Disentangling accent from comprehensibility

The goal of this study was to determine which linguistic aspects of second language speech are related to accent and which to comprehensibility. To address this goal, 19 different speech measures in the oral productions of 40 native French speakers of English were examined in relation to accent and comprehensibility, as rated by 60 novice raters and three experienced teachers. Results showed that both constructs were associated with many speech measures, but that accent was uniquely related to aspects of phonology, including rhythm and segmental and syllable structure accuracy, while comprehensibility was chiefly linked to grammatical accuracy and lexical richness

Critiquing the “intrinsic validity” argument for comparative judgement: A call for evidence

Comparative judgment is gaining popularity as an assessment tool, including for high-stakes testing purposes, despite relatively little research on the use of the technique. Advocates claim two main rationales for its use: that comparative judgment is valid because humans are better at comparative than absolute judgment, and because it distils the aggregate view of expert judges. We explore these contentions. We argue that the psychological underpinnings used to justify the method are superficially treated in the literature. We conceptualise and critique the notion that comparative judgment is ‘intrinsically valid’ due to its use of expert judges. We conclude that the rationales as presented by the comparative judgment literature are incomplete and inconsistent. We recommend that future work should clarify its position regarding the psychological underpinnings of comparative judgment, and if necessary present a more compelling case; for example, by integrating the comparative judgment literature with evidence from other fields

Pronunciation assessment

After an extended period of being on the periphery, numerous advancements in the field of second language (L2) pronunciation over the past decade have led to increased activity and visibility for this subfield within applied linguistics research. As Derwing (2010) underscored in her 2009 plenary at the first annual Pronunciation in Second Language Learning and Teaching (PSLLT) conference, a record number of graduate students researching L2 pronunciation and subsequently launching into academic positions at international universities assures L2 pronunciation a bright future in research and teacher training. Other indicators of momentum include the focus of a Language Teaching timeline on the topic of pronunciation (Munro & Derwing 2011), the appearance of multiple encyclopedia volumes or handbooks of pronunciation (e.g. Levis & Munro 2013; Reed & Levis 2015), and the establishment of the specialized Journal of Second Language Pronunciation in 2015, which constitutes a milestone in the professionalization of the field and ‘an essential step toward a disciplinary identity’ (Levis 2015: 1)

A protocol for a scoping review of learning-oriented language assessment in formal and non-formal educational contexts

Publisher PD

Inclusion of ethnic minorities in telehealth trials for type 2 diabetes:Protocol for a systematic review examining prevalence and language issues

BACKGROUND: Type 2 diabetes is common, on the rise, and disproportionately affects ethnic minority groups. Telehealth interventions may mitigate diabetes-related complications, but might under-recruit or even exclude ethnic minorities, in part because of English language requirements. The under-representation of minority patients in trials could threaten the generalizability of the findings, whereby the patients who might stand to benefit most from such interventions are not being included in their evaluation. OBJECTIVE: The aims of this systematic review are twofold: (1) to assess the reporting and prevalence of ethnic minorities in published telehealth trials for type 2 diabetes, including identifying trial features associated with successful patient recruitment; and (2) to determine the proportion of such trials that report English language proficiency as an inclusion/exclusion criterion, including how and why they do so. METHODS: Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of adults with type 2 diabetes in Western, English-speaking countries that included telehealth interventions targeting diabetes as a primary condition, and those that did not specifically recruit minority groups will be included. Search strategies were devised for indexed and keyword terms capturing type 2 diabetes, telehealth/health technology, and RCTs in English language publications from 2000 to July 2015 in MEDLINE, PsycINFO, EMBASE, CINAHL, and CENTRAL. Reference lists of included studies will also be searched. Two reviewers will independently screen abstracts and full-text articles against inclusion criteria, mediated by a third reviewer if consensus cannot be reached. Data extracted from included studies will be checked by a second reviewer and will be summarized using narrative synthesis. RESULTS: This research is in progress, with findings expected by Spring 2016. CONCLUSIONS: This review will address research reporting and recruitment practices of ethnic minorities in telehealth RCTs for type 2 diabetes. Prevalence estimates will elucidate generalizability of existing research, with implications for researchers, health professionals, and policy makers. Identifying trial or intervention features that appear to facilitate ethnic minority recruitment, as well as language barriers that impede it might suggest ways to improve recruitment in future trials. TRIAL REGISTRATION: PROSPERO International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews: CRD42015024899; http://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/display_record.asp?ID=CRD42015024899 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/6fUMqbJ0f)

Linguistic dimensions of second language accent and comprehensibility:Nonnative listeners' perspectives

The current study investigated the effect of listener status (native, nonnative) and language background (French, Mandarin) on global ratings of second language speech. Twenty-six nonnative English listeners representing the two language backgrounds (n = 13 each) rated the comprehensibility and accentedness of 40 French speakers of English. These same speakers were previously rated by native listeners and coded for 19 linguistic measures of speech (e.g., segmental errors, word stress errors, grammar accuracy) in Trofimovich and Isaacs (2012). Analyses indicated no difference in global ratings between nonnative and native listeners, or between the two nonnative listener groups. Similarly, no major differences in the linguistic dimensions associated with each group’s ratings existed. However, analyses of verbal reports for a subset of nonnative listeners (n = 5 per group) demonstrated that each group attributed their ratings to somewhat different linguistic cues

Factors affecting physicians’ attitudes towards patient-centred care: a cross-sectional survey in Beijing

OBJECTIVE: Patient-centred care has been raised as an important component in providing high-quality healthcare services. This research aims to measure physicians’ attitudes towards patient-centred care in Chinese healthcare settings and to identify the sociodemographic predictors of their attitudes using an exploratory research design. DESIGN: A cross-sectional survey. SETTING: Twelve hospitals in Beijing, China. PARTICIPANTS: 1290 physicians from 12 hospitals in Beijing were invited to take part in the survey using snowball sampling methods. There was a response rate of 84% (n=1084), of which 1053 responses (82%) were valid and included in this research. METHODS: This research used a survey containing a previously validated 6-point Likert scale called ‘Chinese-revised Patient-Practitioner Orientation Scale’ (CR-PPOS). Descriptive statistics and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to measure participants’ attitudes and to identify the sociodemographic predictors of Chinese physicians’ attitudes towards patient-centred care. RESULTS: Gender, professional title (ie, seniority) and hospital type influence Chinese physicians’ attitudes towards patient-centred care. Female physicians, physicians with intermediate titles and those who work in tertiary (ie, top-level) hospitals tend to have higher patient-centred attitudes (OR=1.532, 95% CI 1.160 to 2.022; OR=2.089, 95% CI 1.206 to 3.618; OR=2.198, 95% CI 1.465 to 3.297) than male physicians with other titles, and than those who work in first, secondary or private hospitals. Physicians working in non-surgical departments, those who have received training in doctor–patient communication, and those who are satisfied with their income obtained high patient-centred scores, both on the overall CR-PPOS and its two subscales. CONCLUSIONS: This research identified sociodemographic predictors of Chinese physicians’ attitudes towards patient-centred care. The findings contribute to knowledge of factors to be considered in reforming medical education and the Chinese healthcare system to improve physician–patient relationships and provide high-quality healthcare to patients. However, these findings are exploratory in nature and require further investigation to establish their validity and generalisability