Recognising the Diversity of Learner Achievements in Learning Asian Languages in School Education Settings

Abstract

In the context of globalisation and super-diversity we are seeing in education an increasing mobility of students, global flows of knowledge and the internationalization of teaching and learning. This phenomenon influences learning in general and language learning in particular. In languages education there is an increasing diversity of learners with diverse life-worlds and learning trajectories, and an increasing diversity of languages offered in different settings. The impact of this diversity in education is particularly marked in assessment because of its characteristic tendency towards generalisation and standardisation. In this paper I discuss the impact of globalisation on ways of describing frameworks of learner achievement that recognise the diversity of learners. I describe a recent national study that investigated learner achievements in Chinese, Indonesian, Japanese and Korean K–12, relative to learner background and time-on-task. The resulting context-sensitive descriptions of learner achievements provide a framing of learner achievements in a way that does justice to students’ diverse linguistic and cultural repertoires.

Appendix A. An Example of a Description of Student Achievement for Year 6/7 Indonesian, Second Language Writing—High and an Example Response and Commentary

1.1 Description: Year 6/7 Indonesian, L2 Writing—High

1.1.1 Forms and Structures

Students create simple sentences using the subject-verb-object construction. Students use the structure of the adjective following the noun at the clause level when modelled (e.g. Tempat favorit saya rumah teman).

They use a possessive pronoun following the object if modelled (e.g. Nama teman baik saya Alice) and the possessive form -nya (e.g. Teman saya namanya James, rupanya tinggi).

Students use the simple verb suka to express their preferences (e.g. Saya suka …). They negate verbs by using tidak (e.g. Saya tidak suka …) and use compound verbs (e.g. Saya tidak suka membaca buka, Saya suka main tenis).

Activities are typically described using ber- verbs (e.g. belajar, berbelanja, berjalan) and a small range of formulaic me- verbs (e.g. membeli, menonton, mendengarkan). Verbs are used at times with auxiliaries and adjectives extending the idea (e.g. Saya suka sekali … Saya mau ke sekolah naik bis).

Students use prepositions of place di, dari, and ke to refer to where events are located (e.g. Saya mau ke sekolah naik bis, Saya tinggal di … Saya berasal dari Australia).

Students use cardinal numbers following the noun (i.e. as an adjective) to refer to quantities, including when describing people (e.g. Kakak saya satu. Adik saya dua, Saya ada dua kakak).

Occasionally preferences or opinions are attempted using comparatives and superlatives, for example, Saya suka sekali futbal, … lebih kecil (daripada) kamar saya. Opinions are occasionally expressed using colloquial terms that reflect a judgment (e.g. asyik).

1.2 Task: Self-introduction

1.2.1 Learner Background and Program Context

This student is a second language learner at school. Her first language is English. She and her parents were born in Australia . The student has studied Indonesian at school for six years. The Indonesian program has two 50-minute lessons per week (Fig. 9.1).

Fig. 9.1

Sample response to self-introduction task

1.2.2 Features of Achievement in This Example

The student provides a range of information, including personal details such as name and age, family, pets, likes and dislikes, and future career. The response is sequenced logically, moving from personal details to family, hobbies, preferences, and friends.

The student refers to quantity using the numbers and the nouns for animals (anjing, kucing) to describe her pets. She uses several adjectives to describe her own character (i.e. jujur, ramah, rajin).

She uses the personal pronoun saya and its possessive form accurately (e.g. keluarga saya, teman saya). She uses a range of simple verbs such as suka, makan, minum, tinggal as well as formulaic ber- and me- words (e.g. berenang, membaca, mempunyai, menonton). She uses the formulaic phrase saya mau menjadi to state her preferred occupation.

Spelling is accurate throughout including less familiar words such as dokter hewan.

The student creates cohesion using the simple conjunction dan. The response is structured using a series of sentences starting with saya, with occasional variation of subject (e.g. teman saya, keluarga saya).