Considerations in the Post-Enrolment Assessment of English Language Proficiency: Reflections From the Australian Context

Murray, Neil

doi:10.1080/15434303.2010.484516

Cited by 52 publications

(41 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…Concerned academic staff, along with the School's Academic Learning Advisors, acknowledged that a collaborative approach was needed to support students, subscribing to the advice given by Murray [12] that:…”

Section: The Development Of the Alec Pilotmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The previous approach used by the School in which only students who were identified as struggling were referred to individual academic support sessions could be construed as being demotivating and unhelpful as "… further marginalising of already vulnerable individuals…"(p.344) [12] . The flexibility of the ALEC enabled students the options of learning in group environment, or through individual study.…”

Section: Data Collectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Murray [12] claims, that during the employment period employers place communication and language abilities as essential employee requisites. Murray goes on to argue that "academic literacy is something with which few if any students, domestic or international English Speaking Background (ESB) or NESB (Non English Speaking Background), enter university adequately equipped"(p.351).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The piloting of an Academic Literary Education Course (ALEC) to improve academic literacy of first semester undergraduate students in a Western Australian university

Hendricks

Andrew

Fowler

2013

JNEP

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Widening participation has enabled access to higher education for an increasing number of students via a range of non-traditional pathways. Consequently, whilst having a large repertoire of skills and experience, these students may not have developed sufficient competence in academic literacy. The School of Nursing and Midwifery has a large proportion of such students who have difficulty making the academic transition to university study.It is believed that a 'built in' approach to supporting these students to develop academic literacy will result in an improvement in their abilities to meet the requirements of the University and to better prepare them to graduate. This paper discusses the piloting of an Academic Literary Education Course (ALEC) for undergraduate students enrolled in the first semester unit of a three year health degree, within the disciplines of nursing and paramedical science. The students completed tests on academic literacy before and after completion of the ALEC. Particular areas of difficulty for students were found to be in referencing and unpacking the assessment question. When mean scores were compared between pre and post-tests in the same group, it was found there was a significant difference between scores at t value = -7,721, degrees of freedom = 181 with a p value of 0.000 or p value < .001. Recommendations include incorporating the ALEC approach in further stages of the undergraduate degree program to support developing levels of academic literacy.

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Section: The Development Of the Alec Pilotmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Data Collectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The piloting of an Academic Literary Education Course (ALEC) to improve academic literacy of first semester undergraduate students in a Western Australian university

Hendricks

Andrew

Fowler

2013

JNEP

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“…I have, elsewhere (Murray, 2010a), argued the benefit of deconstructing the term, and proposed a conceptualisation comprising three interactive but conceptually distinct competencies: proficiency, academic literacy and professional communication skills. 'Proficiency' is a general communicative competence in language that enables its users to express and understand meaning accurately, fluently and appropriately according to context, and which comprises a set of generic skills and abilities (see, for example, Bachman, 1990;Canale and Swain, 1980;Canale, 1983;Hymes, 1972).…”

Section: What Is Language Proficiency?mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The much spoken about globalisation of education has resulted in Englishmedium universities enrolling growing numbers of students for whom English is not a first language (Baik & Greig, 2009;Banks and Olsen, 2008;Dunworth, 2009;Murray 2010aMurray , 2010bRansom, 2009). Despite institutions setting English language entry conditions designed to ensure that students have the linguistic capacity to negotiate their academic studies, many still struggle nonetheless, presenting academic staff and student services units with significant challenges.…”

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confidence: 99%

Widening participation and English language proficiency: a convergence with implications for assessment practices in higher education

Murray

2013

Studies in Higher Education

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The widening participation agenda has important implications for those in English-medium higher education institutions responsible for the provision of English language support. Importantly, given the diverse nature of the 'non-traditional' student cohort that is the focus of this agenda, that section of the student population potentially requiring English language development extends beyond those students of non-English speaking backgrounds -traditionally the focus of such provision -to include native speakers of English whose language exhibits forms -dialectal characteristics -not necessarily in keeping with the expectations of the academy or indeed the workplace, post-graduation. In order to ensure that these students have access to language support resources that are squeezed by ever-present funding pressures, there needs to be a mechanism for identifying those most at risk due to weak language. This article considers some of the issues around the implementation of a post-enrolment English language assessment regime.Keywords: Widening participation, English language proficiency, post-enrolment language assessment, language competence of non-traditional students Introduction 2In common with other countries where English-medium universities are the norm, Australia has, in recent years, witnessed an interesting and important convergence of two facets of higher education, each of which has assumed a place of some prominence on political and education agendas. The first concerns widening participation and associated policies and strategies designed to raise the aspirations and opportunities of individuals from socioeconomic, educational and cultural milieu traditionally under-represented in higher education (Krause, Hartley, James & McInnis, 2005; Pascarella & Terrenzini, 1998;Pitman & Broomhall, 2009) with a view to promoting greater equity through a more diverse student population defined on the basis of academic potential rather than personal situational circumstance. In large part, such initiatives reflect not only ethical concerns around equal opportunity but also what Osborne describes as 'worldwide concerns expressed by both international bodies and national governments that there are strong economic reasons for increasing access and for widening the constituency that higher education serves by including those groups who have traditionally been excluded ' (2003:6). In Australia, these 'concerns' have most recently found voice in the Bradley Review of Higher Education (Bradley 2008: xi), the Executive Summary of which states:To increase the numbers participating [in university degree programs] we must also look to members of groups currently under-represented within the system, that is, those disadvantaged by the circumstances of their birth: Indigenous people, people with low socio-economic status, and those from regional and remote areas.The report goes on to say that, by 2020, students from low socio-economic backgrounds should account for twenty per cent of undergraduate enrolments in Australian higher ...

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English Language Proficiency Assessments as an Exit Criterion for English Learners

Wolf

Farnsworth

2013

The Companion to Language Assessment

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It is increasingly common in English‐speaking countries that K‐12 school populations include students who learn English as a second language (ESL). This chapter focuses on the assessment of English language proficiency (ELP) of English language learner (ELL) students in K‐12 schools. It highlights the use of ELP assessments to exit students from ELL designation or ESL programs and move them into English‐only mainstream classrooms. The chapter presents a brief overview of large‐scale ELP assessment practice for ELL students in US K‐12 schools. Then it discusses issues in ELP assessment constructs, issues in developing and using ELP assessments for an exit decision, and validation considerations including technical qualities and consequences.

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Considerations in the Post-Enrolment Assessment of English Language Proficiency: Reflections From the Australian Context

Cited by 52 publications

References 12 publications

The piloting of an Academic Literary Education Course (ALEC) to improve academic literacy of first semester undergraduate students in a Western Australian university

The piloting of an Academic Literary Education Course (ALEC) to improve academic literacy of first semester undergraduate students in a Western Australian university

Widening participation and English language proficiency: a convergence with implications for assessment practices in higher education

English Language Proficiency Assessments as an Exit Criterion for English Learners

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