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PubMed1997

Retention of nursing students with English as a second language.

The purposes of this study were to: (a) determine nursing students' perceptions of the learning activities which contribute the most to their knowledge and skills; (b) determine students' perceptions of their learning difficulties; (c) compare the perceptions of English as a second language (ESL) and non-ESL students; (d) determine nursing faculty perceptions of ESL students' learning difficulties; (e) compare the perceptions of ESL students and faculty; and (f) identify needs for educational and/or supportive programmes for faculty and students. Differences in perceptions of faculty and students regarding areas of difficulty and students' needs may influence the services provided to students and therefore contribute to their lack of success and attrition. A questionnaire was given to students in the first and second years of the University of British Columbia (UBC)/Vancouver Hospital (VH) Nursing Programme to collect data regarding their high school and post-secondary education, date of arrival in Canada, first language, and their perceptions of helpfulness and difficulty of learning activities. A similar questionnaire was given to faculty members working with these students to collect data about their perceptions of areas of difficulty and activities that contribute the most to the learning of ESL students. Data analysis consisted of t-tests for statistical comparison of the responses of ESL and non-ESL students, and ESL students and faculty. The results indicated statistically significant differences between the perceptions of faculty and ESL students, particularly in the areas of difficulty. The need for educational programmes for both faculty and students was identified.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Identifying the factors influencing minority language use in health care education settings: a European perspective.

The recent enhanced status of many minority languages across the European Community has led to increasing demands for their use within the public sector. This is particularly evident in health care, where, in circumstances of stress and vulnerability, denying opportunities for clients to communicate in their preferred language may place them at a personal disadvantage and compromise their health chances. In view of the exclusion of many minority languages from the public domain over the years, their re-introduction demands adaptations to health care education programmes in order to promote language sensitivity in practice. Before embarking on developments which establish such languages within the professional sphere, valuable insight may be gained by examining their current use in practice education. Furthermore, comparing their use across language communities enables the sharing of common experiences and furthers opportunities for developing networks across Europe. This paper describes an ethnographic study of the use, within midwifery education, of the Welsh language in north Wales, the Catalan language in Barcelona and the Irish language in Western Ireland. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with key lecturers, clinical mentors and students across the three communities in order to determine patterns of language use within a range of learning environments. Focus groups were also held in order to confirm the findings. The data reveal many commonalities in terms of language use across the three settings and important factors are identified which support the use of minority languages in practice education. The findings are invaluable for guiding future bilingual initiatives across health care education programmes.

Communication Barriers↗
PubMed2000

Recommendations for culturally sensitive nursing care.

Australia's health care clientele reflects the diversity of this multicultural society. Patients and health care professionals have expectations of health care which may not be met to their satisfaction or needs. The perceived inadequacies of and increased demands on the Australian health care system are reflected in the literature and by active political lobbying. Thus, there is an urgent need to investigate how the health care system can be improved and how recommendations from research can be put into place. One mechanism that may provide some of the changes required is to use the skills, experience and qualifications of culturally and linguistically diverse nurses. This paper, which is based on a descriptive ethnographic research project, will provide insight for utilizing this valuable and available resource, and how nursing education curricula can be modified to adequately incorporate transcultural nursing practices, so that nurses can meet the challenges of caring for Australia's multicultural population.

Australia↗
PubMed1997

Is language a barrier to the use of preventive services?

OBJECTIVE: To isolate the effect of spoken language from financial barriers to care, we examined the relation of language to use of preventive services in a system with universal access. DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey. SETTING: Household population of women living in Ontario, Canada, in 1990. PARTICIPANTS: Subjects were 22,448 women completing the 1990 Ontario Health Survey, a population-based random sample of households. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: We defined language as the language spoken in the home and assessed self-reported receipt of breast examination, mammogram and Pap testing. We used logistic regression to calculate odds ratios for each service adjusting for potential sources of confounding: socio-economic characteristics, contact with the health care system, and measures reflecting culture. Ten percent of the women spoke a non-English language at home (4% French, 6% other). After adjustment, compared with English speakers, French-speaking women were significantly less likely to receive breast exams or mammography, and other language speakers were less likely to receive Pap testing. CONCLUSIONS: Women whose main spoken language was not English were less likely to receive important preventive services. Improving communication with patients with limited English may enhance participation in screening programs.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

The acquisition of a second language.

