non-English Speaking Background Research Articles

Supporting off‐shore students: a preliminary study

This paper reports on the first part of a recent research study into current initiatives to support the learning of non‐English speaking background (NESB) transnational students in Asia who are studying off‐shore at Australian universities. Learning support and development staff in 12 universities were surveyed using a questionnaire. The survey yielded data on the varied modes of learning support for transnational students, many of which are Web‐based; their perceived effectiveness; their evaluation status and the number and nature of those with a focus on assisting students to avoid plagiarism. The questionnaire elicited responses about future plans, challenges and barriers in relation to the effective learning support of transnational students. Critical themes to emerge were: the importance of person‐to‐person contact; embedding of learning resources into course delivery; interventions to assist students to avoid plagiarism that acknowledge cultural factors; the need for planning, professional development; adequate resources and attitudinal change.

Negotiating meanings and scaffolding learning: writing support for non‐English speaking background postgraduate students

Language and learning advisers and non‐English speaking background (NESB) postgraduate students negotiate complex territory when working together to improve students’ texts. However, the individual writing consultation is sometimes conceptualised one‐dimensionally by faculty as a form of editing. The writing consultation with NESB postgraduate students has also received only sporadic attention in the higher education literature. This paper provides a contextual, discourse analytical account of one writing consultation between a faculty‐based language adviser and a Master of Public Health NESB student. The findings show that the consultation was a dynamic exchange druing which a range of meanings were negotiated. The findings also show that the adviser scaffolded the student’s academic writing and learning in a number of ways. More research is needed in different teaching contexts and at various stages of students’ writing in order to provide a greater understanding of the writing support consultation to inform guidelines for providing individual language support to NESB postgraduate students.

A panel data investigation into over‐education among tertiary educated Australian immigrants

Purpose - To investigate the extent of over-education for recently arrived tertiary educated male immigrants in order to ascertain if higher educated immigrants face assimilation hurdles in the Australian labour market. Design/methodology/approach - Using immigrant longitudinal data (LSIA), this paper uses the job analysis/objective method of defining over-education. Also, bivariate probits are used to account for selectivity into employment when studying the determinants of graduate over-education. The over, required and under-education (ORU) earnings function is utilised to find the rates of return to education investment. Findings - It is found that English speaking background (ESB) immigrants to have similar rates of over-education compared to the native born, while only Asian non-English speaking background (NESB) immigrants see a rise in over-education after tighter immigration and welfare policies were introduced. Returns to required schooling are substantial, but the penalty for excess years of schooling is large, though consistent with the stylised facts of over-education. Research limitations/implications - Short time-frame (up to five years) only allows for an investigation of initial assimilation. Originality/value - Using panel data, this paper is the first to study the initial phase of highly educated immigrant assimilation into the Australian labour market from the viewpoint of job matching rather than just employment.

Ischaemic Heart Disease and Australian Immigrants: The Influence of Birthplace and Language Skills on Treatment and Use of Health Services

Admission rates for ischaemic heart disease (IHD), and the use of invasive cardiovascular procedures, separation mode and length of stay (LOS) were compared between Australians from non-English speaking background (NESB; n=8627) and English speaking background (ESB; n=13162) aged 20 years and over admitted to Victorian urban public hospitals. The study covered the period from 1993 to 1998. It was found that, compared with their ESB counterparts, the incidence of admission for acute myocardial infarction was significantly higher for NESB men and women before and after controlling for confounding factors. The age-adjusted ratios for NESB women compared with their ESB counterparts ranged from 1.23 to 1.89 for cardiac catheterisation, from 0.23 to 0.27 for percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA), and from 1.04 to 1.80 for coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Procedure rates were comparable in men for cardiac catheterisation and CABG but higher for PTA rates in NESB men (OR: 1.29, 95%CI: 1.11-1.50) than their ESB counterparts. Both NESB men (Beta=0.04, 95%CI: 0.01-0.07) and women (Beta=0.03, 95%CI: 0.02-0.08) experienced significantly longer hospital stays than their ESB counterparts. These findings indicate there may be systematic differences in patients' treatment and service utilisation in Victorian public hospitals. The extent to which physicians' bias and patients' choice could explain these differences requires further investigation.

