syrian refugee youth literacy assessment ......approximately 126 million 15 to 24 year olds are...

SYRIAN REFUGEE

YOUTH LITERACY ASSESSMENT STUDY

SYRIAN REFUGEE YOUTH LITERACY

ASSESSMENT STUDY (SYLAS)

SYRIAN REFUGEE YOUTH LITERACY ASSESSMENT STUDY (SYLAS)

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Published in 2020 by the UNESCO Regional Bureau for Education in the Arab States - Beirut © UNESCO 2020

The designations employed and the presentation of material throughout this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of UNESCO concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The ideas and opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors; they are not necessarily those of UNESCO and do not commit the Organization.


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Foreword There is no doubt that literacy is central in today’s world and in the social advancement of societies. Progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Education 2030 Agenda, and the attainment of 21st century skills and global competencies, cannot be achieved without fully literate societies. Measuring the proficiency levels of youth and adult literacy is a huge challenge globally. In the context of youth and adult refugee populations, there has not been any systematic attempt to assess their literacy levels. It is important to understand the significance of such data both from national and global perspectives. With many populations fleeing their home countries due to conflict and seeking refuge in countries where education systems differ, there is an evident need to assess literacy among refugee youth, in order to be able to tackle their vulnerabilities and challenges, and respond to their needs. In the context of the Syrian refugee crisis, information on literacy and numeracy skills requires criticality to understand the situation that refugee youth face to participate in socio-economic development. Undertaking such a literacy assessment allows policy makers and programme implementers to better understand the population’s employability, life skills levels and any concern with regard to such skills. This way fast action could be taken to address the core and urgent issues, especially in non-formal and vocational education programmes for vulnerable and disadvantaged youth populations. The Syrian Refugee Youth Literacy Assessment Study was conducted in Lebanon between 2019 and 2020 and targeted Syrian refugee youth aged between 15 and 24 years. It aimed to assess their literacy, numeracy and life skills proficiency levels through administering background questionnaires and literacy competency tests designed specifically for this study and its target group. The report presents the study context and discusses its methodology, data collection tools, and results. Based on the findings, it identifies policy implications and programmatic recommendations for education actors to ensure that the identified literacy needs of Syrian refugee youth are addressed in education programmes. Syrian refugee youth show an overall positive attitude towards life, society and the environment. Most of the surveyed youth are keen to learn more and gain more skills and knowledge, and they aspire to pursue higher levels of education. Education stakeholders and actors hold the responsibility to respond to the youth’s needs and aspirations. It is only by improving the skills, competencies and know-how of Syrian youth that they will have the opportunity to improve their future and be able to participate and contribute fully in the socio-economic development of society. Hamed Alhamami Director UNESCO Regional Bureau - Beirut


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Acknowledgements The Syrian Refugee Youth Literacy Assessment Study that was conducted between January 2019 and April 2020 is the outcome of a collaboration between UNESCO Regional Bureau for Education in the Arab States – Beirut and UNHCR Lebanon. Therefore, we would like to thank UNHCR for providing invaluable technical inputs at different stages of the study implementation, and for providing the contacts of the study participants from their database of registered Syrian refugee households in Lebanon. We would also like to thank them for facilitating the implementation of the pre-testing of tools in their partners’ community development centers for Syrian refugees. Special thanks also go to the UNESCO team in Beirut which was responsible for coordinating the study and supporting the development of the data collection tools and the study report. We would also like to thank UNESCO Damascus and Dr. Ali Al-Hosary, curriculum expert from the Damascus University, for their technical support in developing the literacy competency tests covering literacy, numeracy and life skills components. We would also like to extend our thanks to the Consultation & Research Institute (CRI) - Lebanon, who undertook the data collection between June and July 2019. Finally, our sincere appreciation goes to Dr. Venkatraman Subramaniyam, Assessment and Evaluation Expert and UNESCO Consultant, who led this project from beginning to end, including the development of the study tools and drafting of the study report. This study could not have been accomplished without the generous funding from the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences (KFAS). We would like to express our deep gratitude to KFAS for their partnership with UNESCO and for their continued support to youth affected by the Syria crisis in Lebanon.


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Table of Contents Foreword ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………3 Acknowledgments ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………4

Glossary ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..7

SECTION I Literacy Assessment of Refugee Youth - Design, Challenges and Process .................................... 8 1. Introduction, Background and Objectives ……………………………………………………………………………..9 2. Literacy Assessments ……………..…………………………………………………………………………………….……..11

2.1 SDG 4.6 and Context of Refugees......................................................................................................112.2 Financing Refugee Education..............................................................................................................122.3 Data Focus.................................................................................................................................................132.4 Measuring SDG 4.6.1..............................................................................................................................14

3. Context of Syrian Refugees Crisis …………………………………………………………………………………………15 3.1 Rationale.....................................................................................................................................................15

4. Objectives and Research Methodology …..…………………………………………………………………..……...18 4.1 Research Methodology..........................................................................................................................18

4.1.1 Study Instruments .................................................................................................... 18 4.1.2 Sampling ................................................................................................................... 18 4.1.3 Questionnaires ......................................................................................................... 19 4.1.4 Development of Tools .............................................................................................. 22

5. A Brief Introduction to the Three Domains used for the Study …………….……………………………..23 5.1 Literacy Domains and Tasks.................................................................................................................235.2 Literacy Scale............................................................................................................................................245.3 Numeracy...................................................................................................................................................255.4 Numeracy Domain and Tasks..............................................................................................................265.5 Numeracy Scale........................................................................................................................................265.6 Life Skills.....................................................................................................................................................275.7 Definition of Life Skills - WHO Perspective......................................................................................275.8 Life Skills Domain and Tasks.................................................................................................................285.9 Assessment Tools....................................................................................................................................295.10 Development of Literacy and Numeracy Test Items.................................................................30

5.10.1 Literacy: Item Mapping ........................................................................................ 30 5.10.2 Numeracy: Item Mapping .................................................................................... 31

5.11 The Data Collection Process..............................................................................................................325.12 Pre-testing of Tools..............................................................................................................................325.13 Validation of Items and Finalization of Tools...............................................................................335.14 Main Data Collection............................................................................................................................335.15 Challenges in Field Work....................................................................................................................33

SECTION II Household Characteristics and Youth Profile ...................................................................... 35 1. Introduction ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..36 2. Household Characteristics ……………………………………………………………………………………………………37

2.1 Household Characteristics....................................................................................................................37


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3. Profile of Syrian Refugee Youth ……………………………………………………………………………………………40 3.1 Educational Attainment.........................................................................................................................413.2 Employment..............................................................................................................................................423.3 Life Skills.....................................................................................................................................................423.4 Personal and Social Skills.......................................................................................................................443.5 Institutional Survey.................................................................................................................................45

SECTION III Literacy and Numeracy Assessment ................................................................................... 49 1. Literacy and Numeracy Assessment ………………………………………………….………………………………..50

1.1 Literacy and Numeracy Competency Levels...................................................................................501.2 Performance by Regions.......................................................................................................................511.3 Literacy Test Performance....................................................................................................................531.4 Conclusion..................................................................................................................................................55

2. Numeracy Test Performance …………………………………………………………….………………………………..56 2.1 Performance by Proficiency Levels....................................................................................................56

3. Life Skills Performance …………………………………………………………………………………………………………60 SECTION IV Summary of Findings and Implications for Policy ................................................................ 62 ANNEXES .......................................................................................................................... 65


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Glossary

ALL Adult Literacy & Life Skills Survey

CRI Consultation and Research Institute

GEMR Global Education Monitoring Report

GMR Global Monitoring Report

GRALE Global Report on Adult Learning and Education

IALS International Adult Literacy Survey

PIAAC Programme for International Assessment of Adult Competencies

NEET Not in Education, Employment or Training

NFE Non Formal Education

PISA Programme for International Student Assessment

RACE Reaching All Children with Education

STEP Skills Towards Employment and Productivity Program

SDGs Sustainable Development Goals

SyLAS Syrian Refugee Youth Literacy Assessment Survey

VASyR Vulnerability Assessment of Syrian Refugees in Lebanon

UIL UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning

UIS UNESCO Institute for Statistics

WHO World Health Organization

GCR Global Compact of Refugees

BQs Background Questionnaires

MEHE Ministry of Education and Higher Education

TVET Technical and Vocational Education and Training

VET Vocational Education and Training


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SECTION I Literacy Assessment

of Refugee Youth Design, Challenges and Process


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1. Introduction, Background and Objectives The perceptions and perspectives on what constitutes literacy have been marked by the evolving dynamics of official dialogues and academic discourses, starting from the Freirean concept of social empowerment, through skill-building for the market economy, to the currently emerging new and more holistic agenda built on the three overlapping principles of lifelong learning, global competencies and sustainable development. Youth and adult literacy are seen to go beyond employability and foster active citizenship, strengthen personal growth and secure social inclusion1. Literacy is important in today’s world and it is a lifelong process of learning for all, particularly in the context of 21st century skills with their emphasis on sustainable development skills and global competencies, which cannot be attained without achieving a fully literate society. Defining literacy in the emerging transformational world of today is quite a daunting task. However, as a working definition for the purposes of this paper, its focus is on youth and adults and it comprises three essential features, namely, that literacy is about the uses people make of it, that it is plural or context-sensitive and that it involves a continuum of learning within the framework of lifelong learning, measured at different proficiency levels2. The Belém Framework for Action (2009)3 recognized adult education as an essential element of the right to education, besides recognizing the criticality of lifelong learning in addressing global educational issues and challenges. The emerging transformational world scenarios, mentioned above, relate particularly to demographic shifts, like increased life expectancy with its concomitant increase in supply of labour force in higher age cohorts, migrations due to various reasons including conflicts, and the changing demand patterns of the international labour markets in terms of changing performance requirements of jobs caused by the ever-changing advancements and innovations in technology. These are in the nature of emerging superimpositions on the already identified issues of access, such as gender disparities, reaching the disadvantaged and marginalized populations, reaching remote areas, persons with disabilities, etc. An added dimension to these would be the local social and cultural contexts in which learning takes place, which again, is marked by wide variations even at the micro level. Thus, the understanding of the praxis of literacy is seen as moving away from social empowerment and market economy and a dichotomous approach of literate-illiterate towards its perception as a continuum of context-sensitive approach linked to learning throughout life4. While the international community has made great strides in promoting global literacy in the past 15 years, significant progress is still to be made. According to the UIS, 781 million adults (age 15 and over) globally lack basic reading and writing skills. While literacy rates have improved in almost every region of the world since 2000, these improvements have not been consistent. Women account for nearly two-thirds of adult illiterates, and this ratio has not changed between

1 UIL. 2013. Second Global Report on Adult Learning and Education: Rethinking Literacy. Hamburg 2 UNESCO. 2017. Reading the past, writing the future, Paris. 3 UIL. 2010. Confintea VI. Belém Framework for Action. 2010, Hamburg. 4 UNESCO. 2017. Reading the past, writing the future, 2017. Paris.


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1990 and 2015 (UNESCO, 2014). Youth literacy statistics are not much more inspiring; approximately 126 million 15 to 24 year olds are still unable to read worldwide, accounting for 10.6% of the global youth population (UIS, 2014). In 2004–2011, only 6% of adults in 29 poorer countries had ever participated in a literacy programme5. This results in an exclusion of low-literate and low-skilled youth and adults from full participation in their communities and societies. While there is very little availability of data, anecdotal evidence shows that the situation is dire particularly in conflict-affected areas and countries where access to education and opportunities for learning is extremely limited and interrupted for a very long time due to forced displacement (internally or externally), destruction of learning facilities and constrained resources, among others. Available evidence shows that a vast majority of youth affected by the Syrian crisis has been out of learning institutions for a very long time, which might as well be an indication of illiteracy or low level of literacy amongst the critical mass of young people.

5 UNESCO. 2016. Global Education Monitoring Report, 2016. Paris.


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2. Literacy Assessments Measuring the proficiency levels of youth and adult literacy is a huge challenge globally. There has been several literacy assessments that were undertaken in the past such as the Adult Literacy and Life Skills Survey (ALL) and the International Adult Literacy Survey (IALS)6, the World Bank’s Skills Measurement Programme (STEP7) and Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC)8. However, it remains a challenge for most countries to undertake systematic literacy assessments that measure the proficiency levels. There has been one-off Literacy Surveys that also tested in a minimal way the literacy and numeracy skills of adults in a few countries but the fact remains that due to lack of clear methodological framework and lack of funding, measuring literacy among youth and adults remains a big challenge. Currently, there are attempts made at developing new common scales against which the minimum proficiency levels can be measured. In the context of youth and adult refugee populations, there has not been any systematic attempt to assess their literacy levels. It is important to understand the significance of such data both from national and global contexts. The next section highlights the need for literacy assessments to monitor progress of Sustainable Development Goal 4 with specific reference to target 4.6 and its relation to the context of this study. 2.1 SDG 4.6 and Context of Refugees Not leaving the refugees behind in the efforts to achieve a fully literate society is no less important than not leaving any other group behind. It may be noted that leaving no one behind “is among the most aspirational global commitments of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Migration and displacement are two global challenges the agenda needs to address in achieving the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including SDG 4, that is, ‘ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all’. Migration and displacement interact with education in many ways. These links affect those who move, those who stay and those who host migrants, refugees or other displaced populations 9 ”. Migration and displacement affect education. They require systems to accommodate those who move and those left behind. Countries are challenged to fulfil the international commitment to respect the right to education for all. They must often act quickly, under severe constraints or even opposition from some constituencies. Qualifications and prior learning need to be recognized to make the most of migrants’ and refugees’ skills. SDG target 4.6 urges all countries to ‘(by 2030) ensure that all youth and a substantial proportion of adults, both men and women, achieve literacy and numeracy.’ SDG indicator 4.6.1 seeks to measure ‘the percentage of the population in a given age group achieving at least a fixed level of proficiency in functional (a) literacy and (b) numeracy skills. The target age group for this indicator is all those aged 15 and over. It may be noted that this target (4.6) defines adult literacy as a continuum of functional literacy and numeracy skills for which a fixed level of proficiency can be

6 http://www.oecd.org/education/innovation-education/adultliteracy.htm 7 https://microdata.worldbank.org/index.php/catalog/step/about 8 https://www.oecd.org/skills/piaac/ 9 UNESCO. 2019. Global Education Monitoring Report: Migration, Displacement and Education – Building Bridges, not Walls.

