Culture As A Parameter In Assessing Students' Performance

CULTURE AS A PARAMETER IN ASSESSING STUDENTS' PERFORMANCE
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Institutional Affiliation
Culture as a Parameter in Assessing Students' Performance
Introduction
Several assessment opportunities are available, indicative of the fact that no shortage of possibilities can occur at any given time. Given this, it is significant to understand that it remains the responsibility of the teachers to utilize their learning experiences as a meaningful assessment experience. To ensure efficiency in assessments that are driven towards improving learning and teaching, information generated from such activities are utilized to inform the teachers and their students in determining what needs to be done next. As a significant resource in schools, teachers are required to raise the standards of education. Improving the equity and efficiency of schooling, therefore, depends on ensuring that the teachers are well resourced and motivated to perform their tasks (Nowell et al., 2010). This paper, therefore, seeks to conduct a study aimed at understanding the manner in which culture may be initiated as a parameter in the assessment of student’s performance. This is pegged on the idea that the westernization of higher education does not consider the cultural particularities of students. As a result, non-English students studying in American/English universities often underperform because by western standards they are not "good" students. This is very often the case with Arab students studying in American universities. This paper therefore seeks to argue for the inclusion of culture as a significant element in planning assessment tools for students.
Culture as a Parameter in Assessing Students' Performance
Davies & Hazelton (2013) posits that assessment for learning enables students to integrate learning and teaching processes aimed at establishing the role of the teachers in education. Through assessment, teachers have the capacity to determine the knowledge, perception, and misconceptions of Arab students, thus informing curriculum planning and teaching practices that support students in operating at their edge of competence. Teachers, in this case, make use of a broad range of assessment tools and teaching methods that integrate assessment into the teaching and learning process. Regarding this, there is a need to determine that assessment goals remain explicit in assisting the Arab students to understand what they are learning and what is required of them from time to time. The mounting evidence clearly demonstrates the significance of establishing an educational environment that reflects the relevancy of the Arab student’s cultures, backgrounds and realities (Urda & Ramocki, 2015). Research, as established by Urda & Ramocki (2015) proves the relevance of culture and ethnic identities in mitigating negative experiences that increase the learner’s self-esteem, self-confidence, and resilience. Given this, it is necessary to examine that culture may be appropriated as a parameter aimed at assessing the performance of learners since this initiates a shared language in regards to the goals of teaching. On the other hand, culture integrates a learning process that includes the common understanding of the core purpose...