Women from non-English speaking backgrounds living in Australia present with later stage breast cancer: A population study

17043 Background: Ethnicity may influence both the incidence and prognosis of breast cancer. We have conducted an analysis to determine if women from non-English speaking backgrounds (NESB) living in New South Wales (NSW), Australia, present with later stage breast cancer compared to women from English speaking backgrounds (ESB); and to determine whether there is an impact on their survival. Methods: Data from the NSW Cancer Registry (1980 to 2004) was used to identify women with their first presentation of breast cancer. Stage of breast cancer was classified as early (insitu or localized) versus late (regional nodal or distant metastatic spread) according to registry definitions. Country of birth was used as a surrogate for language status. Stage at diagnosis was compared between ESB versus NESB women. Logistic regression was used to determine the odds of late stage disease and Cox regression to determine survival outcomes Results: 60,676 of 75,583 cases were considered suitable for analysis. Of these 16.64% were NESB. Accounting for potential confounding variables, NESB women were more likely to have late stage disease than ESB women (OR= 1.12; 95% CI, 1.07 to 1.17). Analysis by geographical region of birth revealed women born in Middle Eastern region were most likely to have late stage disease at presentation (OR 1.41; 95% CI, 1.25 to 1.60). In multivariable analysis of all-cause mortality NESB women had a superior overall survival (HR 0.90; 95% CI 0.87 to 0.94) compared to ESB women, however, there was no difference in breast cancer specific survival between these groups by univariate analysis (logrank p=0.46). Conclusions: In New South Wales, Australia, NESB women have a delayed presentation with breast cancer as indicted by more advanced stage. However, stage-adjusted, breast cancer specific survival in NESB women is similar to the ESB women. Further studies are required to determine the reasons for delayed detection for NESB women. No significant financial relationships to disclose.

Responsive curriculum design in a statistics service unit

Many students have difficulty when first exposed to statistical concepts. In the case of service teaching arrangements where the focus is more on the statistical literacy needs of the profession and concepts need to be developed in short time frames the challenges are even more imposing, particularly if cohorts contain substantial numbers of non-English speaking background (NESB) students. In this paper the results of a responsive curriculum project modelled on the action research paradigm are described. Disparities between the performance of ESB and NESB students are identified and removed using changes to teaching and assessment strategies. A focus on literacy and conceptual outcomes within contexts relevant to the future professional needs of students, and assessment schemes to equitably support these, are seen to improve learning outcomes for all students. Key factors in the improved curriculum are identified and explained.

Effects of Sociodemographic and Health Variables on Mini-Mental State Exam Scores in Older Australians

This article examines the influence of sociodemographic, biological, and health variables on Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE) performance, and assesses how the diversity of the population should be reflected in the MMSE cutoff scores used for screening. The sociodemographic profiles and MMSE scores of adults aged 65-years and over who participated in the Australian National Mental Health and Well-being Survey were assessed (N = 1,792). The regression models showed that older age, education levels, language spoken at home and in country of birth, socioeconomic status (SES), occupation, sex, and presence of a mood disorder made significant and unique contributions to performance on the MMSE. The individual (univariate) influence of each factor ranged from -2.61 to 0.09 points, with non-English speaking background (NESB) making the biggest impact. Based on a MMSE score of < or =23 points, 7.7% of the Australian elderly population screened positive for cognitive impairment that may be indicative of dementia. In those scoring < or =23 points, the multivariate model accounted for 24.61% of the variance. Many sociodemographic variables and the presence of a mood disorder influence MMSE performance. Using conventional cutoff scores for screening will lead to a high rate of false positives in older adults (75+ years), those with NESB, and those with low SES, and is insensitive for those with high education. The authors suggest simple rules for the correction of the impact of these variables.

The ‘Earlybird’ gets the breastmilk: findings from an evaluation of combined professional and peer support groups to improve breastfeeding duration in the first eight weeks after birth

Australia has high initiation rates of breastfeeding, but the challenges of establishing and maintaining breastfeeding in the first few months of infant life result in many women changing to artificial formula feeding. This paper reports on the impact of a new strategy to improve breastfeeding duration rates in the first 8 weeks post-partum. The Earlybird Program (EBP) combines the professional expertise of child and family health (C&FH) nurses with the expertise of the participating mothers to support each other in establishing breastfeeding in the first 8 weeks. This retrospective study compared the breastfeeding patterns of first-time mothers who attended the EBP, with the breastfeeding patterns of mothers who accessed individual appointments with the nurses in a 12-month period, and examined the predictors of continued breastfeeding at 8 weeks. The total sample comprised 193 infant records. Women who selected the EBP were more likely to be employed and less likely to be categorized as non-English speaking background. These women also had more visits to the C&FH service. Logistic regression was used to determine the factors associated with breastfeeding cessation at 8 weeks post-natal. After adjusting for variables, only exclusive breastfeeding at first visit and attending the EBP were significant predictors of continuing to breastfeed at 8 weeks. Facilitation skills that recognize the expertise of participating women were considered an important aspect of the programme.