It is claimed that if children can begin to acquire a second language at an early age they will find it easier to develop fluency, and will speak it without an accent. Age is a factor in acquiring one's mother tongue, and this also applies when learning a second language. One essential to developing such a skill is the ability to switch from one language to the other, as appropriate. Studies on the effects of age on this learning are reviewed. Techniques such as positron emission tomography can now be used to show which areas of the brain are involved in developing new skills, and much has been learnt in this way. Differences can be demonstrated between the cerebral function of the children who learn a second language at an early age and those who do this when they are older, and also between those who acquire a high degree of fluency and those who never do. If children speak a second language by hearing it in the environment in which they live, they are acquiring it as they do their mother tongue, but if they start at the age of 12 years they are learning it like any other subject they study. If the opportunity is present, surely it is better to acquire a second language than learn it.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Relationships among bilingualism, critical thinking ability, and critical thinking disposition.

Evidence exists supporting relationships between bilingualism and many cognitive factors. Research, however, has not been conducted to specifically examine the relationships among bilingualism, critical thinking ability, and critical thinking disposition of baccalaureate nursing students. This cross-sectional study used a pooled, within-bilingual, correlational design to examine such relationships. Specific research questions posed were: (1) is there a statistically significant curvilinear relationship between bilingualism and critical thinking ability, (2) is there a statistically significant curvilinear relationship between bilingualism and critical thinking disposition, and (3) is there a statistically significant relationship between critical thinking disposition and critical thinking ability? A convenience sample of nursing students (N = 111) was administered a French language Cloze Test (C-Test), an English language C-Test, as well as the California Critical Thinking Skills Test, and the California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory. Multiple regression analysis was used to test the hypotheses. Findings failed to provide sufficient evidence to support the existence of a relationship between either bilingualism and critical thinking ability, or between critical thinking disposition and critical thinking ability. However, there was sufficient evidence to support the existence of a curvilinear relationship between bilingualism and critical thinking disposition. Implications for nursing education are presented.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

[Evaluation of a special project for treatment of psychiatrically ill Turkish migrants].

The in-patient treatment of migrants with psychiatric disorders causes particular difficulties. There is often a barrier of language and culture that raises problems for the diagnostic and therapeutic process. To solve these problems we developed a bilingual setting by integrating a Turkish psychologist who belongs to a counselling centre into our therapeutic team for at least once a week. This offers the possibility for a very qualified psychopathological assessment as the patient can talk to the Turkish psychologist in his native language and the Turkish psychologist can translate this and his own impression accurately also using the psychiatric language. All relevant themes can be discussed, including the possibility of continuing the therapy in the counceling centre. We investigated the impact of this kind of therapeutic approach on the duration of hospitalisation, remission in terms of psychopathology, rehabilitation level, ratio of readmission and contentment with therapy. The migrants were divided into two groups: Turkish migrants were treated in this special setting, non Turkish migrants were not treated in the manner described. There are shorter periods of hospital treatment for Turkish non-schizophrenic in-patients and Turkish schizophrenic patients achieve higher levels of rehabilitation. Turkish patients with all kinds of psychiatric diagnoses show lower ratios of readmission and express greater contentment with therapy. The psychopathological symptoms themselves, however, are not substantically reduced in this special setting.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Examining the quality of children's stories: clinical applications.

