5 Essential Foundations for Data Literacy
Have you ever wondered how your morning coffee choice becomes a data point? In today’s world, nearly every action—from browsing a website to tapping your transit card—feeds into a data system. However, discussions around how to develop data literacy often remain tool-centric. Many people mistakenly equate data literacy with mastering tools like Python, SQL, or statistical software. While technical tools are important, true literacy—academically speaking—is based more on fundamental cognitive abilities and critical thinking than on technical know-how. The Educational Testing Service (ETS) defined literacy in its 2003 study on digital literacy as “the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, and apply information to solve problems.” This definition emphasizes the process of interpreting and reasoning over simply mastering tools. Data literacy should be understood in the same light. Academic research identifies the following five core competencies as essential for deve...