Assessment of Grade 3 Students’ Foundational Literacy and Numeracy Levels and the Influence of Key Factors

Abstract

In a nation’s social and political context, education is viewed as a vital driver of social progress, economic prosperity, political development, and modernisation. Acquiring Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN) skills during the early years of schooling equips children with essential abilities for learning and everyday life. In this context, the present study aims to examine the FLN skills of Grade 3 students from government schools in Delhi. The study uses a mixed-methods approach and draws data from 150 students and 50 teachers. Descriptive and inferential statistics were applied using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Data collection involved self-structured questionnaires for students and semi-structured interviews with teachers. Factor analysis was employed for analytical purposes.

The findings show that participants demonstrated medium-level literacy skills in oral language, phonological awareness, and print awareness, but low levels in writing and reading fluency. In numeracy, students achieved medium levels in basic number concepts, addition and subtraction, patterns, and number series, but exhibited low performance in shape identification. The study further identifies key factors influencing literacy and numeracy learning, including parental involvement, student engagement, learning environment, external support, teacher and peer influence, and teacher feedback. These factors play a critical role in the acquisition of FLN skills. The study recommends that policymakers and other stakeholders strengthen FLN at the primary stage by integrating technology-based approaches and training parents to support children’s skill development.