3:20 p.m.
Dr. Anastasiou sent me a copy of a paper he and his previous doctoral student submitted-
I’ll pass along when published. But here is the abstract-
Language Barriers in Assessing Immigrant Students Referred for Special Education
Anna Zouganeli a and Dimitris Anastasiou b*
a University of Nicosia, Cyprus & Ministry of Education, Greece
b Southern Illinois University Carbondale, USA
Correspondence: Dimitris Anastasiou, School of Education, Southern Illinois University
Carbondale, Mail Code 4618, Carbondale, IL 62901. Email: anastasiou(a)siu.edu
Dimitris Anastasiou is a Professor of Special Education at Southern Illinois University
Carbondale. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4840-1693
Anna Zouganeli is a Collaborating Faculty of the University of Nicosia, Cyprus, and a
School Coordinator for Elementary Education at the 4th Regional Directorate of Athens,
Ministry of Education Greece. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2391-0192
We have no known conflict of interest to disclose.
Abstract
This study investigates the challenges posed by language barriers in assessing immigrant
students, whose primary language is not Greek, referred for special education. We surveyed
194 professionals comprising 127 special education teachers in resource rooms and
co-teaching school settings, and 67 specialists (i.e., school psychologists) in
specialized diagnostic units (KEDASYs). We found that between one-quarter and half of the
participants across preschool, elementary, and secondary education levels were unaware of
specific criteria employed to assess the Greek language proficiency of immigrant students.
Most special education teachers and KEDASY specialists did not use appropriate
standardised tests to evaluate immigrant students’ cognitive, academic, and behavioural
performance. Furthermore, Greek was the dominant language of communication utilized among
immigrant students and their families in the assessment process. Challenges in assessment
methods and limited services in communication with immigrant students and their families
may create barriers, potentially disadvantaging them within the Greek education system.
Keywords: immigrant students; diagnostic services; assessment methods; language
competence; language of communication; language barriers
From the introduction:
Migration is a global phenomenon that significantly impacts societies today (Pew Research
Centre, 2019). In 2017, the immigrant population in Greece was estimated at 1,220,395,
comprising 10.9% of the population. This figure marked a twofold increase from the 618,139
immigrants (6.0% of the population) recorded in 1990 (United Nations, DESA, 2017). The
largest immigrant group (over 50%) was Albanian (OECD, 2018). The two migrant and refugee
crises in Greece in 2015 and 2019, which mainly involved immigrants from countries
affected by violence and conflict – including Syria, Afghanistan, and Iraq – highlighted
the imperative of providing quality education to immigrant students (OECD, 2019).
Much of the issues about ELs is really world wide- especially with migration and
globalization and all the challenges and potential opportunities it brings. Dimitris is
focused on Greek language acquisition, our colleagues in Germany have focused on
acculturation and German language acquisition issues with their PBIS project. And our
potential partners in Ecuador focused on the number of non-Spanish speakers- so then it
becomes about Spanish language acquisition- and then- how do you figure out the disability
piece- and then thinking about how much of an overlap there is between language and the
different types of disabilities- LD, speech and hearing impairments, Autism is considered
a communication related disorder by many, and even EBD there are several reviews about
social communication, social skills, and anti-social behavior.
Also- one the things that keeps coming up are “best practices” for identifying students
with disabilities who are English learners. I asked Cameron and Virginia to put together
3-5 slides around best practices to insert into PD and we can expand on later- given the
special and bilingual cert that was passed in Texas- my guess there will be more interest
as that gets rolled out. We can add that on the agenda after spring break
…remembering I am more focused on the behavior/EBD part- concerned that students that
don’t “acculturate” or whatever term you like- end up in trouble and start down the
developmental antisocial behavior pattern pathway and cycle that was originally described
by Gerry Patterson- so we have to rely on the expertise of the A&M folks! But we
should look at the literature at some point on how acculturation impacts anti-social
behavior, disability and mental health- at least enough to understand the issues.
https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1989-26278-001
https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1998-07542-005
https://www.parentingforbrain.com/coercive-parenting/
MDB
Mack D. Burke, Ph.D.
Department of Educational Psychology
Applied Behavior Analysis and Special Education Programs
Behavioral Education & Assessment Research (BEAR Lab)
School of Education, Baylor University