Measures of Language Proficiency in Censuses and Surveys: A Comparative Analysis and Assessment

136 Pages·2018·1.361 MB·

by  Pádraig Ó Riagáin

MEASURES OF
LANGUAGE
PROFICIENCY IN
CENSUSES AND
SURVEYS
A Comparative Analysis
and Assessment
Pádraig Ó Riagáin
Measures of Language Proficiency in Censuses
and Surveys
Pádraig Ó Riagáin
Measures of Language
Proficiency in
Censuses and Surveys
A Comparative Analysis and Assessment
Pádraig Ó Riagáin
Centre for Language and Communication Studies
Trinity College Dublin
Dublin, Ireland
ISBN 978-3-319-72940-4 ISBN 978-3-319-72941-1 (eBook)
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-72941-1
Library of Congress Control Number: 2018932987
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For
Sean, Lughán, Maeve, Ciara and Fionn
A
cknowledgements
This project was initially undertaken as part of the research programme of
the Centre for Language and Communication Studies (CLCS) in Trinity
College Dublin. The assistance and cooperation that this project received
at all times from Trinity College, in particular from colleagues in CLCS, is
gratefully acknowledged.
Foras na Gaeilge (Dublin) funded part of the cost of the project and the
research would not have been possible without this support. In addition
to its financial support, Foras na Gaeilge also provided the project with
access to the survey data collected as part of its own ongoing policy moni-
toring programme. In both respects, the assistance and advice of Dr. Seán
Ó Cearnaigh (Foras na Gaeilge) is warmly acknowledged.
The large array of survey data, which form the core of the project,
could not have been accessed without the assistance of a number of people
and institutions. Foras na Gaeilge has been mentioned, but others include
the Department of Education and Skills (for permission to use the CILAR
datafiles), The Irish Social Science Data Archive (ISSDA), The UK Data
Archive, and the ZACAT service provided by GESIS – Leibniz Institute
for the Social Sciences. The assistance of Dr. Máire Nic Ghiolla Phádraig,
Social Science Research Centre, University College Dublin, in obtaining
the file of the 2003–4 ISSP survey was also much appreciated.
Finally, the author also wishes to acknowledge the contribution of two
very able and committed research assistants, Caitríona Ní Mhuircheartaigh
and Paul Cunningham, who worked on earlier stages of this research
programme.
vii
c
ontents
1 Measurement Issues Relating to Language Questions
in Censuses and Surveys 1
2 Language Proficiency Questions in Censuses:
The Republic of Ireland and the UK
(Northern Ireland) 23
3 Measures of Language Proficiency in Large- Scale
Surveys in the Republic of Ireland and Northern
Ireland 49
4 Measures of Language Proficiency in an International
Survey Programme: The Eurobarometer 77
5 Discussion and Conclusions 101
Appendix 115
Bibliography 119
Index 129
ix
A
bbreviAtions
AES Adult Education Survey (Eurostat)
CEFR Common European Framework of Reference for Languages
CILAR Committee on Irish Language Attitude Research
CSO Central Statistics Office (Dublin)
EB Eurobarometer
ESCL European Survey of Competence in Languages
EU European Union
ISSP International Social Survey Programme
NISRA Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency
ONS Office of National Statistics (London)
UN United Nations
xi
l t
ist of Ables
Table 2.1 Responses to the language proficiency question in the
census of the Republic of Ireland 1936–2011
(Percentages based on national population over 3 years) 34
Table 2.2 Percentage claiming proficiency in Irish in Northern
Ireland census 1991–2001 38
Table 2.3 Post-survey evaluation of 2011 Northern Ireland census
question about ability to speak Irish: NI Continuous
Household Survey, 2013–14 41
Table 2.4 Post-survey evaluation of 2011 Republic of Ireland census
question about ability to speak Irish: Foras na Gaeilge
National Survey 2013 42
Table 3.1 Dichotomous questions and responses relating to ability to
speak Irish in surveys and censuses conducted in Northern
Ireland since 1991 59
Table 3.2 An examples of bipolar multiple-choice response formats
used in a 2004 Republic of Ireland survey 61
Table 3.3 The CILAR unipolar multiple-choice response format 2013
(Republic of Ireland) 62
Table 3.4 Surveys using the CILAR unipolar multi-choice response
format in selected Republic of Ireland surveys: 1973–2013 63
Table 3.5 Percentage of respondents who reported ‘much’ difficulty
speaking Irish by self-reported level of ability to speak Irish
(1993 National Survey: Republic of Ireland) 63
Table 3.6 The Mac Gréil/Rhatigan unipolar multiple-choice response
format 2007–8 (Republic of Ireland) 65
xiii
xiv LIST OF TABLES
Table 3.7 Filter question combining a dichotomous filter and a
unipolar multiple- choice response format: Northern
Ireland Continuous Household Surveys (NISRA), 2013–14 68
Table 3.8 Survey using the unfiltered CILAR unipolar multiple-choice
response format in a Northern Ireland survey 2013 68
Table 3.9 Percentage of self-reported ability to speak Irish of married
men compared with the proxy reported ability to speak Irish
of husbands/partners 70
Table 3.10 Percentage of self-reported ability to speak Irish of married
women, compared with the ability to speak Irish of wives/
partners as reported by their husbands (i.e. proxy reports) 70
Table 4.1 Language proficiency (speaking) questions in special EB
surveys 2000–2012 84
Table 4.2 Summary of responses citing Irish in three special EB surveys
conducted in 2000, 2005 and 2012 86
Table 4.3 Census and survey estimates of use of Irish in the childhood
home of respondents 89
Table 4.4 Eurobarometer and International Social Survey Programme
(ISSP) measures of language proficiency 91
Table 4.5 Summary of responses citing Irish to language proficiency
questions in special EB 77.1 (2012) 92
Table 4.6 Percentage responses to the CILAR language proficiency
question: national survey 2013 93