Research has shown that narrative analysis is an appropriate method for assessing the narrative skills of children from diverse backgrounds. Child narrative studies are reviewed to show crosslinguistic similarities and differences across Spanish and English speakers. An approach that examines the quality of children's narratives based on research with Spanish-speaking children is then described. The protocol focuses on the plot, clarity, cohesion, specificity, and memorable features of narratives as assessment categories. Methodological issues are discussed, and narrative samples from two children with and without language impairment are used to illustrate the analysis.

Child↗
PubMed2001

What test should I use?

Appropriate assessment of Hispanic children requires clinicians to have knowledge of the cultural and linguistic factors that influence the communication skills of these children. This knowledge base includes an understanding of variations in the social and linguistic characteristics of Hispanic subgroups. Knowledge of these characteristics provides clinicians with the framework necessary to conduct less biased assessments. Clinicians possessing this framework would be able to conduct assessments that take into consideration the child's social ecology and the impact of dialect, first and second language acquisition, and language loss on the child's communication skills.

Child↗
PubMed2001

[Psychotic experiences in a transcultural context - case report analysis on the importance of the second language for the therapeutic process].

The use of the second language among migrants can lead to a separation of affect and content of speech, which can be used in therapy when touching upon emotionally strenuous events. On the basis of 3 case reports of migrants of Turkish origin with a psychotic disorder, the importance of the second language when used by a native speaking therapists is analyzed. This can lead to the establishment of a therapeutic alliance, even though emotionally central themes are avoided in the process.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Roles and responsibilities of the interpreter in interactions with speech-language pathologists, parents, and students.

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Amendments of 1997 (IDEA '97) specify that students must be assessed in their primary language. With the ever-increasing number of diverse languages spoken by students, it is very unlikely that even an English-bilingual speech-language pathologist's other language will match that of a student who is referred for a speech-language assessment. Knowing how to work effectively with an interpreter is, therefore, essential for all speech-language pathologists. This article reviews the process of interpretation during parent conferences and student assessments. It describes the specific roles and responsibilities of the speech-language pathologist-interpreter team, with a focus on the linguistic, cultural, and professional skills that the interpreter should have to ensure a successful outcome. Data obtained from bilingual Spanish/English-speaking speech-language pathologists are provided to confirm and describe some important features desired in an interpreter who collaborates with a speech-language pathologist. Suggestions for training and certifying future interpreters are outlined. Finally, models are presented for successful interactions with interpreters.

Communication Barriers↗
PubMed2003

[The importance of language development for the success in school for children from immigrant families].

Almost 46% of the foreign pupils leaving vocational training colleges do not take their final exams. This alarming trend, which can be observed nationwide, raises the question as to which conditions are crucial for the school career of children and teenagers of immigrant families and which conditions affect their success at school. Attitudes have been influenced by the assumption that by extending the length of stay of the immigrant families the problems of integration would diminish; consequently it could be assumed that unhindered access to the institutions of education would automatically promise success. This expectation is mainly responsible for the fact that teaching has not been aligned with the specific needs of these children. Extracurricular support, e. g. like helping with the homework, was seen as a completion of and support for a school system which was considered apt for teaching children from other ethnic backgrounds and was not questioned except for special model projects. Precisely these model projects demonstrated that all children, both foreign and German, profit from a way of teaching which has been adjusted to the intercultural conditions of a class rather than denying them. Health care services for youngsters can essentially support the process of internal school reforms as doctors point out the excessive demands on the immigrated families by traditional teaching, which actually impairs the efficiency of performing well at school. Furthermore, health care can also explain that the proper development of a child can be impaired if its specific learning structures--based on the linguistic and cultural background--are ignored by the school.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

[German language skills among foreign psychiatric patients: influence on voluntariness and duration of hospital treatment].

