While Florida\u2019s adult literacy rate ranks below the national average, the Literacy Alliance of Northeast Florida is working to bridge the gap. For many students and faculty at the University of North Florida, the literacy challenge highlights a shifting landscape in how students engage with text and their struggles with literacy.<\/p>\n
On a national scale, the average adult in the U.S. reads below a sixth-grade level, according to The National Literacy Institute<\/a>, and Florida is one of the states with the lowest literacy rate, according to Data Pandas<\/a>. The Literacy Alliance of Northeast Florida helps students prepare to get their GED, improve their reading and writing skills, and get a job, according to the Literacy Alliance\u2019s website<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Student perspectives on literacy trends<\/p>\n The Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) measured that 24% of Floridians scored at or below a level one, 34% are at a level two, and 42% of the population is at or above a level three for literacy, according to the National Center for Education Statistics<\/a>.<\/p>\n Alana Hunsberger, a freshman majoring in communication, said she reads about one book every two months.\u00a0<\/p>\n To combat the literacy rate, Hunsberger said children should not be given phones.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe like not allow younger kids to have phones,\u201d Hunsberger said. \u201cLots of kids are getting them as toddlers.\u201d<\/p>\n Lily Dillard, a freshman majoring in ASL interpretation, said she is not much of a reader, but when she gets interested in a book, it\u2019s hard to put it down.<\/p>\n Dillard said to combat the declining literacy rate, students should read more in class.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cStarting in schools, take an hour out of their day to read what they think is interesting,\u201d Dillard said. She said that she has seen in some elementary schools, students are given time to read in class, and that this activity should continue into high school.<\/p>\n While students see the issue through the lens of classroom habits, faculty members at UNF observe different trends in their day-to-day interactions.<\/p>\n Academic observation on literacy rates<\/p>\n Richard Lentz, a UNF professor in the School of Communication, said he has not experienced much of a decline in students\u2019 literacy, but he frequently notices improper grammar usage or spelling errors.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe issue that I end up running into is, you know, of course, like a lot of students are not doing the basic things like capitalizing the first letter of a sentence or, just doing, in my opinion, basic, you know, proofreading,\u201d Lentz said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Lentz also said professional boundaries are sometimes ignored.<\/p>\n \u201cThey [students] think they can use, like, slang and jargon with me and things of that nature,\u201d Lentz said. \u201cAnd it\u2019s like, no, I need you to be professional when we\u2019re communicating.\u201d<\/p>\n Lentz said many people now consume content online via videos rather than blog posts, which may contribute to student literacy levels.<\/p>\n \u201cI feel like we get everything in videos nowadays instead of having to read,\u201d Lentz said.<\/p>\n Lentz also said that although students could depend on a spell or grammar checker, students still should write for themselves and not use ChatGPT or AI to write things for them.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Community-led solutions and outreach<\/p>\n The Literacy Alliance assists people from ages 16 to 80 in getting their GED, improving reading, writing, and math skills, looking for a better job, and more, according to its website.<\/a><\/p>\n