Paris.


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assessed. Currently, how ‘proficiency’ is defined can vary from country to country, which makes comparability of data a challenge. Standardization of recognition, validation and accreditation of such proficiency may help cross-country equivalence of such qualifications of youth and adult literacy acquired beyond the formal education system. Right to Education of Migrants and Refugees The two new compacts on migrants and refugees recognize education’s role and set objectives aligned with the global commitment to leave no one behind. The UNESCO GEMR 2019 makes seven recommendations that support implementation of the compacts:

• Protect the right to education of migrants and displaced people10 • Include migrants and displaced people in national education systems • Understand and plan for the education needs of migrants and displaced people • Represent migration and displacement histories in education accurately to challenge

prejudices • Prepare teachers of migrants and refugees to address diversity and hardship • Harness the potential of migrants and displaced people • Support education needs of migrants and displaced people in humanitarian and

development aid. 2.2 Financing Refugee Education Refugee education remains underfunded. The GEMR 2019 of UNESCO estimates that US$800 million was spent on refugee education in 2016, split roughly equally between humanitarian and development aid. That covers only about one-third of the most recently estimated funding gap. If the international community employed humanitarian aid only, the share to education would have to increase tenfold to meet refugees’ education needs.

Source: UNESCO 2018, Global Education Monitoring Report, 2019.

10 Displacement: ‘Forced removal/flight of a person from his/her home or country, often as a result of armed conflict or natural

disaster.’ (GEMR, 2019)


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The Role of Teachers and Teacher Training Institutions in Refugee Education Teachers are sometimes the only resource available to students in displacement settings, when classroom space or learning materials are in short supply. However, including the displaced in national education systems poses challenges for teacher recruitment and retention. A proliferation of unregulated, substandard and short-term teacher contracts has a negative effect on working conditions. Teachers also need special training to develop teaching strategies to deal with overcrowded, mixed-age or multilingual classrooms, as well as the stress and trauma linked with displacement, such as helping children needing psychosocial support11. In the Syrian Arab Republic, 73% of teachers surveyed had no training on providing children with psychosocial support12. Teacher recruitment and management policies need to act fast to emerging needs. The Global Compact on Refugees The 1951 Refugee Convention defines the term ‘refugee’ and outlines the rights of the displaced, as well as the legal obligations of States to protect them. UNHCR serves as the ‘guardian’ of the 1951 Convention and its 1967 Protocol. UNHCR, in cooperation with States, ensures that the rights of refugees are respected and protected, including the right to education. However, its core principle of shared responsibility has not been sufficiently addressed, necessitating a need to renew the commitment with a clearer support framework. This need has led to the Global Compact on Refugees (GCR), a framework for more predictable and equitable responsibility-sharing, which recognizes that a sustainable solution to refugee situations cannot be achieved without international cooperation. Regarding education, the GCR highlights the necessity of States and relevant stakeholders to support host countries by contributing resources and expertise to expand and enhance the quality and inclusiveness of national education systems to facilitate access to refugee and host community children (both boys and girls), adolescents and youth to primary, secondary and tertiary education. It makes clear the duty of countries to improve access to education and develop policies on refugees’ inclusion in national education systems, which is considered ‘best practice’ in the UNHCR Inclusive Education Strategy 203013. 2.3 Data Focus In the context of leaving no one behind, data play a crucial role for planning interventions. Therefore, data need to be of high quality and reliable, and collected at as disaggregated levels as possible. In this context, it has to be noted that several population groups suffer disadvantages masked by outcome averages. The SDG monitoring framework, therefore, explicitly focuses on disaggregation of indicators by various characteristics historically associated with disadvantage. In SDG 17, target 17.18 calls on donor countries to ‘enhance capacity‑building support to developing countries … to increase significantly the availability of high-quality, timely and reliable data disaggregated by … migratory status … and other characteristics relevant in national contexts. Yet, according to the UNESCO GMR 2019, systematic data on the education status of migrants and refugees are patchy, including in otherwise data-rich countries. In the World Bank’s Microdata Catalogue, as of mid‑2018, over 2,000 out of almost 2,500 household surveys include information on education, but only around one out of seven of those includes migration, and only a small fraction of those includes information on refugees and/or displacement. Even where

11 Ibid. 12 Ibid. 13 UNHCR Inclusive Education Strategy 2030, available on https://www.unhcr.org/5d651da88d7.pdf


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administrative data, household surveys or learning assessments are available, they are frequently limited due to the small number of migrants sampled, responding and asked comparable and meaningful questions concerning their potentially complex migration and education backgrounds.

2.4 Measuring SDG 4.6.1 This indicator is about the percentage of youth (aged 15 to 24 years) and of adults (aged 15 years and older) who have achieved or exceeded a given level of proficiency in literacy and numeracy14. Measuring the proficiency levels of youth and adults is a huge challenge globally. As indicated earlier, while there are several literacy assessments such as ALL and IALS and the recent PIAAC15, many countries in the Arab region are yet to undertake systematic literacy assessments. UNESCO has been at the forefront of global literacy efforts since 1946, advancing the vision of a literate world for all. It views acquiring and improving literacy skills throughout life as an intrinsic part of the right to education. The “multiplier effect” of literacy empowers people, enables them to participate fully in society and contributes to improve livelihoods. Literacy is also a driver for sustainable development in that it enables greater participation in the labor market; improves child and family health and nutrition; reduces poverty and expands life opportunities. The New and Emerging Definition of Literacy Beyond its conventional concept as a set of reading, writing and counting skills, literacy is now understood as a means of identification, understanding, interpretation, creation, and communication in an increasingly digital, text-mediated, information-rich and fast-changing world. The definition of literacy in the context of refugee education needs to incorporate all these characteristics plus other aspects like critical thinking, self-confidence, leadership, respect for socio-cultural and linguistic diversities, inter-personal communication, coping and self-management, citizenship, and ability to identify and acquire skills needed most in the prevailing job market at national and international levels.

14 “The indicator can be calculated as the percentage of youth and adults who have achieved at least the minimum threshold of

proficiency as defined for large-scale (representative sample) literacy and numeracy assessments. It can also be interpreted through as the use of a threshold that categorizes youth and adults as being below, at or above minimum proficiency levels. At present, however, there are no common standards for this threshold that has been validated by the international community. Current data originate from agencies and organizations specialized in cross-national household-based surveys of youth and adult populations. This is an issue that the UIS has raised repeatedly” (Sylvia Montoya, 2018, http://uis.unesco.org/en/blog/meet-sdg-4-data-measuring-youth-and-adult-literacy-and-numeracy)

15 PIAAC: The Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) is a programme of assessment and analysis of adult skills. The major survey conducted as part of PIAAC is the Survey of Adult Skills. The Survey measures adults’ proficiency in key information-processing skills - literacy, numeracy and problem solving, and gathers information and data on how adults use their skills at home, at work and in the wider community.(https://www.oecd.org/skills/piaac/)


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3. Context of Syrian Refugee Crisis 3.1 Rationale In the context of the Syrian refugee crisis, information on literacy and numeracy skills acquires criticality to understand the situation that the refugee youth face in participating in societal development. Literacy, in this context of limited time and resources, can at the least, be defined as ‘the ability to read (construct meaning from text) and write (create text that is meaningful)’. In undertaking a literacy assessment of this type, it allows the policy makers and program implementers to identify the population’s weaknesses in reading, writing abilities and practices, so that fast action could be taken to address the core and urgent issues. In Lebanon, the Reaching All Children with Education (RACE) strategy has realized a significant increase in the number of Syrian children enrolled in public basic education. In 2016, Lebanon adopted a five-year RACE II plan (2017 – 2021) with the goal of enrolling 255,647 Syrian children in formal education by the 2020-2021 school year16. In 2016, it finalized a framework for non-formal education, leading to the regularization of Non-Formal Education (NFE) enrolment and increased pathways to formal education. However, too many Syrian children are still out of school or not completing the cycle of basic education. The situation is dire for secondary education-aged children between the age of 15 and 17 where less than 10 percent of the age cohort is enrolled. According to VASyR (2018)17, 61% of Syrian refugees aged 15 to 24 were Not Employed, not in Education, and not attending any Training (NEET). The NEET rate is higher for female youth (79%) than for males (41%). Similarly, this rate is also notably higher among youth aged 19 to 24 years (67%) than those aged 15 to 18 (54%). This calls for efforts to know the status of youth literacy for Syrian refugees in Lebanon. The results of a literacy assessment facilitate important breakthroughs in policy and planning, especially in NFE programmes for vulnerable and disadvantaged youth populations.

16 Human Rights New York. 2016. Growing up without an education, Barriers to Education for Syrian Refugee Children in

Lebanon. 17 VASyR (Vulnerability Assessment of Syrian refugees in Lebanon). 2018. UNHCR/UNICEF/WHO, Lebanon. VASyR is the sixth

annual multi-sectoral survey assessing the situation of a representative sample of registered Syrian refugee households to identify situational changes and trends.


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Box 1. Profile of Refugee Population (Highlights from VASyR 2018, UNHCR)

• Approximately 54% of the refugee population was below 18 years of age. • Those between the ages of 18 and 59 made up 44% of the Syrian refugee population (see

graph below) • Regional comparisons showed that Bekaa had the lowest number of individuals between

the ages of 18 and 59, at 41%, while Beirut and Mount Lebanon had the highest, at 46%. • Of the total Syrian refugee population, 49.5% were male and 50.5% female. There were

regional variations with the share of male refugees higher than that of females in Beirut and Mount Lebanon, at 52% male and 48% female for both regions.

Age Distribution by Gender

Source: UNHCR: VASyR, 2018

The Lebanese education system is divided into public and private sectors. Public schools account for only 30 percent of Lebanese students enrolled in the Lebanese education system, with most schools located in several most impoverished areas in the country. Most refugees rely on Lebanon’s public education system. The influx of Syrian refugees has further strained public schools. Figure 1 shows the rising trend in the enrolment of non-Lebanese children in formal public schools from 2011 to 2019, except for the year 2018-19 when there is a dip observable in the enrolment.

18.4%18.4%

13.2%8.9%

6.1%5.8%

8.5%7.4%

4.7%2.9%

2.1%1.4%

1.0%.7%.6%

18%17%

12%8%8%

9%9%

6%4%

3%3%

1%1%

1%1%

20% 15% 10% 5% 0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25%

0-4 years old

10-14 years old

20-24 years old

30-34 years old

40-44 years old

50-54 years old

60-64 years old

70 years old and above

Female Male

youth


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Figure 1. Number of Non-Lebanese Children Enrolled in Formal Public Schools from 2011 – 2019

Source: MEHE, 2019

There is lack of Information on the extent of the learning difficulties of the Syrian youth aged 15-24. Triangulated information from different sources indicates that about 72 percent of youth aged 18 to 24 have been out of learning institutions for a minimum of five years18. The lack of adequate information on literacy levels of Syrian refugees negatively impacts on planning for alternative education paths for the Syrian refugees19. Making available such information will assist in setting targets to be achieved to address the gaps in literacy and life skills competencies among the refugee population. This will also ensure that the host country prepares holistically to meet the global and national aspirations on Agenda 2030, in particular SDG 4 Targets 4.4. and 4.6. According to a study conducted by UNHCR (2014), the situation of the Syrian youth aged 15-24 years was characterized as follows: 41 per cent feeling depressed and hopeless; 6 per cent enrolled in schools; 78 per cent unemployed; 46 percent lacking contraception knowledge; and 31 per cent married20. The youth population requires appropriate knowledge, skills, practices and values to effectively participate in social and economic development. That means that the impact of alternative education programmes should translate to a literate and productive population. Good education is the cornerstone of success for an individual and the foundation for peace and cohesive living including economic prosperity. This makes youth drivers of economic development and therefore eradication of illiteracy a priority. Therefore, the information generated becomes useful for informing education systems on areas to address while diversifying learning pathways and strengthening national systems in the use of quality data.

The Syrian Refugee Youth Literacy Assessment Survey (SYLAS) thus targets to collect core information on Syrian refugee youth aged 15-24 years in Lebanon, the results of which will be crucial for informing development partners on issues of addressing access to education within the Syrian crisis and support formulation of alternative, relevant and quality education programmes.

18 UNESCO. 2016. Regional Education Response Strategy for the Syria Crisis (2016-2017): Bridging Learning Gaps for Youth. p p.15 19 As per the 2019 February Statistical Dashboard of Inter Agency IM Unit/UNHCR the % of school-aged refugees (including

Syrian Refugees) out of formal education in 2017 was about 59% 20 UNHCR .2014. Syrian Refugee Situation Analysis of Youth in Lebanon-Beirut.


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4. Objectives and Research Methodology The objectives of the literacy assessment are focused primarily on addressing basic but critical questions that policy makers and donors are concerned with, which are as follows:

1. Establish the status of literacy and numeracy of the Syrian youth population (15-24 years) in Lebanon

2. Understand the life skills levels of the Syrian youth population (15-24 years) in Lebanon 3. Provide recommendations on addressing literacy concerns relating to Syrian youth in

Lebanon 4.1 Research Methodology The SYLAS was designed to yield valid, reliable, interpretable and comparable estimates of student proficiency in reading and mathematics. This section describes the design of the SYLAS instruments and the sample.

4.1.1 Study Instruments The refugee youth literacy survey collected information about the Syrian refugee youth’s education attainment, proficiency levels in literacy and numeracy, life skills, and participation in alternative education programmes. The following instruments were used: Assessments through Tests Administered in Literacy, Numeracy and Life Skills i. Tested Domains The Literacy Skills assessed the three critical cognitive domains of 1. narrative, 2. expository and 3. document (more details on the development of test items and proficiency levels can be seen in the next section). The Life Skills tested fall under three broad categories of 1. inter-personal communication, 2. decision-making and critical thinking skills and 3. coping and self-management skills. The Numeracy Skills tested the three main cognitive domains of 1. number, 2. measurement and 3. space data. ii. Background Questionnaire consisted of:

• Household questionnaire • Individual questionnaire • Institutional questionnaire

4.1.2 Sampling Sampling is that part of statistical practice which is concerned with the selection of a subset of individual observations within a population of individuals intended to yield some knowledge about the population of concern, especially for the purposes of making predictions based on statistical inference. Such knowledge, again, can be of use in policy making and planning suitable interventions. Sampling is, thus, an important aspect of data collection.