OBJECTIVE: According to the increasing number of foreign psychiatric patients in the German society, the influence of their linguistic integration on treatment characteristics is to be investigated. METHODS: With criteria of nationality and German language skills, data of 6151 in-patients was collected and statistically analysed according to the objective. RESULTS: With statistically significant evidence we found a shorter average duration of hospital treatment in the group of linguistically badly integrated patients. In this group, involuntary hospital admission was significantly more frequent and release from hospital after regular end of treatment was significantly rarer. CONCLUSIONS: Linguistic communication problems may influence the cooperation and motivation in an ineffective way, which underlines the importance of supporting linguistic integration.

Acculturation↗
PubMed2005

New arrivals: speech and language assessment for internationally adopted infants and toddlers within the first months home.

Speech-language pathologists are increasingly requested to assess development in newly arrived internationally adopted children. These infants and toddlers typically arrive home with developmental delays and a lack of proficiency in any language, making it difficult to make objective service delivery decisions. This article reports the results of speech and language assessments for a group of 28 children aged 12 to 24 months who were newly adopted from Eastern Europe. Most of the children did well, with average English language standard scores within normal limits on the Communication and Symbolic Behavior Scale-Developmental Profile. The majority of children were also rapidly learning to understand and produce English words as measured on the MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventory. These findings were used to develop peer-based infant-toddler guidelines for early speech and language intervention. Using these guidelines, 65% of the internationally adopted children did not require early intervention, 7% were borderline and recommended for follow-up assessments within 2 to 3 months, and 28% were recommended for speech and language early intervention.

Adoption↗
PubMed2005

Early language growth in children adopted from China: preliminary normative data.

Normative data on English language development in children adopted from China are needed to determine whether a child's language skills are within normal limits or significantly delayed relative to his or her peers who are other children adopted from China. A longitudinal survey of children adopted from China, modified from a similar survey used by Glennen and Masters (American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology 2002;11:417-433) with children adopted from Eastern Europe, was used to collect information on English language development from over 150 children at 3-month intervals. Preliminary results are presented here, based on 808 surveys from 141 children grouped by age at time of adoption. In general, children adopted at older ages used more words and produced longer sentences at each 3-month interval postadoption, but had further to go to "catch up" to norms for nonadopted monolingual English-speaking peers of the same age. Individual profiles illustrate the variation seen within groups, with some children performing at or above age level and others showing varying levels of "delay" relative to nonadopted monolingual English-speaking peers and/or adopted peers.

Adoption↗
PubMed2005

Adoption age effects on english language acquisition: infants and toddlers from China.

Children adopted from China represent the single largest group of internationally adopted children in this country. Because the adoptive families typically do not speak any Chinese language or dialect, most of these children experience an abrupt shift in their language environment. How age of adoption affects the course of English language development of children adopted from China is the focus of this study. All of the children in this study were either infants or toddlers at the time of adoption and all came from the same orphanage. The results showed that the older children (toddlers) were at both an advantage and a disadvantage when it came to English language development. The advantage of being older was that they learned faster. The disadvantage of being older was that there was more for them to learn to become age-appropriate in their English language development. There was, however, no evidence to suggest that the language switch from a Chinese- to an English-language environment was a formidable obstacle for either the infants or the toddlers.

Adoption↗
PubMed2005

Starting over: a preliminary study of early lexical and syntactic development in internationally adopted preschoolers.

To explore early language acquisition in internationally adopted preschoolers, we collected parental reports (CDI-2) and speech samples from 14 children adopted from China between the ages of 2 years, 7 months and 5 years, 1 month. Their lexical and syntactic development was qualitatively similar to infants acquiring English as a first language: nouns and social words dominated early vocabularies; verbs and closed-class items became more frequent as vocabulary size increased; and lexical and syntactic development were tightly correlated. This research has several implications for clinicians. First, it demonstrates that parental reports provide valid information during the first year after adoption and could be useful in identifying preschool children in need of further assessment. Nine to 15 months after arrival many children reached the ceiling of the CDI-2, suggesting that this instrument has limited utility after the first year. Finally, the rapid lexical and syntactic growth of these children suggests that many of them may eventually catch up with their native-born peers.

Acculturation↗