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3 results

  • 12 - Investigating the Consequences of an ESL Placement Test

  • from Part III - Investigating Score Uses and Consequences
  • Edited by Carol A. Chapelle, Iowa State University, Erik Voss, Teachers College, Columbia University
  • Book:
    Validity Argument in Language Testing
    Published online:
    14 January 2021
    Print publication:
    21 January 2021, pp 294-316

  • Summary

    Following the argument-based approach to validity, this chapter focuses on the inference about the positive consequences of an academic ESL placement test (EPT) score use on major stakeholders: ESL instructors and ESL students at a university. The assumptions underlying this inference are that the decisions about ESL course placement are justifiable and comprehensible to test stakeholders, that the decisions are beneficial for ESL learners’ improvement of academic English proficiency, and that the decisions are beneficial for ESL learners’ academic achievement at the university. The assumptions were examined using mixed methods that included interviews, pre- and post-course analyses of students’ performances in ESL classes, and an analysis of the predictive power of the EPT results on students’ academic achievement. The results indicated the positive perceptions of the EPT placement decisions as reported by most of the ESL students and instructors, but variation in the degree of improvement was identified in the ESL courses. ESL students’ performance on the EPT predicted their first-year academic achievement at the university to some degree, highlighting the importance of English proficiency in ESL students’ academic success and the potential impact of the EPT placement decisions on students’ English language learning and overall academic performance.

  • THE (UN)INTENDED CONSEQUENCES OF BILINGUAL EMPLOYMENT POLICIES: Ethnoraciality and Labor Market Segmentation in Alameda County, CA

  • Abigail A. Sewell
  • Journal:
    Du Bois Review: Social Science Research on Race / Volume 14 / Issue 1 / Spring 2017
    Published online by Cambridge University Press:
    17 January 2017, pp. 117-143

  • Recent immigration and migration patterns have altered the ethnoracial composition of Alameda County, California. Sociopolitical leaders have struggled to adjust to these changes. In an effort to facilitate limited English speakers’ access to critical municipal services, Oakland—the largest municipal in Alameda County—passed an Equal Access to Services Ordinance on May 8, 2001, which is a groundbreaking language access legislation for the City of Oakland’s public administration. Using data from the 2000 Census and the 2005–2011 American Community Survey, this study examines the impact of bilingual employment policies on the ethnoracial segmentation of Alameda County workers. Logistic regression reveals that bilingual employment policies have reorganized both targeted (i.e., public contact) and non-targeted occupations within the local government public administration sector. Specifically, Spanish/Chinese bilingual speakers made gains in the public administration sector (the intended effects), while Black monolingual English speakers experienced losses (the unintended effects). The representation of Black monolingual English speakers in public contact jobs within the local government public administration sector declined by as much as 18 percentage points after the implementation of the nation’s first municipal-level bilingual employment policy. The impact of bilingual employment policies on the East Bay’s Black/Brown relations and African American’s hold on low-skilled jobs in service industries is examined.

  • Serving Limited English Proficient Callers: A Survey of 9-1-1 Police Telecommunicators

  • Lauren N. Carroll, Rebecca E. Calhoun, Cleo C. Subido, Ian S. Painter, Hendrika W. Meischke
  • Journal:
    Prehospital and Disaster Medicine / Volume 28 / Issue 3 / June 2013
    Published online by Cambridge University Press:
    28 March 2013, pp. 286-291
    Print publication:
    June 2013
  • Introduction

    The emergency telephone number 9-1-1 serves as a lifeline to the public during emergencies, and first responders rely on information gathered by 9-1-1 telecommunicators who speak with callers. Timely, accurate information from the telecommunicators is essential for providing appropriate care on scene. Language barriers can hamper these efforts and result in less efficient information exchange. Although 9-1-1 telecommunicators may access over-the-phone interpreter (OPI) services to facilitate communication, managing three-way communication during an emergency is challenging.

    Problem

    There is little published on the relationship between limited English proficient (LEP) callers and 9-1-1 police telecommunicators, and the role of OPI services during these calls. Further, little is known about effective strategies to manage such calls.

    Methods

    In King County, Washington, 9-1-1 police telecommunicators were surveyed about their experiences handling LEP calls and managing three-way communication with OPI services. The survey contained 13 multiple-choice and three open-response questions addressing communication strategies, challenges with LEP callers, and three-way communication with OPI services. Goodman-Kruskal Gamma and chi-square tests were conducted with OPI use as the dependent variable. Additional analyses were conducted using stress levels as the dependent variable.

    Results

    Of 123 respondents, 69 (56.5%) 9-1-1 telecommunicators reported utilizing OPI services at least 75% of the time when receiving a call from an LEP caller. Further, 35 (28.7%) of these telecommunicators reported calls with LEP individuals as more stressful than calls with fluent English speakers. Dispatcher stress level during LEP calls compared with stress during calls with fluent English speakers was positively associated with use of OPI services (P < .01). Further, stress level was also positively associated with telecommunicator difficulties in assessing the situation with respect to officer safety (P < .01). Sixty-three (58.3%) of the telecommunicators described difficulties assessing the situation to determine the appropriate response as the biggest challenge with LEP callers. Additionally, 62 (53%) identified knowing their location in English as information LEP callers need to know prior to calling 9-1-1.

    Conclusion

    These results highlight intervention opportunities for both 9-1-1 telecommunicators and LEP communities. Together, interventions such as working with LEP communities to educate them on best communication practices during 9-1-1 calls, and with 9-1-1 telecommunicators to help them manage three-way communication and reduce stress associated with concern for officer safety may improve emergency communication during 9-1-1 calls.

    CarrollLN, CalhounRE, SubidoCC, PainterIS, MeischkeHW. Serving Limited English Proficient Callers: A Survey of 9-1-1 Police Telecommunicators. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2013;28(3):1-6.