Statistics Problem solving

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Literacy in America
Part I: Descriptive Statistics
Findings by the U.S. Department of Education, in a report entitled Adult literacy in America, A First Look at the Findings of the National Adult Literacy Survey, suggest that the number of illiterate Americans is an estimated 44 million individuals. This data was collected through a survey involving a sample space of 13,600 individuals living across eleven American states. The study also postulated that there is an increase in the average literacy levels from teenage years to middle adulthood. Further, the findings averred that, of the illiterate, at least 50% were born outside America (Kirsch 40). These three parameters were of great significance to the study as they informed of the advent and possible trajectory of the problem.
The primary variables in this study included; the age, ethnicity, occupation and even place of birth of the participants. These were of importance as they all affect an individual’s chance of attaining a proper education.
Part II: Inferential Statistics
Literacy is one of the most common developmental goals globally and in the United States, the administration and stakeholders in the education sector have established goals aimed at raising the literacy levels. The study mentioned above was motivated by the potentially high number of illiterate Americans, often victims of state policies on education.
In this study, the researchers made various assumptions in support of their hypothesis.

These included that; literacy is measurable by relying on tangible variables; and that the tasks used to measure literacy were consistent with all the existing definitions of intelligence and literacy
Ideally, the findings from the study are highly informative of the state of literacy. It is evident that American administrations have endeavoured to ensure access to education to boost literacy levels. This is especially apparent from the percentage of illiterate individuals who were born outside America. It is also evident that the attainment of literacy is possible and through effort, individuals can attain literacy at virtually any age.
It is also noteworthy that the findings of this study are highly acclaimed, with a stellar P-value of P < 0.001. This is primarily because the study was commissioned by the Department Of Education, with informed intent to implement useful change to the education system and literacy statistic.

Works Cited
Kirsch, Irwin S. Adult literacy in America: A first look at the results of the National Adult Literacy Survey. US Government Printing Office, Superintendent of Documents, Washington, DC 20402 (Stock No. 065-000-00588-3)., 1993.