It's about time! Exploring time allocation patterns of adults with lower literacy skills on a digital assessment

Despite the necessity for adults with lower literacy skills to undergo and succeed in high-stakes computer-administered assessments (e.g., GED, HiSET), there remains a gap in understanding their engagement with digital literacy assessments.

This study analyzed process data, specifically time allocation data, from the Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC), to investigate adult respondents' patterns of engagement across all proficiency levels on nine digital literacy items. We used cluster analysis to identify distinct groups with similar time allocation patterns among adults scoring lower on the digital literacy assessment. Finally, we employed logistic regression to examine whether the groups varied by demographic factors, in particular individual (e.g., race/ethnicity, age) and contextual factors (e.g., skills-use at home).

Adults with lower literacy skills spent significantly less time on many of the items than adults with higher literacy skills. Among adults with lower literacy skills, two groups of time allocation patterns emerged: one group (Cluster 1) exhibited significantly longer engagement times, whereas the other group (Cluster 2) demonstrated comparatively shorter durations. Finally, we found that adults who had a higher probability of Cluster 1 membership (spending more time) exhibited relatively higher literacy scores, higher self-reported engagement in writing skills at home, were older, unemployed, and self-identified as Black.

These findings emphasize differences in digital literacy engagement among adults with varying proficiency levels. Additionally, this study provides insights for the development of targeted interventions aimed at improving digital literacy assessment outcomes for adults with lower literacy skills.