Abstract
Testing applicants for admission into academic interpreting programs, whether spoken or signed, centers on the attempt to recruit and retain students who are most likely to acquire interpreting skills and successfully complete programs. Despite continual experimentation with various screening instruments and procedures in interpreter education, a definitive battery of tests to predict favorable student outcomes remains elusive to researchers, and programs are justifiably reluctant to enforce admission decisions based on screenings that have not been sufficiently evaluated for validity and reliability. This exploratory study provides an analysis of nine years of admission screening data to identify variables that might significantly impact the outcomes of one institution’s screening process. The researchers sought to observe the usefulness of an admission screening tool for predicting readiness and successful completion of a nationally accredited, bachelor-level ASL - English Interpreting Program at a public university. The sample comprised all program applicants who were screened for entry into upper-level coursework (i.e., ‘the program’) between 2016-2024 (N = 229). The measures included test scores maintained in an anonymous database, group demographics, matriculation, and time to program completion. Quantitative data analysis (using SPSS, version 29) determined the relationship between test scores, admission decisions, and progress to program completion. The study produced usable findings about admission and denial rates, student completion rates, differences between transfer and native students (provisionally admitted or otherwise), and the variables most likely to impact admission decisions.
Suggested Citation
Roberson, Len; Shaw, Sherry; and Hughes, Gail D.
(2025)
"Admission Screening into Signed Language Interpreter Education: A Longitudinal Case Study of Readiness,"
Journal of Interpretation: Vol. 33:
Iss.
1, Article 3.
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.unf.edu/joi/vol33/iss1/3