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Sampling, again, is useful where census cannot be undertaken. Researchers rarely survey the entire population for two reasons: the cost is too high, and the population is dynamic in that the individuals making up the population may change over time. The three main advantages of sampling are that the cost is lower, data collection is faster, and since the data set is smaller it is possible to ensure homogeneity and to improve the accuracy and quality of the data (Cochran, 197721).

4.1.3 Questionnaires

i. Household and Youth Questionnaires The statistical unit in this study is a Syrian refugee household with at least one member belonging to the age group 15-24 years. Within the selected household, two background questionnaires (household and youth) were administered. The household questionnaire collected data on socio-economic characteristics of the household. The youth questionnaire targeted refugees (15-24 years) who were randomly selected from the household.

For the present study, it was recommended that the selection could be of households through a two-stage cluster sampling methodology to yield a sample representative of youth refugees in Lebanon. In a two-stage cluster sampling design, a random sample of clusters (usually naturally occurring geographic unit such as a village, neighborhood or town) is selected, followed by a random sample of units (in this case households) within each cluster. The selection of clusters is done through a method known as ‘probability proportionate to size’. This means that villages/neighborhoods that have higher concentrations of youth are more likely to be selected as part of the sample. The World Health Organization (WHO) developed a two-stage cluster scheme based on a “30x7” sample which provides a precision of +/- 10 percentage points. In this method, 30 clusters were selected. Based on this calculation, the sample size of the household survey (3 questionnaires) was 400 households. UNESCO and UNHCR pre-selected regions also referred to as ‘clusters’ in Lebanon. In total, 30 clusters were selected (4 additional clusters were provided in order to be used as “replacement” clusters) and within each cluster a sample was drawn randomly from the UNHCR database of registered Syrian household refugees. Only households with at least one member belonging to the age group 15-24 years old were eligible for inclusion in the sample frame. Taking into account the need for substitution within each cluster (due to non-response rates, refusal, wrong contact, and illiterates, etc.), UNHCR provided a list of 1020 contacts residing in the 34 clusters. Table 1 shows the sample distribution of the survey.

21 Cochran G. William, 1977. Sampling Techniques (3rd Edition), John Wiley & Sons, U.S.


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Table 1. Distribution of Sample

Cluster Region District Cadaster Village Adjusted Sample Accomplished

10 LEB- Bekaa Baalbek Aarsal Aarsal 14 27

11 LEB- Bekaa Baalbek Aarsal Aarsal 13

12 LEB- Bekaa Baalbek Baalbek Baalbek 13 12

13 LEB- Bekaa Baalbek Douris Douris 13 13

19 LEB- Bekaa Zahle Zahleh El-Maallaqa Karak Nouh 13 11

21 LEB- Bekaa Zahle Qabb Elias Qabb Elias 14 13

22 LEB- Bekaa Zahle Barr Elias Bar Elias 14 13

23 LEB- Bekaa West Bekaa Marj BG El Marj 13 14

24 LEB- Bekaa Zahle Majdel Aanjar Majdel Anjar 14 14

25 LEB- Bekaa West Bekaa Ghazzeh Ghazze 13 13

28 LEB- Bekaa Rachaya Kaoukaba Bou Arab Kaoukaba 13 13

RC3 LEB- Bekaa Zahle Taalbaya Taalbaya 4

LEB- Bekaa Sub-total 147 147

14 LEB- Mount Lebanon El Meten Bourj Hammoud Borj Hammoud 14 11

15 LEB- Mount Lebanon El Meten Dekouaneh Dekouane 13 13

16 LEB- Mount Lebanon Baabda Chiyah Ghobeire 13 24

17 LEB- Mount Lebanon Baabda Chiyah El Ouzaai 13

18 LEB- Mount Lebanon Baabda Bourj El-Brajneh Borj el Brajne 14 11

20 LEB- Mount Lebanon Aley Choueifat El-Aamrousiyeh Es Shwayfate 13 15

26 LEB- Mount Lebanon Chouf Barja Barja 13 13

27 LEB- Mount Lebanon Chouf Bsaba Ech-Chouf Bsaba 13 8

RC2 LEB- Mount Lebanon El-Meten Bikfaya Bikfaya 11

LEB- Mount Lebanon Sub-total 106 106

1 LEB- North Akkar Aamayer Amayer 13 13

2 LEB- North Akkar Biret Aakkar Bire Akkar 13 14

3 LEB- North Akkar Kfar Melki Aakkar Kfar Melki 13 13

4 LEB- North Akkar Mhammaret Abde 13 12

5 LEB- North El Minieh-Dennie Minie El Minie 14 15

6 LEB- North El Minieh-Dennie Beddaoui Beddawi Palestinian camp 14 14

7 LEB- North Tripoli Trablous Ez-Zeitoun Abou Samra 14 13

8 LEB- North El Minieh-Dennie Bakhaaoun Bakhaoun 13 13

9 LEB- North El Koura Kfar Aaqqa Kfar Aaqqa 13 13

RC1 LEB- North El Minieh-Dennie Sir Ed-Danniyeh Sir Ed-Danniyeh 0

LEB- North Sub-total 120 120

29 LEB- South Hasbaya Kfar Chouba Halta Hasbaya 13 9

30 LEB- South Sour Sadiqine Siddiqine 14 9

RC4 LEB- South El Nabatieh Kfar Roummane Kfar Roummane 9

LEB- South Sub-total 27 27

Grand Total 400 400


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ii. Institutional Questionnaire The Institutional Questionnaire was administered in 35 learning centres that offer literacy programmes to refugee youth. The head of the Non formal Education (NFE) centre where the youth studied filled the questionnaire. The detailed breakdown of institutions covered is indicated in Table 2.

Table 2. List of Institutions Interviewed

District Institution Number of interviews

Akkar Concern 1

IRC 2

WCH 2

Baabda Ana Aqra Association 1

Baalbek Lost 1

Ana Aqra Association 2

Beirut Amel Institutions 1

ANERA (American Near East Refugee Aid) 1

Mouvement Social 1

Chouf Ana Aqra Association 1

El Meten Al-Fayhaa Association 1

El Minieh Dennie Sawa 1

Hermel WCH 1

Sour Alpha 1

Caritas 1

NRC (Norvegian Refugee Council) 1

Tripoli Al-Sunbula 1

Alpha 1

IRC 1

WCH 1

West-Bekaa IRC 2

Zahle Al-Sunbula 2



Lost (Lebanese Organization for Studies and Training) 1

Salam LADC 1

Save the Children 1

Sawa 1

WCH 1

Total

35


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4.1.4 Development of Tools As part of the preparatory activities, a literacy assessment framework was developed detailing the tools of data collection, sampling design and the proficiency scale that would be used for the survey. The literacy assessment framework involves defining the target constructs to be assessed and describes the assessment designs aligned with the aims and constructs 22 . The main construct of the literacy survey is the assessment of the youth population (15-24 years) involving three domains: Literacy, Numeracy and Life skills.

The documentation of the literacy assessment framework was guided by select questions of reflexivity of the research, namely: Why do we want to measure? What do we want to measure? How do we assess proficiency levels? How do we want to measure? How do we ensure the ‘results’ of our measurement are useful? How often should we measure?

22 Sabatini J. P., et al .2013. Preliminary Reading Literacy Assessment Framework: Foundation and Rationale for Assessment

and System Design, ETS Research Report Series, ETS-RR- 13-30, New Jersey, ETS.


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5. A Brief Introduction to the Three Domains Used for the Study According to UNESCO, literacy is defined as the “ability to read and write with understanding a short and simple statement on one’s everyday life”. A person with more stable literacy ability should be functionally competent and able to identify, understand, interpret, create, communicate, compute and use printed and written materials to achieve their goals, to develop their knowledge and potential and to participate fully in their community and wider society “(UNESCO, 2004)”

5.1 Literacy Domains and Tasks The literacy domains covered cognitive processes, focusing on participation of individuals in the society (participating), and use of a range of text types, such as narrative and interactive texts, in both print and electronic formats23. The items used were continuous texts (e.g., sentences and paragraphs) and non-continuous texts (e.g., schedules, graphs, maps). The characteristic of the literacy assessment process is that it takes into consideration the youth context/content based on materials that represent a variety of contexts and contents. Task construction for the assessment is drawn from materials selected from a broad range of both prose and document text types. The tasks identified reflect the process strategy based on specific questions that are directed to the respondents. A common framework or blueprint for the tests was developed based on skills domain and level of comprehension as given in Table 3 below. A team of experts from UNESCO, literacy assessment technical expert and independent expert on curriculum from Syria developed about 69 literacy items and 21 life skills items based on the reading skills explained in Box 2 in the three domains given in Box 3. There were seven main skills of reading that were considered while developing the test items. The skills considered were as follows: verbatim recall, paraphrase concept, find main idea, infer from text, locate information, locate and process, and apply rules. After initial pre-testing with a sampled population, 20 items (15 literacy + 5 life skills) were selected for the study. During the development of the test items, the skills identified were based on the five competency levels (see next sub-section on Literacy scale). The levels depended on item difficulty from the easiest to the most difficult. The literacy skills are described in terms of the sub-domains/areas (see Box 3). The domains are within the school/academic context versus non-school or everyday-life context (work and home related tasks) and types of materials or format in which literacy skills and tasks occur and associated purposes or uses within and across materials. The reading tasks in the context of work involve documents (graphs, charts, tables, schedules), forms with the purposes for reading to do or reading to learn.

23 https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/piaac/literacy.asp


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The skills identified are explained as follows:

Box 2. Seven Main Skills of Reading

Verbatim recall To repeat the actual words that were spoken or written.

Paraphrase concept To express in a shorter, clearer or different way what someone has said or written.

Infer from text To form an opinion based on information that has been provided.

Main Idea To plan or suggest a possible course of action, especially one that one thinks of suddenly.

Locate information To find the exact position of information.

Locate and process To find the exact position of information and get a meaning out of it.

Apply rules To get the issues being sought based on information available.

Box 3. Literacy Domains

Narrative prose

A continuous text that aims to tell a story, whether fact or fiction. Prose is a comprehension passage.

Expository prose

A continuous text that aims to describe, explain, or otherwise convey factual information or opinion to the reader, as well as to give instructions, directions procedures and rules.

Documents Structured information organised in such a way that the reader is required to search, locate, and process selected facts rather than read every word of a continuous text. Document items include; simple list, combined or intersecting list, forms and charts/graphs, which represent information in various forms and formats for interpretation.

5.2 Literacy Scale In an assessment, the way the domain is organized determines the design of the test as well as how to report the scores of the test. The pool of tasks should be representative of the sub-domains to allow adequate reporting on a single scale per sub-domain rather than on one scale for the domain. Literacy tasks covers a range of difficulties (low, middle, and high) so as to provide a comprehensive picture of the range of skills of youth. The measurement of the literacy will apply a continuum of skills.


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Box 4. Literacy Competency Levels

Level 1

Respondents at this level should be able to link words and pictures that depict common objects of a “concrete” nature.

Level 2

Respondents at this level should be able to link words to more abstract concepts such as propositions of place and direction, and, perhaps, ideas and concepts such as comparatives and superlatives (happiest, biggest, below, etc.)

Level 3 Respondents at this level should be able to link words, phrases or short sentences from one setting to another.

Level 4

Respondents at this level should be able to deal with longer passages of text that contain a sequence of ideas and content, and that require understanding derived from an accumulation of information gathered by reading forward.

Level 5 Respondents at this level should be able to read forwards or backwards through a text in order to: confirm understanding, link new information with a piece of information encountered previously, link ideas from separate parts of a text, or demonstrate the capacity to infer an author’s intention.

5.3 Numeracy The broad definition of numeracy is as follows: "Numeracy is the ability to access, use, interpret, and communicate mathematical information and ideas, to engage in and manage mathematical demands of a range of situations in adult life". (UIL, 2018)24. Numeracy is the ability to use numbers and solve problems in real life. Being numerate means having the confidence and skills to use numbers and mathematical approaches in all aspects of life - managing finances, helping children to learn, making sense of health information and other information related to day-to-day business - at work, at home and beyond. Numeracy is as much about thinking and reasoning logically as about 'doing sums'. It also means being able to reason with numbers and other mathematical concepts, and to apply these in a range of contexts and to solve a variety of problems.

Box 5. Numeracy Skills

It is the ability to: • Interpret data, charts and diagrams • Process information • Solve problems • Check answers • Understand and explain solutions • Make decisions based on logical thinking and reasoning.

24 UIL. 2018. Monitoring adult numeracy for indicator 4.6.1. Numeracy core group tentative recommendations for the Global

Alliance to Monitor Learning (GAML 5).


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Numeracy complements literacy. Both skills are needed in order to function fully and effectively in everyday life. Numeracy items to be used are: counting, sorting, performing basic arithmetic operations with whole numbers or money and recognizing common spatial representations25. 5.4 Numeracy Domains and Tasks The numeracy skills are described in terms of the sub-domains/areas. The domains are within the school/academic context versus non-school or everyday-life context (work and home related tasks). Numeracy is the knowledge and skills required to effectively compute and respond to demands of diverse situations. This involves solving problems in real everyday life and work, by interpreting graphs, tables and diagrams. The skills identified under numeracy are knowing, problem solving, performing routine procedure and performing complex procedure. The evaluation of numeracy involves determining the ability to practice multiplication, addition and subtraction of units; the ability to perform calculations using units; and the ability to read, prepare and use records (bills, receipts, etc.). The numeracy assessment is divided into 3 domains: number, measurement and space-data. The tasks for each of the domains are presented in the box below.