Predictors of cognitive function in candidates for coronary artery bypass graft surgery

Candidates for coronary artery bypass graft surgery have been found to exhibit reduced cognitive function prior to surgery. However, little is known regarding the factors that are associated with pre-bypass cognitive function. A battery of neuropsychological tests was administered to a group of patients listed for bypass surgery (n = 109). Medical, sociodemographic and emotional predictors of cognitive function were investigated using structural equation modeling. Medical factors, namely history of hypertension and low ejection fraction, significantly predicted reduced cognitive function, as did several sociodemographic characteristics, namely older age, less education, non-English speaking background, manual occupation, and male gender. One emotional variable, confusion and bewilderment, was also a significant predictor whereas anxiety and depression were not. When significant predictors from the three sets of variables were included in a combined model, three of the five sociodemographic characteristics, namely age, non-English speaking background and occupation, and the two medical factors remained significant. Apart from sociodemographic characteristics, medical factors such as a history of hypertension and low ejection fraction significantly predicted reduced cognitive function in bypass candidates prior to surgery.

Supporting Education PhD and DEd Students to Become Confident Academic Writers: an Evaluation of Thesis Writers’ Circles

This paper critically evaluates the pilot of a Thesis Writers’ Circles program offered to Education PhD and DEd students at the University of Melbourne in semester 2, 2005. The analysis focuses on the needs of those students that were felt to be well-met by this model of support. Broadly, the paper identifies two distinct but inter-related themes: firstly, the challenge of developing writing skills to a level sufficient to meet the demands of preparing a research thesis; secondly, the importance for research higher degree students of building confidence as apprentice academic writers. In relation to the latter theme, the paper identifies the benefits of community participation and peer-collaboration in working towards the aim of consolidating a thesis-writing identity. It is in this capacity, we argue, that thesis writers’ circles have distinct advantages compared with other forms of candidature support, making them a valuable supplement to both conventional supervision practices and generic English language and thesis writing programs. The paper affirms the importance not only of equipping international and non-English speaking background (NESB) students with writing tools and strategies, but also of creating opportunities for all postgraduate research students to receive (and offer) non-judgmental feedback on work-in-progress within a discipline-specific learning and discourse community.

Clinical prediction rules can be derived and validated for injured Australian workers with persistent musculoskeletal pain: an observational study

Can clinical prediction rules be derived for injured Australian workers with persistent musculoskeletal pain? Are they valid? Longitudinal observational study. 847 injured workers with persistent musculoskeletal pain undergoing rehabilitation. At baseline, 12 putative predictors were measured. At 9 weeks, short-term outcomes such as pain (visual analogue scale), activity limitation (Functional Rating Index) and work upgrade (increase in work hours or duties) were measured. At 6 months, long-term work status (working or not working) was measured. Data were obtained from 85% of the participants who were followed up at both 9 weeks (720 of 847) and 6 months (247 of 290). Predictors of outcome included high baseline pain and activity limitation, long duration of previous intervention, not working, non-English speaking background, and the area of pain. Accuracy was highest for clinical prediction rules predicting pain and level of activity limitation at 9 weeks (R2 = 0.67 and 0.69 respectively) and work status at 6 months (LR- = 0.24). Accurate clinical prediction rules have been derived and validated for injured workers with persistent musculoskeletal pain, predicting activity limitation, pain, and work outcomes following exercise-based rehabilitation. Further research to validate these prediction rules in other populations and to assess the effectiveness of tailoring intervention based on the estimated prognosis would be valuable.

Latent Semantic Analysis: An Improved Method to Measure Cognitive Performance in Subjects of Non-English-Speaking-Background

The present study examined the validity of cognitive assessment in older adults when administered in a second language (English). A battery of tests that included the MMSE, CAMCOG and the Logical Memory Test of the Wechsler Memory Scale III, was administered to 121 older community volunteers of either an English Speaking Background (ESB) or a Non-English Speaking Background (NESB) living in the metropolitan area of Perth, Western Australia. The logical memory test was scored using Latent Semantic Analysis. It was hypothesized that this scoring method would be less affected by cultural and linguistic differences than standard scoring methods. The results suggest that LSA is a more robust measure of cognitive function than traditional scoring methods and may therefore improve the validity of cognitive assessment results on subjects of NESB.

