Assessment of Minority Language Skills in English-Irish-Speaking Bilingual Children: A Survey of SLT Perspectives and Current Practices

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Autor/inn/en	Mulgrew, Linda; Duffy, Orla; Kennedy, Lynda
Titel	Assessment of Minority Language Skills in English-Irish-Speaking Bilingual Children: A Survey of SLT Perspectives and Current Practices
Quelle	In: International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders, 57 (2022) 1, S.63-77 (15 Seiten) PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Zusatzinformation	ORCID (Duffy, Orla)
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1368-2822
DOI	10.1111/1460-6984.12674
Schlagwörter	Language Minorities; Bilingualism; Speech Language Pathology; Speech Therapy; Second Language Learning; Language Tests; Standardized Tests; Barriers; Foreign Countries; Guidelines; Best Practices; Irish; English (Second Language); Scoring; Allied Health Occupations; Allied Health Occupations Education; Alternative Assessment; Children; Child Language; Ireland; United Kingdom (Northern Ireland) + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Sprachminderheit; Bilingualismus; Entwicklungsproximale Sprachtherapie; Logotherapie; Zweitsprachenerwerb; Language test; Sprachtest; Standadised tests; Standardisierter Test; Ausland; Richtlinien; Irisch; English as second language; English; Second Language; Englisch als Zweitsprache; Bewertung; Gesundheitsberuf; Child; Kind; Kinder; 'Children''s language'; Kindersprache; Irland
Abstract	Background: An increasing number of children in the UK and Ireland are growing up speaking more than one language. The many advantages of bilingualism are acknowledged; however, this increased linguistic diversity presents particular challenges for speech and language therapists (SLTs). The case is often more complex with speakers of minority languages such as Welsh and Irish, which are acquired almost exclusively in bilingual contexts. Lack of appropriate standardized assessments for bilinguals is a key issue for SLTs internationally; however, little is known about the practices, personal perspectives or wider challenges faced by SLTs in assessing minority language skills. We focus on SLTs working with English-Irish bilinguals across Northern Ireland (NI) and the Republic of Ireland (ROI) where status, use and exposure to Irish differ significantly. Aims: To investigate the perceptions and practices of SLTs in NI and the ROI in the assessment of bilingual English-Irish-speaking children. Methods & Procedures: A 33-item online survey was distributed to SLTs working with children in community settings in NI and the ROI. Outcomes & Results: A total of 181 SLTs completed the survey. The majority of respondents had bilingual English-Irish-speaking children on their caseloads; however, less than one-quarter had assessed Irish language skills. Responses indicate confusion as to whether best-practice guidelines applied in this particular context where the majority of speakers have English as their first language and limited domains of exposure to Irish outside of the education system. Resources available to assess Irish language skills were found to be limited. Informal analysis of language samples emerged as the most popular assessment tool. SLTs in the ROI had a significantly higher level of competence in the Irish language than SLTs in NI. This reduced the challenge of assessment. Many SLTs reported scoring assessments standardized on monolingual populations when assessing English language skills in bilingual English-Irish-speaking children. Conclusions & Implications: Our findings highlight the challenges faced by SLTs in meeting best-practice guidelines in the assessment of speakers of minority languages such as Irish. Further work is needed to ensure clinicians and other professionals have access to information and enhanced training on bilingual language acquisition in minority language contexts and implications for assessment and diagnosis. This study underlines the need for further research on the acquisition of minority languages as well as the development of alternative assessment tools to assist SLTs in meeting the needs of this population. (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2024/1/01