1264.0 - Language Variables, 1997  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 14/05/1997   
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Contents >> Proficiency in Spoken English >> Collection methods

Standard question module

Filter questions

23. The question on Proficiency in Spoken English is asked after a question which identifies people whose first language spoken was a language other than English, or people who speak a language other than English at home. This sequencing is necessary because the Proficiency in Spoken English variable is used to measure the number of people who may potentially suffer a disadvantage as a result of a lack of competence in spoken English, rather than assess the spoken English capacity of the Australian population in general. It is considered inappropriate to ask people whose only language is English, how well they speak it, as this may imply that they do not speak English well, even though they may have been speaking it all their lives.

24. The Proficiency in Spoken English question should be asked after a language question which filters out people who only speak English. There are three filter questions to choose from:

      • Filter 1 - First Language Spoken;
      • Filter 2 - Main Language Spoken at Home;
      • Filter 3 - Main Language Other than English Spoken at Home.

25. Only ONE filter question is required. The preferred filter question for this variable is First Language Spoken. The question module for minimum data for the First Language Spoken variable is also a suitable filter question.

FILTER 1 - First Language Spoken


Q1.
        Which language [did you ] [did the person] [did (name)] first speak as a child?
      Mark one box only.
    English
    Italian
    Greek
    Cantonese
    Mandarin
    Arabic
    Vietnamese
    German
    Spanish
    Tagalog (Filipino)
    Other - please specify: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
      Sequence guide:
      • If response is 'English', then No More Questions.
      • If response is any language other than English, then go to (Q2) - Proficiency in Spoken English question.

OR

FILTER 2 - Main Language Spoken at Home


Q1.
        Which language [do you] [does the person] [does (name)] mainly speak at home?
        (If more than one language, indicate the one that is spoken most often.)
        .
    English
    Italian
    Greek
    Cantonese
    Mandarin
    Arabic
    Vietnamese
    German
    Spanish
    Tagalog (Filipino)
    Other - please specify: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
      Sequence guide:
      • If response is 'English', then No More Questions.
      • If response is any language other than English, then go to (Q2) - Proficiency in Spoken English question.

OR

FILTER 3 - Main Language Other Than English Spoken at Home


Q1.
        [Do you] [Does the person] [Does (name)] speak a language other than English at home?
        (If more than one language, indicate the one that is spoken most often.)
No,
    English only
Yes,
    Italian
Yes,
    Greek
Yes,
    Cantonese
Yes,
    Mandarin
Yes,
    Arabic
Yes,
    Vietnamese
Yes,
    German
Yes,
    Spanish
Yes,
    Tagalog (Filipino)
Yes,
    Other - please specify: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
      Sequence guide:
      • If response is 'No, English only', then No More Questions.
      • If response is any language other than English, then go to (Q2) - Proficiency in Spoken English question.

Standard questions

26. There are two standard questions for Proficiency in Spoken English:

      • self-enumerated surveys
      • surveys conducted by interview.

Self-enumerated surveys


Q2.
        How well [do you] [does the person] speak English?
    Very well
    Well
    Not well
    Not at all
Interview-based surveys

Q2.
        Do you consider [you speak] [(name) speaks] English very well, well, or not well?
    Very well
    Well
    Not well
    Not at all
27. A separate question is required for interview-based surveys as, unlike a self-enumerated question where respondents can see the response choices and use them to interpret the question, respondents may be unaware of how to rate their proficiency when the interviewer asks the question "How well do you speak English?". Including the options 'very well', 'well' and 'not well' when asking the question gives the respondents some idea of how to rate their proficiency. It is important that this question records the respondent's own perception of how well they rate their English speaking skills.


Standard input categories

28. The standard input categories for Proficiency in Spoken English are the same as the categories of the classification and also includes the two supplementary categories, 'Not stated/Inadequately described' and 'Not applicable':

      • Very well
      • Well
      • Not well
      • Not at all
      • Not stated/Inadequately described
      • Not applicable


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