Linking O*NET descriptors to occupational literacy requirements using job component validation

In this study, we demonstrated the usefulness of Occupational Information Network (O*NET) job analysis data for identifying applied adult literacy requirements across occupations. This was accomplished using a job component validity approach relating O*NET knowledge, skill, ability, and generalized work activity descriptor data to literacy test scores on the national adult literacy survey (NALS). Mean scores on prose, document, and quantitative literacy were estimated for 902 O*NET-SOC occupations using descriptor data at the occupation level. Multiple correlation coefficients ranging from .79 to .81 (corrected for shrinkage) were found when predicting literacy scores from O*NET descriptors. Results of this study showed that 3 different types of applied adult literacy were highly predictable from the O*NET descriptors.