Training to Work with Interpreters in US School Psychology Graduate Programs

Area of Science:

• Educational Psychology
• Linguistic Diversity in Schools
• Psychoeducational Assessment

Background:

• US schools are increasingly diverse, yet most psychoeducational evaluations are conducted by monolingual psychologists.
• Effective use of interpreters is critical for assessing emergent bilingual students and their families.
• Existing research highlights a knowledge gap among practicing psychologists regarding interpreter use.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the training, knowledge, and preparedness of school psychology graduate students in using interpreters.
• To identify gaps in current graduate-level training programs concerning interpreter utilization.
• To explore best practices for training future school psychologists to work with interpreters.

Main Methods:

• Survey methodology was employed to gather data from graduate students and interns.
• Participants were enrolled in master's, specialist, and doctoral programs across 36 US states (n=364).
• Data included quantitative responses and qualitative analysis of open-ended questions.

Main Results:

• A significant majority of surveyed students reported insufficient training, knowledge, and preparedness regarding interpreter use.
• Most participants were monolingual (70.3%) and pursuing master's or specialist degrees (71.2%).
• Qualitative data indicated that direct experience with interpreters was highly valued and beneficial for training.

Conclusions:

• Current school psychology graduate programs provide inadequate training on the appropriate use of interpreters for emergent bilinguals.
• There is a pressing need to enhance graduate curricula to better prepare students for culturally and linguistically diverse school populations.
• Program directors and faculty should prioritize incorporating comprehensive training in interpreter utilization into their programs.