Box 6. Numeracy Domains

Domain Tasks

Number Operations, number line, square roots, rounding and placing value, significant figures, fractions, percentages, and ratios

Measurement Measurements related to distance, length, area, capacity, money, and time

Space-data Geometric shapes, charts (bar, pie, and line), and tables of data

5.5 Numeracy Scale A common framework or blueprint for the numeracy test was developed based on the skills domains and level of competency as given in Table 7. The team that developed the literacy items was responsible for developing numeracy items based on the skills domains and level of competency as indicated in Box 7. The expert team developed 64 items which were pre-tested and 20 items were selected for the main assessment. The measurement process of the SYLAS has applied a continuum of skills. The number of scales is subject to definitions, contexts and perspectives on numeracy. The hierarchy of numeracy skills is provided in five levels of competency. These levels are shown in Box 7 below.

25 https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/piaac/numproficiencylevel.asp


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Box 7. Numeracy Competency Levels

Level 1 Respondents at this level should be able to identify simple shapes, link simple patterns and shapes to simple digits, recognize units of measurement, name basic shapes, and undertake simple single operations using up to two-digit numbers.

Level 2

Respondents at this level should be able to recognize simple fractions in both numerical and graphical forms, identify data presented in tables, make basic calculations using simple measurement units, and understand numeration with simple computations.

Level 3

Respondents at this level should be able to extend and complete number patterns, translate shapes and patterns, and convert measurement units when making simple single-step calculations.

Level 4 Respondents at this level should be able to combine operations in order to link information from tables and charts when performing calculations, apply two or three-step number operations to measurement and conversion problems, and identify and use appropriate information in the subsequent steps of a calculation.

5.6 Life Skills Life skills can be defined as ‘the psychosocial abilities for adaptive and positive behaviour that enable individuals to deal effectively with the demands and challenges of everyday life. They are loosely grouped into three broad categories of skills: cognitive skills for analyzing and using information, personal skills for developing personal agency and managing oneself, and inter-personal skills for communicating and interacting effectively with others26. Life skills are a mix of knowledge, behaviour, attitudes and values. They encompass competencies such as critical thinking, creativity, ability to organize, social and communication skills, adaptability, problem solving, and the ability to co-operate on a democratic basis that is needed for actively shaping a peaceful future. Life skills help develop a wide range of psychosocial and interpersonal skills, which will help students to make informed decisions, communicate effectively, and develop coping and self-management skills. Life skills need to be assessed not only by adding up individual achievements measured by changes in behaviour, but rather by results from holistic indicators, which take into account values such as: a) living together; b) respect and tolerance of differences and diversity; c) active participation in communities, groups, work and social life; d) living and working in dignity; e) making informed decisions27. 5.7 Definition of Life Skills - WHO Perspective Life skills are abilities for adaptive and positive behaviour that enable individuals to deal effectively with the demands and challenges of everyday life (WHO definition). In particular, and as mentioned earlier, life skills are psychosocial competencies and interpersonal skills that help people make informed decisions, solve problems, think critically and creatively, communicate effectively, build healthy relationships, empathise with others, and cope with managing their lives

26 www.unicef.org/lifeskills/index_7308.html 27 Madhu Singh. 2003. Understanding Life Skills, Background paper prepared for EFA Global Monitoring Report 2003/04,

UNESCO-Paris.


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in a healthy and productive manner. Life skills may be directed towards personal actions or actions toward others, or may be applied to actions that alter the surrounding environment to make it conducive to health. In other words, life skills refer to the skills needed to make the most out of life. Life skills are usually associated with managing and living a better quality of life. They help one to accomplish one’s ambitions and live to one’s full potential. In short, any skill that is useful in one’s life can be considered a life skill. For example, trying to read, filling an application form in a bank, reading a lab report, using a mobile phone or computer, are, for most people, useful life skills. Life skills are not always taught directly but often learned indirectly through experience and practice. There is no definitive list of life skills; however, certain skills may be more or less relevant to such listing and it actually depends on one’s life circumstances, culture, beliefs, age, geographic location, etc. By learning new skills, one increases one’s understanding of the world around, which keeps changing all the time, and equip oneself with the tools that one needs to live a more productive and fulfilling life, finding ways to cope with the challenges that life, inevitably, throws at one, as time passes by. Measuring skills: It is widely recognized that there is a need to understand the role that skills play in employment. Information on skill proficiency can give us better insights on the skill gaps which can be addressed through better strategies and policy formulations. Internationally, PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) which measures generic skills (reading, mathematics and science) and knowledge of 15 year olds is considered as the barometer for skill proficiency of those entering the labour market. Similarly, the STEP (Skills Towards Employment and Productivity Program) Skills Measurement Survey28 focuses on measuring generic skills of the working-age population and tracks the evolution of skills across cohorts. It is unique in the sense that it includes an assessment of socio-emotional skills which are as important as other skills. The SYLAS (Syrian Refugee Youth Literacy Assessment Survey) has also adopted this approach of measuring some of the social-emotional skills under the life skills domain as discussed below29 & 30. 5.8 Life Skills Domain and Tasks Life skills defined in a general way mean a mix of knowledge, behaviour, attitudes and values, and designate the possession of skills and know-how to do something or to reach an aim. Life skills are described in three broad categories: interpersonal and communication skills; decision making and critical skills; and coping and self-management skills.

28 https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/19985 29 See Heckman, J., and T. Kautz. 2013. “Fostering and Measuring Skills: Interventions that Improve Character and Cognition.” Working Paper 19656. Cambridge, Mass.: National Bureau of Economic Research. 30 See Heineck, Guido; Anger, Silke. 2010. The returns to cognitive abilities and personality traits in Germany. In: Labour

Economics, Vol. 17, No. 3, pp. 535-546.


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a) Interpersonal and Communication Skills This category has five skills: 1. Interpersonal Communication Skills: verbal/non-verbal communication; active

listening; expressing feelings, giving feedback (without blaming) and receiving feedback. 2. Negotiation/Refusal Skills: negotiation and conflict management; assertiveness

skills; refusal skills. 3. Empathy Building: ability to listen; understand another’s needs and circumstances;

and express that understanding. 4. Cooperation and Teamwork: expressing respect for others’ contributions and

different styles; assessing one’s own abilities and contributing to the group. 5. Advocacy Skills: influencing skills and persuasion; networking and motivation skills.

b) Decision Making and Critical Thinking Skills

This category has two skills: 1. Decision-making/Problem-solving Skills: information-gathering skills; evaluating

future consequences of present actions for self and others determining alternative solutions to problems; analysis skills regarding the influence of values and of attitudes about self and others on motivation.

2. Critical Thinking Skills: analysing peer and media influences; analysing attitudes, values, social norms, beliefs, and factors affecting them; identifying relevant information and sources of information.

c) Coping and Self-Management Skills

This category has three skills: 1. Skills for Increasing Personal Confidence and Abilities to Assume Control,

Take Responsibility, Make a Difference, or Bring About Change: building self-esteem/ confidence; creating self-awareness skills, including awareness of rights, influences, values, attitudes, strengths, and weaknesses; setting goals; self-evaluation/self-assessment/self-monitoring skills.

2. Skills for Managing Feelings: managing anger; dealing with grief and anxiety; coping with loss, abuse, and trauma.

3. Skills for Managing Stress: time management; positive thinking; relaxation techniques. 5.9 Assessment Tools Assessment tools were in the form of competency tests and background questionnaires. Questionnaires The three background questionnaires target the youth between 15 and 24 years, parents/guardians of the youth, and heads of the learning institutions. There are seven main reading skills that were considered when developing test items. The skills considered were as follows: verbatim recall, paraphrase concept, find main idea, infer from text, locate information, locate and process, and apply rules. In addition to providing bio-data, the youth questionnaire was designed to profile the conditions of learning at home and in school. The institutional questionnaire dwelt on personal and professional characteristics, as well as teaching and learning


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conditions. Questionnaires were constructed based on Carroll’s framework 31 and were developed and reviewed by experts, UNESCO and UNHCR. 5.10 Development of Literacy and Numeracy Test Items The literacy and numeracy test items were developed by a multidisciplinary team comprising the UNESCO team (Lebanon and Syria), a curriculum specialist, and an assessment consultant. Based on Blooms’ taxonomy and the Mozenthal framework32 & 33, a table of specifications identifying the constituent skills to be tested in literacy and numeracy was used to guide the development of items.

5.10.1 Literacy: Item Mapping The following mapping of competency levels and skill levels was adopted.

Table 3. Literacy Competency Levels and Item Distribution

Competency Level

Description of competency

Skill level Number of items

Percentage

1 Ability to link words, match objects pictures with their names

Verbatim recall, recognize, locate information

4 20%

2 Ability to read, comprehend, link words to abstract concepts and ideas

Recognize, locate information, infer from text

6 (1 life skill) 30%

3 Ability to link words in a sentence to another setting, ability to match different elements to make complete sentences

Recognize, compare/match, infer from text, paraphrase concept, locate and process

4 (2 life skills) 20%

31 Carroll, J. B. (1963). A model of school learning. Teachers College Record, 64, pp. 723-733. 32 Mosenthal, P. 1998. Defining prose task characteristics for use in computer-adaptive testing and instruction. American

Educational Research Journal, 35, 2: pp. 269-307. 33 Murray Scott.T., Clermont, Yvan., and Binkley, Martin., (Ed.). 2005. Measuring Adult Literacy & Life Skills: New Frameworks

for Assessment. Ottawa: Statistics Canada


31

4 Ability to deal with longer passages containing a sequence of ideas that require understanding – derived from various information gathered

Locate and process, paraphrase, apply rules


5 Ability to read forwards or backwards through text, to link new information with one previously encountered, and to link separate parts of text

Infer, paraphrase, locate and process, apply rules,


5.10.2 Numeracy: Item Mapping The following competency and skill levels were adopted.

Table 4. Numeracy Competency Levels and Item Distribution

Competency Level

Description of competency Skill level Number of items

Percentage

1 Ability to identify simple shapes, link simple patterns to simple digits, etc.

Knowing, recognizing, recalling

4 20%

2 Ability to recognize simple fractions, numerical and graphical forms, make basic calculations

Recognizing, recalling, comparing, problem solving

7 35%

3 Ability to extend and complete number patterns, to translate shapes and patterns, convert measurement units using single-step calculations

Recognizing, comparing, executing, problem solving

4 20%

4 Ability to combine operations to link information from tables, charts in performing

Recalling inferring, comparing,

3 15%


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calculations, two or three-step number operations

performing routine procedure

5 Ability to make calculations and interpretations linking data from tables and graphs, make computations involving several steps, mixture of operations using fractions, decimals and whole numbers

Recognizing, recalling inferring, comparing, performing complex procedure

2 10%

5.11 The Data Collection Process The data collection process of the study is explained below.

• Adaptation and translation: Adaptation and translation of the background questionnaires to the Lebanese context was completed.

• Programming of background questionnaires (BQs): The BQs were programmed into Computer Assisted Personal Interviewing (CAPI)34 format using ODK35 KOBO36. The test booklets remained paper-based as they consisted of tests to be completed by selected household members. However, the team programmed a test correction tool via ODK. Following the completion of the fieldwork, enumerators used these tools to enter the answers provided by respondents. All tools were ready to be tested prior to the launch of the fieldwork.

5.12 Pre-testing of Tools The data collection team trained six surveyors on the five tools37 to be tested with a focus on how to administer the literacy assessment tests. The tests (literacy and numeracy) were distributed under different booklets to be tested in different locations. More specifically, the literacy test questions were divided and distributed under 6 different booklets with each item developed for pre-testing featuring in at least two booklets and in different question orders to test the item reliability. The questions under the numeracy test were similarly distributed under 6 different booklets. In turn, each surveyor was trained to administer one numeracy booklet and another literacy booklet. The pre-testing of all the items was done along with the background questionnaires. Out of 171 participants selected, only 136 participants (about 80%) turned up to take the pre-test, which was held in four different locations. The recruitment of participants was undertaken by UNESCO and UNHCR using the basic parameter described in the study target group, which is 15-24-year-old Syrian refugee youths in Lebanon.

34 A face-to-face interviewing mode in which a computer displays the questions onscreen, the interviewer reads them to the

respondent, and enters the respondent’s answers directly into the computer. 35 Open Data Kit (ODK) is a suite of tools that allows data collection using mobile devices and data submission to an online

server, even without an Internet connection or mobile carrier service at the time of data collection. One can collect data remotely without an Internet connection or cell carrier access.

