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Nearly 13.8 million Hispanics in the United States speak English "less than very well." This has important implications for the field of clinical neuropsychology. Patients who do not speak English fluently are being increasingly referred for neuropsychological services, and many of these individuals are assessed with the aid of language interpreters. However, whether or how the use of an interpreter has an effect on neuropsychological test scores is not known. For lack of a better alternative, it generally is assumed that the test data obtained through an interpreter are a valid indication of the patient's cognitive functioning, but with almost no empirical support, this assumption appears tenuous at best. The effect of an interpreter, in fact, could be substantial, making this issue all the more deserving of rigorous investigation. The primary objective of the current study was to determine whether using an interpreter to conduct neuropsychological testing of monolingual Spanish speakers had an effect on the neuropsychological test scores. Participants included 40 neurologically normal Spanish-speakers with limited English proficiency, ages 18-65 years, (M= 39.65, SD =13.91) who completed a 2-hour battery of verbal and nonverbal neuropsychological tests both with and without an interpreter. The condition of test administration was counterbalanced across participants and test score differences between the two conditions were compared. Results indicated that use of an interpreter significantly affected mean scores for some neuropsychological tests from the verbal modality. Also, variability in test scores generally was higher when an interpreter was used, significantly so for one verbal test. Results of this study contribute to the extant literature concerning the use of interpreters to facilitate neuropsychological testing of individuals with limited English proficiency. Specifically, they indicate that neuropsychologists should avoid interpreter use and refer patients to bilingual clinicians whenever possible. For situations in which this may not be a viable option, neuropsychologists should limit their test batteries to measures that require minimal reliance on the interpreter. Tests that rely almost entirely on interpreter skills for administration and scoring - such as the Vocabulary and Similarities subtests of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) - should probably not be used. Larger confidence intervals should be used when interpreting observed scores from interpreter-mediated neuropsychological tests.

Limited English Proficient (LEP) patients are subject to low patient health outcomes due to limited health literacy. Cultural and linguistic barriers prohibit the obtainment and comprehension of health information and services. This systematic review will present the complications of healthcare experienced by LEP patients and will provide an analysis of interventions and policies that will be a gateway to better health outcomes for the LEP patient population.

The purpose of this study was to find out whether factors such as the learners’ learning styles, their cultural backgrounds, instructional approaches and strategies used by teachers and the lack of exposure to relevant resources had an influence on the declining English proficiency among learners. The researcher is currently an English teacher in one of the schools in the Qumbu Education District. The researcher expressed concern about the learners’ declining performance in aspects of English language like reading, writing and speaking. The idea of carrying out this study became necessary as English is a compulsory first additional language for most of the schools. Most of the subjects offered in South African schools are taught in English; moreover, English is an internationally-recognized medium of communication. One therefore, has to master the use of English to a certain extent so as to be a successful scholar. The sample consisted of 20 English senior phase teachers who were randomly selected from 13 schools in various circuits around the Qumbu Education District. Data was collected through the use of questionnaires which focused specifically on the learners’ learning styles, their cultural backgrounds, instructional approaches and strategies used by teachers, and also the lack of exposure to relevant literature. These questionnaires were administered by the researcher in person. The data were analyzed and interpreted statistically and also presented through tables and discussions. The findings of this study revealed that the geographical locations of the selected schools for the research study, limited exposure to English-related resources, workload of English teachers, teaching and learning approaches, and knowledge acquisition strategies employed by teachers and learners contribute to the decline in English proficiency among the learners. If these could be attended to effectively, English proficiency could improve among learners. In conclusion, recommendations have been made both for action and possible further research.

