When Germany performed the first national assessment on reading and writing skills among adults in 2010 (LEO), it was late compared to other European countries such as England or France. Now the results of the second round of that survey reveal a higher average literacy level in Germany compared to the preceding survey. In this paper, we briefly discuss the state of literacy research in large-scale surveys and offer some critical viewpoints. Next, we present the results of the two LEO surveys from 2010 and 2018. Besides providing information about the composition of the low-literate adult population in Germany (aged 18-64 years), we selected results that might help to critically revise current stereotypes about adults who have difficulties reading and writing.

Professionalization in adult education is necessary, and several initiatives are underway to improve the professional situation as well as the competences and skills of adult educators. The relevance and importance of adult education is often stated. Large-scale assessments such as the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competences show how important adult education is for societies and economies. They give information on participation and participants. At first glance, the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competences lacks detailed information on adult education institutions and professions. A second glance allows explore what people do as part of their work. Those who state that they teach regularly or occasionally will be explored here in more detail. Findings from this study reveal several characteristics of people who teach, including age, gender, academic background and industries. In particular, our analysis suggests that more than 80% of those who teach did not have formal degrees in education sciences. Moreover, those who teach frequently have higher skills, older ages and they have better job positions than those who do not teach. The majority of those who teach are males. Lastly, the results indicate that seniority and prestige in all 14 countries examined in this study are highly relevant to people who teach.

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