Language, Dialect, and Register: Sociolinguistics and the Estimation ofMeasurement Error in the Testing of

English-Language Learners*

Guillermo Solano-FloresAmerican Institutes for Research

NCCRESt Conference,Arizona State University in Tempe, AZ

November 18, 2004

*Research funded by the National Science Foundation, REC-0336744

A warm-up exercise

What is the animal that eats shoots and leaves?

What is the animal that eats, shoots, and leaves?

Overview

• The sociolinguistic dimension of ELL testing

• Key concepts: dialect, register, linguistic misalignment

• Heterogeneity of populations, score variation, and measurement error

• Dialect and register: as important as language in ELL testing

ELL testing: Levels of analysis

language

dialect register

The concept of dialect

Dialects used by different speech communities

Language

Dialect in testing: An example

How much money does Laura need to pay for two candies that cost 45 cents each?

How much money does Laura need to pay for two sweets that cost 45 cents each?

How much money does Laura need to pay for two 45-cent candies?

Dialect intersection

A BA B

Dialect A:Speech

Community A

Dialect B:Speech

Community B

The concept of registerregister

Registers: Uses of language in different contexts

Language

Register in testing: An example

Reproduced from TIMSS Population 1Item Pool. Copyright © 1994 by IEA, The Hague

The interaction ofdialect and register

Standard English:The length of a dinosaur was reported to have been 80 feet (rounded to the nearest 10 feet). What length other than 80 feet could have been the actual length of this dinosaur?

The interaction ofdialect and register

Standard Spanish:Se reportó que la longitud de un dinosaurio era 80 pies (redondeada a los 10 pies más cercanos). ¿Cuál longitud además de 80 pies podría haber sido la longitud real de este dinosaurio?Southern California:Se reportó que un dinosaurio midió 80 pies de largo (redondeado a la decena más próxima). Aparte de 80 pies, ¿qué pudo haber sido la medida exacta del dinosaurio?

Dialect and register

Miami:Yo di yon dinozò te mezire 80 pye de longè (Rapwoche pi pre 10 pye). Ki lòt longè pase 80 pye ki ta kapab vrè longè dinozò a?

Repons:___________

Brooklyn:Yo rapòte longè yon dinozò te 80 pye (longè a awondi nan dizèn ki pi pre a). Apa 80 pye, ki lòt vrè longè dinozò a ta ka genyen?

Repons:___________

Linguistic misalignment:Frequency and severity

How much money does Laura need to pay for two candies that cost 45 cents each?

How much money does Laura need to purchase two sweets at 45 cents a piece?

How much money does Laura need to pay for two 45-cent candies?

Linguistic misalignment

Student:• Non-standard

dialect• Partially unfamiliar

with testing register

• Content area register shaped by instructional context

T ST S

Test:• In standard dialect• Assumes full

command of testing register

• Content area register based on standards documents

Find instances of misalignment:Sam can purchase his lunch at school. Each day he wants to have juice that costs 50¢, a sandwich that costs 90¢, and fruit that costs 35¢. His mother has only $1.00 bills. What is the least number of $1.00 bills that his mother should give him so he will have enough money to buy lunch for 5 days?

NAEP: Mathematics Grade 4, 1996 Public Release

Students’ interpretations* ofHis mother has only $1.00 bills

1. His mother has only bills of one dollar

2. His mother has only one dollar

3. His mother has only dollar bills

*As reflected by students’ read-alouds

Linguistic misalignment probabilistic spaceF

req

uen

cyof

mis

alig

nm

ent

Severity of misalignment

Linguisticallychallenging items

Linguisticallysound items

Generalizability (G) theory in one slide

student (s)

item (i)

dialect (d)

si

sd

id

sid,e

Main effect

Interaction effect

Object ofmeasurement

Sources ofmeasurement error

Error due tounknown sources

Facets

Miami students tested in Standard English and Standard Haitian-Creole

student (s) 20 rater (r) 0 item (i) 6 language (l) 5 sr 0 si 11 sl 7 ri 0 rl 0 il 1 sri 0 srl 0 sil 39 ril 0 sril,e 11

Percentageof score variationSource

Miami students tested in Miami Haitian-Creole and Standard Haitian-Creole

student (s) 22 rater (r) 0 item (i) 5 dialect (d) 0 sr 0 si 23 sd 2 ri 0 rd 0 id 0 sri 0 srd 0 sid 33 rid 0 srid,e 14

Percentageof score variationSource

Approaches to ELL testing

Item response theory

• Scaling• Differential item

functioning• Between-group

designs• Reference groups• Population

homogeneity

Generalizability theory

• Measurement error

• Score dependability

• Within-group designs

• No reference groups• Population

heterogeneity

Conclusions

• Dialect and register are as important as language in the testing of ELLs

• Testing and psychometric approaches for ELLs should and can be well grounded on reasonings from sociolinguistics