BACKGROUND: Professional interpreters improve care for limited English proficient patients but are underused. Study Design: Mixed methods study evaluating effectiveness and implementation of a rooming protocol to screen patients for language needs and call interpreters OBJECTIVE: Examine barriers and facilitators to protocol implementation and effectiveness to increase interpreter use METHODS: Provider surveys explored baseline and post-implementation attitudes. Simple and multiple logistic regression analyses examined the impact of practicing in the pilot clinics versus comparison clinics on post-implementation responses. Medical Assistants and providers were interviewed regarding barriers and facilitators to implementation. Interview analysis used modified grounded theory. Trends in the number of telephone interpreter calls were examined to determine protocol effectiveness. RESULTS: Context themes included having established teams and workflows; transitioning to a new interpreter vendor; and challenges incorporating the workflow, including providers’ tardiness and clinic understaffing. Evidence themes included beliefs that the protocol improved the patient experience but otherwise mixed responses; preferring live interpreters; and limited buy-in to language screening. Facilitation themes included Medical Assistants needing more support. Providers in the pilot clinics versus comparison clinics had significantly higher odds of positive responses on post-implementation survey questions regarding satisfaction with care (OR 5.3) and communication (OR 6.7). Implementation did not increase the number of telephone interpreter calls in the pilot clinics. CONCLUSION: Ineffectiveness of the protocol was likely due to inconsistent implementation. The protocol may improve patient care but context limited implementation success. The limited buy-in to language screening raises questions about how to better identify patient language needs. / 2019-11-08T00:00:00Z

With the increase in federal funding for the 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) after-school program, more intricate evaluations are needed to assess the needs and successes of the programs. And with many programs targeting students of minority and limited-English proficiency (LEP) status, additional analyses should focus on these targeted populations. This study examines a regional 21st CCLC program with math and English standardized test scores (CRT scores) for students prior to participation and after two years of participation. These test scores were used to create a score change variable, which provides a unique approach to assessing after-school programs. Analyses indicate that LEP participants are the furthest behind and have the most to gain by participating in the program. Also, the type of activity participated in matters. Overall, participants benefit from both academic and enrichment activities, but LEP participants benefit most from academic activities and from higher participation. Site coordinators need to be aware of the different types of participants and structure programs accordingly.

The study developed from realisation that there is no information available about strategies or processes in the iBT speaking scoring rubrics, although ETS (Educational Testing Service) claims that the iBT speaking test is designed to measure strategic processes, which is one constructs of academic proficiency. Therefore, the study investigates which strategic processes are used to complete given speaking tasks. This would provide evidence to help in the evaluation of the validity claims proposed by the test designers. Six Korean participants, studying at English-medium universities, completed 2 independent tasks and 2 integrated tasks both in a test and in their class. Participants’ speech samples were collected during the performances and stimulated recall verbalisation was conducted after they had completed the tasks. Speech samples were coded into five categories: approach, compensation, cognitive, metacognitive strategies and feelings. Consequently, the study examined how strategies reported through stimulated recalls were present in actual speech. The findings showed that metacognitive strategies were used most frequently under both conditions. Fair-level speakers employed more strategies in the test, while good-level speakers used more strategies in the class. Moreover, integrated task types elicited more strategy use for both conditions. Speakers reported that they felt significantly more negative under test conditions than in the class. More importantly, two conditions shared 67.74% of the strategy types, and 84% of the strategy types used in the test were also used in the classroom, which may strengthen the validity of the iBT speaking test in terms of strategy use. Finally, evidences of strategy use were identified in actual speech, which can open the way to operationalised strategy use assessment in speaking test. However, the figure of evidenced strategy use was very low: 5.28% and 2.66% respectively in the test and in the class. It is recommended that future research be carried out with a large number of participants in order to generalise strategy use in speaking performance. Moreover, further studies might be conducted to examine the significance of observable strategic evidence in speech, to inform decisions to include strategies in the scoring rubrics.

After emergency department (ED) discharge, Spanish-speaking patients with limited English proficiency are less likely than English-proficient patients to be adherent to medical recommendations and are more likely to be dissatisfied with their visit.

