Assessment of reading performance of non-Native English learners

Abstract

English being an international language is the need of the time. Reading is one of the essential skills of language learning for non-native English learners. In recent years the concern of reading decline among students has become a point of discussion among educators. In this article, we probe how the quality of English reading is going down gradually among non-native English learning students. For this purpose, we measure the reading abilities of grade 5 students with multiple languages as their mother tongue, having probably not very different socio-economic backgrounds. The data of students (N=589) were collected through convenience sampling. Students were assessed in three domains of reading (fluency, comprehension, and reading vocabulary) through the self-developed English Reading Achievement Scale (ERAS). The results demonstrated unsatisfactory performance of sampled students' reading in English. Only 56 percent of students remained successful in the assessment of English reading. The performance of girls' school students in reading was comparatively better than the boys' students. Students' performance was probably better in reading fluency and worse in reading vocabulary.