1. Introduction

DeSeCo's overarching frame of reference provides a broad conceptual context for the ALL survey development but is not sufficiently detailed to guide the development and validation of reliable, comparable and interpretable approaches to measurement. For this reason the ALL study design team chose to review two core areas—employability skills derived from job and task analysis and psychological theories of intelligence—as a means to move towards measurement. This section sets out how, at least in theory, a framework based upon these two areas can be used to develop "life skills profiles" of people and of job requirements. It concludes by proposing an assessment of a subset of the possible array of life skills identified in the resultant overarching framework.

By definition, moving towards standardized, international comparative assessment implies reducing the range of domains to be considered for development. To achieve this goal the ALL team imposed a series of criteria on candidate skill domains.

First, only those skill domains for which scientifically convincing theory and an established literature existed were considered. Thus, some intuitively appealing skill domains were eliminated for lack of extant scientific underpinnings.

Second, selected domains had to exhibit an accompanying tradition of measurement upon which the ALL study might draw.

Thirdly, current approaches to measurement had to be sufficiently compact to provide valid, reliable and comparable measures within the natural limits of a household survey of very heterogeneous adult populations.

Fourthly, there had to be evidence that the skills in question could be both learnt and, therefore, taught, at least to conventional levels required by everyday life. Thus, skills dependent solely innate abilities were excluded. Similarly, no effort was made to assess the extreme positive range of skill where skill and art merge and where tasks become dependent on specialized lexicons and bodies of knowledge.

Finally, evidence had to exist that the domains to be measured had a direct impact on the social, health, educational or economic life chances of individuals.

In this manner the Adult Literacy and Life skills survey project supports the development and use of the life skills framework and the concept of life skills profiles.

As noted above the work of DeSeCo has expanded and enhanced the theoretical coherence of the life skills framework. In turn, ALL will provide empirical evidence to support and confront this theory building. Given this context, the goal is not to pen the "last word" on life skills, but rather to advance science in this area. The many different efforts to identify life skills have resulted in a large variety of classification systems, each with its own unique nomenclature. As the ability to assess a wider range of skills and abilities increases, it is important to begin to synthesize this continually expanding body of knowledge into an overarching framework to help guide assessment efforts and to build bridges between the various societal actors interested in skills and competence through the provision of valid, reliable, comparable and interpretable data on skills denominated in a common nomenclature.