populations
Looking more closely, it can be observed that Indigenous peoples’ overall level of educational attainment varies among groups. Métis are less likely to have less than a high-school diploma as their highest level of educational attainment (24 percent of respondents) compared with
First Nations (32 percent) and Inuit (59 percent). The proportion of Métis with postsecondary education below a bachelor’s degree (37 percent of respondents) is not significantly different from that of First Nations (31 percent), but is significantly higher than that of Inuit (21 percent). It is worth noting once more that the distinct age profiles of Indigenous populations could impact educational attainment levels due to the higher proportions of individuals in younger cohorts, who, because of their age, may not yet have completed postsecondary education.
PIAAC shows a strong positive correlation between educational attainment and literacy and numeracy scores for all groups by Indigenous identification—that is, higher literacy and numeracy scores tend to be associated with higher levels of educational attainment.
Figures 3.8 and 3.9 show average scores at the 5th, 25th, 75th, and 95th percentiles in Canada, by Indigenous identification and educational attainment, for literacy and numeracy, respectively.
Source: Table 3.1a in Appendix II A – Less than a high-school diploma B – High-school diploma
C – Postsecondary education, below a bachelor’s degree D – Postsecondary education, bachelor’s degree or above
Source: Table 3.1b in Appendix II A – Less than a high-school diploma B – High-school diploma
C – Postsecondary education, below a bachelor’s degree D – Postsecondary education, bachelor’s degree or above
Figure 3.8 Literacy – Average scores with 0.95 confidence interval and scores at the 5th, 25th, 75th, and 95th percentiles of population aged 16 to 65, by Indigenous identification and educational attainment, Canada, 2012
50
First Nations Métis Inuit
Non-Indigenous
25th percentile 5th percentile
Average and 0.95 CI for average
75th percentile
95th percentile
Figure 3.9 Numeracy – Average scores with 0.95 confidence interval and scores at the 5th, 25th, 75th, and 95th percentiles of population aged 16 to 65, by Indigenous identification and educational attainment, Canada, 2012
A B C D A B C D A B C D A B C D A B C D
First Nations Métis Inuit
Non-Indigenous
25th percentile 5th percentile
Average and 0.95 CI for average
75th percentile
95th percentile
As noted earlier, at the highest levels of educational attainment, the differences in scores in literacy and numeracy between Indigenous peoples and their non-Indigenous counterparts tend to diminish, although this is not true in numeracy for all Indigenous groups.
In numeracy, scores for Registered Indian and Inuit university graduates are still significantly lower than those of their non-Indigenous counterparts. In addition, in numeracy the non-Indigenous population with postsecondary education below a bachelor’s degree significantly outperformed all Indigenous groups with the same level of education, with the exception of Métis respondents.
Figure 3.10 shows the percentage distribution of skill levels in PS-TRE of the population aged 16 to 65 with less than a high-school diploma as their highest level of educational attainment, by Indigenous identification.
Métis respondents with less than a high-school diploma were more likely than their non-Indigenous counterparts to have completed the PS-TRE assessment. Among Inuit, more than half of respondents with less than a high-school diploma did not complete the PS-TRE assessment. Because of the small sample size of the cohort who completed the assessment, Inuit are absent from this figure.
Figure 3.10 PS-TRE – Percentage distribution of proficiency levels of population aged 16 to 65 with less than a high-school diploma as highest level of educational attainment, by Indigenous identification, Canada, 2012
36 36 Level 1 or below PS-TRE non-respondents
Source: Table 3.1c in Appendix II
Note: Data are not available for the Inuit population because of sample size limitations.
In PS-TRE, educational attainment at the level of a bachelor’s degree or higher is associated with noticeably higher proficiency than for any other kind of educational attainment. Figure 3.11 shows the percentage
distribution of skill levels for the population aged 16 to 65 with postsecondary education at a level of bachelor’s degree or higher, by Indigenous identification. Compared with people at all other levels of educational attainment, those with a bachelor’s degree or higher were more likely to be able to complete the computer-based assessment and less likely to opt out. Furthermore, fewer scored at Level 1 or below, and more scored at Level 2 or 3 (see Figure 3.5 above). This was true for all Indigenous groups, although it could not be confirmed among Inuit because of sample-size limitations.
Figure 3.11 PS-TRE – Percentage distribution of proficiency levels of population aged 16 to 65 with postsecondary education, bachelor’s degree or higher, as highest level of educational attainment, by Indigenous identification, Canada, 20122
First Level 1 or below PS-TRE non-respondents
Source: Table 3.1c in Appendix II
Note: Data are not available for the Inuit population because of sample size limitations.
U Too unreliable to be published
As the measurement of PS-TRE skills requires respondents to solve problems using a computer, PS-TRE skills could not be measured for all respondents, as some completed PIAAC only on paper, whether owing to a lack of computer experience, failing the core ICT test, or opting out of the computer-based assessment.
This occurrence was particularly prevalent among those with lower levels of education: Indigenous peoples who had not completed high school, for example, were
twice as likely not to take the test on the computer as Indigenous peoples with postsecondary education below a bachelor’s degree, and five times as likely as Indigenous peoples with postsecondary education at the bachelor’s level or higher. This relationship between level of educational attainment and non-completion of the computer test is more or less identical with that in the non-Indigenous population.
In summary, PIAAC reveals a gap between the average skill levels of Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples that, to a great extent, reflects differences in educational attainment. This relationship can be seen clearly in the case of literacy, where comparisons between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples with the same level of educational attainment reveal almost no difference in proficiency. The one exception to this trend is among the population that has not completed a high-school diploma, among which the non-Indigenous population
scores higher in literacy than the Indigenous population.
Achievement in numeracy, on the other hand, appears to be more resistant to the effects of educational attainment, except at the highest levels. These findings are summarized the Figure 3.12, which presents similarities and differences in average performance in literacy and numeracy for the population aged 16 to 65 by Indigenous identification and educational attainment in Canada.
Figure 3.12 Literacy and numeracy – Similarities and differences in average performance of population aged 16 to 65, by Indigenous identification and educational attainment, Canada, 2012
Indigenous First Nations Registered
Indians Métis Inuit
Less than high-school diploma
High-school diploma
Postsecondary education, below bachelor’s degree
Postsecondary education, bachelor’s degree or higher A. Literacy
B. Numeracy
Indigenous First Nations Registered
Indians Métis Inuit
Less than high-school diploma
High-school diploma
Postsecondary education, below bachelor’s degree
Postsecondary education, bachelor’s degree or higher
Source: Table 3.1a and Table 3.1b in Appendix II
Note: The shaded cells represent observations where the non-Indigenous population outperformed Indigenous populations. The unshaded cells represent observations where the skill differences between non-Indigenous and Indigenous populations were not statistically significant.