36 Kobo Collect is the android-based application used to collect the data which feeds into one’s Kobo Toolbox account. 37 Tools: 1 and 2 are Literacy and Numeracy test booklets, 3 to 5 are Background Questionnaires


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5.13 Validation of Items and Finalization of Tools A technical workshop gathering UNESCO, UNHCR and CRI teams was organized to review the pre-test results and decide on the final items for literacy and numeracy assessments. Every tested item was reviewed in respect of total correct answers, total erroneous answers and initial level of difficulty assumed by the test designer. The items were coded as ‘0’ for incorrect responses and ‘1’ for correct response for both literacy/life skills and numeracy with partial responses merged with correct responses. Multiple-choice ones had cut off number of answers needed to be calculated as correct or incorrect answer. In order to arrive at the different levels of competencies, each item of the test was placed in the scale of level of difficulty and examined closely to describe the specific skills required for correct response. Items of such specific skills were grouped together so that items in each group had similar difficulty values and shared a similar idea with regard to underlying competencies required to get the item right. Using this methodology, all the items were linked to the five levels of competencies that were proposed in the test blueprint (See Tables 3 and 4 for details of competency levels for literacy and numeracy tests). A total of 20 items each for literacy and numeracy tests were selected. The life skills items were incorporated into the literacy items. The literacy test booklet contained 15 items for literacy and 5 items for life skills. However, due to the nature of the life skills items, it required the necessary literacy level to read, understand and respond. The BQs were also discussed and revised based on the pre-test findings. Following the finalisation of tools, the data collection team conducted a final training session for 12 surveyors and 2 supervisors. The training comprised a technical training on the form and content of the tools and was coupled with an ethics of household survey training provided by UNHCR. The surveyors were provided with a letter of introduction from UNESCO explaining the objectives and scope of the survey. 5.14 Main Data Collection As indicated earlier, the sample size of the household survey (3 questionnaires) was 400 households. UNESCO and UNHCR pre-selected regions, also referred to as clusters. In total, 30 clusters were selected (4 additional clusters were provided in order to be used as “substitution” clusters) and within each cluster a sample was drawn randomly from the UNHCR database of registered Syrian refugee households. As indicated earlier, UNHCR provided a list of 1020 contacts residing in 34 clusters. On average, the data collection team received 30 contacts per cluster, from which surveyors had to canvas 13-14 questionnaires. 5.15 Challenges in Fieldwork The fieldwork, which took roughly 3 weeks to complete, had several challenges. A few of these challenges are highlighted below. Surveyors faced difficulties in contacting the sampled households, due to the high frequency of change of address and movement outside the allocated cluster (mainly in the Bekaa) by the selected respondents. Also, the respondents were difficult to reach by phone as they hardly answered phone calls. Initially, enumerators were allocated by cluster and each enumerator was


34

expected to complete 13 household visits in each of the 30 clusters. In order to cope with the “no response” problem, the enumerators were provided with contacts of 30 households (instead of a strict 13 household list). Some enumerators used all the 30 contacts without managing to complete their assigned 13 visits per cluster. With regard to respondents moving outside the cluster, some households had moved 30 minutes by road outside the limits of the cluster. In some cases, the enumerators actually followed the households outside the cluster and completed the visits there. As an additional coping mechanism, enumerators resorted to contacts from four replacement clusters provided by UNHCR whenever their lists were exhausted (meaning all the 30 households have been contacted and there was a need for additional households). Households have sometimes denied that they have children in the targeted age category. This was verified by UNHCR, who reviewed the dataset and refuted the statements of households in question. Consequently, surveyors were equipped with the household details, including all members, in order to avoid such issues. Surveyors have encountered cases where youths, who were illiterate and incapable of filling the questionnaire were sitting for the test. Since the main objective of this assessment is to assess the literacy levels of youths, those who were found to be illiterate were not tested further. In such cases, another youth was taken from the replacement sample. Most literacy assessments, such as IALS, ALL, KNALS, etc. use the technique of screening questionnaires before conducting the test to ensure that only those who have some basic literacy skills through their formal or non-formal education are selected for the study. The idea behind this is to focus only on the actual levels of literacy skills among the target population against the expected levels of literacy skills that they are supposed to have acquired through education and training. Similarly, the fieldwork pertaining to the institutional questionnaire faced several challenges. Enumerators faced numerous difficulties with the institutional survey, including refusal of institutions to participate in the survey, no response to emails and calls, etc.


35

SECTION II Household Characteristics

and Youth Profile


36

1. Introduction The study used three background questionnaires which provide for the contextual aspects of socio-economic, day-to-day living conditions and learning environments of the refugee youth. The following section will provide some key results from the survey to highlight some of the contextual issues of youth as observed in the study. The survey of households and tests were conducted in four regions, namely Bekaa (Bekaa and Baalbek-El Hermel governorates), Mount Lebanon (Mount Lebanon governorate), North (North and Akkar governorates) and South (South and El Nabatieh governorates). Map of Governorates in Lebanon


37

2. Household Characteristics Reasons for Fleeing Syria Nearly 76.8% of the respondents attributed constant shelling as reason for fleeing Syria. Another 2% mentioned that their houses were destroyed or damaged, 3.8% stated having lost their livelihood and 6.8% indicated other security and safety concerns as the reasons for fleeing from Syria into Lebanon. 2.1 Household Characteristics Household Size: The average household size of Syrian refugee youth is fairly large at 6.6 persons with a high percentage of younger members. About 50% of household members are less than 18 years of age. This correlates with the high percentage (60.4%) of household members being single and 35.4% being married. Living conditions: Many of the respondents (95%) live in rental buildings, where they pay the rent from their income. Only 4.3% of the respondents live with assistance for rent provided by organizations. One of the main challenges faced by many respondents is the insufficient water supply for their household purposes. Nearly 57.8% of respondents have reported inadequate water supply. Income and other sources of livelihood: The average total household income of sampled households has been reported as about USD 338 per month. Most of the employed individuals are working in construction (29.1%), other general services (23%), or agriculture (19%). As for other sources of livelihood, about 22.8% get assistance from humanitarian organizations, 8.4% get help from charitable organizations and 21% make use of food vouchers as part of their living. Figure 2 gives a detailed distribution of the source of livelihood of the households. Figure 2. Distribution of Livelihood Source Types of Households as a Percentage

19.7

29.1

6.1

23.0

10.4

22.8

8.4

21.0

0.0

5.010.0

15.020.0

25.0

30.035.0

AGRIC

ULTURE

CONST

RUCT

ION

MAN

UFAC

TURIN

G

OTHER

SERV

ICES

PROF

ESSIO

NAL S

ERVIC

ES

FROM

HUM

ANITA

RIAN O

RGS

FROM

CHAR

ITABL

E ORG

S

FOOD VO

UCHER

DISTRIBUTION OF SOURCE OF LIVELIHOOD OF HOUSEHOLD

Perc

enta

ge


38

Household Possessions Most of the households possess all essential household items including clothing and infrastructure/gear for winter, such as gas stove, winter clothing, etc. Figure 3 below shows the availability of select items in the households. It shows relatively high percentage of households having the essential items, that is, items especially needed during the cold winter months of Lebanon. Figure 3. Percentage Distribution of Household Possession

Use of ICT The availability and use of Information and Communication Technology is a good indicator of the literate environment available at household level and the possible levels of use of technology for seeking and using information and thereby improving the digital literacy skill levels. The following figure gives an idea of this situation. Figure 4. Percentage of Use of ICT at Household Level

93.0

85.0

93.5

72.0

47.5

31.1

0.0

10.0

20.0

30.0

40.0

50.0

60.0

70.0

80.0

90.0

100.0

Mattress Gas stove Blankets Refrigerator Winter clothing Chairs Sofas

HOUSEHOLD POSSESSION- SELECT ITEMS

7 6 . 4%

4 9 . 1%

8 7 . 7%

3 0 . 8%

T E L E V I S I O N

C O M P U T E R

S A T E L L I T E D I S H

M O B I L E P H O N E

I N T E R N E T

1.5%

Perc

enta

ge


39

It may be seen from the above Figure 4 that most of the households studied have access to both television (76.4%) and mobile phones (87.7%). Surprisingly, the data collection team found it difficult to reach the respondents by mobile phone and they reported that the phones were mostly switched off or not reachable. Nevertheless, the availability of a high percentage of mobile phones does indicate the extent of dependency of the respondents on it for their day-to-day purposes. Interestingly, the VASyR 2018 report also talks about nearly 81% of households receiving information about services for refugees through text messages (SMS), followed to a lesser extent through humanitarian hotlines (15%). The VASyR 2018 shows that the majority of Syrian refugees (76%) were accessing the internet. However, with regard to having internet access at household level, only 30.8% have reported as having such access in this SYLAS survey. There is hardly any use of computer/laptop reported at the household level. Only 6 out of 400 households have reported having a computer/laptop at household level. From a policy perspective, leveraging modern technological advancements has an immense potential to enhance the access and quality of youth and adult literacy programmes, by contributing to the creation of literate environments in all possible situations, such as homes, community spaces, etc. A number of countries have included ICT skills, together with other essential skills, in their definitions of literacy38 (UIL, 2017). While such modern technologies include the radio, television, other audio-visual equipment, tablets and personal computers, the mobile phone has emerged as an easy, ubiquitous and popular gadget for learning39. Most of the households studied in this survey do possess mobile phones. There is a need to study further the use of ICT for educational activities, in view of the large number of youth population. Further, it must be noted that the digital revolution that is happening in the world today throws open immense opportunities for youth and literacy programmes, particularly for the hard-to-reach and disadvantaged groups like women in rural areas, persons with disabilities, refugees, migrants and out-of-school youth and adults not in employment. Exploiting the full potential of this digital revolution will contribute greatly to the achievement of ‘inclusive’ quality and lifelong education for all, with focus on ‘none is left behind’. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development sees in the spread of information and communication technology and global interconnectedness a great potential to accelerate human progress40 (GRALE III41). Suitable interventions appear warranted to develop contents on literacy and numeracy and other life skills and put them to use via mobile phones to educate the Syrian refugee youth.

38 See: UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning(UIL). 2017. Literacy and Numeracy froma Lifelong Learning Perspective.

Hamburg, Germany; and UNHCR Education Strategy (2012- 2016). 2012. Geneva. https://www.unhcr.org/protection/operations/5149ba349/unhcr-education-strategy-2012-2016.html

39 UNESCO. 2015. Mobile Phones and Literacy Empowerment in Women’s Hands: A Cross-Case Analysis of Nine Experiences. Paris.

40 See UNHCR. 2016. Connecting Refugees: How Internet and Mobile Connectivity can Improve Refugee Well-Being and Transform Humanitarian Action. Geneva.

41 UIL. 2016. Third Global Report on Adult Learning and Education (GRALE), 2016. UIL-Hamburg.


40

3. Profile of Syrian Refugee Youth Gender The gender distribution of the sample reflects that 63% of the randomly selected youth respondents are females and 37% are males. This higher share of females indicates a different gender balance as compared with the demographic profile of the general Syrian refugee population, which according to VASyR 2018 stood at 49.5% males and 50.5% females. Age The selected youth were between 15 and 24 years of age with a mean and median age coinciding at 19 and a relatively smooth distribution. Figure 5. Percentage Distribution of Selected Youth Respondents by Age

School Enrolment Regarding school enrolment, it may be noted that all the respondents had attended school at some point in time. However, 85.8% were no longer enrolled at the time of the study and only 14.3% were enrolled in some form of education. The average age of dropout is 13 years. School Dropout and Test Blueprint The issue of high drop out of youth from schools at age 13 formed the basis for developing the test blueprint. It was decided that the competency levels should reflect a range of grades from Grade 5 to Grade 8. The task characteristics were also developed based on the expected competency level a student is likely to have around Grade 8. The curriculum expert and the psychometrician consulted and involved in the test development, confirmed this premise. All the respondents who were ever enrolled in some form of education (now or previously) were asked about the type of institution that they had attended. Almost all (93%) reported having attended public schools, while very few mentioned having attended NFE (9 respondents, 2.3%)

12.5%11.8% 11.8% 11.8%

7.3%

11.0%

6.5%

7.8%

9.8% 10.0%

0.0

2.0

4.0

6.0

8.0

10.0

12.0

14.0

15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24

Perc

enta

ge

Age of respondents


41

and private schools (5 respondents, 1.2%)42. The above figures may include youth who might have attended school in Syria and might have discontinued at various stages of their education due to the crisis. When taking into account current school enrollees, the same trend holds with 90% currently attending public schools. This means that no valid results can be reported with regard to the non-formal education of the youth. Among those who are currently enrolled, 55% attend the intermediate cycle and 23% secondary education, which is not surprising considering that the respondents are at least 15 years of age. The average age per cycle is slightly higher at 15.6 for those attending intermediate cycles and 17.2 for those attending secondary education. 3.1 Educational Attainment Although the sample has excluded those who could not read and write due to their inability to sit for the competency tests, the level of educational attainment of those selected remained relatively low. Indeed, almost 65% of the selected youth have had an educational attainment that did not exceed the primary cycle and only 26% had reached the intermediate cycle with 14% holding a Brevet certificate. More importantly, 83% of those with primary education and 92% of those with intermediate education had reported receiving that education in Syria. Figure 6. Distribution of Selected Youth Respondents by Education Cycle Reached

42 The remaining fall under non-response and “Other” category (3.5%)

0%

26%

0%

18%47%

7%

1%1% 0%

dk

intermediate

intermediate vte

kindergarten

primary

secondary

secondary_vte

university

university_vte

(don’t know)


42

3.2 Employment Respondents were asked about the educational achievement that was considered more useful for securing work opportunities. 46% answered ‘university degree’, a level that is likely to be beyond their reach as things stand, and taking into consideration the earlier findings of non-enrolment and primary level educational attainments. Another 20% mentioned a secondary education degree. This may imply that these young people are not very hopeful about securing a job with their current qualifications. Indeed, only 18% reported being currently employed, and 44% of them were looking for another job, while only 24% of those without employment were doing so. The mean duration of job seeking was assessed at 5.5 months of those who were working, 44% being full-time workers and 40% part-time workers. Only one was self-employed. Youth enrolled in education programmes, including NFE, would benefit from being taught specific skills, which are relevant in the current job market. The introduction of a system to recognize their NFE may help youth to get motivated to learn and enter upon suitable jobs. 3.3 Life Skills The challenges faced by refugee youth go beyond linguistic and educational challenges and can include psychosocial areas such as adaptation and acculturation challenges, social isolation due to negative environments in school or in the community, interruptions in educational experiences, and the failure on the part of the school to recognize past knowledge and educational attainments (Rossiter & Rossiter, 2009; Rummens & Dei, 201043; Rummens et al., 200844). This is critical for this study as we try to understand both the learning outcomes of youth and their life skills which are essential in their day-to-day social and economic life. The physical and emotional experiences encountered by refugees both prior to their displacement and living as refugees shape their world view and their psycho-social make-up. As mentioned in this study, however, most Syrian refugees living in Lebanon are not living in refugee camps. Depending on the culture and life experiences, refugee camp situations may lead to youth having a “fear and distrust of authority figures” (Kanu, 200845). This could be due to a wide variety of life experiences in which adults or authority figures were responsible for, or connected to, some of the violence or trauma in their lives (Frater-Mathieson, 200446). The responses to the Youth Questionnaire have provided interesting insights into how Syrian refugee youth view their social and economic life and about their attitudes towards various life situations.

43 Rossiter, M. J., & Rossiter, K. R. 2009. Diamonds in the rough: Bridging gaps in supports for at-risk immigrant and refugee

youth. Journal of International Migration and Integration, 10(4), pp. 409-429. Rummens, J. A., & Dei, G. S. 2010. Including the excluded: De-marginalizing immigrant/refugee and racialized students. Education Canada, 50(5), pp. 48-53.

44 Rummens, J.A, et al., 2008. Post-Disaster Mental Distress Relief: Health Promotion and Knowledge Exchange in Partnership with a Refugee Diaspora Community, in Refuge: Canada’s Journal on Refugees, 25(1), pp. 44-54.

45 Kanu, Y. 2008. Educational needs and barriers for African refugees students in Manitoba. In Canadian Journal of Education 31 (4), p. 915.

