. Her research focuses on examining the quality and role of postsecondary institutions and workforce development programs and initiatives in promoting student needed skills for meeting labor market needs, with a focus on examining under-represented and underserved student groups.