Academic Literacy Requirements of Health Professions Programs: Challenges for ESL Students

Abstract

To succeed in Canadian health professions, university education programs students must initially meet a variety of program-specific and English-language admission requirements. For non-native English-speaking (NNES) students, a major challenge can be the demonstration of profession-specific academic literacy and, in particular, adequate language competency prior to admission and throughout the program. Despite the increased numbers in the adult NNES student population in Canada, the current academic literacy requirements within these programs have received minimal research focus. This study explores thecongruency of program requirements and learning supports within three major health professions programs across six Canadian universities. The data analyzed for this qualitative study include program documents on publicly accessible websites and a focused literature review. Findings suggest that in medicine, nursing, and pharmacy programs, discipline-specific academic literacy manifests itself in a wide variety of specialized written genres, ranging from reflections to theoretical analysis. Academic literacy is essential to the socialization of new students into these specialized programs and into the professions. Suggestions are offered to enhance universities’ support of the development of academic literacy of NNES students.
 Pour réussir comme professionnels de la santé au Canada, les étudiants inscrits aux programmes d’enseignement universitaire doivent d’abord satisfaire à une variété de conditions d’admission relatives au programme qu’ils ont choisi et à leur connaissance de l’anglais. Pour les étudiants dont la langue maternelle n’est pas l’anglais (NNES, pour « non-native English speakers »), la nécessité de faire preuve de littératie académique dans la profession de leur choix et, en particulier, celle d’une compétence langagière suffisante avant leur admission et tout au long du programme choisi peuvent constituer un défi de taille. Bien que la population des étudiants adultes de type NNES ait augmenté au Canada, les exigences actuelles de littératie académique liées à ces programmes n’ont fait l’objet que de travaux de recherche rudimentaires. La présente étude explore la concordance entre les exigences des programmes d’études et les soutiens pédagogiques au sein de trois importants programmes de formation de professionnels de la santé dans six universités canadiennes. Les données analysées pour cette étude qualitative comprennent la documentation sur les programmes concernés disponible sur des sites Web accessibles au grand public ainsi qu’une analyse documentaire ciblée. Les constatations suggèrent que, dans les programmes d’études médicales, infirmières, et pharmaceutiques, la littératie académique liée à une discipline particulière se manifeste dans une grande variété de genres d’écriture spécialisés allant de réflexions à l’analyse théorique. La littératie académique est essentielle à l’insertion des nouveaux étudiants dans ces programmes spécialisés de même que dans les professions. Des suggestions sont offertes pour rehausser le niveau du soutien des universités au développement des étudiants NNES dans le domaine de la littératie académique.

Methods and strategies to promote academic literacies in health professions: a scoping review

“…The Lea and Street academic literacies model [ 3 , 10 ] emphasizes a broader scope for addressing students’ engagement and academic literacies in the academic community by highlighting meaning making, power relationships and identity. For first generation higher education students, students with another first language than the majority language and students from underrepresented populations, this scope potentially presents an even greater challenge [ 8 ].…”

“…The results of the review offer some insights into how universities can assist in creating inclusive learning environments for their increasingly diverse student populations. Academic literacies comprise multiple competencies with a core of critical thinking and communication [ 8 ], the three models of study skills, academic socialization and academic literacies [ 3 ]; and developing academic literacies is a process over time. Complex higher order cognitive activities, inherent in academic literacies, are not taught nor learned in one instance, rather they require perseverance and practice.…”

“…The term academic literacy or literacies can be expanded and shaped by the context of the particular discipline in which it is used [ 6 ], highlighting that mastering academic writing in different genres, developing skills in critical thinking and appraisal is fundamental to all academic disciplines [ 7 ]. There are several definitions of academic literacies, and Lum et al [ 8 ] emphasize that in health professionals programs, academic literacies in a broader perspective are not strictly cognitive activities, but also include interpretation and producing a variety of academic texts within important social contexts of their professional discipline. Included in definitions of academic literacies are the ability to write for different purposes, target groups and occasions, as well as accessing, interpreting and evaluating information, utilizing critical thinking, which is reflected in performance and creation of new texts and knowledge [ 9 ].…”

Understanding the Impact of Trauma in Hispanic Nursing Students: Resilience and Learning Outcomes

“…The U.S. Census Bureau (2021) reports 68.8% of the population speaks a language other than English at home. English fluency and high levels of academic literacy can potentially impact academic success (Lum et al, 2018). Adaptable pedagogies in areas with highly diverse students who speak English as a second language are essential to student success (Lum et al, 2018).…”

“…English fluency and high levels of academic literacy can potentially impact academic success (Lum et al, 2018). Adaptable pedagogies in areas with highly diverse students who speak English as a second language are essential to student success (Lum et al, 2018). Additionally, 14.7% of the participants were men, while the national average for male nurses is 12% (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2019).…”