Diagnosis of Functional Illiteracy: a Psycholinguistic Approach

   The work draws attention to the problem of functional illiteracy. The evolution of ideas about the concepts of "literacy" – "illiteracy" and "functional literacy" – "functional illiteracy" is studied. A system of methods for assessing and diagnosing functional illiteracy used by foreign researchers at the present stage is considered. Diagnosis is carried out by measuring the level of literacy (the ability to write and read) and other key skills in children, youth and adults. It is noted that functionally illiterate adults show minimal results in simple tasks for literacy and understanding of a text message. It is noted that scientific knowledge about the phenomenon of functional illiteracy, the causes of its occurrence, the factors contributing to its development, risk groups at different stages of ontogenesis, methods of prevention and correction – this knowledge is unsystematic and scattered.

   The purpose of this review is to determine who can be considered functionally illiterate; to trace the differences between an illiterate and a functionally illiterate individual; to determine the structure of cognitive deficits in relation to speech ability; to trace the causes of the emergence and development of the problem from the standpoint of metalanguage activity.

   Various interpretations of the phenomenon under study are given: from the inability to understand the text being read (narrow interpretation) to the inability to function effectively in society caused by the inability to solve daily life tasks (broad interpretation). In this paper, we consider functional illiteracy as an inability to extract information from what we read and apply it in professional and household spheres. The disability in question is not caused by mental, neurological, sensory or cognitive disorders. It is concluded that the essence of the phenomenon of functional literacy / illiteracy is not clear and obvious for many researchers and teachers of different levels of education, there is insufficient awareness and confusion of concepts on the face.

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