Predictive validity of the post-enrolment English language assessment tool for commencing undergraduate nursing students

Paul J. Glew, Sharon P. Hillege, Yenna Salamonson, Kathleen Dixon, Anthony Good, Lien Lombardo

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    14 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    Background: Nursing students with English as an additional language (EAL) may underperform academically. The post-enrolment English language assessment (PELA) is used in literacy support, but its predictive validity in identifying those at risk of underperformance remains unknown. Objectives: To validate a PELA, as a predictor of academic performance. Design: Prospective survey design. Setting: The study was conducted at a university located in culturally and linguistically diverse areas of western Sydney, Australia. Participants: Commencing undergraduate nursing students who were Australian-born (n = 1323, 49.6%) and born outside of Australia (n = 1346, 50.4%) were recruited for this study. The 2669 (67% of 3957) participants provided consent and completed a first year nursing unit that focussed on developing literacy skills. Method: Between 2010 and 2013, commencing students completed the PELA and English language acculturation scale (ELAS), a previously validated instrument. The grading levels of the PELA tool were: Level 1 (proficient), Level 2 (borderline), and Level 3 (poor, and requiring additional support). Results: Participants with a PELA Level 2 or 3 were more likely to be: a) non-Australian-born (χ2 : 520.6, df: 2, p b 0.001); b) spoke a language other than English at home (χ2 : 490.2, df: 2, p b 0.001); and c) an international student (χ2 : 225.6, df: 2, p b 0.001). There was an inverse relationship between participants' ELAS scores and PELA levels (r = −0.52, p b 0.001), and those graded as ‘proficient’ with a PELA Level 1 were more likely to obtain higher scores in their: i) unit essay assessment (χ2 : 40.2, df: 2, p b 0.001); ii) final unit mark (χ2 : 218.6, df: 2, p b 0.001), and attain a higher GPA (χ2 : 100.8, df: 2, p b 0.001). Conclusion: The PELA is a useful screening tool in identifying commencing nursing students who are at risk of academic underachievement.
    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)1142-1147
    Number of pages6
    JournalNurse Education Today
    Volume35
    Issue number12
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2015

    Keywords

    • English language
    • academic achievement
    • educational tests and measurements
    • nursing students
    • psychometrics

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