Taking the Mountain to Mohammed: Transitioning International Graduate Students into Higher Education in Australia

This paper reports on findings of evaluative research into student perceptions of a structured academic development workshop, which was specifically designed to induct and orient international students into the academic expectations of their program of study at a university in Australia. With most Australian universities engaged in the business of internationalisation of higher education, there is some debate about the adequacy of practices adopted by these institutions to familiarise their non English-speaking background (NESB) international students with the Australian academic culture. While the practices of some Western universities are sometimes said to be inadequate, there also appears some consternation about international students’ lack of motivation to learn and their inability to master Western academic conventions. Against this backdrop, the paper outlines the impetus for collaboration between the university’s Learning Skills Unit and faculty staff in&#x0D; designing and facilitating a tailored academic development workshop for graduate students. After laying out related literature and details of the workshop, there is discussion of the data collection methods, and an analysis of the data from students. The paper makes a call for repeat workshops at the beginning of every semester, as an indispensable component of the overall content delivery strategies in the faculty’s graduate program. The paper concludes by contemplating the educational integrity inherent in program and faculty staff development initiatives, which are focused on addressing the academic and cultural proclivities of an international student cohort.

Graduate Overeducation and its Effects among Recently Arrived Immigrants to Australia: A Longitudinal Survey

There is increasing importance attached to skill based immigration in many countries including Australia. This paper investigates the incidences, determinants and returns to graduate overeducation amongst tertiary qualified immigrants during the early phase of their settlement in Australia. We place particular emphasis on visa categories and region of origin. As expected, those on visas with 'higher skill requirements' perform better in the labour market. The bulk of these are immigrants from English Speaking Backgrounds (ESB). Non-English Speaking Background (NESB) immigrants, on the other hand, have higher and persistent rates of overeducation. The wage returns to required and surplus education match the stylised facts of overeducation for ESB and Other NESB immigrants while Asian NESB immigrants receive no return to surplus education. Thus, the results suggest that NESB graduate immigrants are a heterogenous group, with Asian graduate immigrants facing greater assimilation hurdles in the Australian labour market.

Growth of infant communication between 8 and 12 months: A population study

To describe changes in infant prelinguistic communication skills between 8 and 12 months, and identify factors associated with those skills. Parent questionnaire data for a prospective population-based cohort of infants in metropolitan Melbourne, Australia. 1911 infants born November 2002-August 2003. Infant communication (Communication and Symbolic Behaviour Scales (CSBS)) at 8 and 12 months. Potential risk factors: sex; prematurity; multiple birth; sociodemographic indicators; maternal mental health, vocabulary and education; non-English speaking background; and family history of speech-language difficulties. Linear regression models were fitted to total standardised CSBS scores at 8 and 12 months. Social communication, especially the use of gesture, developed rapidly from 8 to 12 months. Female sex, twin birth, and family history were strongly associated with CSBS scores. The combined model accounted for 5% and 6% of the total variation at 8 and 12 months, respectively. CSBS score at 8 months strongly predicted CSBS score at 12 months (coefficient = 0.56, partial R(2) = 37.0). There is a dramatic increase in communication skills between 8 and 12 months, particularly the development of gesture, which (as in previous studies) predates and predicts future language development. Risk factors explained little variation in early communication trajectories and therefore, based on our findings, this developmental course is more likely to be biologically predetermined. Rather than focusing on risk factors, we suggest that language promotion activities in otherwise healthy young infants should either be universal or, if targeted, be based on the level of communication skills displayed.

‘You find yourself.’ Perceptions of nursing students from non-English speaking backgrounds of the effect of an intensive language support program on their oral clinical communication skills

Nurses of ethnically diverse backgrounds are essential in providing multicultural populations in western societies with culturally and linguistically competent health care. However, many nurses from non-English speaking backgrounds (NESB) are at high risk of failure in university programs particularly during clinical placements. Few studies investigate the clinical experiences of students from NESB and strategies to support their learning. This study describes perceptions of fifteen undergraduate nursing students from NESB about their first clinical placement in an Australian university program and the effect of a language support program on their oral clinical communication skills.Three categories arose:• Wanting to belong but feeling excluded;• Wanting to learn how to …;and• You find yourself.While many students find clinical placement challenging, it appeared difficult for students in this study as language and cultural adjustments required some modification of their usual ways of thinking and communicating, often without coping strategies available to other students.