46 Frater-Mathieson, K. 2004. Refugee trauma, loss and grief: Implications for interventions. In R. Hamilton & D. Moore (Eds.), Educational interventions for refugee children: Theoretical perspectives and implementing best practice, pp. 12–34. London: Routledge Falmer


43

Youth and Life Situations Respondents were asked to express the extent to which a number of statements were applicable to them. “I like learning new things” garnered the highest rating (60%), while the statement about relating new ideas to real life situations garnered the lowest (24%). Table 5. Life Skills Responses by Youth on Life Situations

Statement Percentage of youth in agreement with the

statement

When I hear or read about new ideas, I try to relate them to real life situations to which they might apply

24%

I like learning new things 60% When I come across something new, I try to relate it to what I already know

36%

While I am faced with difficult things, I would like to get to the bottom of their causes and try to find practical solutions

55%

If I don’t understand something. I look for additional information in order to get clarity

53%

On Trust It was noted that 96% of the youth had not been involved in any voluntary work in the past 12 months, preceding the survey. This finding is not surprising in view of the low levels of trust displayed in their answers to a group of statements pertaining to these issues. Thus, more than 90% of respondents felt that there were only a few people who could be trusted completely and that people were likely to take advantage of one’s trust if allowed. Moreover, the interviewed youth seemed to feel like they had some care-taker agency in their own families and communities, but not in their country of residence. Hence, 63% expressed the desire to resolve conflicts in their families or neighborhoods, while 69% stated that people like them (refugees) did not have any say about what the Lebanese government did (for them). Table 6. Life Skills Responses by Youth on Trust

Statement Percentage of youth in agreement with the statement

People like me don't have any say about what the Lebanese government does

69%

There are only a few people you can trust completely

90%

If you are not careful, other people will take advantage of you

92%

If there is a conflict in my home or neighborhood, I would like to mediate and try to resolve it

63%


44

On Public Problems In case they faced a public problem such as faulty drainage or solid waste issues, 47% of the interviewed youth would remain passive and leave the problem to the authorities - an answer that is in line with their perceived lack of agency. On the other hand, a sizeable 34% would take the initiative, gather the needed information, and go to the authorities themselves. Upon being asked whether they believed in advocacy for solving these kinds of problems, the respondents were split into two almost equal groups with around half (48%) saying yes and 43% saying no. Youth education programmes for Syrian refugees should lay emphasis on Citizenship Education, which would motivate them to act when they perceive a public/civic problem in their community. Figure 7. Distribution of Responses by Youth on Public Problems

Perceptions, Attitudes and Behaviours As would normally be expected from a sample of youth, the vast majority (81.3%) of respondents have rated their health positively. Only 6.5% have reported being in bad health. Language fluency is critical for communication, which shapes an individual's expression of thoughts and attitudes. Almost all of the respondents have chosen Arabic as their mother tongue (99%) and a small minority (16%) have reported speaking English (16%) and French (4%), in addition to their mother tongue. 3.4 Personal and Social Skills Finally, most refugee youth have rated themselves relatively high in terms of personal and social skills. Indeed, 85% of the youth have reported being strongly or very strongly able to show respect for other cultures, languages, religions and ethnicities. Even the skill with the lowest rating (adaptability) has been claimed by a sizeable 58% of the interviewed youth.

46.8%

15.8%

2.5%

1.5%

33.5%

0.0 5.0 10.0 15.0 20.0 25.0 30.0 35.0 40.0 45.0 50.0

leave it to the authorities

leave it to community leaders

dk

other

take personal initiative

(don’t know)


45

Table 7. Personal and Social Skills Rated by Youth

Statement Percentage of youth in agreement with the statement

Adaptability 58%

Skills relating to attention 64%

Skills relating to gratitude 80%

Skills relating to empathy 83%

Skills relating to forgiveness 76%

Skills relating to showing respect for other cultures, languages, religions, ethnicities

85%

3.5 Institutional Survey As indicated earlier, a total of 35 interviews conducted across 15 institutions in 11 districts were conducted. The distribution of the interviews is indicated in Table 8. Table 8. List of Institutions and Number of Interviews Conducted

Institution No. of Interviews

CONCERN 1

IRC 5

WCH 5


LOST 2

AMEL INSTITUTIONS 1


MOUVEMENT SOCIAL 1

AL-FAYHAA ASSOCIATION 1

SAWA 2

ALPHA 2

CARITAS 1

NRC 1

AL-SUNBULA 3

SALAM LADC 1

SAVE THE CHILDREN 1

Total 35


46

A majority of these institutions (30) are NGOs and 31 out of 35 institutions provide NFE programmes. Most students enrolled in these courses were enrolled mainly through various community outreach initiatives undertaken by these institutions. Nearly all the courses offered are free and mostly sponsored by international organizations or an international or local NGO. However, nearly 27 institutions mentioned that they did face the problem of learners dropping out of the course. The main reasons cited for dropout can be seen in Figure 8. Figure 8. Reasons for Dropout of the Course Given by the Institutions

Infrastructure All the institutions offering literacy courses were well furnished with good classroom infrastructure including tables, desks and chairs, and nearly 50% of the institutions had good ICT facilities such as computers, internet, projectors and smart boards/digital boards. It is interesting to note that only a small number of institutions have televisions, which are considered an essential media for literacy and lifelong learning programmes.

Figure 9. Classroom infrastructure and ICT Facilities in the Centres Offering Literacy Programmes

100.0% 97.1% 91.4% 94.3%80%

48.6%40.0%

22.9%

82.9%

Tables

Chairs

Board

Marker/Chalk

Chart

Computer

Internet TV Fa

ns

0

5

10

15

20

25

REPETITION FOUND WORK INTERNALMIGRATION

MIGRATED TOOTHER

COUNTRY

TAKING CAREOF FAMILY

UNWELL OTHER

Num

ber o

f Ins

titut

ions


47

Similarly, all institutions had other infrastructure such as access to drinking water, separate toilets for males and females and outdoor play equipment as indicated in Figure 10 below. However, only a small percentage of institutions had a separate lunch room. With only 40% of the institutions having access to the Internet, it is not surprising that only a small number of institutions had multimedia and conference facility. Figure 10. Types of Facilities Available in the Centres

Teachers Most institutions (31) were seen to hire educators through placing advertisements in newspapers and on their website. Three institutions mentioned that they recruited teachers through their network with other similar institutions or through the use of social media, such as Facebook. On average, teachers were paid around LBP 567,000.00 (i.e. USD 378 based on the exchange rate at the time of the study). The qualifications of teachers working in these institutions were found to be quite varied with most being graduates, having qualified in vocational training and with specialization in subject taught. Usefulness of Non-Formal Education (NFE) Courses to Students When asked about the usefulness of the NFE courses to the students, many heads of institutions mentioned that the refugee students normally desired to join formal education. The other two reasons given for such preference were to find a decent work or to cope with day-to-day life situations, which are further corroborated by the life skills findings from the tests, which will be discussed in the next section. This positive trend among the youth to pursue formal education rather than opt for NFE is thus reiterated in the life skills test results of the youth. It must be noted here that the data about the usefulness of NFE courses should not be confused with the youth test scores discussed later in this report. The youth survey including the tests administered were done at household level. According to the data, only 2.25% of youth

94.3%88.6% 88.6%

40.0%

54.3% 57.1%

34.3%

65.7%

20.0%14.3%

20.0%

0.010.020.030.040.050.060.070.080.090.0

100.0

Drinkin

g Water

Toilet (F

emale)

Toilet (M

ale)

Lunch

room

Noon-meal p

rogra

mme

Library

Play equipment (i

ndoor)

Play equipment (o

utdoor)

Multimedia La

b

Conference fa

cility

Perc

enta

ge


48

respondents had attended NFE courses and almost 93% of the respondents had attended public schools. The Institutional Survey on the other hand included a majority of NGOs who were primarily running NFE courses. The usefulness of NFE courses thus must not be linked with the test results of this survey but seen as an area that may require further research among the institutions offering NFE courses and on the impact of such courses on the learners’ future plans to join formal education. Figure 11. Reasons for why NFE Courses are Useful

12

32

16

1

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

Num

ber o

f Ins

titut

ions

CAN FIND WORK JOIN FORMAL EDUCATION COPE BETTER IN DAILY LIFE NOT USEFUL


49

SECTION III Literacy and Numeracy

Assessments


50

1. Literacy and Numeracy Assessment

This section provides an overview of the distributions of the literacy and numeracy skills of Syrian refugee youth. It will also discuss the cognitive outcomes of the youth based on their reading and numeracy abilities, which are essential for living in a rapidly changing society.

Life skills are considered critical to how the youth cope with their changing and challenging environments. In this study, a few life skills items were tested apart from life skills related questions included in the youth background questionnaire. Profiling youth literacy and life skills can provide insights into issues related to the social and economic life of refugees. Youth and adults with low levels of skill normally work fewer hours per year, but work longer hours at lower wage rates when they work. Studies have shown that higher proportions of youth and adults with low levels of reading skills (i.e., levels 1 and 2 on the proficiency scale) have significantly reduced rates of productivity and GDP growth47. Literacy skills also influence health outcomes48. Youth and adults with low levels of literacy skills are 2.5 times more likely to be in fair or poor health. They are also much more likely to experience an illness or accident at the workplace. 1.1 Literacy and Numeracy Competency Levels In order to derive the levels of competencies, the items in each test were arranged according to the level of difficulty (easy, medium and difficult). Each item was selected from the pool of items that were pre-tested to ensure that they described specific skills required for correct responses. Items were grouped to ensure that they were distributed across all the three domains for both literacy and numeracy (see earlier section for the description of domains and skills). Items were distributed across the various skills that described each of the competency levels for literacy and numeracy in a way that each domain had a mix of all the levels of difficulty. Using this approach, all the items in both tests were linked to the five levels of competencies proposed in the assessment framework. Age of the Youths Although the study included the age range of youth between 15-24 years, more youth between 15-18 years took the tests. Out of the 400 who participated in the tests, there were more female (253 or 63%) than male (147 or 37%) participants. However, there was no significant difference observed between the performance of female and male participants.

47 International Adult Literacy Survey (IALS) ( https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/ials/), and Adult Literacy and Life skills (ALL) Survey

(https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/all/) 48 Pignone, M. P. and DeWalt, D. A. 2006. Literacy and health outcomes: is adherence the missing link? in Journal of General

Internal Medicine, Vol. 21, No. 8, pp. 896–97.


51

Figure 12. Distribution of Youth by Age

1.2 Performance by Regions Similarly, it may be observed that average literacy scores for all four regions were higher than numeracy scores. The average overall literacy score was 0.56, which can be interpreted as 56% of the respondents answered the questions correctly on average, while the average numeracy score was 0.28, which means that only 28% of the respondents answered all the questions correctly. In general, except for the North region, results for literacy and numeracy had no significant difference. The highest average literacy (13.89/20), Life Skills (3.56/5) and numeracy (7.26/20) scores were from the South. This is illustrated in the next three figures showing the average scores in both literacy and numeracy by region.

Figure 13. Average Literacy Score by Region

12.511.8 11.8 11.8

7.3

11.0

6.57.8

9.8 10.0

15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24

PERCENTAGE

AGE

12.61 12.21

9.74

13.89

11.73

0.00

2.00

4.00

6.00

8.00

10.00

12.00

14.00

16.00

Bekaa MountLebanon North South Total

LITERACYSCORES

REGION


52

Figure 14. Average Numeracy Score by Region

Figure 15. Average Life Skills Score by Region

6.676.13

3.63

7.26

5.66

0.00

1.00

2.00

3.00

4.00

5.00

6.00

7.00

8.00


NUM

ERACYSCORE

REGION

2.96

3.34

2.42

3.56

2.95

0.00

0.50

1.00

1.50

2.00

2.50

3.00

3.50

4.00


LIFESKILLSSCORE

REGION


53

1.3 Literacy Test Performance Performance by Proficiency Levels By looking at the broad distribution of literacy scores, it may be seen that a majority (69.25%) of the respondents did meet the minimum expected proficiency levels of getting 10 or more items right out of a possible score of 20. In other words, performance scores show that 46.05% of respondents have performed well with regard to proficiency level 3, while only 30.10% (level 4) and 24% (level 5) of respondents demonstrated higher levels of proficiencies. At individual level, only 6 respondents (1.5%) obtained the maximum literacy score of 20. While 35 respondents got 15 items right (3.75%), 29% of respondents, got less than 10 out of maximum 20 items correct. The following figure illustrates the distribution of literacy scores. Figure 16. Distribution of Literacy Scores

The following three figures illustrate the fact that average score decreased significantly with increasing levels of difficulty. It is interesting to note that literacy items- Lit10 and Lit14, which refer to the domain of narrative prose, were answered correctly by 22.5% and 43.75% of the respondents. This falls short of the overall performance of youth with regard to all items related to narrative prose domain, which stands at 47.3%. The Lit6 score stands at 48.75, which is much above the overall average score for expository prose domain, which is only 38.43. However, Lit3 item score is the highest at 61.25%, which is again well above the overall average of 44.2%.

2 2

6 5 4

19

24

18 19

23 23

3436 36

24

35 34

12

25

12

6

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

Num

ber o

f res

pond

ents

Test Items answered correctly


54

Figure 17. Performance of Youth Respondents by Literacy Items by Difficulty Level (Easy)

Figure 18. Performance of Youth Respondents by Literacy Items by Difficulty Level (Medium)

Figure 19. Performance of Youth Respondents by Literacy items by Difficulty Level (Difficult)

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

Lit3 Lit6 Lit10 Lit14

Correct Incorrect No answer

0

50

100

150

200

250

Lit2 Lit8 Lit13 Lit19


0

50

100

150

200

250

Lit5 Lit9 Lit12


Yout

h Re

spon

dent

s Yo

uth

Resp

onde

nts

Yout

h Re

spon

dent

s


55

Performance by Gender The performance of literacy items by males and females shows less significant difference, with females generally doing better than males. The average literacy score for females was 11.85, and average literacy score for males was 11.53. A closer look at the performance of males and females by tests also reveals the same pattern as illustrated in Figure 20. Figure 20. Performance of Select Literacy Items (on scale of 0.00 to 1.00) by Gender

Conclusion

In general, the literacy skills of Syrian refugee youth meet the expected levels with most of them having the minimum expected competency levels. However, there is a need to improve their overall proficiency levels to meet the demands of the job market that requires them to perform tasks that may involve competency levels 4 or 5. The expository domain involving complex tasks is relatively weak. It shows that the Syrian refugee youth lack the ability to use several pieces of information to describe an action. Their ability to read and explain procedures and information, which are critical in many work situations, is low for most respondents. Vocational programmes and literacy programmes targeting youth, who are in school or out of school, must look at curricular changes and pedagogical methods to improve the effectiveness of teaching - learning processes to ensure that the desired skills are acquired by the youth. Teacher and classroom assessments, and qualitative studies looking at training of teachers, instructors and facilitators of literacy and TVET programmes, will help planners to design effective strategies to ensure that the youth gain skills to increase employability.

