A Special Case for Young Learner Language Assessment

Synopsis

By Licda. Guiselle Weelkly

A Special Case for Young Learner Language Assessment

The following chapter provides some central information about young learners such as who they are, where they are learning, and what requires us to give them special consideration in assessment.

Many common characteristic are shared amids young language learners.

Who are they?

Are the ones who are learning a foreign or second language and who are doing so during the first six or seven years (approximately five and twelve)  of formal schooling. They may be learners learning a language in a situation where the language is seldom heard outside the classroom.

Young learners around the world share characteristics that are very common, learning in programmes that share likewise  their beliefs and practices they need in order to acquire a better learning.  It varies according to the purposes it follows, the intended outcomes,  their duration and the intensity thereof.

There are different programme types all around the world for young language learners, some are:

* Awareness Programme or Introductory Programme:  which are designed to raise children's interest in the language and to show that language learning can be enjoyable. 


* Partial Immersion and Total Immersion Programme: it is also called sometimes billingual programmes and   are designed to ensure greater language learning gains.

These learning outcomes in foreign language programmes depend on a number of factors which are:

1. Starting Age.

2. Amount of contact time.

3. Appropriateness of the curriculum.

4. Language proficiency.

5. Teaching skills of the teachers.

6. Communication with visitors or on the Internet.

Towards the second language programmes, their learning  is through intensive language programmes sometimes called sheltered programmes.


Children bring to their learning language programmes their own personality which is interwined with the  multiple  intelligence theory,  the individuality of children are no different  from older learners and you could take into account: growth, literacy and vulnerability.

 Towards the cognitive, social, emotional, and physical growth, it is said that children are in a state of constant cognitve, social , emotional and physical growth;  it is not possible to describe exactly the characteristics or the approximate age at which it occurs.  There are changes as they advance in age until they become adults.   Assessment should, therefore,  whenever possible,  be familiar and involve familiar adults, rather than strangers.  They will be going through with the help of the teachers, the " scaffolding"  process which is very important for them.

On the other hand,  the assessment has terms and purposes which will be of great importance for every language learner and teacher as well. The ones to be taken into consideration are:

* Formative Assessment.

*Summative Assessment.

*Assessment for placement purposes.

*Assessment to encourage and motivate.

*Assessment for research.