Towards Culturally Appropriate Assessment? A Contribution to the Debates

Abstract

Culturally appropriate assessment in higher educational is premised on factors that do not benefit minority groups, because they have no control over the processes governing such factors. Significantly, practices to account for students from different ethnic/minority/indigenous backgrounds are the inclusion of elements like their language, knowledge and culture into the curriculum. However, assessment procedures are often seen to be 'a-cultural', but are political activities that benefit the interests of some groups over others, as 'a-cultural' approaches tend to be bound within the cultural capital of the dominant group.This article examines the international discussions relating to culturally appropriate assessment through generic themes, assessment practices, cultural inclusions and cultural appropriateness. It argues that there are two distinct approaches to addressing inclusion: 'centric' and 'friendly', respectively, that result in different priorities and outcomes.Assessment however, is a political struggle between dominant and minority interests, which this article also recognises and explores.

Assessment innovation and student experience: a new assessment challenge and call for a multi-perspective approach to assessment research

“…The period of adjustment may put the international student at a disadvantage and could be exacerbated by assessment variety. This has led to a call for the design of more culturally responsive assessment mechanisms to help level the assessment playing field (Johnston 2010). Bearing in mind warnings that the 'multiple complexities lived by student cohorts' extend to home students as well (Welikala 2013, 1), this is also likely to assist other minority student groups attracted back to higher education through the widening participation agenda…”

“…Overall these unintended consequences support warnings that innovative assessment should not be seen as a panacea (Maclellan 2004), 'approached lightly or engaged in for its own sake' (Race 1999, 57). However, assessment innovations which enable students to divert or postpone some transitional pressures may help to satisfy calls for more culturally responsive assessment mechanisms (Johnston 2010). In turn this may help to maximise assessment satisfaction and the student experience for all.…”

“…Dialogue must lead to changes in assessment design and the development of mechanisms of choice which enable students to tailor assessment to satisfy their individual needs and preferences. Choice mechanisms would appear to be particularly important to international and widening participation students if all students are to have an equal opportunity to demonstrate what they know through assessment (Birenbaum 1996;Johnston 2010).…”

Culture Shock and Higher Education Performance: Implications for Teaching

“…The programme of study must consider such issues as how the curriculum is designed and how the assessment strategy is established so making it fair for all. For example, Johnston (2010) debates how centric assessment policy often acts as a disadvantage to the ethnic minority students and higher education institutions should promote cultural knowledge and context. This means that assessment criteria should be varied to reflect different student backgrounds and embrace such cultural diversity.…”

Grading: harmonising standards and stakeholder expectations

“…Although claiming to be globally responsive, university policies still tend to advantage students from the dominant culture. Such policies are not unusual, as observed by Johnston (2010), and tend to maintain historical inequities. However, since the Pacific student cohort embraced 18 different ethnic cultures (differing not only in language but also, for example, in whether the culture was primarily matrilineal or patrilineal), the question was to which culture should one respond?…”