0.64

0.550.60

0.49

0.40

0.48

Lit6 Lit14 Lit17

female male


56

2. Numeracy Test Performance 2.1 Performance by Proficiency Levels The average numeracy score was 0.28, with only 8 out of 20 test items having more than the average score. This shows that most respondents struggled with the numeracy test, indicating their lack of basic numeracy skills. Only 3 items had an average score over 0.50; in comparison, 9 out of 20 items had over 0.50 score for literacy with 2 items having an average score of 0.49. Figure 21. Distribution of Average Numeracy Scores

As for the individual scores, only 1 respondent had a score of 18 out of 20, while nearly 82.7% of the respondents had less than 10 out of 20 possible correct items. The distribution of the average numeracy scores by regions shows that the average score in the North region was as low as 4, while the average across the regions was 6. It is worth noting here that the overall combined average numeracy score (5.66) is still much below the score for literacy (11.73).

Scor

e

Numeracy Item


57

Figure 22. Distribution of Average Numeracy Scores by Regions

The following three figures illustrate how the youth respondents struggled with most numeracy items covering various proficiency levels involving various levels of difficulty. It is important to note that by looking at these three figures, there is a concern that the overall numeracy skill levels are alarmingly poor among most youth, irrespective of gender. For example, the performance on numeracy items Num7, Num12 and Num16, which are considered to be easy in the difficulty scale, is poor. The three figures below prove this point. Figure 23. Performance of Youth Respondents in Numeracy by Difficulty Level (Easy)

Figure 24. Performance of Youth Respondents in Numeracy by Difficulty Level (Medium)

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It is noteworthy that respondents did not only perform poorly on medium to difficult numeracy items, but also that a large percentage did not attempt the questions in the first place, either because they did not understand them or because they did not know how to solve them. While numeracy items Num7, Num16, Num3 in Figures 23 and 24 are to do with the cognitive sub-domain ‘Number’, and numeracy items Num1, Num5, and Num19 are about the domain ‘Measurement’, the poor results of these items point to the low skills identified under numeracy, namely knowing, problem solving, performing routine procedures, and performing complex procedures. The following Figure 25 illustrates poor performance of the youth respondents on items considered difficult. Figure 25. Performance of Youth Respondents in Numeracy by Difficulty Level

Note: Num4, Num9 and Num17 are difficult, while Num13 is medium difficulty.

ii. Performance by Gender As was the case with literacy, there is no significant difference in the performance on numeracy items by males and females. The only significant point to note is that, overall, males generally performed slightly better than females. However, there are individual variations between males and females when we look at specific items. This point can be further explained by looking closer at a few select numeracy items, which show no significant variations between both males and females, except items Num6 and Num15, which show a big difference in scores between males and females.

0

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Figure 26. Performance of Select Numeracy Items by Gender

Note: performance of male/female for selected items are based on scoring of 0.00 to 1.00 iii. Conclusion As noted earlier, the numeracy skills of the Syrian refugee youth are of great concern. Many respondents fell short of the minimum proficiency levels. Low numeracy skills can affect the possibility of youth to cope with higher proficiency level demands on the job market and with day-to-day living situations, which pose the challenge of having to cope with various socio-economic demands.

0.40 0.39

0.53

0.31

0.10

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0.33

0.490.46

0.42

0.29

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0.55

0.32

0.44 0.42

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0.62

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Num 3 Num 5 Num 6 Num 8 Num 11 Num 15 Num 19


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3. Life Skills Performance Five life skills items were included in the literacy test in addition to a set of life skills questions that were included in the youth background questionnaire. The life skills test items covered all the three broad categories mentioned in the WHO definition (see section 1). The average life skills score was 0.56 (equal to the literacy score). Table 9. Average Life Skills Score by Items

Item # Average score Difficulty

Sk4 0.70 Easy

Sk7 0.46 Medium

Sk11 0.40 Medium

Sk15 0.61 Easy

Sk18 0.64 Easy

Average 0.56

As Figure 27 shows, only 8.5% of respondents in the North region achieved the maximum score of 5/5 on the life skills test, as opposed to 23.2% in Mount Lebanon. Figure 27. Percentage of Maximum Literacy Score Per Region

Again, the distribution of scores per regions underscores the fact that the North lags behind other regions, with an average score of 2 as opposed to 4 in the South and 3 in the remaining regions. Figure 28. Distribution of Average Life Skills Scores Per Region

12%

23%

8%

15% 14%

Bekaa Mount Lebanon North South Total

3

3

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3

B E K A A M O U N T L E B A N O N N O R T H S O U T H T O T A L


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Once again, there were no statistically significant differences between males and females. The average life skills score for females was 0.57 compared to 0.55 for males (p>0.5). The maximum life skills score was 5 out of 5 possible points. Out of 400 respondents, only 54 received the maximum life skills score of 5. Over 60% percent of respondents got 50% or more on the life skills score, which is remarkable and shows the positive nature towards life by the youth who otherwise seem to suffer from average literacy and low numeracy proficiency levels. Again, there was no significant difference between performance of males and females. Figure 29. Performance of Select Life Skills (SK) Items

The life skills items were developed to assess how individuals demonstrate their adaptive behaviours and coping strategies with regard to their everyday life demands and situations across the three main categories of: interpersonal and communication skills; decision making and critical thinking skills; and coping and self-management skills. Each life skill item presented a scenario and the respondent was expected to react to the question by thinking through the situation and respond. The high percentage of correct responses on life skills items shows the positive and adaptive behaviour of the youth and their coping strategy.

70.0

60.5 63.8

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SK4 SK15 SK18 SK7 SK11

PERFORMANCE OF LIFE SKILLS ITEMS

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Life Skills Items


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SECTION IV Summary of Findings

and Implications for Policy


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The literacy assessment of Syrian Refugee Youth points at some critical policy areas which may be considered for improving the overall quality of literacy programmes and learning of the Syrian refugee youth. While there are many specific points in the main report, it is important to tease out a few key issues, which are listed hereunder for ready reference and consideration by both donors and policy makers. Key Findings:

• Almost 65% of the selected youth have had an educational attainment that did not exceed the primary cycle. Only 26% had reached the intermediate cycle with 14% reporting holding a Brevet degree. More importantly, 83% of those with primary education and 92% of those with intermediate education have reported receiving that education in Syria.

• There is no significant difference between the literacy and numeracy levels of female and male youths.

• Average literacy scores and life skills scores are higher than numeracy scores. The majority of youth meet basic (expected) proficiency levels in literacy.

• Similarly, over 64% of the respondents scored high on the life skills test items. • Notwithstanding this generally positive result, 30.6% of youth fail to meet expectations

in literacy (levels 1-2). There are significant differences in the proportion of youth failing to meet expectations in literacy performance in all the three cognitive domains tested, namely narrative, expository, and document.

• The study shows the youth having remarkable attitudes towards life, society and the environment. For example, nearly 46% of the youth aspired to go to university, which they felt would give them the opportunity to get better jobs. However, this aspiration needs to be matched with the actual demand pattern of the job market.

• Based on the results of the life skills assessment, many youth are keen to learn more and gain more skills and knowledge. On the one hand, this points towards the limited learning opportunities available for youth, and on the other, it shows that there are other socio-economic and cultural barriers that prevent youth from continuing education, such as, the need to work to support their families.

• Average numeracy scores are worryingly low. It shows that many youths are not meeting the basic expected levels of competency in numeracy.

• Even in basic numeracy tests (Level 1-2), only 34.5% of youth answered correctly, while only 20.43% of youth have scored moderately difficult items (Level 3).

Recommendations and Policy Implications:

• Looking at the results, especially with regard to the numeracy scores, teaching-learning inside classrooms in both formal and non-formal education need closer attention. Qualitative studies on teacher assessment to ensure that the delivery of lessons are effective and are resulting in youth acquiring the expected levels of skills for employment can be considered as a way to understand teaching-learning dynamics and the needs inside the classroom. The Ministry of Education in Syria has recently undertaken such a qualitative study on teacher assessment (2020).


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• The usefulness of NFE courses may require further research among organizations offering NFE and on the impact of such courses on the learners’ future plans to join formal education and in finding decent work.

• Special studies involving qualitative methods may be commissioned to assess the learning challenges faced by students inside classrooms in formal and non-formal education.

• There is a need to study further the use of ICT for educational activities, in view of the large number of youth population. Leveraging modern technological advancements has an immense potential to enhance the access and quality of youth and adult literacy programmes to create literate environments in all possible situations, such as homes, community spaces, mobile classrooms, etc. This can help in addressing the issue of low literacy levels among the youth.

• There is a need for innovative ways of teaching to help students to perform better. With many students having started their education in Syria, there is a need to look at both curriculum design and instructional methods inside classrooms, especially in mathematics, in order to resolve the apparent gap in learning and improve performance.

• Suitable interventions appear warranted to develop content on literacy, numeracy and life skills and put them to use via mobile phones to educate Syrian refugee youth.

• Vocational programmes and literacy programmes targeting youth, who are in school or out of school, must look at curricular changes and pedagogical methods to improve the effectiveness of the teaching-learning process, to ensure that the desired skills are acquired by the youth.

• Youth education programmes for Syrian refugees would do well to lay emphasis on citizenship education, which would motivate them to act when they perceive a public/civic problem in their community.

• An effective M&E framework that links the community, schools/learning centres, and education providers (NGOs, Donors, Government) needs to be designed to ensure that information flow and use of evidence for effective planning can address the gaps noticed.

• Regular learning assessments can monitor progress and study trends. • Youth enrolled in education programmes, including NFE, would benefit from being taught

specific skills that match current job market demands. • Introduce a system to recognize NFE as an integral part of formal education and training

(equivalency). This can be achieved by creating synergies and building bridges between formal, non-formal and informal settings at all levels of the educational system and not only at basic level programmes.

• If similar youth literacy assessment could be conducted in Syria, a comparative analysis between the Syrian youth in Lebanon and Syrian youth in Syria could give better insights into learning gaps and challenges that need to be addressed in future interventions.


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ANNEXES


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Annex 1. Sample Literacy and Life Skills Test Items used in the Assessment

Lit3 - Sales volume Look at the chart below that shows the sales volume in three countries: Syria, Jordan and Lebanon. Then answer the question.

In which month did Jordan record the highest volume of sales? A. February B. March C. May D. April

Lit3. تاعيبملا مجح

يف ü ةملاع عضو ،نانبلو ندرلأاو ایروس :لود ثلاث يف تاعیبملا مجح لثمی يذلا ينایبلا ططخملا سردا حیحصلا باوجلا مامأ ةناخلا

12345 12456 13245 15643 14324

21344 23456

2311124521 34536

21345 20345

212333

23123 32453

0

50000

100000

150000

200000

250000

رایأ ناسین راذآ طابش يناثلا نوناك

تاعیبملا مجح

ندرلأا نانبل ةیروس

12345 12456 13245 15643 14324

21344 23456

23111

24521 34536

21345 20345

212333

23123 32453

0

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100000

150000

200000

250000

Sales Volume

ندرلأا نانبل ةیروس

January February March April May


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Å ؟تاعیبملل مجح ىلعأ ندرلأا تلجّس رھش يأ يف £ £ £ £

A. طابش B. راذآ C. رایأ D. ناسین

SK4 - Difference in views You meet a young man of your age in your neighborhood and while you are getting to know each other, you talk about your place of residence. After the young man says a few words, you realize that he thinks differently from you about the subject. How should you react?

A. Listen to him until he clarifies his idea and then express your point of view B. Before he continues, show him the incorrect or negative sides of his point of view C. Show him your disapproval by frowning or booing D. Scream in his face and move away from him

SK4. رظنلا تاهجو نيابت Å ةملاع عضو يتلآا صنلا أرقا ü حیحصلا باوجلا مامأ ةناخلا يف

،امكشیع ناكم صخی عوضومل امتقرطت ضعبلا امكضعب ىلع فرعتلا ءانثأو ،نطقت ثیح كرمع نم اباش تَیقتلا ؟لعفت اذام ،عوضوملا يف كریكفتل ریاغم هریكفت نأ كل نیبت نیتلمج باشلا لاق نأ دعبو

£ £ £ £

A. يرظن ةھجو حرطأ مث ھتركف حضوی ىتح ھیلا يغصأ B. هرظن ةھجو تایبلس وأ صقاون ھل نیبأو رملأا قبتسا C. ناجھتسلااو سوبعلاب يتقفاوم مدع رھظأ D. ھنع دعتبأو ھھجو يف خرصأ

Lit6 - City of Ebla Read the following text, then answer the question by placing a √ next to the correct answer. City of Ebla: Ebla is a Syrian archeological and historical site. It used to be an old metropolis and a kingdom that prospered in the Northwestern part of Syria in the middle of the third century BC, and spread its influence from the Anatolian plateau in the North to the Sinai Peninsula in the South, and from the Euphrates valley in the East to the Mediterranean coast in the West. It established close trade and diplomatic relations with the countries of the region, with the Syrian kingdoms, Egypt and Mesopotamia. It was discovered by an Italian archaeological mission from the University of Rome, headed by archaeologist Paolo Matier. The mission was conducting excavations at the site of Tel Mardikh near the town of Sarakib in the province of Idleb about 55 km southwest of Aleppo in Syria .


