The Effects of Social Characteristics of Jobs on the Cognitive Skills of Adults in the United States: A PIAAC Analysis

Oct 15, 2026

There is contrary research on whether workplace collaboration supports individual learning and skill development. This study examines how social characteristics of jobs relate to adults’ cognitive skills measured by PIAAC. Using linear regression for selected industry sectors, it predicts literacy, numeracy, and technology-rich problem solving scores from gender, education, collaboration frequency, and information-sharing frequency. Higher collaboration level is negatively associated with PIAAC scores, suggesting overemphasis in some job designs and limited time for other learning supports.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages35

Reading Time1 h 28 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Study purpose and method

Key findings

Interpretation and implications

Keywords

The Effects of Social Characteristics of Jobs on the Cognitive Skills of Adults in the United States: A PIAAC Analysis Adult Education Quarterly 2020, Vol. 70(2) 140–174 © The Author(s) 2020 Article reuse guidelines: [sagepub.com/journals-permissions](sagepub.com/journals-permissions)[ ](sagepub.com/journals-permissions)[DOI: 10.1177/0741713619884567](DOI: 10.1177/0741713619884567)[ ](DOI: 10.1177/0741713619884567)[journals.sagepub.com/home/aeq](journals.sagepub.com/home/aeq) Tobin Lopes 1, Ellen Scully-Russ2, Jill Zarestky 1, and Joshua C. Collins3 Abstract There is contrary research around whether collaboration at work fosters individual learning and skill development. This study’s purpose was to examine the relationship between social characteristics of jobs on adults’ cognitive skills as measured by the Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) . For select industry sectors, we used a linear regression model to predict scores for PIAAC scales—literacy, numeracy, and problem solving in technology-rich environments—based on the independent variables gender, education level, frequency of workplace collaboration, and frequency of sharing work-related information. Results showed level of collaboration at work is negatively associated with PIAAC scores, contradicting current thinking on the role of social interactions in the workplace. We conclude there may be an overemphasis on the social characteristics in job design in some industries and workplaces, leaving little support and time for other activities known to support workplace learning, like management support and time for reflection. Keywords workplace collaboration, workforce development, cognitive skills, PIAAC 1 Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA 2The George Washington University, Ashburn, VA, USA 3University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, Minneapolis, MN, USA Corresponding Author: Jill Zarestky, School of Education, Colorado State University, 1588 Campus Delivery, Fort Collins, CO 80523-1588, USA. Email: [jill.zarestky@colostate.edu](jill.zarestky@colostate.edu) American employers have long warned about the economic consequences of the skills gap and continue to pressure policy makers and educators to develop new strategies to increase the workforce’s fundamental skills (McDonough, 2017). As technology trends enable employers to automate low skilled and routine work (Arntz, Gregory, & Zierahn, 2016), secure jobs with career potential are likely to require workers with state-of-theart technical skills, and the foundational literacy, numeracy, information, and communications technology skills required to continuously learn. Moreover, the increased reliance on workplace diversity and teamwork has led employers to also call for improved “soft skills,” like cooperation and collaboration, among the workforce (U.S. Department of Education Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education, 2014) . Some workplace learning scholars (Billett & Noble, 2017; Skule, 2014) suggest team configurations provide a supportive learning culture (Ellinger, 2005) to foster intensive learning required for many jobs today. Research purports that teams provide a trusting environment and a safe context for members to share knowledge and information as well as engage in behaviors that promote experimental learning (Edmondson, 2003). However, Sanner and Bunderson’s (2015) meta-analysis on teams, psychological safety, and learning found safety was more strongly associated with learning in studies conducted in knowledge-intensive task settings, meaning in certain teams and even industries, no matter how comfortable team members may be with one another, learning is unlikely to occur. Indeed, for the past three decades, empirical research has advanced varying opinions about whether teamwork and the collaboration teams are designed to foster can truly result in the learning it is assumed to accomplish. While many scholars have emphasiz

FAQs

What does the study investigate about jobs and adults’ skills?

The study examines the relationship between social characteristics of jobs and adults’ cognitive skills measured by PIAAC.

How were cognitive skills assessed in the analysis?

Cognitive skills were measured using PIAAC scales including literacy, numeracy, and problem solving in technology-rich environments.

What is the main result regarding workplace collaboration?

The level of collaboration at work is negatively associated with PIAAC scores, contradicting views that social interactions at work foster learning.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Chumphorn