Dementia and Residential Placement

The purpose of this research is to discover dementia carers’ lived experience when they have relinquished full-time care. It is assumed that once family members make a decision to relinquish full-time care, the stresses of day-to-day care-giving will be eliminated. Twenty primary caregivers from Aged Care/Aged Psychiatry Units in Melbourne were recruited through a consecutive sampling procedure to participate in the study. The Stress Process Model was utilized to explain why dementia caregiving is so stressful. A mixed-method research approach that consisted of qualitative and quantitative methodologies was utilized. In-depth interviews with caregivers revealed the difficult and stressful aspects of dementia caregiving while waiting for residential care. A majority of dementia care-givers had experienced both complex and traumatic admissions to the Aged/Psychiatric Inpatient Units. Carers felt alone in making the ‘most difficult’ decision to relinquish full-time care, and these carers experienced loss, sadness and resignation after having made this decision. Carers of Non-English Speaking Background had a compromised life satisfaction and poor psychological health. One-half of all caregivers who participated in the study were seen to be at risk of depression that would warrant professional intervention. Results that have not previously been reported in the dementia caregiving literature were the compromised life satisfaction and poor psychological health of carers from Non-English Speaking Background. The study concludes that social workers and other professionals need to become aware of the consequences of placement so that increased support can be offered to dementia caregivers during this difficult phase of caregiving. The practice implications include the identification of at risk carer groups and the need for appropriate supports for dementia caregivers at all stages of the caring process.

The relationship between curriculum time for physical education and literacy and numeracy standards in South Australian primary schools

There is ongoing debate among educators and in the community about the status of school physical education (PE), particularly in relation to more vocationally-oriented learning areas. Against a backdrop of rising youth obesity, diminishing curriculum time for PE represents a serious public health issue. This study investigated the relation ships between PE curriculum time and literacy and numeracy standards in South Australian primary schools. Schools ( n= 117) were surveyed on average time spent on PE (PEtime), and salient demographic characteristics. Average literacy and numeracy scores from a standardized statewide assessment system (State LaN), were obtained from government records. Regression modelling assessed the relationship between PEtime and State LaN scores, independent of socioeconomic status (SES), percentage of children of non-English-speaking background (NESB), geographic location, staff age structure, and staff PE training. PEtime was unrelated to literacy and numeracy attainment, after control for demographic variables. There was a strong positive relation ship between SES and academic attainment, while a higher proportion of younger staff predicted lower academic attainment. There was no evidence that schools with relatively high PEtime are disadvantaging students in the traditionally academic subjects.

Immigrant overeducation: Evidence from recent arrivals to Australia

Australian immigration policy, in common with the US and Canada, has increased the emphasis on skill-based selection criteria. A key premise of this policy is that skilled immigrants are more employable and can add to the productive capacity of the economy. However, this effect will be diminished if immigrants are working in occupations that fail to utilise their skills. We examine the extent of overeducation for recently arrived immigrants to Australia. We find that they are more likely to be overeducated than the native population, even if they enter on skill assessed visas. Overeducation is greater for immigrants from non-English speaking backgrounds (NESB) and generates lower returns to education. Tighter restrictions to welfare support on entry raised employment levels but increased overeducation. This will serve to reduce the potential productivity gains from skill biased immigration policies.

Language barriers and paediatric burns: Does education make a difference?

A focused first aid education campaign was conducted in Sydney in 1996 for parents of children from Non-English speaking backgrounds (NESB) to improve their knowledge of correct burns first aid treatment (BFAT). This study sought to determine the correlation, if any, between the reported beneficial results of this education campaign and the subsequent severity of burns in children. A retrospective review of all patients admitted to the state Burns Unit at The Children's Hospital at Westmead (CHW) over a 7-year period from January 1995 to December 2001 was performed. Number of patients, language spoken at home (English, Chinese, Arabic, Vietnamese or Other) and the rate of burns requiring skin grafting was assessed. A total of 1283 patients were admitted over 7 years. Skin grafting was required in 544 (42%). NESB children required grafting in up to 88% of cases prior to the first aid education campaign, reducing to a minimum of 37% at 1 year and 65% at 5 years following the campaign. This compared to 40 and 36%, respectively, for English speaking children. While the initial decrease in grafting requirements may reflect an effective education campaign, the subsequent rise suggests the need for reinforcement.