National Income Dynamic Study
Staffing
M. Pavlovic
The National Income Dynamics Survey (NIDS) is a study designed to measure the well being of the South African population and the ability of poor households to escape poverty traps. The study has been designed to collect information on household income, consumption and mathematical literacy. Mathematical literacy is studied in order to determine whether it is a factor in future employment and income-generating prospects The study is conducted by the Southern Africa Labour and Development Research Unit (SALDRU) based at the University of Cape Town’s school of economics . Melbourne University was sub-contracted to design the ten minute mathematical literacy test that was to be undertaken by individual household members between ages 12 to 70.
The wide variation in ability level across the target population required more than one test. Therefore, five tests corresponding to five different age or education levels were constructed.. Items were designed to be as basic as possible and written to assess math literacy on five levels of ability and five dimensions. Levels were not expected to be evident in different dimension of the individual tests. The dimensions were :Numeration, Geometry, Measurement, Data and Algebra.