One of the major challenges comes from the learner’s first language, and the more distant it is from English, the more difficult it is to assess the learner correctly. Indeed, it has been found that learners whose native language is from the same language group as English, have fewer difficulties learning English than learners from different backgrounds. Hence, the question arises, whether the effort put into English language learning should be assessed or only the result of this learning (Simply Ieva ESL, 2019). Assessing by results, teachers tend to disregard the amount of work and dedication it takes from learners from different backgrounds to master the language. This situation may lead to frustration and unwilling to continue education on the part of learners from cultures quite diverse from English-speaking society.
The second challenge lies in the fact that language, in many ways, forms a worldview. Diversity of language presupposes diversity of cultures and language perception. For example, not many languages can boast such a variety of polysemous words as English, and students may have difficulty understanding the same words in different contexts (Kirsh, 2020). The assessment in this case should rely on how much a learner understands. The third challenge comes from upbringing and earlier education a child receives. Some children are taught to be obedient, and the teacher may consider them passive. In reality, these children may have been brought up in dominant societies and households where children are not allowed to express their opinion and are trained to keep silent (Pierce, 2014). This diversity of cultures cannot be disregarded when assessing an English learner, and assessment should consider cultural aspects.
The influence of grades on ELLs ranges from moderate to great depending on a learner’s own idea on the importance of grades and that of his parents. In families where having high grades is seen as a necessity, getting low grades may cause a learner stress and anxiety. Vise versa, in families, where grades are not seen as marker of a person’s knowledge, the impact of grades on a learner’s performance is limited.
References
Pierce L. V. (2014). Assessment of English Language Learners [Video]. YouTube. Web.
Kirsh, S. (2020). Assessment for ELLs [Video]. YouTube. Web.
Simply Ieva ESL. (2019). How to assess ESL students every day [Video]. YouTube. Web.