Evaluating workplace esl instructional programs

A long-term view is often needed, however, to discern changes in worker performance and in workplace productivity; longitudinal studies, where stakeholders are interviewed six months to a year after completion of a program, are recommended. Even if data from longitudinal studies is available, it is not accurate to place all credit for improvement in worker attitude or workplace productivity or blame for lack thereof on the instructional program.

Sarmiento asserts that other factors Are there opportunities for workers to advance? Are the skills of all workers appreciated and used? Is worker input in decision making valued?

However, for ESL participants who come from cultures where assertiveness, ambition, and speaking up on the job may not be valued, the presentation of opportunities to succeed is not enough. Advancing oneself at the U.

Finally, funding is an important issue in evaluation. The activities described above focus groups, interviews in English or in the native language, program-developed assessment instruments, extensive contacts with all stakeholders from before the program begins until months after completion are costly. As federal funds are unlikely to be available, evaluations need to be structured so that they can provide practical information to the employers funding them.

Evaluation is a complex process that involves all stakeholders and must be an integral part of workplace ESL instructional programs before, during, and after the programs have been completed. When done appropriately, it can increase program effectiveness by providing valuable information about the impact of programs and highlighting areas where improvement is needed Jurmo, And, a rigorous and complete evaluation can identify replicable best practices, enabling a program to serve as a model for other workplace ESL instructional programs.

Alamprese, J. Current practice in workplace literacy evaluation. ED Fitz-Gibbon, C. Jurmo, P. Lynch, B. A context-adaptive model for program evaluation. McGroarty, M. Mikulecky, L. Mrowicki, L. Padak, N. What works: Adult literacy program evaluation. Patton, M. Sarmiento, A. Articulation and measurement of program outcomes. Sperazi, L. Library Reference Search. Please note that this site is privately owned and is in no way related to any Federal agency or ERIC unit.

Another assessment measure is the portfolio of learner work. Portfolios often include samples of class work, checklists where learners rate their progress in basic and workplace skills, and journals where they record their reactions to class and workplace activities. Like interviews, these measures can provide vital information on learner attitudes and concerns. They are also a venue for self-assessment, and allow participants who are unable or unwilling to express themselves orally, or who have difficulty with formal tests, to demonstrate progress towards their goals.

To increase credibility and help ensure reliability of qualitative measures, evaluators collect multiple types of evidence such as interviews and observations from various stakeholders around a single outcome Alamprese, ; Patton, ; Lynch Data collected from the various measures can then be arranged into matrices.

Questionnaire and interview data can be quantified by creating a scale that categorizes responses and assigns them a numeric value.

Improvement in such subjective areas as worker attitudes can then be demonstrated to funders and managers in a numeric or graphic form. Many issues surround program evaluation for workplace ESL instruction. Stakeholders may have unrealistic expectations of how much improvement a few hours of instruction can effect. It is unlikely that a workplace ESL class of hours will turn participants with low-level English skills into fluent speakers of English.

Therefore, when interpreting findings, it is important for stakeholders to realize that ESL workplace programs may not provide enough practice time to accomplish substantial progress in English language proficiency.

The measurement of workplace improvement presents a special challenge, especially in workplace programs at hospitals, residential centers, and restaurants. What measures of workplace productivity exist where there is no product being manufactured?

Improved safety decreased accidents on the job is a quantifiable measure, as is a reduction in the amount of food wasted in preparation. But how is improved worker attitude measured? A long-term view is often needed, however, to discern changes in worker performance and in workplace productivity; longitudinal studies, where stakeholders are interviewed six months to a year after completion of a program, are recommended.

Even if data from longitudinal studies is available, it is not accurate to place all credit for improvement in worker attitude or workplace productivity or blame for lack thereof on the instructional program. Sarmiento asserts that other factors Are there opportunities for workers to advance?

Are the skills of all workers appreciated and used? Is worker input in decision making valued? However, for ESL participants who come from cultures where assertiveness, ambition, and speaking up on the job may not be valued, the presentation of opportunities to succeed is not enough. Advancing oneself at the U. Finally, funding is an important issue in evaluation. The activities described above focus groups, interviews in English or in the native language, program-developed assessment instruments, extensive contacts with all stakeholders from before the program begins until months after completion are costly.

As federal funds are unlikely to be available, evaluations need to be structured so that they can provide practical information to the employers funding them. Evaluation is a complex process that involves all stakeholders and must be an integral part of workplace ESL instructional programs before, during, and after the programs have been completed.

When done appropriately, it can increase program effectiveness by providing valuable information about the impact of programs and highlighting areas where improvement is needed Jurmo, And, a rigorous and complete evaluation can identify replicable best practices, enabling a program to serve as a model for other workplace ESL instructional programs. Alamprese, J.

Current practice in workplace literacy evaluation. Include Synonyms Include Dead terms. Download full text. With the increase in workplace English-as-a-Second-Language ESL literacy education programs, there is a need to assess whether the attention given to improving basic skills and English language proficiency has made a change in the participant and in the workplace.