Internationally Educated Nurses and the Canadian English Language Benchmark Assessment for Nurses - A Qualitative Test Validation Study of Test-Taker Accounts

Oct 15, 2026

This qualitative validation study examines sixteen internationally educated nurses’ accounts of the Canadian English Language Benchmark Assessment for Nurses (CELBAN) at Toronto and Hamilton testing centres. Focus groups and one-on-one interviews investigate inferences drawn from the test and their consequences. The analysis uses abductive coding with sensitizing concepts to address construct representation and construct-irrelevant variance. Seven themes answer four research questions, reporting generally positive experiences while identifying potential sources of construct-irrelevant variance. Continued research is critical because CELBAN supports high-stakes nursing certification and licensure.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages22

Reading Time55 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Study design and participants

Construct representation and construct-irrelevant variance

Research questions and themes

Internationally Educated Nurses and the Canadian English Language Benchmark Assessment for Nurses: A Qualitative Test Validation Study of Test-Taker Accounts1 Stefanie Baldwin D2L Liying Cheng Queen’s University Abstract This qualitative validation study examines sixteen Internationally Educated Nurses’ (IENs’) accounts of the Canadian English Language Benchmark Assessment for Nurses (CELBAN) at two testing centres (Toronto and Hamilton). This study adopts both focus groups and oneon-one interviews to investigate the inferences drawn from the test, and its consequences. Focus groups and interviews were conducted using an adapted interview guide utilized in the TOEFL iBT investigation of test-taker accounts of construct representation and construct irrelevant variance (DeLuca et al., 2013) . While construct representation describes the degree of authenticity in the presentation of Canadian English language nursing tasks, construct irrelevant variance refers to potential factors impacting the test-taking experience which might contribute to a score variance that was not reflective of test-taker knowledge of the testing constructs (Messick, 1989, 1991, 1996) . In this study, test-taker accounts of construct representation and construct irrelevant variance constituted the data which were coded and analyzed abductively via the sensitizing concepts derived from DeLuca et al., and Cheng and DeLuca (2011) on examining test-takers’ experience and their contribution to validity. Seven themes emerged, answering four research questions: How do IENs characterize their test experience? How do IENs describe the assessment constructs? What, if any, sources of Construct Irrelevant Variance (CIV) do IENs describe? Do IENs feel the language tasks are authentic? Overall, participants reported positive experiences with the CELBAN, while identifying some possible sources of CIV. Given the CELBAN’s widespread use for highstakes decisions (a component of nursing certification and licensure), further research of IEN-test-taker responses to construct representation and construct irrelevant variance will remain critical to our understanding of the role of language competency testing for IENs. Résumé Cette étude qualitative de validation examine les témoignages de seize infirmières et infirmiers formés à l’étranger (IFE), à propos du test Canadian English Language Benchmark Assessment for Nurses (CELBAN), dans deux centres d’examen (Toronto et Hamilton) . Cette étude adopte à la fois des groupes de discussion et des entretiens en tête à tête afin d’enquêter sur les inférences tirées du test et ses conséquences. Les groupes de discussion et les entretiens ont été menés avec un guide d’entretien adapté, celui-ci utilisé dans l’enquête TOEFL iBT consistant de témoignages des candidats au CELBAN sur la Canadian Journal of Applied Linguistics, Special Issue: 23, 2 (2020): 96-117 CJAL * RCLA Baldwin & Cheng 97 représentation des construis et la variance non pertinente des construis (DeLuca et coll., 2013). Tandis que la représentation des construis décrit le degré d’authenticité qui se trouvedans la présentation des tâches des infirmières et infirmiers en anglais canadien, la variance non pertinente des construis fait référence aux facteurs potentiels qui pourraient influencerl’expérience de passation du test, et qui pourraient contribuer à une variance de résultats nereflétant pas les connaissances des construis d’évaluation que possède le candidat (Messick, 1989, 1991, 1996) . Dans cette étude, les témoignages des candidats sur la représentation des construis et la variance non pertinente des construis constituent les données codées et analysées de manière abrégée à travers les concepts de sensibilisé dérivés de Cheng et coll. et de Cheng et DeLuca (2011) sur l’expérience des candidats et leur contribution à la validité . Sept thèmes ont émergé, qui répondaient à quatre questions de recherche : comment les IFEreprésentent-ils l’expéri

FAQs

What does the study validate about the CELBAN test?

The study validates inferences drawn from CELBAN test-taker accounts by examining construct representation and construct-irrelevant variance and how these relate to the test experience.

How were data collected for the validation study?

Data were collected from sixteen internationally educated nurses using focus groups and one-on-one interviews at two testing centres (Toronto and Hamilton).

What were the main findings regarding construct-irrelevant variance?

Participants reported positive experiences overall, while also describing possible sources of construct-irrelevant variance that could contribute to score differences not fully reflective of knowledge of the assessed constructs.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Anna Hans