Orientador: Douglas Altamiro Consolo / Banca: Suzi Marques Spatti Cavalari / Banca: Marcelo Concário / Resumo: Visto que o papel do professor é relevante para os contextos de ensino/aprendizagem de Língua Inglesa (LI), torna-se coerente que ele participe dos processos de avaliação não apenas como avaliador, mas também como avaliado, buscando sempre melhorias em sua prática pedagógica. De acordo com Martins (2005), a avaliação do professor é indispensável para o ensino de línguas, além de representar um desafio no trabalho desenvolvido por aprendizes e mestres. Um tipo de instrumento de avaliação utilizado em professores de LI, para verificar seu nível de proficiência na língua estrangeira (LE) com a qual trabalham, são os exames de proficiência. Existem diferentes tipos de exames internacionais que classificam quantitativamente a proficiência de seus avaliados, como, por exemplo, o TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) e o FCE (First Certificate in English). A proposta deste trabalho é a de apresentar resultados de uma pesquisa de mestrado desenvolvida na UNESP/SJRP, na qual realizamos um levantamento de dados a respeito de testes de proficiência em LI existentes no mercado. Com isso, buscamos contribuir para a elaboração de um exame de proficiência em língua estrangeira, denominado EPPLE - Exame de Proficiência para Professores de Língua Estrangeira. Além dos testes de proficiência que no trabalho são analisados, compõem também os dados analisados, respostas a questionários aplicados a professores de Licenciatura em Letras, de várias localidades do Brasil, os quais sugerem algumas das crenças desses profissionais sobre avaliação e suas diversas visões a respeito dos testes de proficiência em LE e suas possíveis repercussões. Dessa forma, pudemos verificar e agrupar algumas características dos exames analisados que possivelmente servirão de base para o aprimoramento do EPPLE. Foram sugeridas ideas condizentes ao local de aplicação do exame... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: Since the teachers' role is so important to the contexts of English Teaching and Learning, it is coherent that they participate of the assessment process not only as teachers but also as evaluated people who are always improving their jobs. According to Martins (2005), the teacher's assessment is indispensable to the language teaching and represents a challenge to the job developed by teachers and researchers. A kind of assessment instrument used by English teachers in order to verify the students English proficiency level are the Proficiency Tests and Exams. There are different kinds of international exams that classify the proficiency level of their candidates, such as the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) and the FCE (First Certificate in English). The main goal of this dissertation is to present results of a master research developed at UNESP/SJRP. A research about English Proficiency Tests was conducted. We intend to contribute to the implementation of an English test specific for english teachers, known as EPPLE. In addition, we also analyzed some questionnaires applied to stakeholders of the English teaching and learning system. We could notice that our participants have different opinions about the English proficiency tests. And, when we discuss about specific points of electronic English tests, the stakeholders seem to be not sure about the topic. Based on the corpus about the English tests we have analyzed, we could suggest some characteristics to be applied in the EPPLE. To conclude, we hope that this dissertation contributes not only to EPPLE improvement and implementation but also to the improvement of researches in Applied Linguistics / Mestre

Thesis (M.ED.) -- University of Limpopo, 2011 / This study investigated the effects of English Language Proficiency on Performance and Competence of Learners in the Rural Secondary Schools at Koloti circuit. The primary aim of this study was to establish whether English Language Proficiency had an effect on learners’ competence and performance in English as a Second Language and to establish the root cause of the problem of poor language proficiency. The background to this study was outlined, which was followed by an intensive literature review on the topic. The study followed a case study design which utilized 39 learners from the sampled schools in Koloti Circuit. Data was collected from diagnostic tests which were written by learners, questionnaires which were distributed to learners and parents, and interviews which were conducted with teachers and learners. The study showed that learners have serious deficiencies in reading, listening, speaking and writing skills which affect their competence and performance. The study also showed that this deficiency is attributed to teachers who need intensive in-service training in these skills. This study was based on Krashen’s and Cummin’s theories of second language learning.