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According to the text, the city of Ebla was: A. Big B. Strong C. Loveable D. Weak

Lit6. ةيرثلأا لابيا ةنيدم

حیحصلا باوجلا مامأ ةناخلا يف ü ةملاع عضو يتلآا صنلا أرقإ فصتنم يف ایروس برغ لامش يف ترھدزا ةیوقو ةقیرع ةكلممو ةراضح تناك ةمیدق ایروس ةیرثأ ةنیدم لابیا ءانیس ةریزج ھبشوً لاامش لوضانلأا ةبضھ نیب ةعقاولا قطانملا ىلع اھذوفن تطسبو ،دلایملا لبق ثلاثلا نرقلا

ةقطنملا لود عم ةقیثو ةیسامولبدو ةیراجت تاقلاع تماقأو ً،ابرغ طسوتملا لحاسوً اقرش تارفلا يداوو ً،ابونج ولواپ راثلآا ملاع اھسأری امور ةعماج نم ةیلاطیإ ةیرثأ ةثعب اھنع تفشك .نیدفارلا دلابو رصمو ةیروسلا كلامملاو مك 55 وحن ةفاسم ىلع ةیروسلا بلدإ ةظفاحم يف بقارس ةدلب برق خیدرم لت عقوم يف بیقنتلا ىلوتت تناك ھییتام .ایروس يف بلح برغ بونج Å ؟لابیا ةنیدم تناك فیك صنلا للاخ نم

£ £ £ £

A. ةریبك B. ةیوق C. ةبوبحم D. ةفیعض

Lit8 - The King and the Books Read the following text then answer the question by placing a √ next to the correct answer. A long time ago, a king issued a decree forbidding books from entering his kingdom. He also prevented all literate people from entering the country he ruled. People remember how the king's guards searched the houses and how they once arrested a man who hid some books under his clothes. No one ever knew what happened to that man, but people often talked about his story, and many had said that he told the judge about the importance of books to humans. He said: I prefer to die than to live ignorant like an animal. One boy was very interested in this story. He asked his father: Why did this man want to read the books? His father whispered'Lower your voice’ .. and added: Books teach people how to think better, and how to live better.


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Why does the king forbid books and forbid people to read or carry books in his kingdom? A - So he can continue to rule B - Because he is ignorant C - Because he hates learners D - To comfort people

Lit8. بتكلاو كلملا حیحصلا باوجلا مامأ ةناخلا يف ü ةملاع عضو يتلآا صنلا أرقا نم بتكلا عنمبً ارمأ كولملا دحأ ردصأ ،نامزلا میدق يف نم ةباتكلاو ةءارقلا نوفرعی نم عیمج عنم امك ،ھتكلمم لوخد سارّح ناك فیك سانلا ركذتیو ،اھمكحی يتلا دلابلا لوخد لجر ىلع موی تاذ اوضبق فیكو ،تویبلا نوشّتفی كلملا .بتكلا ضعب ھسبلام تحت ىفخأ اوسماھت سانلا نكل ،لجرلا كلذل ثدح اذام دحأ فرعی مل مث لوح يضاقلل ھلوق نعً ةریثكُ ارابخأ اولقانتو ،ھتصق يفً اریثك نأ ىلع توملا لضفأ ينإ :لاق ثیح ناسنلإل بتكلا ةیمھأ ای بتكلا أرقی نأ لجرلا اذھ دارأ اذامل :هابأ لأسف رملأا اذھبً اریثك لافطلأا دحأ متھا .ناویحلاك لھاج شیعأ فیكو ،لضفأ ةقیرطب ركفی فیك ناسنلاا مّلعت بتكلا نإ :لاق مث .... كتوص ضفخأ ً:اسماھ بلأا ھباجأف ؟يبأ .نسحأ لكشب شیعی

Å ؟ھتكلمم لوخد نم بتكیو أرقی نم لكو بتكلا كلملا عنمی اذامل

£ £ £ £

A. مكحلا يف كلملا رمتسیل B. لھاج ھنلأ C. نیملعتملا هركی ھنلأ D. سانلا حیری يكل

Lit9 - Ecosystem Read the following text then answer the question by placing a √ next to the correct answer. In general, the components of the living ecosystem are divided into two categories: 1. Producers: Also called self-feeding organisms, which are able to manufacture their own food, and this is done in two ways:

a. Photosynthesis: a process in which plants and green algae produce food in the form of organic compound.

b. Chemical synthesis: A process in which some bacteria that live in the ocean depths unreachable by the sun use the heat to produce the nutrition elements they need.

2. Consumers: They are organisms that cannot make their own food, but rely on others for that. Others feed on living organisms after their death. They are called analyzers, which are organisms


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that analyze complex organic compounds into simpler compounds. Thus they are able to obtain the needed energy. The benefit of analyzers in the ecosystem is:

A. Disposal of harmful waste in the ecosystem B. Constitutes food for both producers and consumers C. Constitutes food for consumers D. Simplifies complex organic components to become absorbable for producers

Lit9. يئيبلا ماظنلا يف ةيحلا تانئاكلا عاونأ حیحصلا باوجلا مامأ ةناخلا يف ü ةملاع عضو ،يتلآا صنلا أرقإ :ىلإ ةّیحلا يئیبلا ماظّنلا تانوّكم مسقُت ماع لٍكشب ةّیتاذ ةّیحلا تانئاكلاَ اضیأ ىمسُتو :تاجِتنمُلا .1

اھئاذغ عنص نم نكّمتت يتلا يھو ،ةیذغّتلا :نیتقیرطب كلذ متیو ،اھسفنب اھب موقت ةّیلمع وھو :يئوضلا لیثمّتلا •

بلاحطّلاو تاتابّنلا لثم تاجِتنمُلا ضعب تابكّرمُ لكش ىلع ءاذغ جاتنلإ ءارضخلا

.ةّیوضع لا ثیح تاطیحملا قامعأ يف شیعت يتلا ایریتكبلا عاونأ ضعب اھب موقت ةّیلمع يھو :يئایمیكلا لیثمّتلا •

.ةرارحلا مادختساب اھجاتحت يتلا ةّیئاذغلا داوملا عنصتل ةرارحلا مدختست يھف ،سمشّلا ةعشأ لصت يف اھریغ ىلع دمتعت لب ،اھسفنب اھئاذغ عنص نم نكّمتت لا يتلا ةّیحلا تانئاكلا يھو :تاكلھتسمُلا .2

تانئاك يھو ،تلاّلِحمُلا ىعدتو ،اھتوم دعب ةّیحلا تانئاكلا ىلع ىذغتی اھضعبو .اھئاذغ ىلع لوصحلل ةمزلالا ةقاطّلا ىلع لصحت كلذبو ،طسبأ تابكرم ىلإ ةدّقعملا ةّیوضعلا تابكّرمُلا لیلحت ىلع لمعت ةّیح .اھل Å يلاتلاب يئیبلا ماظنلا يف تلالحملا اھمدقت يتلا ةدئافلا صخّلتت:

£ £ £ £

A. يئیبلا ماظنلا يف ةراضلا تایافنلا نم صلختلا B. ءاوس دح ىلع تاكلھتسملاو تاجتنملل ءاذغ لكشت C. تاكلھتسملل ءاذغ لكشت D. تاجتنملا نم صاصتملال ةلباق حبصتل ةدقعملا ةیوضعلا تانوّكملا طسّبت

SK18 - Adapting to life in the camp Read the following text then answer the question by placing a √ next to the correct answer. Samira is a girl who lives in a refugee camp. She had to leave her country with her family fearing the war, and seeking safety. Samira lost a family member, and many people and her family suffered from difficult living conditions and harsh situations. Samira feels sad, and finds it difficult to establish friendships with her peers in the camp. She does not want to complete her education, she suffers from stomach-aches and she is always complaining and grumbling.


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If you were in Samira's place, what would you do to go beyond grief and adapt to the new situation:

A. Talk about my feelings with persons close to me B. Keep away from people C. Watch TV D. Play on the mobile

SK18. ميخملا يف ةايحلا عم فيكتلا حیحصلا باوجلا مامأ ةناخلا يف ü ةملاع عضو يتلآا صنلا أرقا

ترطضا .نیئجلال تامیخملا ىدحإ يف شیعت ةلفط ةریمس .ناملأا نعً اثحبو ،برحلا نمً افوخ اھلھأ عم اھدلب كرتت نأ نم اھلھأو ریثكلا تناعو ،اھترسأ دارفأ دحأ ةریمس تدقف ةریمس رعشت .ةیساق فورظو ةبعص ةیشیعم عاضوأ اھنارقأ عم ةقادص تاقلاع ةماقإب ةبوعص دجتو ،نزحلاب ضارمأ نم يناعتو ،اھتسارد لمكت نأ دیرت لاو ،میخملاب .رمذتلاو ىوكشلا ةمئاد يھو اھتدعم يف

Å ؟دیدجلا عضولا عم فّیكتلاو نزحلا زواجتل لعفتل تنك اذام ةریمس ناكم تنك ول £ £ £ £

A. نیبرقملا عم يرعاشم نع ثدحتا B. سانلا نع لزعنا C. زافلتلا دھاشأ D. لیابوملا ىلع بعلأ


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Annex 2. Sample Numeracy Test Items Used in the Assessment Num3 - Wooden log length A carpenter cut off !

" of a wooden log. The piece he cut off was 3 meters long.

How many meters long was the original wooden log? A. 10 m B. 12 m C. 15 m D. 14 m

Num3. يبشخ عذج لوط حیحصلا باوجلا مامأ ةناخلا يف ü ةملاع عضÅ 𝟏 راجن عطق

𝟓 ؟يساسلأا يبشخلا عذجلا لوطً ارتم مك .راتمأ 3 ھلوط ناكف ،يبشخ عذج نم

£ £ £ £

A. 10 م B. 12 م C. 15 م D. 14 م

Num5 - Temperature The lowest temperature for winter was recorded at -8 °C in the morning. During the day it rose to 24 °C. By how many degrees did the temperature increase?

A. 3 °C B. 8 °C. C. 24 °C D. 32 °C

Num5. ةرارحلا تاجرد

حیحصلا باوجلا ماما ةناخلا يف ü ةملاع عض للاخ تعفترا .)رفصلا تحت تاجرد 8( ةیوئم ةجرد 8- ءاتشلا حابص يف سقطلل ةرارح ةجرد ىندأ تلجسُ .ةیوئم ةجرد 24 غلبتل راھنلا Å ؟مویلا كلذ يف ةرارحلا تعفترا ةجرد مك

£ £ £ £

A. 3 ةیوئم ةجرد B. 8 ةیوئم ةجرد C. 24 ةیوئم ةجرد D. 32 ةیوئم ةجرد


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Num5 - Mobile Phone Charges For your mobile phone service you pay a monthly service charge of $10 plus phone calls. The charge for calls made during peak hours (7 a.m. to 7 p.m.) is $ 1 per call and the charge for calls made during off peak hours is $0.50 per call. During the month of March you made 14 calls during peak hours and 20 calls during off peak hours. How much is the phone bill for March?

A. $19 B. $32 C. $30 D. $34

Num7. لومحملا فتاهلا موسر حیحصلا باوجلا ماما ةناخلا يف ü ةملاع عض

ىلإ ةفاضلإاب تارلاود 10 ةمیقبً ایرھشً امسر لومحملا كفتاھ ةمدخل عفدت تنأ ةورذلا تاعاس ءانثأ اھؤارجإ متی يتلا تاملاكملا ةفلكت غلبت .ةیفتاھلا تاملاكملا تاملاكملا ةفلكت غلبتو ،ةملاكم لكل ارًلاود 1 )ءًاسم 7 ىلإ احًابص 7 نم( رھش يف .ةملاكم لكل ارًلاود 0.5 ةورذلا تاعاس جراخ اھؤارجإ متی يتلا تاعاس جراخ ةملاكم 20و ةورذلا تاعاس للاخ ةملاكم 14 تَیرجأ ،راذآ .ةورذلا Å ؟راذآ رھشل كفتاھ ةروتاف غلبتً ارلاود مك

£ £ £ £

A. 19 رلاود B. 32 رلاود C. 30 رلاود D. 34 رلاود

Num8 - Geography Test In school, Fares' geography tests are marked out of 100. Fares has an average of 70 marks on his first three tests. On the fourth he got an average of 60 marks. What is Fares' the average after all four tests?

A. 67 B. 67.5 C. 66 D. 66.5 E. 68


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Num8. ايفارغجلا يف رابتخا حیحصلا باوجلا ماما ةناخلا يف ü ةملاع عض

لدعم ناكو .ةجرد100 ىلع اھتاملاع تعضوُ تارابتخا ةعبرأ ءارجإب ایفارغجلا سردم ماق ،سراف ةسردم يف .ةجرد 60 ىلع لصح عبارلا رابتخلاا يفو ،ةجرد 70 ىلولأا ثلاثلا تارابتخلاا يف سراف Å ؟ةعبرلأا تارابتخلاا دعب ایفارغجلا يف سراف لدّعم ام

£ £ £ £ £

A. 67 B. 67.5 C. 66 D. 66.5 E. 68

Num12 - SHAPES Look at the shapes and answer the questions: A B C D

Which shape has only one right angle:

A. Figure A B. Figure B C. Figure C D. Figure D

Num12. ةيسدنه لاكشأ حیحصلا باوجلا مامأ ةناخلا يف üةملاع عضو ،ةیتلآا لاكشلأا ظحلا د ج ب أ Å ةدحاو ةمئاق ةیواز ھیدل لكش يأ (Angle droit/ Right angle)؟

£ £ £ £

A. أ لكشلا B. ج لكشلا C. ب لكشلا D. د لكشلا


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Num20 - Painting House As a volunteer, you are painting a local community centre. One litre of paint covers 200 square meters. How many litres of paint do you need to cover 1,200 square meters?

A. 60 litres B. 10 litres C. 6 litres D. 3 litres

Num20. تيبلا ءلاط Å ةملاع عض ü حیحصلا باوجلا مامأ ةناخلا يف

نمً ارتل مك ،عبرم رتم 200 يطغی ءلاطلا نم رتیل لك ناك اذإف .يلحملا عمتجملا زكرم ءلاطل تَعوطت ؟عبرم رتم 1200 ةیطغتل جاتحت ءلاطلا

£ £ £ £

A. 60 رتل B. 10 رتل C. 6 تارتل D. 3 تارتل