3. Facets of numerate behavior

To develop a guide for the production of items, the main challenge was to determine how to assess, within the constraints of the ALL Survey protocol, the extent to which an adult effectively manages and responds to the mathematical demands of diverse situations. The numeracy team had to find ways to bound the range of tasks for assessing "numeracy" in a way that captures the breadth of the concept and yet is pragmatic for a large-scale assessment. Focusing on the idea of measurable numerate behavior was key to solving the challenge.

In actuality, people's numeracy is revealed through the responses or behaviors they generate (i.e., identifying, interpreting, acting upon, communicating) in reaction to the mathematical information or ideas that may be represented in a situation. As implied by the literature and ideas reviewed earlier in Section 1, the nature of a person's responses to the mathematical and other demands of a situation will depend critically on the activation of various enabling knowledge bases (understanding of the context; knowledge and skills in the areas of mathematics, statistics, and literacy), on reasoning processes, and on certain dispositions. It is clear that numerate behavior will involve an attempt to engage with a task and not delegate it to others or deal with it by intentionally ignoring its mathematical content.

Thus, a definition of numerate behavior that underlies the assessment of Numeracy in the ALL Survey is:

Numerate behavior is observed when people manage a situation or solve a problem in a real context; it involves responding to information about mathematical ideas that may be represented in a range of ways; it requires the activation of a range of enabling knowledge, factors, and processes.

Table 1 lists specific components of five key facets of numerate behavior. These facets and their components are further explained in subsequent sections.

3.1 Facet 1: Contexts

People try to manage or respond to a numeracy situation because they want to satisfy a purpose or reach a goal. Four types of purposes and goals are described below. To be sure, these are not mutually exclusive and may involve the same underlying mathematical themes.