Embedding international benchmarks of proficiency in English in undergraduate nursing programmes: challenges and strategies in equipping culturally and linguistically diverse students with English as an additional language for nursing in Australia.

To meet the expected shortfalls in the number of registered nurses throughout the coming decade Australian universities have been recruiting an increasing number of students from culturally and linguistically diverse (CaLD) backgrounds. Given that international and domestic students who use English as an additional language (EAL) complement the number of native English speaking nursing students, they represent a valuable nurse education investment. Although university programmes are in a position to meet the education and learning needs of native English speaking nursing students, they can experience considerable challenges in effectively equipping EAL students with the English and academic language skills for nursing studies and registration in Australia. However, success in a nursing programme and in preparing for nurse registration can require EAL students to achieve substantial literacy skills in English and academic language through their engagement with these tertiary learning contexts. This paper discusses the education implications for nursing programmes and EAL students of developing literacy skills through pre-registration nursing studies to meet the English language skills standard for nurse registration and presents intervention strategies for nursing programmes that aim to build EAL student capacity in using academic English.

Psychometric evaluation of the 11-item English language usage scale in commencing nursing students.

BACKGROUND: Globalisation has increased the number of students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds enrolling in nursing programs where English is the primary medium of instruction. These students may experience challenges with English language usage and need to be identified early to ensure academic success. OBJECTIVE: To develop and test the psychometric properties of a self-report English language usage scale (ELUS-11). METHODS: Prospective, correlational study of commencing nursing students enrolled in a communication unit at a university in the western Sydney region of Australia. English-language usage was measured using the ELUS-11, an 11-item self-report tool with a 5-point Likert scale response format. Factorial validity was examined using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis and logistic regression was used to compute the predictive validity of the ELUS. RESULTS: Of the 1723 students enrolled, 1100 (64%) returned surveys with all items of the ELUS-11 completed. The mean age of respondents was 25.4 years (SD: 8.0 years), 85% were female and 67% spoke a language other than English at home. Exploratory factor analysis yielded a one-factor structure that explained 65% of the variance, with factor loadings ranging from 0.72 to 0.86; and high internal consistency (α = 0.96). The ELUS-11 was able to discriminate among different groups of students based on age, domestic/international enrolment status and language spoken at home (all p < 0.001). Logistic regression revealed the ELUS-11 had good predictive validity, with those in the high ELUS-11 group over three times more likely to obtain a pass grade in their first written assessment (Adjusted odds ratio: 3.01, 95% CI: 2.05-4.43). CONCLUSION: The ELUS-11 is a valid and reliable measure of English-language usage, and appropriate for use in an undergraduate nursing population to identify students at risk of poor academic performance.

Relationships between academic literacy support, student retention and academic performance.

Retention and the academic success of nursing students remains a high priority in Australian and global higher education. This study examines an embedded academic support strategy, provided by Professional Communication Academic Literacy (PCAL) support staff, and undergraduate Bachelor of Nursing student uptake of the support. It reports on the profile of those who sought support, and the relationships between student support, retention and academic performance. A total of 11 290 PCAL consultations were recorded during a 17-month period from January 2016, with these consultations initiated by 2827 individual students. Among the undergraduate nursing students (n = 4472), those who sought PCAL support were over 7 times more likely (Adjusted Odds Ratio: 7.81, 95% CI: 6.18 to 9.86) to continue in the nursing program, taking into consideration age and enrolment category of students. Among students who continued or are continuing in the program, those who did not seek PCAL support had a lower grade point average (GPA) (mean: 3.9) compared to those who sought PCAL support between 1 and 3 times (mean: 4.3), and those who sought PCAL support on more than 3 occasions had the highest GPA (mean: 4.4), suggesting that frequency of consultations influenced academic success and retention.

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

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 (χ(2): 520.6, df: 2, p<0.001); b) spoke a language other than English at home (χ(2): 490.2, df: 2, p<0.001); and c) an international student (χ(2): 225.6, df: 2, p<0.001). There was an inverse relationship between participants' ELAS scores and PELA levels (r=-0.52, p<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 (χ(2): 40.2, df: 2, p<0.001); ii) final unit mark (χ(2): 218.6, df: 2, p<0.001), and attain a higher GPA (χ(2): 100.8, df: 2, p<0.001). CONCLUSION: The PELA is a useful screening tool in identifying commencing nursing students who are at risk of academic underachievement.