Validation of a post-entry English language assessment for commencing undergraduate nursing students
Other Titles
Diverse Language Challenges Within Nursing Practice
Abstract
Session presented on Saturday, July 26, 2014:
Background: The Australian society has become increasingly culturally and linguistically diverse as a consequence of migration and globalisation, and this diversity is reflected in students choosing to take up nursing studies in higher education (Salamonson et al. 2012). Similar trends are also reported in other developed countries, for instance, the United States (American Association of Colleges of Nursing, 2012). Although these students may meet a minimum entry requirement for university admission, some, in particular, those with English as an additional language (EAL) experienced slower rates of progression (Salamonson et al, 2011), which suggests that they may not be adequately prepared with the language and literacy skills necessary to successfully meet the linguistic demands of their studies. In response to this, a large Australian nursing school in Sydney used a post-entry English language assessment (PELA) tool to assess the writing skills of commencing undergraduate nursing students, to identify those requiring support, and to implement effective support interventions.
Aim: The primary aim of this study was to evaluate the utility of the PELA tool, for use with commencing undergraduate nursing students. The study also examined the relationship between students' performance in the PELA writing task and their levels of English language usage using the English language acculturation scale (ELAS), a previously validated instrument (Salamonson et al, 2013).
Method: Using a prospective survey design, between 2010 and 2013, commencing students who enrolled and completed a nursing communication unit (with a focus on academic literacy), and who attended a course commencement session were invited to complete a brief survey. In addition to socio-demographic information, students were also asked to complete the ELAS. A writing test using the PELA tool was also administered to grade students' writing skills, which took less than 20 minutes for students to complete. The PELA grading levels were based on a literacy criterion with Level 1 (proficient), Level 2 (borderline), and Level 3 (poor and requiring additional support). Students who received a Level 2 or 3 were recommended to undertake support interventions involving literacy workbook tasks, accessing essay planning podcasts, and attending consultations and workshops with literacy and English language specialist support staff. We sought participant's consent to link their completed survey and PELA to their enrolment status and academic grades. The university Human Research Ethics Committee approved the study. A p value of <0.05 was considered as statistically significant.
Results: Of the 3957 students who completed the nursing communication unit over the 4-year period, 2669 (67%) completed the ELAS, the PELA writing task, and provided consent for their enrolment status and grades to be linked. The following participant groups were significantly more likely to achieve Level 2 or 3 on their PELA writing task: a) non-Australian-born (chi-square: 520.6, df: 2, p<0.001); b) spoke other than English at home (chi-square: 490.2, df: 2, p<0.001); and c) international students (chi-square: 225.6, df: 2, p<0.001). There was an inverse and statistically significant relationship between participants' ELAS scores and PELA Levels (r=-0.52, p<0.001), showing that participants with higher English language usage were more likely to achieve Level 1 in their PELA writing task. At follow-up, upon completion of the nursing communication unit, participants who achieved better levels in the PELA writing task were also significantly more likely to achieve higher scores in an essay assessment (chi-square: 40.2, df: 2, p<0.001), overall final mark (chi-square: 218.6, df: 2, p<0.001), and higher GPA (chi-square: 100.8, df: 2, p<0.001).
Conclusion: The results of this study underscore the importance of using a post-entry English language assessment as a screening tool for commencing students, particularly those at risk of academic underachievement. The study also revealed that students' performance on the PELA writing task have a direct relationship with student English language usage, and predicted academic performance in the nursing program.
Sigma Membership
Unknown
Type
Presentation
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
N/A
Research Approach
N/A
Keywords:
English Language Literacy, Screening Test Instrument Validation, Nursing Students
Recommended Citation
Glew, Paul J.; Dixon, Kathleen; Lombardo, Lien; Salamonson, Yenna; Good, Anthony; and Hillege, Sharon Patricia, "Validation of a post-entry English language assessment for commencing undergraduate nursing students" (2014). INRC (Congress). 345.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/inrc/2014/presentations_2014/345
Conference Name
25th International Nursing Research Congress
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Hong Kong
Conference Year
2014
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Review Type
Abstract Review Only: Reviewed by Event Host
Acquisition
Proxy-submission
Validation of a post-entry English language assessment for commencing undergraduate nursing students
Hong Kong
Session presented on Saturday, July 26, 2014:
Background: The Australian society has become increasingly culturally and linguistically diverse as a consequence of migration and globalisation, and this diversity is reflected in students choosing to take up nursing studies in higher education (Salamonson et al. 2012). Similar trends are also reported in other developed countries, for instance, the United States (American Association of Colleges of Nursing, 2012). Although these students may meet a minimum entry requirement for university admission, some, in particular, those with English as an additional language (EAL) experienced slower rates of progression (Salamonson et al, 2011), which suggests that they may not be adequately prepared with the language and literacy skills necessary to successfully meet the linguistic demands of their studies. In response to this, a large Australian nursing school in Sydney used a post-entry English language assessment (PELA) tool to assess the writing skills of commencing undergraduate nursing students, to identify those requiring support, and to implement effective support interventions.
Aim: The primary aim of this study was to evaluate the utility of the PELA tool, for use with commencing undergraduate nursing students. The study also examined the relationship between students' performance in the PELA writing task and their levels of English language usage using the English language acculturation scale (ELAS), a previously validated instrument (Salamonson et al, 2013).
Method: Using a prospective survey design, between 2010 and 2013, commencing students who enrolled and completed a nursing communication unit (with a focus on academic literacy), and who attended a course commencement session were invited to complete a brief survey. In addition to socio-demographic information, students were also asked to complete the ELAS. A writing test using the PELA tool was also administered to grade students' writing skills, which took less than 20 minutes for students to complete. The PELA grading levels were based on a literacy criterion with Level 1 (proficient), Level 2 (borderline), and Level 3 (poor and requiring additional support). Students who received a Level 2 or 3 were recommended to undertake support interventions involving literacy workbook tasks, accessing essay planning podcasts, and attending consultations and workshops with literacy and English language specialist support staff. We sought participant's consent to link their completed survey and PELA to their enrolment status and academic grades. The university Human Research Ethics Committee approved the study. A p value of <0.05 was considered as statistically significant.
Results: Of the 3957 students who completed the nursing communication unit over the 4-year period, 2669 (67%) completed the ELAS, the PELA writing task, and provided consent for their enrolment status and grades to be linked. The following participant groups were significantly more likely to achieve Level 2 or 3 on their PELA writing task: a) non-Australian-born (chi-square: 520.6, df: 2, p<0.001); b) spoke other than English at home (chi-square: 490.2, df: 2, p<0.001); and c) international students (chi-square: 225.6, df: 2, p<0.001). There was an inverse and statistically significant relationship between participants' ELAS scores and PELA Levels (r=-0.52, p<0.001), showing that participants with higher English language usage were more likely to achieve Level 1 in their PELA writing task. At follow-up, upon completion of the nursing communication unit, participants who achieved better levels in the PELA writing task were also significantly more likely to achieve higher scores in an essay assessment (chi-square: 40.2, df: 2, p<0.001), overall final mark (chi-square: 218.6, df: 2, p<0.001), and higher GPA (chi-square: 100.8, df: 2, p<0.001).
Conclusion: The results of this study underscore the importance of using a post-entry English language assessment as a screening tool for commencing students, particularly those at risk of academic underachievement. The study also revealed that students' performance on the PELA writing task have a direct relationship with student English language usage, and predicted academic performance in the nursing program.