Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in
SpringerLink
Log in

Measures of Language Proficiency in Large-Scale Surveys in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Measures of Language Proficiency in Censuses and Surveys

  • 164 Accesses

Abstract

To set the context, the chapter begins with a brief historical overview of language related survey research in Ireland that also serves as an introduction to the surveys to be examined later in the chapter. This is followed by a description of the language proficiency questions that were included in the selected surveys. The discussion here, and in later sections, concentrates on questions relating to language proficiency understood as ability to speak Irish. Questions based on other dimensions of the concept of language proficiency (understanding, reading, writing) are noted where relevant, but are not examined in the same detail. The discussion then moves to consider specific issues arising from features of the wording and format of the questions about language proficiency used in the selected surveys. These issues include those relating to dichotomous and multi-level ordinal questions, filter or branching questions and proxy reporting. The analysis in each case is based on both a detailed examination of the questions used, and the empirical results obtained when these questions were used in the field.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 39.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Bibliography

  • Agresti, A. 2007. An introduction to categorical data analysis. 2nd ed. New York: Wiley.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Alwin, D.F. 2007. Margins of error: A study of reliability in survey measurement. Hoboken: Wiley.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Bradburn, N.M., and C. Miles. 1979. Vague quantifiers. Public Opinion Quarterly 43: 92–101.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bulmer, M., K. Bales, and K.K. Sklar. 1991. The social survey in historical perspective, 1880–1940. Cambridge/New York: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Davies, A. 2008. Accountability and standards. In The handbook of educational linguistics, ed. B. Spolsky and F. Hult, 483–494. Oxford: Blackwell.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Foddy, W. 1993. Constructing questions for interviews and questionnaires. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Jones, N., and N. Saville. 2008. Scales and frameworks. In The handbook of educational linguistics, ed. B. Spolsky and F. Hult, 495–509. Oxford: Blackwell.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Kish, L. 1979. Samples and censuses. International Statistical Review 47: 99–109.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Krosnick, J.A., and L.R. Fabrigar. 1997. Designing rating scales for effective measurement in surveys. In Survey measurement and survey quality, ed. L. Lyberg, P. Biemer, M. Collins, E. de Leeuw, C. Dippo, N. Schwarz, and D. Trewin, 141–164. Hoboken: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Krosnick, J., and S. Presser. 2010. Question and questionnaire design. In Handbook of survey research, ed. P.V. Marsden and J.D. Wright, 2nd ed., 263–313. Bingley: Emerald Publishing Group.

    Google Scholar 

  • Maclean, M., and H. Genn. 1979. Methodological issues in social surveys. London: Macmillan.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Moore, J. 1988. Self/proxy response status and survey response quality – Review of the literature. Journal of Official Statistics 4: 155–172.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ó Riagáin, P. 1993. Stability and change in public attitudes towards Irish since the 1960s. Teangeolas 32: 45–49.

    Google Scholar 

  • ———. 1997. Language policy and social reproduction: Ireland 1893–1993. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pennell, B.-E., J.A. Harkness, R. Levenstein, and M. Quaqlia. 2010. Challenges in cross-national data collection. In Survey methods in multinational, multiregional, and multicultural contexts, ed. J.A. Harkness, M. Braun, B. Edwards, T.P. Johnson, L. Lyberg, P. Mohler, B.-E. Pennell, and T.W. Smith, 269–298. Hoboken: Wiley.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Rasinski, K. 2008. Designing reliable and valid questionnaires. In The Sage handbook of public opinion research, ed. W. Donsbach and M. Traugott, 361–373. London: Sage.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Schaeffer, N.C., and S. Presser. 2003. The science of asking questions. Annual Review of Sociology 29: 65–88.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schwarz, N., B. Knauper, D. Oyserman, and C. Stich. 2008. The psychology of asking questions. In International handbook of survey methodology, ed. E. de Leeuw, J. Hox, and D. Dillman, 18–34. New York: Lawrence Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith, T.W. 1978. In search of house effects: A comparison of responses to various questions by different survey organizations. Public Opinion Quarterly 42: 443–463.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stafford, F.P. 2010. Panel surveys: Conducting surveys over time. In Handbook of survey research, ed. P.V. Marsden and J.D. Wright, 765–794. Bingley: Emerald Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tourangeau, R., L.J. Rips, and K. Rasinski. 2000. The psychology of survey response. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Language and Communication Studies, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland

    Pádraig Ó Riagáin

Authors
  1. Pádraig Ó Riagáin
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Appendices

Appendices

  1. (a)

     Republic of Ireland: Surveys based on the CILAR questionnaire

  • Committee on Irish Language Attitudes Research (1975). Report as submitted to the Minister for the Gaeltacht, October 1975. Dublin: Department of the Gaeltacht. (Contains results of national survey conducted in 1973).

  • Ó Riagáin P. & M. Ó Gliasáin (1984). The Irish language in the Republic of Ireland 1983: Preliminary report of a national survey. Dublin: Institiúid Teangeolaíochta Éireann.

  • Ó Riagáin P. & M. Ó Gliasáin (1994). The Irish language in the Republic of Ireland 1993: Preliminary report of a national survey. Dublin: Institiúid Teangeolaíochta Éireann.

  • Research and Evaluation Services, Belfast. (2001). The Irish language survey 2001. Dublin: Foras na Gaeilge. (unpublished).

  • Darmody M. & T. Daly (2015). Attitudes towards the Irish language on the island of Ireland. Dublin: Economic and Social Research Institute.

The copyright owners of these surveys - for 1973–1993 surveys the Department of Education and Skills (Ireland) and for the 2001 and 2103 surveys Foras na Gaeilge – gave the author permission to access and use the datafiles for purposes of this research.

  1. (b)

     Republic of Ireland: Other Surveys

  • MORI Ireland. (2004). Turning on and Tuning in to Irish Language Radio in the 21st Century. Dublin: Broadcasting Commission of Ireland.

  • MacGréil M. & F. Rhatigan (2009). The Irish Language and the Irish People: Report on the Attitudes towards, Competence in and Use of the Irish Language in the Republic of Ireland 2007–8. NUI Maynooth: Survey & Research Unit, Department of Sociology

A copy of the data-file, and permission to use the Irish component of the International Social Survey Programme 2003–4 was obtained from the Social Science Research Centre (University College Dublin). (These data files are also available to registered users from the GESIS Data Archive for the Social Sciences in the Leibniz Institute (http://www.gesis.org))

  1. (c)

     Northern Ireland: Censuses of population

  • Northern Ireland. 1929. Census of Population of Northern Ireland 1926, General Report. Belfast: HMSO.

  • Northern Ireland. 1993. Northern Ireland Census 1991, Irish Language Report. Belfast: HMSO.

  • NISRA. (2004). Northern Ireland Census 2001 Theme Tables. Belfast: HMSO.

The SARS data-files from the 1991 and 2001 Northern Ireland censuses were obtained from CCSR (Cathie Marsh Centre for Census and Social Research) in the University of Manchester (http://www.ccsr.ac.uk/).

  1. (d)

     Northern Ireland: NISRA Surveys

  • Sweeney, K. (1988) The Irish Language in Northern Ireland 1987: A Preliminary Report of Knowledge, Interest and Ability, Belfast: Department of Finance. (Report draws on the 1987 Continuous Household Survey in Northern Ireland)

  • Carmichael, M. (2013) Knowledge and Use of Irish in Northern Ireland: Findings from the Continuous Household Survey 2011–12. DCAL Research Findings 6/2012–13. Belfast.

  • McCallion, C. (2015) Knowledge and Use of Irish in Northern Ireland: Findings from the Continuous Household Survey 2013–14. DCAL Research Findings 14/2014–15. Belfast.

  1. (e)

     Northern Ireland: Other Surveys

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2018 The Author(s)

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Ó Riagáin, P. (2018). Measures of Language Proficiency in Large-Scale Surveys in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. In: Measures of Language Proficiency in Censuses and Surveys. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-72941-1_3

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-72941-1_3

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-72940-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-72941-1

  • eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation