The Performance of Brazilian Air Traffic Controllers in Radiotelephony Communications in English: the Controllers’ Perspective

Abstract

Following the argument-based validity framework (M.E. Kane 2006, 2013), this paper aims at analyzing controllers’ perspectives of their performance in radiotelephony communications in English, utilizing data generated through the ongoing validation process of EPLIS, the Aviation English Proficiency Exam for Brazilian Air Traffic Controllers. This paper reports one phase of a broader multistage mixed-methods study and focuses on the consequences inference. Part of the data generated from a 65-item questionnaire answered by Brazilian Air Traffic Controllers who got proficiency Level 3 (considered non-operational) and Level 4 (considered by ICAO as the minimum level necessary to control aircraft using the English language) is analyzed. The questionnaire was divided into 3 parts: test-takers’ perceptions of the rating scale established by ICAO; test-takers’ perceptions of their proficiency while controlling aircraft in English; and problems they faced while controlling in English.